Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

by Jane Austen

Other authorsSeth Grahame-Smith
Paperback, 2009

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Quirk Books (2009), Paperback, 320 pages

Description

A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton--and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.

Media reviews

1 more
P&P&Z has just too much Austen and not enough zombies. I found myself skimming, skipping larger and larger chunks of text to get to the zombie sequences, desperate to escape the claustrophobic drawing-room chatter of Austen's characters with a little beheading, disemboweling and derring-do.

User reviews

LibraryThing member cissa
Rather fun, but man, did that guy need a copy editor!

There were a lot of spelling errors of the kind that pass spell checkers, because they are the correctly spelled but wrong word, such as hay "bail". My favorite had to be the "coy" pond (I presume he meant a pond with koi in it, and not a shy
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pond that runs away from observation with a giggle). Etc., etc.- not to mention stuff like the Japanese-focused Darcy has a housekeeper wearing a kimono and with bound feet. Even *I* know that bound feet were Chinese, and Darcy despises the Chinese rivals to his favored Japanese. So, no.

But the spell-checking-correct homophones are the worst, and I find them quite distracting. Especially trying to envision what a "coy pond" would be like...

I will also mention that the illustrations show a complete and total ignorance of what Regency females actually wore; if I had to place them, I'd call Edwardian- about 100 years later than the books. The male garb, to my non-expert eye, seems more or less Regency.

(And then there was the time when someone called Lizzy "Ms. Bennett"! Wrong in so many ways!)

So- it's silly and rather fun, but I am ending up disappointed; I think it could have been done better.
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LibraryThing member alana_leigh
Since I am known by my friends as a Jane Austen person, SEVENTEEN different people sent me the link to this publishing announcement. Even though the book won't be published for another two months, a friend managed to procure an advanced copy (aka Word doc of the finished product), and so I read it
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over the weekend.

That being said, it's rather unnecessary for anyone to read this novel in its entirety, even if it does sound amusing. The best plan is to read the first two or three chapters, and then call it a day. You'll get the point and you won't be missing much. (Actually, you'll get everything you need, because Chapter 3 will include a ball and a zombie battle.)

It really is a clever idea -- maintaining the actual text of Pride and Prejudice and simply inserting another storyline... one that just happens to involve zombies overrunning England so that the upper classes (men and often women) are sent to Japan or China to be trained in deadly arts so as to combat the unfortunately afflicted. But it's a funny joke that gets old very very fast. The first few chapters had me giggling as a result of the novelty. The exact P&P text with small insertions or minor dialogue alterations... it is a funny idea, even I must admit. But that's where it ends. Nothing truly unique was done with the story beyond some small revenges on irritating and wicked characters that didn't receive what was coming to them in the real novel. For the sake of maintaining as much of the original text as possible, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies runs exactly the same course as Pride and Prejudice.

SPOILERS after this point, but really, admit to yourself that you're not actually going to read this. You'll chuckle over the cover (which is the best part of the whole thing) when you look at it in the bookstore, and then you'll set it down. We're in a recession. You're not seriously going to purchase this novel when there's so much else out there to be read?

I suppose that is my biggest qualm with the novel. If it was going to do something truly interesting, the plot would have needed to change a bit. I suppose it was unrealistic for Darcy or Elizabeth to die, but there are so few casualties that it's really quite disappointing. I was expecting to at least lose one Bennet sister (Kitty could have been eaten or Mary could die in a blaze of glory). Even Grahame-Smith alludes to this desire at one point, where Elizabeth fantasizes decapitating Lydia in a carriage. But there's no follow-through! The only losses we experience are of Charlotte (who is afflicted with the zombie plague) and Mr. Collins (who hangs himself in unexpected and rather uncharacteristic grief). Wickham is crippled (by Darcy, which is nice) and he's sent off to a seminary for the lame in Ireland with Lydia. I had actually been hoping that Wickham would be a slowly changing zombie and that he'd make an attempt to eat Elizabeth's brains, or that his taking Lydia away was a ruse to feast on her brains, too -- or better yet, that the terrible thing he had done to Georgiana Darcy was to try and elope with her and end up being a coward in battle to the point where she was bitten by a zombie and lost a limb to it or something. Nope. Sorry. Not nearly so interesting. I would never expect me to say this, but there was just too much Pride and Prejudice in here -- the author was unwilling to deviate from the novel enough to create something interesting that could stand on its own as a ridiculously funny Austenuation. Ah well.

