Customer Reviews

Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Readers, Level 5)

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My 8-year-old developed a keen interest in Jane Austen after having seen several movie versions, but can't quite manage to read it yet. The Penguin Readers series limits Austen's story to about 2500 different vocabulary words and a manageable abridgement. It's a little TOO hard for an 8-year-old but would suit a reader at the 4-6 grade level or an adult reader looking to learn English. The cover is a tie-in with the BBC mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth (but it is not a "novelization" of the screenplay but a genuine although extreme abridgement of the original).

It doesn't retain any (or, anyway, much) of Miss Austen's handsome literary style, but the characters manage to keep hold of their customary wit and charm. It would be great to see anyone capable of reading the original do so instead, but if reading this version leads Austen newbies in that direction eventually, I'm all for it-- certainly having an 8-year-old read Austen Lite is better than having her read "The Bratz Paint Their Toenails" or whatever else passes for girl's literature these days!

I saw this version on PBS and was smitten. I wanted the picture of Miss Bennett and Mr. Darcy and I also wanted to read a few scenes from the movie.

Thank you, Sally