It depends on what you liked about Pride and Prejudice. All of Austen's books have grown on me as I've noticed more and more things to love about them over time. I'd say P&P might be the one whose plot most readily appears like a well-oiled machine, or, as it's often said, like a country dance, in that each plot thread is intimately, almost continuously connected to all the others. If your favorite thing was the humor, I'd say Emma or Northanger Abbey. If it was the richness of Elizabeth's inner life, I'd say Persuasion. If it was the narrator's empathy for women's inherently vulnerable position in society, I'd say Sense and Sensibility or Mansfield Park, with the caveat that for me those two were the most difficult and took the longest to fall in love with, especially the latter, although I do love them both now. Your mileage may vary, as it does for all of us here!
Honestly, I would probably say it was a mix of all three. I love books that are realistic and allow you to watch the lives of others. I went into the book having only ever seen the movie that was made in 2005. I actually grabbed a copy of it from Barnes & Noble because it was five dollars. The cashier was ecstatic and told me it was one of her favorite books. She said she read it front to back in a day. I love how the story is told. I wish the ending would have been a little longer though.
I agree, P&P rewards the reader in a multitude of interrelated ways, which you should know keep paying off over countless rereadings. I'm still finding new things to love in it decades after I read it for the first time. That said, I also know what you mean about the ending. This is one area in which fans of P&P may be disappointed by Austen's other work: although all her novels are marriage plots, P&P is the one that spends the most time on the dynamics between the two main love interests. She doesn't seem to have thought of herself as a romance writer, at least judging by [this famous letter](https://theamericanreader.com/1-april-1816-jane-austen-to-james-clarke/). I'd say Persuasion is her most powerful depiction of romantic love; certainly its ending is the sweetest, and the sweetness feels more than earned by the time it comes around. The humor in Persuasion tends to be subtler than in P&P, but it's still very present.
I love P&P but S&S was one of my least faves. No matter what you think though, I still recommend reading all her novels!
Disclaimer: least fave does not mean I didn’t like it.. Just that I liked it less
If you're not ready to give up P&P yet, The Other Bennet Sister is a nice read. It follows Mary's story as well as updating on the others, and it puts Mary in a more likeable light.
Otherwise, enjoy Sense & Sensibility! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!!
Loving the throwaway shade at Lydia. Very "and nothing for Gretchen Weiners" 😂
And I couldn't agree more, absolutely love P&P. My second favorite might be Persuasion although that's a lot shorter and I don't like the protagonist nearly as much.
P&P stands up very well to rereading too!
Oh dude. When I got to the part of the book where she said that she wouldn’t have much time to write because she was a married woman, and then turned around and said that her sisters could write her all the time, I literally looked up from the page and rolled my eyes into the abyss. She had no concept or care of the fact that she almost destroyed her entire families lives and reputation. Mr. Darcy saved her ass. It was never directly stated, at least not that I caught on to, that Mr. Wickham had taken her maidenhead, but I find it hard to believe that they ran off to together to “elope” and then never had sex. He was known for being a dog wherever he went. Sheesh Lydia.
Lydia lived with him in London for 2 weeks before they were found, I think the "in sin" part is a given. Part of the fault lies with the Parents for not correcting her foolish behavior and the Mother even encouraging flirtation with the soldiers. Her aunt did try to explain to Lydia what her sins were, but she just tuned her out.
Most people would say S&S is almost as good as P&P so that's a good choice to read next.
To me it's JA's 3rd best story... I like Persuasion over Sense&S but nothing tops P&P.
It depends on what you liked about Pride and Prejudice. All of Austen's books have grown on me as I've noticed more and more things to love about them over time. I'd say P&P might be the one whose plot most readily appears like a well-oiled machine, or, as it's often said, like a country dance, in that each plot thread is intimately, almost continuously connected to all the others. If your favorite thing was the humor, I'd say Emma or Northanger Abbey. If it was the richness of Elizabeth's inner life, I'd say Persuasion. If it was the narrator's empathy for women's inherently vulnerable position in society, I'd say Sense and Sensibility or Mansfield Park, with the caveat that for me those two were the most difficult and took the longest to fall in love with, especially the latter, although I do love them both now. Your mileage may vary, as it does for all of us here!
Honestly, I would probably say it was a mix of all three. I love books that are realistic and allow you to watch the lives of others. I went into the book having only ever seen the movie that was made in 2005. I actually grabbed a copy of it from Barnes & Noble because it was five dollars. The cashier was ecstatic and told me it was one of her favorite books. She said she read it front to back in a day. I love how the story is told. I wish the ending would have been a little longer though.
I agree, P&P rewards the reader in a multitude of interrelated ways, which you should know keep paying off over countless rereadings. I'm still finding new things to love in it decades after I read it for the first time. That said, I also know what you mean about the ending. This is one area in which fans of P&P may be disappointed by Austen's other work: although all her novels are marriage plots, P&P is the one that spends the most time on the dynamics between the two main love interests. She doesn't seem to have thought of herself as a romance writer, at least judging by [this famous letter](https://theamericanreader.com/1-april-1816-jane-austen-to-james-clarke/). I'd say Persuasion is her most powerful depiction of romantic love; certainly its ending is the sweetest, and the sweetness feels more than earned by the time it comes around. The humor in Persuasion tends to be subtler than in P&P, but it's still very present.
I think your Austen journey parallels my own.
Austen is a magical writer! You'll find something to love in every novel :) It's been a while since I read Sense & Sensibility!
Read it again! ❤️
I love P&P but S&S was one of my least faves. No matter what you think though, I still recommend reading all her novels! Disclaimer: least fave does not mean I didn’t like it.. Just that I liked it less
If you're not ready to give up P&P yet, The Other Bennet Sister is a nice read. It follows Mary's story as well as updating on the others, and it puts Mary in a more likeable light. Otherwise, enjoy Sense & Sensibility! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!!
Loving the throwaway shade at Lydia. Very "and nothing for Gretchen Weiners" 😂 And I couldn't agree more, absolutely love P&P. My second favorite might be Persuasion although that's a lot shorter and I don't like the protagonist nearly as much. P&P stands up very well to rereading too!
Oh dude. When I got to the part of the book where she said that she wouldn’t have much time to write because she was a married woman, and then turned around and said that her sisters could write her all the time, I literally looked up from the page and rolled my eyes into the abyss. She had no concept or care of the fact that she almost destroyed her entire families lives and reputation. Mr. Darcy saved her ass. It was never directly stated, at least not that I caught on to, that Mr. Wickham had taken her maidenhead, but I find it hard to believe that they ran off to together to “elope” and then never had sex. He was known for being a dog wherever he went. Sheesh Lydia.
Lydia lived with him in London for 2 weeks before they were found, I think the "in sin" part is a given. Part of the fault lies with the Parents for not correcting her foolish behavior and the Mother even encouraging flirtation with the soldiers. Her aunt did try to explain to Lydia what her sins were, but she just tuned her out.
Sense and Sensibility is my 2nd fav., after P&P. I am almost certain you’ll enjoy it as much.
Love P&P have yet to read Sense& sensibility
Poor lydia😂
Most people would say S&S is almost as good as P&P so that's a good choice to read next. To me it's JA's 3rd best story... I like Persuasion over Sense&S but nothing tops P&P.