In the end, it's a clever idea, but that is all. I'm pleased that someone brought the idea into being, but I'm not sure it merited a full novel. A short excerpt in a magazine would have been sufficient rather than the entire creation -- such as a fake book review and excerpt in something like Believer where you could have read a few chapters and then seen a summary.
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LibraryThing member TomWaitsTables
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies kind of sucks you in. Though there are mentions of zombies here and there, it's not until the ball, when Darcy insults Elizabeth, and her FIRST reaction is to reach for a dagger to slit his throat that you realize it's a different breed from the original! If you
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manage to avoid being insulted by what it's done to Pride and Prejudice, you might find it enjoyable.

I never did finish reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Instead, I'm going to read Pride and Prejudice. While the idea that Seth Grahame-Green had revised P&P with "zombie mayhem" was very appealing, there were times when I wanted to do some editing myself. Because while reading Green's "Updated Version," the zombies and ninjas started to get annoying as I became absorbed in Jane Austen's original story. I'd like to think that Green's version was really an ingenious attempt to get guys to read Jane Austen, instead of the alternative. Whatever his motive, I discovered that Austen's actually quite good.
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LibraryThing member livrecache
I got to Chapter 10 before deciding life was too short for this silliness. I appreciate the original far too much to see it denigrated by a whole book. I found it slightly amusing for the first couple of pages, but after that . . . ho, hum. Obviously, I am not in the current zeitgeist.
LibraryThing member Sararush
The Pride and Prejudice we all know has been re-imagined. England is over run with brain lusting Zombies. Elizabeth and her sisters are trained and practiced in the deadly art of Zombie slaying. Elizabeth’s best friend has been stricken with the “strange plague”. And a true gentleman beheads
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the Zombies for his lady, so that she will not soil her dress.

Without offending die hard Jane Austen fans, maybe Pride and Prejudice should have always had a Zombie element. The Zombies contrast our characters so nicely that they manage to make the sarcasm funnier, the villains more disgusting, and the story even more dramatic. It’s like classic literature in high definition. For instance, when propping Lydia, Mrs. Bennett or Wickham next to hordes of Zombies, the reader does briefly wonder who is viler.

Seth Grahame-Smith’s ingenious idea for a lethal mix of classic Austen text with Zombie references and battles spawns pure entertainment. This re-telling is obviously deliciously over the top. Here’s a taste: “But the presence of a woman who had slain ninety dreadfuls with nothing more than a rain soaked envelope was an intimidating prospect indeed”. And my favorite quote, “Elizabeth and Darcy happened upon a herd of unmentionables…crawling on their hands and knees, biting into ripe heads of cauliflower, which they had mistaken for stray brains”. This edition also contains illustrations detailing the action and adding to its charming ludicrousness.

