Pride and Prejudice Illustrated Edition

Dieses Buch sollte jeder Mensch bei sich im Bücherschrank haben. Ich wollte umbedingt noch eine Hardcoverausgabe besitzen, und hatte mir die von Quarto Publishing ausgesucht, weil diese günstig ist. Ein Caveat allerdings: Das Schriftbild, sprich der verwendete Font, ist sehr sehr klein. Menschen, die eine Brille brauchen, werden hier Schwierigkeiten mit dem Lesen haben. Helles Licht und eine gute Lesebrille können das aber ausgleichen.

Es war leicht in das Buch einzusteigen, allerdings hat es kurz vor der Hälfte etwas nachgelassen und an Spannung und Unterhaltung gemangelt, was der Rest des Buches aber komplett kompensieren konnte. Die meisten Charaktere waren sehr sympathisch und es hat sehr viel Spaß gemacht, die Geschichte zu lesen. Die 200 Jahre, die das Buch schon auf dem Buckel hat, hat man tatsächlich kaum gemerkt. Meiner Meinung nach, war Jane Austen ihrer Zeit eindeutig voraus. Mr. Darcy ist in meinen Augen ein ziemlich falsch eingeschätzter Charakter, von Anfang an, und ich bin froh, dass das Elizabeth nicht davon abgehalten hat, seine wahre Natur ans Licht zu bringen und auch die anderen von ihm zu überzeugen. Noch ein kleines Zitat zum Schluss: "I declare After all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."

Ich hatte zuerst bedenken, dass ich das Englisch der Jane Austen nicht verstehe, da ich mit Charlotte Bronte einige Schwierigkeiten hatte, aber es lässt sich wirklich gut lesen.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite novels by Jane Austen and also one of my favourite romances. Every time I read it I fall in love with it all over again. Even though I always know what happens next I still enjoy this book very much. I love the very first sentence, the first scene with Mr and Mrs Bennet and I love the five, very different sisters Lizzie, Jane, Lydia, Kitty, and Mary. I love to read about Darcy's and Lizzie's first encounter and their bad first impressions of each other. It's also very fun every time around how Darcy slowly falls in love with Elizabeth, even though he tries to resist it. How Lizzie gets ruffled up about Darcy amuses me very much. The scene with Darcy's proposal is the most fun, in my opinion. I could go on and on about all the things that I love but it would be easier and quicker if you just read the book. Lizzie is charmingly snarky and sarcastic, also very quick witted. She is one of my favoutite heroines. At first, she is quick to judge and is opposed to change a preformed opinion of somebody or something. But Lizzie's character grows very much and watching that happening warms my heart with every reread. Her relationship with her dad is also very heartwarming. “An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” Darcy is a stuck-up, arrogant snob - or so it seems. He actually has a big heart and cares very much about the people he loves and, damn, he has some killer romantic lines in this book. “You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.” One thing that irks me, though, and that is except Mrs Bennet (I know, she only wants the best for her daughters but, man, that woman annoys the hell out of me!), is the characterization of Lydia. She is young and carefree and very immature but I don't like how Lydia is characterized so shallowly. I would've loved to see some character growth in her but maybe I'm just biased because in an adaptation of P&P Lydia grows so much and she is one of my favourite characters in that adaptation. P&P will forever be on of my favourite books of all time, I will treasure it and reread it whenever I can! “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” 5 stars, 'cause what else?!

It's a wonderful romantic novel of manners with memorable characters. The novel allows to enter into the complex world of human feelings. I without any doubt recommend the novel for a nice reading.