Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This was MEGA LOLZ! Jane knew her stuff. It was another of my (few) re-reads and it held up so much to my memory of just loving reading it. It's not too long. It's pacy. It's very, very sharply funny, and just a lovely love story in the end.

There is a lot of social context that needs explaining for a reader in 2026! It is contemporary Austen's writing, turn of the 1800s so Georgian England. You don't need me to tell you that much more about it - you've read it and/or seen the many TV and film adaptations (all excellent - really can't go wrong with this one).

DID I LIKE IT?

One thousand times yes.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT TO MATILDA TODAY?

Yes, with a buddy reader to explain social context (e.g. what's the big deal about getting married, guys??) and all the dense vocab. I would err on the side of starting with an abridged version, or watching a telly adaptation as well/alongside?

The best of Matilda's list for me so far.

Up next: Jane Eyre. Did I study this in Year 8 at school? Yes. Did I read beyond chapter eight at school? I did not. Let's see how we get along this time around...