I plan on gifting this to everyone. What a sneaky way to get my teenage brother to appreciate some classic literature. Literary types and Zombie lovers alike should appreciate the spirit of this reinvention, if they don’t relish every word. I have never read anything like it, so I’m officially begging for a series of classic literature injected with Zombie mayhem.
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LibraryThing member jennieg
This is unbelievably bad book. It is described (by the publisher, I think) as being 85% Jane, but it's more like 10%, at best. Tedious prose and an appalling premise dominate what little I was able to read.
LibraryThing member foolofatook
First of all - I love both Jane Austen and Zombies, and I really really wanted to like this book. If I don't like a book, then I usually force my way through anyways to give it a chance. This is only the second book I have been unable to force my way through, and I had to stop about 50 pages in. It
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really is a original and funny idea - but the joke gets old after a few chapters.
My biggest problem with it is the way Grahame-Smith arranged the story. He basically copied down her story exactly and then threw in "Deadly Arts" and "unmentionables" wherever he could. On the first page it's funny, but after a while it just seems repetitive. He didn't really bring anything original/interesting to the story itself - just recycled his own zombie terms and made an already outrageous plot rediculous by throwing in ninjas, the Orient, and "Master Liu." The writing just isn't creative to me - just someone cutting and pasting a classic so that every few sentences you read something about warriors or unmentionables.
Even though he didn't really alter the overall layout of the story, he still managed to completely alter it. The way he interpreted many of the major characters, such as Elizabeth, is so off that you wonder if he ever understood the original. Not to mention the fact that he cheapens them by throwing in potty humor which is completely unnecessary and comes off as a childish attempt to get a laugh.
I am all for an original, well-written parody - as long as it shows some respect for the author and her work. His attempt to imitate her writing style only makes it worse, as he clearly doesn't know what he's doing, and this book is nothing but a twisted shell of the original which doesn't even manage to be entertaining.
Lastly, I would like to point out that Grahame-Smith managed to make zombies BORING, which seems like a pretty hard thing to do. The action fell flat and wasn't believable or scary at all.
If you want a book with plenty of potty humor, unconvincing "gory" violence, and references to ninjas in attempt to get a rise out of "snobbish" Austin fans, then look no further. For those who wanted (and anticipated) a memorable rewrite matched with creative twists and clever writing - don't bother.
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LibraryThing member danconsiglio
When I was a kid I had this coloring book that was the general outlines of a bunch of classical paintings. I cannot tell you how much I loved scribbling all over all that crap with my awesome pictures of aliens and ray guns and spaceships. Don't get me wrong, Starry Night is impressive. I sure as
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hell can't draw like that. But I can draw shit blowing up. Shit blowing up is also fun.

I loved this book for all of the same reasons that my five-year-old self loved that coloring book. Someone took something well respected and doodled all over a copy of it. The original is still up on a wall or a shelf somewhere getting dusty, appreciated by someone who finds themselves particularly impressive for being able to appreciate high art. The rest of us like zombies. And ninjas. I wasn't expecting the ninjas. But there were ninjas.
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LibraryThing member booksngames
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

A different take on Austen's classic novel with the addition of zombies, ninjas and the Bennett sisters as warriors. Includes Discussion Group questions at the end.

It IS Pride and Prejudice, the hallmarks of the novel you (may)
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know and/or love are there. Things are just somewhat...askew what with the strange plague that has infected England's dead and has them shambling about in search of fresh brains. London is a walled city, travelers must go armed in case of attacks by "unmentionables". The Bennetts are Shaolin-monk trained and Elizabeth wields a mean katana.

Personally I thougt it a very enjoyable read. I did not find the changes overwhelming even though there are a some characters whose endings are quite different. Ultimately the story stil focuses on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and Jane and Mr. Bingley. I haven't checked to see how much of the text may have be lifted directly from the original but IMHO Grahame-Smith does a fine job imitating Austen's voice and tone throughout.
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LibraryThing member TrishNYC
Some may claim that the reason why an Austen fan will not like this book is because it is supposedly committing sacrilege upon one of Austen's best books. Actually that is not the case. The reason is that this book is clunky, clumsy and just downright bad. When this book came out, while some of my
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Austen loving friends scoffed in derision, I laughed and was actually excited to read what I believe was going to be hilarious fun. I love Austen, I love a good horror book/movie and zombies fascinate me. So what went wrong? Well Seth Grahame Smith basically took most of Austen's dialogue, threw in a few random bits about zombies feasting on human flesh and that basically was it. I kept waiting to read more Grahame-Smith but most of what I got was reworked Austen, violence and random zombies. Maybe this would have worked as a made for TV Saturday afternoon special but as a book it stunk and had almost no redeeming qualities. The intelligence and wit that characterizes Pride and Prejudice are largely absent here, mostly lost in the mire and muck of zombie gore. And all the humor that this was supposed to have...rarely or never happened. I can't imagine reading this again or even punishing anyone by recommending it to them. I hope this is no one's introduction to Austen because this is really not a great way to meet her. Unfortunately, this was my introduction to Grahame-Smith and if this is a sign of his material, I doubt that I will be reading him again.
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LibraryThing member MyriadBooks
It's just so very... cracktastic.
LibraryThing member smitten1054
I wanted to like this, but I hated it. Jane Austen would never refer to testicles at all, much less make puns about balls. Also the clothing in the illustrations was not correct for the period.
LibraryThing member KLmesoftly
This is, by far, the worst book I've had the misfortune to read in its entirety. All I can say, really, is that you know you've failed as an author when your readers are paging through your additions for sections of the original story. Jane Austen's original sections were by far the best part of
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this, though Seth Whatsit tries his damnedest to annihilate every worthwhile theme and to reduce every character to a one-dimensional caricature of himself.

