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    Pride and Prejudice
    Pride and Prejudice
    Pride and Prejudice
    Audiobook11 hours

    Pride and Prejudice

    Written by Jane Austen

    Narrated by Josephine Bailey

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Pride and Prejudice captures the affections of class-conscious eighteenth-century English families with matrimonial aims and rivalries. This story of the Bennet family and the novel's two protagonists, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, is told with a wit that author Jane Austen feared might prove "rather too light and bright, and sparkling."

    The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. Austen's artistry is also apparent in the delineation of the minor characters: the ill-matched Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Charles Bingley and his sisters, and particularly the fatuous Mr. Collins, whose proposal to Elizabeth is one of the finest comic passages in English literature.

    Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 14, 2008
    ISBN9781400176335
    Author

    Jane Austen

    Jane Austen was born in 1775 in rural Hampshire, the daughter of an affluent village rector who encouraged her in her artistic pursuits. In novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma she developed her subtle analysis of contemporary life through depictions of the middle-classes in small towns. Her sharp wit and incisive portraits of ordinary people have given her novels enduring popularity. She died in 1817.

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    Reviews for Pride and Prejudice

    4.5/5

    19,678 ratings610 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813 in three volumes, the customary presentation of a novel in the early 19th Century. Penguin Press has provided Kindle owners with a wonderful enhanced version of the novel preserving the three volume format without attempting to standardize or modernize the text. The Penguin book is presented by Juliette Wells, Enhanced E-book Features Editor. It is edited with an introduction and informative notes by Vivien Jones. The result is a very readable yet scholarly treatment of the novel, with a biography of Jane Austen, 19th Century reviews of the book, descriptions of how to make tea and Jane Austen's eating habits, and much more. The last time I read Pride and Prejudice was in 1966 in an English literature class in college. I challenged the professor's choice of reading material as completely irrelevant given the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement and protests on my college campus, San Francisco State. It was a pleasure to reread the book with the wisdom of age supplemented by the excellent notes throughout the three volumes. Kindle owners can, with a spin of the wheel and a click, read explanations of the semantics of the vocabulary used by Austen, consider content interpretations, view illustrations of fashion, learn historical dance steps, and see period architecture. The focus of the production, of course, is the novel with its themes of first impressions, pride, vanity, seduction, feminism, prejudice, sexism, fatal attraction, society, intellectual domination, morality, etiquette, marriage, heritability, class structure, the family as a purposeful unit, and personal happiness. I highlighted many passages and notes to read again and enjoy. One example is from Volume 1 when Darcy says to Elizabeth, "There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome." Another example of my highlights is from Volume 2 when Elizabeth states, "The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense." And here is an example of an explanatory note I highlighted from Volume 3, "e3. Elizabeth's determination here matches her effort throughout the novel to pursue what she considers to be her own happiness; compare her response to Mr. Collin's proposal of marriage in chapter 19." The novel, notes, and other features allow the reader to experience the historical context of the first edition. Before reading Pride and Prejudice, I reread James Joyce's Ulysses on my Kindle with Don Gifford's Ulysses Annotated paperback book as a guide. It would have been a better reading experience to have this excellent source integrated with the novel. Penguin's enhanced e-books with built in reference features will be excellent for new publications of classic novels. I learned a great deal more about Austen's novel in the convenient Kindle format than I did 42 years ago in college. Hopefully, I'll be able to add many enhanced Penguin classics to my Kindle Library.
    • 2/5
      I just could not enjoy this book. I don't know if I still have residual PTSD from all the Victorian literature I read in high school or if it's something else. Granted, I tried to keep in mind that this was very novel for its time and I agree that Austen should be given credit for her feminist contributions. But other than a few stray clever remarks, my eyes rolled more often than not.

