Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 435 pages 

"Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, Mr. Bennet, living in Longbourn."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it's inspired me to read more by Austen. Her writing is witty and each character is so distinct. I highly recommend; it's a classic that lives up to it's esteem. 
 

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James, 291 p.

   Being a Jane Austen fan myself, I went into this book with apprehension. While mostly well-written (it is P.D. James, after all), I found I couldn't love the characters with the depth as I could when Austen wrote about them. Elizabeth was, as always, very endearing, but Darcy, having changed from his so very proud ways, was vapid and too sentimental. The mystery kept me engaged, but I didn't feel like every aspect of it was wrapped up in the end. While I enjoyed reading it, and always looked forward to picking it up when I had to put it down, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. It was at least worth the read, and would recommend it to Austen fans.