I advise everyone I know to stay far away from this book. Unlike something of Twilight's ilk, it's not even good for laughs.
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LibraryThing member peleluna
I had such great expectations, but found myself liking the concept more than the book itself. So glad I got a library copy and didn't waste the money. While it had a couple of good moments, I think I'll keep zombie lit and classic lit seperated going forward.
LibraryThing member sagustocox
"Sadly, this action prevented her from saving the second musket man, who had been pulled from his perch. He screamed as the dreadfuls held him down and began to tear organs from his living belly and feast upon them." (Page 117)

Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is
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a mash-up of Jane Austen's classic, Pride and Prejudice, and a zombie conflict. Grahame-Smith effectively weaves in the zombie attacks and how the Bennet clan dispatches them with skill. A majority of this novel is Austen's words, but the dialogue and descriptions that are modified to accommodate zombies are done with aplomb.

"'My dear Miss Elizabeth, I have the highest opinion in the world in your excellent judgment in all matters within the scope of your understanding, particularly in the slaying of Satan's armies, but permit me to say, that there must be a wide difference between the established forms of ceremony amongst the laity, and those which regulate the clergy. After all you may wield God's sword, but I wield His wisdom. And it is wisdom, dear cousin, which will ultimately rid us of our present difficulties with the undead.'" (Page 77)

Fun and entertaining on a base level, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an exercise in revision and an examination of Austen's characters in a new light. Many readers will disagree with Grahame-Smith's portrayal of Lizzy as a cutthroat assassin who is quickly turned by her own emotions or strict sense of duty and honor, particularly since she often talks of dispatching her peers for slighting her family, imagines beheading her own sister Lydia simply because she prattles on, and other unmentionable actions.

"'Jane, no one who has ever seen you together can doubt his affection. Miss Bingley, I am sure, cannot. She may not be a warrior, but she has cunning enough. Dearest sister, I implore you -- this unhappiness is best remedied by the hasty application of a cutlass to her throat.'" (Page 95)

However, one of the most perceptive and playfully done sequences in the novel is the sparring match between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy. Some readers could find this sequence too forceful, but others may view the physical combat between the characters as just a manifestation of their verbal tete-a-tete in the original novel. The elements of zombies and ninjas provide additional circumstances that further delineate the class differences Austen sought to examine in her novels, enabling readers to further investigate the social conventions and prejudices inherent in this society.

There are other instances, however, in which these revised scenes do not work as well, and many of the social conventions of the time are overlooked in favor of ensuring the Bennet sisters, who are of little means, were shipped to the Orient for training in the deadly arts -- even if it was with the inferior Chinese Shaolin monks --and were prepared for combat, which is inevitable in a nation nearly overrun by the undead. In Austen's novel, it would be unconventional for Lizzy to converse so openly with Wickham about Darcy, and it would be outside convention for Darcy to write her a letter to explain himself. Here, convention is defied even more so in that the Bennet women are trained to kill -- even if it is only zombies -- and Lizzy openly displays her talents and shuns marriage.

Austen purists will NOT enjoy this novel unless they loosen their reverence for the author's work. Overall, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a creative revision with an edge that modern readers may enjoy for its drama and action-packed zombie slayings. There is a lot more to this rendition than simple entertainment.
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LibraryThing member London_StJ
I have been resisting the occasional urge to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies since it first hit shelves, but decided to pick it up recently because I thought it might be a fun work to include in a class on satire. However, within just a few pages I realized that Grahame-Smith's atrocity is
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never something I would want to introduce in the classroom - not because of the content, which is about what you can expect from the title - but because the writing is so atrocious. While I expected a quirky tongue-and-cheek rewriting of Jane Austen's novel what I found was a dull, repetitive, and obnoxious farce. The writing is so poor that it is impossible to even see the humor that the author supposedly intended; the original material is awkward and tedious, and Grahame-Smith is in desperate need of a decent thesaurus.

