Play Book Tag discussion

As always, 5 stars and many hearts.

2024 - There are some books that never go wrong for me, and this is one of them. Everything works in this one--the writing, the characters, the story, the humour--the list goes on. Since the last time I read this I rewatched the two mini-series of this that I've seen, both my favourite and the other one. My dream cast (impossible due to the time) would combine actors from those two performances but keep to the script of the first one since it's truer to the book. However, I can't picture the characters in this book from both casts because I first read this on the heels of watching the first one three times.

I'm not one to post favourite lines for most things because most of the time they need context to really work properly, but this book is rife with fabulous ones. Austen had excellent insight into people in her walk in society and I'm delighted that she wrote this.

I've read this far more times than I show here, but this is the first time since 2022.

2022 - I put off rereading this for some months, but once again am enjoying this. Yes, the writing is early 19th century and it's a romance, but it's so much more. This is the book that makes me believe that Austin was an amazing writer and an astute observer of human nature and behaviour. The humour, irony, light satire plus the other things she puts in there are extremely well done. Books like this don't stay popular just because they are romances; in fact romances often have a short shelf, particularly ones that are only about the romance even if other things are thrown in, and fair enough--why shouldn't contemporary authors be able to sell books?

read by by Nadia May, Blackstone Audio
&05&05&05&05&05♥ for the book
☊&05&05&05 for the reading of it

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must by in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings of views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. And Mrs. Bennett is no exception when she learns that a single, young gentleman of no small fortune has leased Netherfield and has come there to live. It isn 19t long until the social lives of her two eldest daughters become rather caught up with those of Mr. Bingley, his two sisters and the quiet, proud Mr. Darcy who has started off by insulting Elizabeth and the local young women in general.

This is one of the most brilliant comedies of manners ever written and shows much keen insight into the foibles of human nature while still managing to maintain a G rating. It is the one novel I never tire of. The story is widely known, so I want to focus more on the reading of this. While Nadia May captures the overall tone of the novel quite well, her voice at the time of this recording was far too mature in sound to do justice to the young women and girls in the story, making it rather difficult to separate some of them at times. It was good enough that I was able to enjoy the story anyway, but somewhat distracting at times, particularly in some of the more important scenes where a great deal of emotion is involved.


2020 - For this reread--one of many--I am writing a new review. True, I wrote a different review on another edition but that was for an audiobook recording where the narrator was not a great choice to read from the point of view of a young lady who is not yet one and twenty.

I do love this novel, and that love doesn't wane with time or age; in fact, I appreciate the witticisms an human insight much better than the first time I read it. The first time I read it was on the heels of watching the dreamy David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy (no apologies to Gen x-ers et al who have grown up with Colin Firth--enjoy his performance if you like, but for me there is only ever going to be one Mr. Darcy and one Elizabeth. One Jane, one Mr Bingley and so on. The casting on that BBC one from c. 1980 was, in a word, brilliant, and that recording stays very true to the book. Scoff not, if you please, or if you do, keep it to yourself and perhaps my mother-the-turncoat who, perhaps because she was not in the bloom of youth when the BBC one came out, didn't understand the effect Rintoul had on the hearts of young, impressionable young women.)

But back to Austen and her brilliant writing. I still laugh out loud in some of the scenes, cringe with that obsequious Mr. Collins, feel so much for Jane when....well, no spoilers in case you have never read this. That said, knowing so well just how this book goes and what will happen only enhances my enjoyment of it. There isn't one word or phrase amiss, not one character is less than fully developed and no character strays from who they are other than in a believable fashion of either character growth, or, as in real life, character stagnation (and, my, how brilliantly is this depicted!) I will never tire of this, and while I cannot possibly narrow down only six books to have on a desert island, this is one of the two I know for sure I would choose.

There is an old version with Laurence Olivier as Darcy and the women wearing giant hoop skirts which are totally wrong for the period.

Robin P wrote: "There is an old version with Laurence Olivier as Darcy and the women wearing giant hoop skirts which are totally wrong for the period."

Ick!! I only watch mini series, and the only two I've watched are the BBC one (best for Austen purists) and the one with Colin Firth (plays fast and free with the book at times, and while I think Colin Firth can act, he's never been a heart throb for me and so even though Firth did better acting in one of the scenes, David Rintoul will always be Mr Darcy to me. However, the actresses who played Bingley's sisters were even better in that latter one than the former. BUT ALSO in the one with Firth the actress who played Charlotte was too pretty (she was supposed to be plain) and the one who played Jane was not as beautiful as Jane needed to be if she was to outshine everyone--and I did a small poll when I watched it to make sure it wasn't just me.

I can't remember now what my dream cast would be if they'd all been the right ages at the same time, but of course Jane, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy would be the same (and I think also Bingley but can't remember now.)

But even those ones just used costumes general to the era and weren't accurate within the time frame of one year when the events take place--they were wealthy enough to have the latest fashions. I have a book with a year by year breakdown of styles and at that time England was the top place for European fashion, not France.