The Well-Read Woman Book Club discussion

Our Classic Pick for July 2020 is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane 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.

Who's planning on joining in for the read this month? Give us a shout out here!

What are you looking forward to discussing with this book?
Have you read this before or seen a screen adaptation?

I have just recently a reread of this book in my own reading, so I'm excited to hear you guys' thoughts and opinions on all the characters, especially if the last time you read it might have been in high school like me. I had a drastically different intake of the book.

The screen adaptation with Kiera Knightley is SO GOOD, there are so many memes and funny situations in this book that go around because of how widely famous the book is. I'm excited to laugh about some of the more ridiculous situations with you guys.

I look forward to this one. I have a hardcover beautiful edition with all 7 novels of Jane Austen so it’s been calling me since I read my last one. I have p&p, s&s left and I think there’s is one last one too that I’ve forgotten the name off. I believe this is the most famous one though and I’ve loved the other ones I’ve read so I have really high expectations to this one.

Especially sense they valued it the most herself I think it will be lovely. I love old classic romance and Jane Austen is one of the best I think.

Will look forward to discussing this with everyone

I am looking forward to rereading P and P with you guys. I think this Austen novel has some of the best characters and some hilarious/ironical situations. The movie with Knightley is very good and I loved it and recommend after reading of course. Great choice. I am old, so this one I have read and reread a few times. I look forward to my 50's mindset interpretation. Cheers! My copy is very tattered and loved...I may splurge and get a newer less annotated version.

I’ve just started this but I love Jane Austen’s world. I love the little humorous tone as well as what they think is proper. When Jane is ill, how much of a a scandal it is her waking over to check on her. How much drama they create talking behind her back. But I love Elizabeth’s strong will and a bit of a cheeky nature and quick wit. Looking forward to diving into this one

How do you all feel about each of the Bennet Sisters so far? Do you see any differences between the daughters that represent the different ideologies of the parents?

I hear a lot of controversy on whether or not Mr. Bennet is a disengaged vs. laidback and loving father, thoughts?

To me, it seems that the more children the Bennets had, the less attention they put towards their rearing! Lydia is absolutely unbearable, and Jane is the most well-behaved!

I may be partial to the unpopular opinion that Mr. Bennet is a good Dad, and perhaps feels stuck being married to a silly, silly woman which has left him hands-off in the control of his daughters' lives. HOWEVER, what power did women have at that time so to be concerned in the affairs of marrying off her daughters and to procure a bountiful future for them is possibly the most loving she knows how to be?

I actually love Elizabeth’s dad. I thought his comment about her having one parent to speak to if she married Mr. Collings and him to speak to if she DIDNT gave him dad point for sure. I’m only so far in, but I think Jane Austen put humor in serious situations to make them easier to bare in the way that women’s “job” was to try to marry as good as they could get. I felt like Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte made a terrible error but I don’t know if she actually did yet. But marrying for the convenience of being stable and safe to me in this day and age seems horrible. BUT saying that maybe if I lived then I would have thought differently.

I also think Mr. Darcy is super mega shy and awkward. Don’t know if it’s the case yet I’m only so far in but when he meets her at the park and is just silent it makes me think of the super awkward teen who doesn’t know how to speak to girls.

Elizabeth’s sisters though... I don’t know. I found Jane to be the saint of the saints. She is always thinking the best of people. But the other two seem really immature. I think also that they follow they’re mom more than Elizabeth. I feel like she is the one that brakes the mold so to speak. She is her own self and is not marrying some fool she doesn’t love. The other two are just after money and riches. Jane though is also after love but grrrr anyone else wanting to wring Mr Bingley’s neck? Is he really so weak? I haven’t gotten to the end so might be a misunderstanding but as of the moment he seems not to care that Jane is heartbroken about him just up and leaving for the sake of miss Darcy.

Austen suggests that in order to marry well a woman must be pretty, respectable, and have money. In the world of Pride and Prejudice, which of these is most important? Spare a thought for some of the unmarried women in the book such as Mary and Kitty Bennet, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Georgiana Darcy, and Caroline Bingley. Which of them do you picture marrying someday? Which of them do you picture marrying well?

Was Charlotte Lucas right to marry Reverend Collins?

Did you have an old copy of this book that is worn and loved, did you buy a new copy?

What are your final thoughts and rating? Is this your first or tenth time reading this? If you're reading it again, is it different or better than you remember?

I have my high school copy that is immensely loved, highlighted, and annotated with thoughts from over 10 years ago. I loved seeing the difference in what struck me then versus now.

5-stars, of course. I loved it even more than I remember. Elizabeth Bennett is an even bigger boss through my eyes now.

Caroline wrote: "Did you have an old copy of this book that is worn and loved, did you buy a new copy?

What are your final thoughts and rating? Is this your first or tenth time reading this? If you're reading it a..."

I LOVE P&P. ★★★★★

My first copy was a present from a friend, ♥ and I'm still grateful for it. However, now I have a beautiful and chunky version, that includes my three favourites books of Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion.

I don't keep count of how many times I have read it... as I usually re-read some chapters, depending how much time do I have.

Pride and Prejudice is also one of my all-time favorites. I have such a different take on Darcy and the satire than I did when I read it in high-school and I really get a laugh about it.

Also: don't forget that the 2005 version recently became available on Netflix! I know it is one of many people's favorite adaptations! (that hand flex!)