I must say, I was skeptical going into this one. It isn’t my typical read and I was somewhat opposed to the whole thing. It started out rough. Between my reservations going in and the older writing, it was hard going at first. It wasn’t until about halfway through that I began to appreciate the read. All throughout I still had some difficulty with the writing and often had to reread pieces, but I got into the story and wanted to keep reading. Much of it is now antiquated, but it still felt very real, especially the characters (and as someone who mostly sticks to sci-fi and fantasy, who am I to complain when the world of the story doesn’t match the world I live in?). I could really understand the characters and what they were experiencing, but at the same time be kept guessing. Austen does a great job of having us see the world and other characters through the same lens as Elizabeth, with our opinions changing as hers do. That leads to revelations that are often easy to see coming in other works, but I didn’t actually expect. Sometimes I like to feel smart by predicting what happens, but in a book where little in terms of action takes place, it is the mystery of what will be revealed next that kept me reading. I was surprised at how fast I got through it (once I reached the point where I was interested). I can’t say this genre will become my primary reading, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I am a bit more open to different genres than I was before. If you’re a guy that’s skeptical about reading these kinds of books, I suggest you give it a shot.

Those of you that have read Pride & Prejudice, did you like it? Did that surprise you?