This book has suddenly become popular once again, due to the movie that came out recently based on it. I have not yet seen the movie, and am not sure if I want to. The book was wonderful! The best parts were the sarcastic and witty comments on society that Austen writes, and, since many of these are written from her viewpoint of her anonymous narrator, and not her characters, how could the movie version even touch that?

Its about a family of five sisters and their parents, who live in England in around 1811 or so. The book is intentionally vague about the exact years. The girls are old enough to be married, and their mother is desperate to make this happen. The father is less interested in his wife and most of his silly daughters, (except Lizzy, his favorite, who is smart), and more interested in reading books and being left alone. The story twists and turns in unexpected ways, and was much more interesting than I expected it to be! I was constantly finding hidden gems of great sentences, many of which were also really funny. I had heard that Austen wrote sarcastically about society, but I didn’t know she was funny!

The entire mindset of the book can be summed up rather well in the opening sentence. Austen writes: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Nearly everyone in the book has decided that their goal in life is to be married, and to have all of their daughters, sons, nephews, and nieces married. Most of the characters in the book are more interested in having people marry “well”, that is, for financial gain and social status, than marrying for love. Some of the characters in the book marry for money, and some for love, and the results are compared and contrasted with Austen commenting on every outcome.

The book also is a window into the very regimented social rules that were the normal way of behaving at the time. It’s much more formal than anything we do today, and makes for an interesting view into another time, another culture. Its a great book, and I didn’t expect it to be half as great as I found it to be!

Jane is the oldest sister, who falls for a new neighbor, named Mr. Bingley. Of course, Jane is quiet, and he doesn’t really know she likes him for most of the book. Bingley’s sisters don’t want him to marry Jane, since her family does not have much money or status. One of Bingley’s sisters is interested in his friend, Mr. Darcy, who doesn’t seem to like her much. Darcy doesn’t seem to like anyone much at all, especially Elizabeth, Jane’s sister, and the feeling is mutual. And then, things change around. Very nicely woven plot lines.
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