Jane Austen, A to Z: Pride and Prejudice

I have to confess that I had never read Pride and Prejudice before. Ever. It was never assigned reading in college – not even in the Victorian novel class.

So last night, I finished reading it. It took a bit longer than I expected to become emotionally involved with the story. Some people seem to really be in love with this book.

At the halfway point, the characters became more important to me. I wanted Elizabeth and Jane to succeed in life – in whatever way that would be the best for them. Even if they were old maids, they would still be worthy of our adoration.

Mrs. Bennett is so obnoxious, isn’t she? I’m so thankful that my mom is very different than Mrs. Bennett. Some of us can be thankful that Lydia isn’t our sister. There’s that saying “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” She wished for a life with Mr. Wickham. Now they are married and it’s not everything she had hoped it would be.

How many of us have turned away our own Mr. Darcy and ended up with a Mr. Wickham?

I might have been on the edge of my seat during the last two chapters. I knew how it was going to end but for whatever reason, I was afraid Mr. Darcy would slip away again.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the book.