      Thus, the two stars are for Austen's rebellious attitude toward gender disparity, but I just find P&P too outdated and out-of-touch with someone like me.
    • 4/5
      Such a delightful & amusing book. The original Chick-Lit. Some books deserve to be read and re-read, preferably at different times in your life. This time I enjoyed the audio version of this book, thanks to Librivox
    • 3/5
      When I started my reading list for 2017, I decided to go heavy on the classics, those books that always appear on those Read These Books Before You Die lists, 100 Greatest Books, blah-blah-blah. So I read it. It was okay, but I wasn’t exactly bowled over, it was a bit stiff and stilted. Not surprising considering the setting, plot, etc. “Oh, Lady Frillypants and Lord Salsburywichshireford! What an honor to see you at our daughter’s ball! Fa-la-la!” It wasn’t horrible, and I’m glad to have read it, but I did remove the other Jane Austen novels I had put on my list. One was enough.
    • 2/5
      I've tried Austen several ways, one of which is [Pride and Prejudice.] I've tried to like her, everyone insists I should. I like the story, however the boring, monotonous speed at which it is told is worse than death for me. Sorry Jane! I've NEVER said this before, but the movie is far better than the book!
    • 3/5
      So, I'm probably the last one of my friends to read this book. It's not for lack of trying. I had started it about 4 times, but couldn't ever get through it. I love the 2005 movie version. I love the LBD youtube version. But it took me til this year to make it through the text. It wasn't bad. I don't know if I will read more Austen. It didn't blow me away like other "classic" books have. I like the story. I like Lizzy. I like imagining what my life would be like in England. Maybe just because I had known the story already from so many other versions, I was not quite as interested in finishing. I listened to part of it on audiobook, and maybe the narrator was not the best. But I'm glad I have finally read this book. It seemed like a rite of passage that I missed in early college.
    • 5/5
      This story is wonderful. It focuses on Elizabeth Bennett, the second oldest of 5 girls, who has a mother that is absolutely focused on getting her daughters married. As Jane, Elizabeth's eldest sister, is being courted by a new man in town, Elizabeth meets his friend, Mr. Darcy. He is a seemingly rude, proud, and condescending man. Everyone immediately dislikes Darcy and writes him off as being unworthy of attention.As the story progresses, heartbreaks follow. Jane's courtship falls through and their youngest sister, Lydia, runs off to a marry a militia man who has a good reputation, but is found out to be quite shady. Through all of this, Elizabeth learns more and more about Mr. Darcy and discovers that he isn't so proud, but actually shy and a little bit socially awkward.This is a very simplistic explanation of a very complicated story, but it is wonderful to read how Elizabeth processes new information and her seemingly steadfast view of an individual changes over time. In addition, Elizabeth herself is already such a strong character and speaks up for herself and those around her at the risk of being "unladylike." Wonderful book and such a wonderful character!
    • 5/5
      Who doesn't like Pride and Prejudice? (Other than quite a few men, but I think Jane Austen is perhaps unfairly gender-segregated). A good book, although I think Sense and Sensibility may be her best. And the BBC miniseries of this one is also very good.
    • 5/5
      The first time I read it.Was positivly surprised by the humour in the dialog and the irony with which she described her characters.Written in a beautiful style, it was a joy to read.
    • 5/5
      This one's become a bit of a chestnut, so no further comment required from me.
    • 4/5
      I must admit that I have avoided reading this great classic for many years. I am glad that I finally read it and I enjoyed it tremendously. It has everything romance, a happy ending, humor and a good background of the social customs of the 19th Century.The matriarch of the Bennett family, makes it her life's mission to see that all five of her daughters are "suitably" married to the "proper gentlemen". She is looking out for their future as well as her own. Elizabeth, the second oldest of the Bennett family, meets Mr. Darcy, dismisses him as an arrogant snob. You just know they are destined to fall in love.Now that I have taken the plunge, I will be reading more of Ms. Austen.
    • 4/5
      Subliem boek, vooral door -sterke structuur: goed geconcentreerd rond een beperkt aantal figuren-Lizzy is de hoofdfiguur: ze ondergaat een hele evolutie in haar psyche-Humor is ijzersterk, in de vorm van ?wit? in de sterke dialogen en vooral het sarcasme in de karaktertekening (met Collins als hoogtepunt)-Romantische evolutieHoofdthema: onderscheid tussen schijn en werkelijkheid, en hoe mensen zich anders kunnen voordoen of anders kunnen overkomen dan ze in werkelijkheid zijn. In dat proces spelen vooral vooroordelen een essenti?le rol.Tegelijk een sterke tekening van de sociale conventies in het previctoriaanse Engeland.
    • 2/5
      Two stars is my rating from when I read this on my own in high school. I liked it more the second time through when we read it for class, and I started to understand the humor in it. I even wrote my AP English literary criticism/research paper on this book, which helped me appreciate it more than when I read it independently.
    • 4/5
      This is a true timeless british classic romance. It's wonderful to read from one of the best known authors in british classic literature.
    • 5/5
      i love this book.
      my favourite jane austen novel. the subtlety of elizabeth falling in love with mr.darcy gets me every time.
    • 4/5
      I tried to read Pride and Prejudice once before, but stalled out on it. I was determined to read it this summer, though -- we're often told at my university that to really join in the 'conversation' that is the study of English Literature, we've got to be familiar with Jane Austen. I'll have to look up what the other requirements are, but I'm steadily plodding onward with Jane! This time, I actually enjoyed Pride and Prejudice rather more -- to the point where my mother, who has no affection for Austen, wondered if I was sick. I read it in ebook format, three or four pages at a time, and got it finished very quickly.