I had every intention of seeing the thing through to the end, whether or not I decided to include the work on my syllabus, but I just can't force myself to do it.
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LibraryThing member SunlessEccentric
I thought that this book was dull.
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. Never was this truth more plain than during the recent attacks at Netherfield Park, in which a household of eighteen was slaughtered and consumed by a horde of the living dead.

Pride and
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Prejudice and Zombies has created a bit of a stir. I can picture agents and editors agog with excitement--the concept is so exciting. There are many for whom this book is not written; those who hold Miss Austen's books as sacrosanct, those who have never read Pride and Prejudice, and those with weak stomachs. I enjoyed it; it was a fun read. I also liked that because of the situation with the unmentionable hordes, the characters were allowed to think and speak more explicitly than in the original. I do love Pride and Prejudice and enjoyed seeing how this diverged. Lizzie is here quite blood-thirsty and several characters come to extremely bad ends, often involving pus or incontinence. I enjoyed it, but it may offend the gentler reader.
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LibraryThing member doc_illusion
I got this book because I thought, "Jane Austen and zombies, that sounds funny as hell." The thing was, while the Austen parts made up an interesting story, the zombies weren't that funny and actually made it kind of annoying. I'm usually very for random stuff going on in established fictional
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worlds, but the zombies didn't add anything good to the story. It makes me wonder if Chris Moore or Jasper Fforde had written it, if it could have been awesome. I ended up wishing I had just picked up a real copy of pride and Prejudice. It was pretty disappointing.
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LibraryThing member raizel
Much of the book seems to be direct quotes from Pride and Prejudice with additions about zombies that, surprisingly, explain some plot points that did not make complete sense in the original. Lady Catherine disapproves of the martial arts training received by the Bennett girls. Some of the
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characters become zombies; their actions and choices seem more reasonable.
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LibraryThing member MMWiseheart
** spoiler alert ** Fantastic! I love Pride and Prejudice, as well as zombies. This book combines them both in a very humorous and dramatic way. I think my favorite part of the book was the fight between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine. A close second is the fact that Mr. Darcy crippled Wickham. I
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highly recommend this to anyone who loves zombies, ninjas, and Pride and Prejudice.
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LibraryThing member Toast.x2
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, “The Classic Regency Romance, now with Ultra violent Mayhem!”..

where to begin.

if i could repeatedly send a text message to Jane Austen, it would read “… i do not like you.. i do not think this will ever change…” to which Jane would reply by letter,
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“Dear Sir, I know not who you are, but if you keep blowing up my cell with spam, I will likely have to turn you into the authorities.”

When i heard about the edited version of Pride and Prejudice, i jumped to my feet rapidly telling my wife, “Jenn! lets go, lets go! do you think Powells Books is still open? “. to myself, i said, “OMGOMGawesomeness comingmyway” which i then followed up with an immediate and impromptu trip to the book store. I purchased Pride and Prejudice and Zombies the same day i heard about it and was excited for such a ‘novel’ novel.

overall, i felt it was a good read. anyone who has read the original work knows that it is PAINFULLY slow in the first half. until Elizabeth goes on her trip to Pemberly, it is one of the dullest and most drawn out story ramp ups in existence. a couple hundred pages of he said she said angst with no real plot to speak of.

in the end, this is basically two books: the first half is just a Jane Austen story, in all its wordy drawn out-ness. the second half is pretty damn good, and i enjoyed it greatly.

The marketing description on the back of the book reads:
______________________
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, sword fights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.
______________________

the last line of this description is the most important for people who want to read this, “transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.” yeah, want is true, but capability will be questionable in some cases, such as mine. to set things in the proper light, for the first half of the book, i couldnt get into it. i would read a chapter and then i would read a different book. once i hit the halfway mark it sped up, just as with the original. i guess even with zombies in it, you still have to be a 14 year old girl with princess fantasies in order to truly enjoy the entirety of this book. my loins were not burning for mr darcy or mr wickham. as such, i really felt no pull to complete the book till i hit the real story, lizzie attempting to rectify the hell she brought onto herself by being prideful and full of prejudice (thus the title)

i found that the text Grahame-Smith added to the story was solid and often enjoyable. it was written in a manner that was of similar style as the original, it did not feel jumpy or terribly out of place. overall, it was a great addition to the story and caught me by surprise at some points. the illustrations in the book were pleasing and humorous.

