Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

**Please note- this review contains spoilers**

Pride and Prejudice is one of those books that has been sitting on my "To Be Read" pile for years. I kept saying that I wanted to get to it yet it kept getting pushed aside. One day a friend mentioned that she was reading it and I knew it was time.

Originally published in 1813 this novel was different than anything you'd see published today. Austen takes the reader to a place in time that is very different from what we are familiar with. The setting, the language, the fashion are all so different, but the story is one that anyone can identify with.

The main character is Elizabeth Bennett. She is the second oldest of five daughters and is not your typical 1800's century lady. She has a sharp tongue and wit about her that her mother just doesn't understand, but her father adores. Something I'm sure that many of us can relate to in one sense or another.

Pride and Prejudice is a story about Lizzie finding love where she least expects it. She learns a great deal about herself and her family along the way.

I'll admit that when I first started reading Pride and Prejudice, I had some trouble keeping all of the characters straight and I had to reach for the dictionary more than once. I eventually got through that phase and into the story and at that point I didn't want to put it down. I was so immersed in the story before me that I could imagine myself sitting next to Lizzie in the carriage as she made her travels. I could feel her confusion when Mr. Darcy confesses his love for her. I could feel her frustration in dealing with her younger sisters situation. This is what I loved about this book. It easily transported me to a time that was so utterly different from my own and made me believe what the characters were going through.

A wonderfully written story, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get to it. Reading and enjoying this story has encouraged me to pick up a few more classics. Which one should I tackle next?