      I'm still not sure it's so utterly vital, or the pinnacle of wit or writing talent, but I do confess to enjoying it. Given how famous and influential it is, if you are in the position I adopted before, do give it a try. I don't blame you if you don't find it interesting. I obviously eventually got into it. The characters were really what got me, with their little quirks and flaws. Even Mrs Bennet, who is irritatingly hysterical, is kind of endearing -- heck, even Lydia and Wickham are kind of endearing in their lack of repentence and their silliness. I know a lot of girls swoon over Darcy, and maybe this is the fact that I haven't seen any tv/movie adaptation, but I didn't at all: I was rather of Lizzy's opinion to begin with. Still, he became more likable later on, and I enjoyed that. Lizzy herself -- well, she jumps to conclusions, but she has a mind of her own and isn't afraid to snub and refuse a man. I imagine that would have taken some guts, in that period.

      I have to say, I still found the plot fairly boring. If I didn't kind of want to see how the characters reacted and eventually got together, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it. It's not that the pacing is bad or anything, not when you consider the novel in context, but I'm just not really one for books in which the main object is everyone getting together at the end. Especially when the supposed love and affection between the characters falls relatively flat for me.

      I swear I'm not a pod person. And I still defend people's right to utterly loathe and detest Austen.
    • 4/5
      I can't believe it took my until age 39 to read my first Jane Austen. I enjoyed the read even though it wasn't exactly in my wheelhouse for books I usually enjoy. There is literally no plot outside of who is going to marry and fall in love with whom, but the story was a fascinating look into upper-middle class Victorian England. I can see why Austen is so popular as a writer.
    • 4/5
      This is only the second Jane Austen book I've read so far and I loved it. I could never really get into Sense and Sensibility, the only other one I've read so far. It was a little difficult to read being my first Austen.

      Pride and Prejudice was so much better. I've always loved the movie and TV programme, so I was looking forward to reading this. It turned out that I love the book even more. I like that we get to see and hear more of Mr Darcy and how he feels the whole way through. He's more of a character in the book, and a lot more stern in the films.

