This month the ladies embarked on a classic, as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was chosen as the book of the month. In case you are like me and don’t know the story (there aren’t many of us out there that are unfamiliar with it), the tale follows Elizabeth Bennet. She is a young and slightly rebellious lady of decent upbringing, with a mother who looks forward to marrying off her daughters (viewing it as a great achievement) and is the second eldest of five sisters. She and her sister Jane are the most mature, in age and temperament, so are the object of their mother’s highest hopes for marriage.

Jane catches the eye of Mr Bingley, a highly eligible bachelor, at a ball. It is at this time that Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy, a very proud man who she quickly realises she cannot tolerate. She continues to encounter him through the social scene of Netherfield and finds him to be the most disagreeable man that she has ever encountered. As this is considered a classic love story, you are pulled into the story, intrigued as to how such a relationship could develop or ever be considered romantic.

Some were expecting to find the story boring, and maybe were reluctant to read it, due to memories of studying it at school. However, on re-reading it and especially after the book club meeting discussion (after which one member gave it a higher score than she originally thought she would) we found that we enjoyed the story much more than previously (in the case of those who had read it at school) and much more than they thought (those who had never read it before.) We were surprised at how modern the story is and how relevant it still is today, with the two younger girl’s behaviour, running off and eloping. Jane Austen delivers the story with memorable wit and humour, relating the tale in a surprisingly modern style.

The Angels have awarded ‘Pride and Prejudice with 7.8/10. This makes it one of our highest scoring books to date, showing why after 200 years in print, it continues to be a classic.