Sunday, February 11, 2007

Pride and Prejudice

We can't have a week featuring romance without a little Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice really is the ultimate love story populated with interesting characters and lots of humor, too. The Bennetts have five daughters and Mrs. Bennett is determined to see them marry well. A rich young man, Mr. Bingley, moves into the neighborhood along with his haughty friend, Mr. Darcy. The eldest daughter, Jane, and Mr. Bingley take an instant liking to each other, while the second daughter, Elizabeth, and Mr. Darcy do not. Pride and Prejudice follows the evolution of these two couples. Along the way we meet the odious Mr. Collins, the venerable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and the charming Mr. Wickham. Also check out the BBC Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle production (thanks Shuttsie!) and this collection of essays about the book was a lot of fun too. Then read the rest of Austen, because you can't really go wrong with any of them. I'm particularly fond of Persuasion and Emma.

It is appropriate for me to feature Pride and Prejudice today because I just received a beautiful complete collection of Jane Austen from a friend. They originally belonged to her grandmother and are these absolutely gorgeous little old books with wonderful illustrations that I will treasure forever. They were definitely the best book gift (or really, any gift) I've ever received. I love giving and receiving books for any occasion. What was your best book gift?

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