      I'm planning to read the rest of Austen, but for now, this will be my favourite.
    • 3/5
      I thought I might not like this book. I can never seem to get into these kinds of books – the classic life stories. But I ended up not not liking it. Even if I didn’t necessarily like it either, if that makes sense. I suppose I’m a bit indifferent about it. It was neither bad nor something I particularly enjoyed. I did appreciate the way Elizabeth was not like what the general populace of women was in those times. And I appreciated Darcy’s attitude, as well as the language used. It was readable but still used a deal of formal language. But I couldn’t get into the story. I’m a fantasy and action fan through and through. And yet I’m glad I read this book finally. It’s just one of those books you ought to know something about and not simply because you watched the movie.
    • 5/5
      Austen's best-known book stands up well to a second readin.. The story of five sisters in search of husbands, accompanied by plenty of social criticism, satire, and fun is enjoyable for anyone who doesn't need a rapid-fire page-turner. Most people know the main plot, about the proud young man and the young woman who conceives of a prejudice against him, so I'll not retell it here. What's made this book popular for two hundred years is, I think, the humor, the gentle skewering of social attitudes, and the constant misperceptions of the motives of others. It's sort of classic lit. lite, easily accessible to almost all readers. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      I've tried Austen several ways, one of which is [Pride and Prejudice.] I've tried to like her, everyone insists I should. I like the story, however the boring, monotonous speed at which it is told is worse than death for me. Sorry Jane! I've NEVER said this before, but the movie is far better than the book!
    • 4/5
      I was not expecting myself to enjoy this as much as I did. Austen's writing is crystal clear, with many witty and sometimes provocative asides (e.g. "Is not general incivility the very essence of love?"). I found it also quite humorous, most evidently in the father's character and comments, though Austen shows the hurtful side of that, too. For a story that's a whole lot of talking, it pulls one along. Unfortunately started a whole string of "Ihatehim Ihatehim Ihatehim...Ilovehim" plots in books, movies, TV, Austen should not be held responsible for the cheap versions that followed in her wake. Not sure if her characters are deep, exactly, the relationships are certainly captured in a captivating way.
    • 5/5
      This was my second book by Jane Austen, the first being Sense and Sensibility. When I read Sense and Sensibility, I found that I liked it but wasn’t blown away by it. And given the fact that I now remember absolutely nothing about it, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. Going into Pride and Prejudice, I didn’t know if it was going to be like that too, so I didn’t have very high expectations. Additionally, I did read an adapted version of Pride and Prejudice for kids when I was little, and I remember enjoying that but that was a watered down version written in very plain English.Fortunately, I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice a lot more than Sense and Sensibility. I loved the storyline and plot. Initially, I feared that I might get bored, but I was throughly engaged throughout the novel. There was always something of interest happening. The short chapters also helped because it made the book go by very quickly. I’m actually impressed that I finished this in less than a week because I for sure thought it would take me a least one week. I also loved the characters, the Bennet family especially. The mother was hilarious and so over the top. Elizabeth and Jane’s sisterly bond was very strong and that was so nice to see. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were also pretty awesome.As for Mr. Darcy, I have to admit I did find him to be pretty swoon-worthy. I didn’t want to fall for him because everyone loves him, but it was hard not to. Lastly, I found the book to be just a tad bit too short. I wanted more, but I guess that’s just the sign of a good book. Overall, Pride and Prejudice exceeded my expectations and I am glad that I finally read this much beloved and talked about classic.
    • 5/5
      One of the benefits of finally reading a book of which I’ve seen numerous screen versions is in increasing my understanding of the art of the adaptation which in Austen’s case requires much more than transcribing quotes and turning prose into stage directions. Although there is some conversation, most of the action in Pride and Prejudice occurs in reported speech leading to much invented dialogue, the screenwriter also having to make sense of rapid scene changes, days often passing in a matter of words. It’s a charming book, rightly loved, but a slow read. The writer often pastiches other contemporary novelistic styles making some sections oddly incomprehensible to my untrained eyes, which are also replaying versions of scenes from those adaptations and forever comparing them to their literary origin. My favourite character after Lizzy is still her father, an inspiring symbol of tolerance searching for peace within the domestic chaos of his surroundings.
    • 5/5
      I love this book. It is a classic. Mr. Darcy has ruined all us women. I feel this is Jane Austen's most readable novel. I love Elizabeth and Darcy. Watching them as they overcome pride, prejudice, and society is fun. This is timeless and worth re-reading whenever the opportunity arises.
    • 5/5
      More than just a romance novel. A good historic look into the foundationsof modern society.
    • 5/5
      I always forget how accessible and enjoyable I find Austen.
    • 4/5
      4.25 stars! I didn't think I'd like it this much, especially because I'm not a big fan of classics. But having listened to this as I read the book is slowly but surely changing my mind. Yay for Austen!
    • 2/5
      I've tried Austen several ways, one of which is [Pride and Prejudice.] I've tried to like her, everyone insists I should. I like the story, however the boring, monotonous speed at which it is told is worse than death for me. Sorry Jane! I've NEVER said this before, but the movie is far better than the book!
    • 4/5
      A beautiful love story full of biting humor, Pride & Prejudice has some of the most memorable, endearing characters in literary history. This book will be remembered and cherished long after you read it.