Greatest Jane Austen Novel

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

Evan’s ESS = 7 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = 10 out of 10

Content = PG (Adult Content, Prideful Women, Prejudiced Men)

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!  How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! – When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

Why:  There was a time in our 20’s and into our 30’s that a slight film covered our lives.  Metaphorically speaking, of course, we were wandering around in our own world of literary complacency.  We never realized this, though much like those Claritin D commercials, all our surroundings became sharper and brighter, due to Jane Austen and her charming novel, Pride and Prejudice.  We would ask you, oh kind reader, to cast every last ounce of your sense and sensibility aside and read this book.  Just be careful that in hast you don’t pick up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which has a slightly different take on this classic love story.      

Miss Elizabeth Bennett is the second oldest of five girls raised in a poor(ish) family on the English countryside, outside of London.  Smart, funny, passionate, loyal, and a tad bit prideful, she is the literary heroine of our dreams.  Enter Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth with a pair of awesome sideburns).  Seemingly arrogant, self righteous, and uppity; our Eliza quickly decides what he can do with all his preconceptions.  Upon our word, there is hardly a man quite as standoffish and rude as this gentleman… or is there?  Don’t be too quick to pass judgment.

Pride and Prejudice is likeable on so many different levels.  Austen does an amazing job of changing rudeness into shyness, fierce animosity into extreme thankfulness, and all around bad guys into good ones…and then changing them back with the snap of her fingers.  Her novel has sold over 20 million copies across the world and came in a respectable second after The Hobbit as one of the “UK’s Best-Loved Books”.  Pride and Prejudice stands as one of our absolute favorites and we are still anxiously awaiting an invitation to Pemberley Estate so we can check out Darcy’s impressive home library.    

Evan's Top 25 List

Evan’s Top 25

1. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
3. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
4. I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith
5. The Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
6. The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
7. The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
9. Bag of Bones – Stephen King
10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
11. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
12. The Eyre Affair (series) - Jasper Fforde
13. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
14. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
15. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
16. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
17. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
18. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
19. A Town like Alice - Nevil Shute
20. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
21. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
22. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
23. Timeline – Michael Crichton
24. A Room with a View - E.M. Forester
25. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

Erin's Top 25 List

As previously promised moments ago… here’s Erin’s expanded list (Also, subject to change without notice).

Erin’s Top 25

1. I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith
2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
3. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
4. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
5. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging – Louise Rennison
6. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
7. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
8. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
9. The Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling
10. Anne of Green Gables – Lucy Maud Montgomery
11. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
12. Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers
13. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austin
14. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
15. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
16. Bag of Bones – Stephen King
17. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
18. A Room With a View- E.M. Forster
19. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
20. The Green Mile – Stephen King
21. The Hunger Games series- Suzanne Collins
22. The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova
23. Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
24. The Twilight series – Stephenie Meyers
25. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

A Brief Postscript

Now that the 45ish in 30 campaign is miles behind us, we’d like to take a few paragraphs to reflect on what we’ve learned during our journey.  Admittedly, there weren’t too many nuggets, but the few we found were nonetheless profound.  In the wise words of Ron Burgundy, “Boy, that escalated quickly.  I mean, that really got out of hand fast!” 

We learned that The Hobbit, Pride and Prejudice, and Twilight all tied for the novel in which most readers would like to vacation.  Watching on pins and needles as the votes for this ultracompetitive poll skyrocketed all the way up to 16 was a thrilling adventure to say the least.  We also learned that by voting on multiple home computers and Blackberries, the actual number of outside voters was closer to 12.

We learned about the many undisputed truths that govern the world of literature.  Foremost, the negative affect that stopping a book before completion will have on the butterfly population. 

We learned that the comments section of each review is nothing more than a barren wasteland of which few are brave enough to enter, let alone comment.  Therefore, little credence should be placed on this particular stat when evaluating the likeableness of your blog… or should it?

We learned that in a fair fight, without any biting, the original Count Dracula would kick Edward Cullen’s hinny.

And finally, we learned that on no account should pigs be trusted and nothing in the world is cuter than a novel about frightened bunnies.

Hopefully we were able to expose a side of literature that was both fun and engaging.  For those brave enough to continue the journey, we are excited to announce the “Greatest of” series set to launch in mid November (a little sooner if we can manage it).  We will be reviewing those books that have achieved a level of greatness within their specific categories.  A few examples include: Greatest Christmas novel, Greatest novel written by someone with the surname of Austin, Greatest novel set on a giant turtle’s back, Greatest novel involving Leprechauns with elite fighting skills, and Greatest sleep inducing novel. 

At risk of misrepresenting the brevity alluded to in the title of this post we will leave you with one final thought.  Actually, on second thought maybe we’ll just leave things where they are…   

Literary Public Service Announcement

We'd like to take a brief pause before posting our next book review to raise awareness for an important issue affecting the world of literature......

The Eyre Affair

The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde

Evan’s ESS = 10 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = out of 10

Content = PG (Adult Concepts, Mild Language, Side Splitting Humor)

"Take no heed of her.... She reads a lot of books."

Why:  Because books based on classic books rule!  Whenever you have a chance to enter into a world previously created by a famous author, you should always jump at the opportunity (unless of course you didn’t like the classic or if the parody is poor).  Much of The Eyre Affair is comic gold and the fact that you get to explore a different side of Jane Eyre’s world is a bonus.     

We can honestly say with a fair amount of conviction that The Eyre Affair is different from every other book you’ve ever read.  Cut from the same cloth as Douglas Adam’s, you definitely have to “get” Jasper Fforde’s humor in order to like it.  Set in a parallel universe, the reader is left to explore a plethora of new concepts, like the Prose Portal, which can transport anyone into the text of a book.  Even if you aren’t a fan of the zany logic and intense wordplay, there’s enough suspense and confusion to entertain the reader all the way to the end.  Plus, Jasper’s pile of 76 rejection slips stands as a shining beacon of hope to all aspiring unpublished writers.

Editor’s Note: Sorry, but you’re not allowed to read this novel before completing Jane Eyre (Watching the movie doesn’t count although Joan Fontaine’s performance in the 1944 remake was brilliant).  

The Langoliers

The Langoliers – Stephen King

Evan’s ESS = 9 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = 7 out of 10

Content = R (Violence, Adult Concepts, Language, Scary Flashbacks)

Why: This novel scared the bejepers out of us, although it didn’t help that at fourteen one of our moms thought it would be funny to throw mulch at our bedroom window as a practical joke.  Real funny.  This might explain our current reluctance to spread mulch around the house; of course, it’s probably more of an insight into our dislike of physical labor.         

The Langoliers is one of four short stories found in the book Four Past Midnight.  The plot follows several travelers, all with questionable backgrounds, through an unfortunate time anomaly.  There, the group is brought face to face with the Langoliers.  You may be asking yourself, “what exactly is a Langolier?”, but the only way you’ll find out on this blog is if you read the book.  As an added tease, you get to observe the complete physiological downfall of an ill-tempered businessman and learn about the consequences of wasting time.  Like most Stephen King novels, The Langoliers takes a completely fictional concept and forces the reader to invest emotionally in such a way that the story seems real (we’re at least reasonably sure that the concepts presented in The Langoliers are unreal, however, we have modified our own airline travel habits just to be on the safe side).  Also, for maximum effect, we recommend reading this novel at four past midnight-ish.

Editor’s Note:  If you get a chance catch the made for TV miniseries.  The movie’s average at best, but for the most part true to the novel.  Plus, you’ll get to experience a Balki performance post Perfect Strangers.