9.04.2009

pride & prejudice.

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it had been a long time s0 i decided to re-read pride & prejudice. {that's two books in a row that i have re-read... time for some new books!!} i loved it the second time, but it was not nearly as good as the first time i read it. the first time i read it i had never seen the movie, so it was all new to me. i like to do it that way always: book before movie. so as much as i love it, i was slightly disappointed.

can i pause for just a moment and discuss the movie portrayals of pride & prejudice? i know it's a reading blog, but it's ok, right? you know what... i started this blog and i'm deciding that it's ok! so i absolutely LOVE the BBC version. i love colin firth as darcy. i love bingley. i like the actress who plays elizabeth. mr. collins is absolute perfection {ridiculously annoying}. my complaints: the music that plays throughout drives me bonkers! it's so distracting. and jane, who is supposed to be the most beautiful of the bennett sisters, is not cute. the keira knightly version, which i did not expect to like because i am not a fan of hers, is one of my favorite movies of all time. everything about it is so beautiful! mr. darcy is gorgeous. jane IS the prettiest in the family. the scenery is amazing. beautiful cinematography. and what really makes the movie is the soundtrack. so so beautiful.

so to get on with my point: that movie sort of ruined the book for me. i can't stand reading about elizabeth and darcy without that beautiful soundtrack playing in the background! i guess i could try that... i do have the soundtrack...

one thing, however, that i loved about reading the book again was mr. bennett. he is one of my favorite characters. i laughed out loud at just about every word he says!

so. it's a classic. i love it. maybe i'll read it again someday. but right now i feel like watching the movie :)

8 comments:

Brittany said...

crap! That was going to be my next read (I'm almost through with Jane Eyre) because I LOVE the new movie. but now I'm scarred! Should I read it?!?! It seems like such a lofty book... Maybe I'll try Wuthering Heights again. What is your favorite classic?

Rachel said...

I'm a "book before movie" girl as well. In fact, if I find out a movie is coming out that looks interesting, I find the book and read it first. THEN I annoy everyone with how much different the movie was and how much better the book is.

Rachel said...

And I love anything Jane Austen. I read all of her books last summer (in a row, it was a dramtic summer to say the least).

ariel said...

one of my favorites is jane eyre. if you haven't read it, i highly recommend it!

i LOVE pride & prejudice. you should read it. i still loved it, even though it wasn't as amazing the second time.

dave + kirst said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dave + kirst said...

rachel i did the same thing 3 summers ago and absolutely loved it. i also did that the next summer with the 'anne of green gables' books and would highly recommend it (they are some of my favorite, favorite books)

ariel- totally agree with you on the movies. i like how detailed the bbc one is but the beauty of the keira knightly one is so fantastic.

glad you liked it the 2nd time around.

Rachel said...

I have read Jane Eyre at least 4 times and don't get me started on The Anne books. I remember one summer (before I was married) I read the entire series in 2 weeks. I try to read the whole series about every 3 years. I credit both Jane and Anne for my love of reading.

Jamie said...

I love this book. Mr. Darcy is so handsome. Elizabeth talking to Lady Catherine was great!! I can't believe how different life was!! Love it.. Now I'll move onto Jane Eyre (i'm excited)