Pride & Prejudice (#austeninaugustrbr)

1960s Paul Elek cover (source)

I finished Pride and Prejudice this morning and loved it! Thanks to #AusteninAugustRBR I’ve finally read a novel by Jane Austen. Huzzah! I’ve seen many of the film adaptations and have read about Austen and her works, but never actually sat down to read her.

All of the characters are delightfully drawn–it was as if I could feel the joy Austen had in developing them. I admire the way Austen weaves her plot to reveal everyone’s character as well as many of the consequences.

I was most curious to see what I’d think of Mr. Bennet. Over the years I’ve come across arguments about whether or not he’s a good father. While I don’t think him a horrid father, Mr. Bennet is certainly a detached and rather careless father, which makes him, I think, a negligent father considering the precarious financial position his daughters are in due to the entail.

What happened to him and to the family that the first two daughters are so well-adjusted and the youngest two are so socially dysfunctional? Not to mention Mary, the lost middle daughter?

I’m only one book in and can understand why some Janeites devour fan fiction about these characters. Is there a novel about a young Mr. Bennet?

According to my Kobo stats it took me 2.7 hours to read P&P. My average reading session was only 2 minutes long which just goes to show that you can get a lot of reading done if you always carry a book with you to dip into while waiting at the doc, standing in line, or between bouts of boogie boarding at the beach.

What should I read next: Sense & Sensibility or Emma?