Pride & Prejudice: Seasons Edition: Winter Hardcover – January 1, 2019

Edition Review:The Chiltern classics are classy, collectible, and most definitely giftable. Each copy is a work of art in the gorgeous raised cover art, gilt-edged pages, thick paper stock, ribbon bookmark, and well formatted pages and font. Just above the size of a paperback and comfort-cushioned hardbound feel in hand. Readers will love this edition.Book Thoughts:The Bennets of Longbourn are a frolicking family of five daughters, a bookish father and a fluttery mother. A young man of fortune moves to the neighborhood and all the matchmaking mamas are on point with Mrs. Bennet leading the way especially when he is joined by a friend of even more wealth and status.Too bad, the imminently handsome and wealthy Mr. Darcy makes a terrible first impression and his struggles to deny his attraction for second Bennet daughter Lizzy are dismal and he slips in love with a woman who is unlike any he has ever before encountered.Of course, there are other iconic characters and they invariably do their best to throw a spanner in the works for Darcy and Lizzy.But, a few fortunate twists of fate and the generosity of Lizzy's Gardiner relations give them another chance if youngest Bennet daughter Lydia's escapades don't scotch it all for good.Each time I read or listen, something different captures my attention. With this time around, it was eldest and beautiful tranquil Jane and also Mr. Bennet father to five grown daughters and husband to a woman of simple mind and purpose with an overwrought set of nerves.After reading the dialogue between Jane and Lizzy discussing Wickham's 'woes' and Darcy's perfidies, I was never more struck by just how intensely determined Lizzy was in her prejudices. Gentle Jane made good sense in her observations and advice even if her own tranquil nature and boisterous relations messed up her own romance, but Lizzy was determined to think her quicker, livelier mind was superior to her sister's when it came to knowing people.Then there was Mr. Bennet. I get a kick out of those opening pages each time when he enjoys teasing his wife and girls about Mr. Bingley when he secretly went and introduced himself so the family had a chance of meeting him at the neighborhood social gatherings, but he pretended to not have bothered. I think he was a lousy parent in many ways, but he is a comic addition to scenes several times. So droll!All in all, another delightful outing with a favorite classic.

A favorite that is listened to year after year! I was first introduced in an English Lit class in high school and I have read and reread this beautiful story at a rate of once or twice a year since.The characters are so well drawn, the follies so well orchestrated and the times captured in so much detail it almost takes your breath away. The writing is truly beautiful and flows over the reader like the softest piece of silk. The sentences are intricately constructed yet easily comprehensible and the meaning is not lost even though a single sentence might cover a third of a page. Jane Austen's mastery of the English language is more remarkable today in this age of acronyms and sentence fragments than it was in her own time, I am sure.The story itself is incredibly detailed and the characters are drawn in a depth that is not commonly seen today. Eliza Bennett understands herself incredibly well and is able to recognize when she has made a mistake and rectify it in a gracious way that does not occur today. She is also able to repel unkind inquiries and remarks just as graciously. What she is not so easily able to do is forgive the chance hearing of an unkind remark said in a moment of pride. Hearing an unkind description of her appearance that is said by Mr. Darcy at a dance, she takes an instant dislike to him and from then on proceeds to be as unkind to him as her generous nature will allow. Mr. Darcy, however, after uttering these fateful words that he does not know were overheard, begins to have an attraction to Elizabeth that he fights for months afterwards. When he finally surrenders to his strong feelings for her, Eliza rejects him so utterly that he is shocked beyond recognition. He sets about trying to rectify her perceptions of him and is making a sound beginning when the unthinkable occurs. Can he overcome his pride? Can she overcome her prejudice?Listening to an excellent narration of this classic was almost as fun as understanding the story with the help of Mrs. Martindale, my saintly English Lit teacher, all those years ago. Rosamund Pike does a rather astounding performance. All of the voices she creates are well done, singular, and fun to listen to. I couldn't stop listening and enjoyed every second of it!

I listened to the audible version of this - it was narrated by Rosamund Pike, who of course plays Jane in the cinematic version of this book. Loved the narration! I have seen the film several times, and I appreciated that they stayed very close to the original work.