Pride and Prejudice

My first Jane Austen novel and still the best out of her six amazing books.

The dialogue remains complicated, pompous and incongruous no matter how many times you read it, but the plot becomes more cohesive with further visits.

The great thing about P&P is how the plot converges into a tense and satisfying ending while never being fully clear about its conclusion. In other Jane Austen works there's a predictable sense of convenience in summarization, even in Persuasion - her second-best novel - and especially in the almost excellent but very flawed Sense and Sensibility.

The main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy are moralistic to the point of potentially destroying their happiness because of their principles. They are likeable, loveable and laughable at the same time, almost absurd, for being so determined to stick to their ideals no matter what.

I don't recommend other JA books anywhere near as high as P&P, but I do recommend reading them for literary enjoyment, excellent prose and character development. Emma is nice but not thrilling, even Mansfield Park is good, albeit a cop out.

This book had a profound effect on me when I was younger. Sometimes literary classics can be a trawl, such as Moby Dick, Ulysses, etc.; but this one is worth it in hearts, diamonds and spades. More complex than Jane Eyre, more satisfying than Tess of The D'urbervilles, more exciting than Madame Bovary and less verbose than Les Miserables. All of them great books, with P&P still reigning as the classic queen.