the one main disappointment i had: if you are adding the excitement of zombies into a classic, why not make the first half of the book better. boring is still boring, zombies or no zombies. spice it up, add more to the beginning than to the end. random violence is better than hours of reading all about absolutely zilch

on a separate but still associated note, this edited book has been optioned for a movie and apparently has some studios bidding over it as a new “blockbuster”.

pride and Prejudice is also being produced into graphic novel form by Marvel Comics. they are including it in part of their literature classics collection

one last note before closing.. i still think that Elizabeth and Jane Bennet are incestuous lovers.. this version of the book did not change that point of view at all. were they not sisters, they would have run off together, but as they were afraid of the social stigma consequences, they opted for a bit of man love.. just one opinion..

--
xpost RawBlurb.com
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
I couldn't actually finish this book. The zombie themed insertions weren't very well done and were always distracting, rather than fitting in smoothly with the existing story—or maybe the romance bits didn't fit with the zombie story? The insertions messed with the pacing, slowing things down
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considerably, and Grahame-Smith did a poor job of maintaining the Regency manners—calling the zombies "unmentionables" was a cute idea, but he it wasn't kept up very long. Many of the violent insertions make the characters downright rude, which is weirdly noticeable and distracting placed beside Austen's original words.

It was a funny idea, but it made for a surprisingly slow, boring, fidgety book and I decided to just give it up and read Pride and Prejudice (the original) instead. Grahame-Smith would have done better to write a brand new, zombie-themed romance novel.
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LibraryThing member sensitivemuse
I was a purist at first. I’m such a purist that the ONLY P & P out there is the A and E version. So I immediately labelled this book as sacrilege and ready to burn the heretics that ever thought of such an idea and to ruin the most romantic book in the world (in my opinion). Then I slowly gave
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in. I went into a zombie phase were I watched the movies, and then read some books (World War Z as an example) and thought to myself. Fine, let’s put my purist thoughts aside and give this book a chance.

I do not regret it one bit. The moment I read the first few lines I just cracked up laughing. The thought of the sisters Bennett being a pack of Buffy’s and instead of vampire slaying they’re zombie slaying is just hilarious. They crash into a party, never fear! the Bennetts are here! hahah. I loved every bit of this book. It stayed 90 percent true to the main plot with a few deviations here and there (you’ll laugh about Mr Collins and Charlotte). Which I find perfectly acceptable. In my opinion, Elizabeth Bennett could kick Buffy’s butt any day. She’s got Shaolin training damnit! :D

There are parts in the book where it can be extremely ridiculous but you will have to keep reminding yourself that this book is a parody of the actual story. To be prepared to take it all with a light heart (set all purist thoughts aside!) does help and makes the story much more enjoyable and a fun read all the way through. The book even supplies some very nice detailed illustrations for your viewing (or not) pleasure. Note, my favorite illustration? will have to be the last one. It made me laugh, but it gave me the warm fuzzies too. You’ll see what I mean once you get there.

I would say the only negative besides the little parts of over silliness? it’s not for the faint of heart. Some parts are graphic and detailed. You just have to remember this is a parody and it’s meant to be funny. If I can set aside my purist thoughts, I’m sure you can.
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LibraryThing member JuniperHoot
I wanted to like this more before I read it. I liked the idea of it very much, and still do. The execution, however, left me a little disappointed. There were moments of fun, but too much of the adapted material was puerile where it should have been clever -- Jane Austen's clever, sparkling prose
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has long been celebrated, and merits at least an attempt to rise to the occasion while breathing new life (undeath?) into it with this concept. As other reviewers have noted, the winking remarks between Elizabeth and Darcy about "balls" were more jarring and out of character than the prospect of their being skilled zombie hunters. I'm no prude; it was just clumsy and obvious, not terribly funny, and entirely unnecessary. Crude humor can be a hoot, when it works. This, however, did not.

I would have loved to see someone with a real understanding of the period (the language and idiom of the day, the mode of dress, the prevailing social attitudes, etc.) take on this mash-up. It had so much potential to be so much more.
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Awards

Audie Award (Finalist — Fantasy — 2012)
The Kitschies (Finalist — 2009)

Language

Original publication date

2009-04-01

Physical description

320 p.; 8 inches

ISBN

1594743347 / 9781594743344

Barcode

1562
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