Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen used to be an okay read for me months after I graduated high school but my preference has obviously changed for the better now. In the course of five years, my thought about classic books gradually changed from how difficult it was to enjoy some into the anticipation of discovering the new old gems. All things considered, I'm really ecstatic to announce that my first 5-stars read this year was found in the form of a classic romance story between Elizabeth Bennet and the famous Mr. Darcy. If a reread is always as exciting as this, I will undoubtedly schedule myself for another round of it next year.
Pride and Prejudice follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter from the Bennet family who lives in Longbourn House in Hertfordshire. Upon hearing the news about the arrival of a wealthy man in town, Mrs. Bennet tries to convince his husband to go greet the new neighbor who has just rented a place in Netherfield with the hope that he will marry either one of their five daughters one day. Thankfully the new neighbor, Mr. Bingley, turns out to be the perfect gentleman, and much to their mother liking, he seems to take an interest in Bennet's oldest daughter, Jane.
Jane Bennet is not only famous for her beauty but also her gentleness and kindness, so knowing that Mr. Bingley is as good as her makes Lizzy feel very happy for her sister. Unfortunately, the same impression can't be applied to Bingley's best friend, Mr. Darcy. Contrary to the upper class' great opinions about him, Lizzy sees Mr. Darcy as a proud and disagreeable man and she can't quite figure out why a good man like Mr. Bingley can befriend someone like him.
This might be my second time reading Pride and Prejudice and while I still remembered some of the famous scenes like the balls and the letters sent to name a few, I frankly enjoyed it a thousand times more than I did the first time I had read it years ago. Austen's characters in this book were really charming: I adored the witty and clever Lizzy so much, Jane's kindness was really admirable, and while we all agreed that Mr. Bennet was a bit idle I actually enjoyed his sarcastic humor a little bit too much. Furthermore, while I was not a big fan of Mrs. Bennet's character myself, I did admire how funny Austen managed to make her behavior seem.
I now understand why after hundred years this book is still timeless and relevant. I had always considered myself as someone who enjoyed a story set in present or future time more, but this book proved that a novel written before the 19th century could be such a gem too. Pride and Prejudice was such a stunning read and I was really fascinated by how likable Elizabeth was. I especially really liked how we got to experience her and Darcy's progression throughout the novel and I was very much in love with Mr. Darcy because of it.
Overall, there's no other word to describe this book except that I loved it so much. My second impression about it was that it's brilliantly written and progressed. Even though Lizzy hated Darcy so much at first, rather than seeing it as a hate-to-love relationship I considered it more as a beautiful happy-ending love story with great development and awesome characters. I would certainly recommend it to everyone who likes classic and romance books in general.
Actual rating: 5★
