[akasohappy]

I taped this on TV the other day and finally watched it today. I LOVED IT!!
I know it is not the newest release, but I enjoyed it so much.
Have any of you read Jane Austen?
Not to sound ignorant, but are the books an easy read?
I thought there was also Sense and Sensibility.

[robandjulie]

I'll preface this with the fact that I love to read all kinds of books and have read most of Austen's books. But...

I find her books somewhat hard to read the first time through. Often everyone is referred to as Mr. so-and-so and Miss So-and-So and I'll often have to slow down to go back and remind myself which of the "Miss Bingley's" was talking to that person or whatever. And sometimes the descriptions get tedious. Once I know the story I can sail through. I'd recommend starting with P&P since you'll be able to picture the scene and assign faces to them. I am a very fast reader and tend to skim over long descriptions and then get lost in her books more so than others.

But once you immerse yourself in one story (like P&P, which was the first Austen I read) and get used to her style, the next one is easier to fall into her style and so on.

I loved the long series version from a few years ago!! PBS had them on a few months ago as a miniseries and I'd catch it every few nights and get sucked in!

[hbrown22]

That is my favorite movie! Did you watch the one with Keira Knightly? The soundtrack is amazing. I have read a few of Austen's books but Pride & Prejudice is my favorite. There is a great sequel written by Elizabeth Aston called "Mr. Darcy's Daughters". Read it! That one is a lot easier to read than Pride & Prejudice if you are looking for a good easy read.

[Dawnb93]

The most recent version of the movie with Keira Knightly was awesome. One of my favorite movies. I must admit, I tried to read the book before I saw the movie and couldn't get through it. But after I saw the movie and knew the story and the characters, I did read it all the way through. It's still not an "easy" read but seeing the movie first did help me.
Dawn

[Saya]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Jane Austen.

Re: film/TV versions, I thought the Keira Knightly version one was OK, but by far the BEST in my opinion is the 6 hour long BBC version with Jennifer Ehle and an incredibly hot looking Colin Firth. Get it on Netflix if you can - it is to DIE for.

P & P is definitely my favorite Austen to read - I read it every couple of years. It can take a little while to get used to her style, but once you get used to the eighteenth century turn of phrase you're golden. I actually selected P & P for my book group recently, and there were a couple of people who had never read it before. They both agreed that it was a little difficult at first, but in the end they LOVED it and were glad they got a chance to read it. I also like Sense and Sensibility. I don't love Emma, but that's just me.

[mommytoEli]

i watched this once when i was supposed to read the book for a report....but don't tell my 9th grade english teacher. lol...but that's all i remember. good for you for wanting to read something other than parents magazine...i hope to get to that point someday too.

[susy...patience]

I actually find Jane Austen an easy read (but I read very widely).....

I re-read Pride & Prejudice every few years so I'd say start with that one. I love the concept of women waiting to be married off because it is so different from life today. I actually think these books are great for high school age girls (that's when I first read them) to give today's girls an idea of how different our life is compared to those days.

I say read & enjoy....

[lmvsmom]

I saw the version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and loved it! I also read the book after watching the series and found it a little difficult, but enjoyable.

[JustBarbara]

Pride and Prejudice is definitely a good intro to J.A. - this is the first one they started us off on in the English school system and then it was on to Northanger Abbey - one of my favs. Have you tried any D.H. Lawrence? Sons and Lovers? How about Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights? I too love to read. I find my imagination is more rewarding than seeing the films but ... if they are old films in black and white then I can really, really get into them. Though you mention Colin Firth - I'll watch almost anything that he's in.

[SaraAvaandLileesMama]

All those are my FAV movies!!! CHECK OUT the old Pride and Prejudice too! It is alot longer and on several tapes Colin Firth is in it and I LOVE HIM!!!!

[krafmatic]

BBC has produced all of her books into movies, and I agree the BBC's Pride and Prejudice is the best. I have watched the whole thing twice and I liked it even better the second time.

I read a couple of JA books several years ago and enjoyed them. Some people may have to adjust to the writing and life of the 1800's, but once you do, the are good reads.

[annaguat]

Oh we, especially my teen girls, are big time Jane Austen fans and own just about every movie put out, old or new version, and the books. They read the books multiple times and love them, such classics. If you look there is a good amount of materials both movies and videos out there. I love Sense and sensibility too. Anna

[isabella123]

I LOVE her!!!!!!!!!!! I have all her books and watch all the movies!!!!! Over and over like a child...lol! I like the BBC versions.

julia

[akasohappy]

Thanks for all of your responses.
I love to read, and I am very excited to get my hands on some of these books.
I also like to watch movies and I am getting the BBC version of P & P sent from Net Flix.
I LOVE Colin Firth and cannot wait to see him as Mr. Darcy!!!

[Saya]

aka, make sure you get the RIGHT BBC version! There are actually two, one from the 70s or 80s and one from the 90s. You want the 90s one for Colin!