# Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

11 Hacker News commenters recommended Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its witty, light tone, strong language, and captivating opening, with depth beneath the humor. One critic finds it a slog.

## Why people recommend it

- Witty, light, yet deep (2 comments): "_Pride and prejudice_ is pretty light and breezy while having some depth to it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46225576)) "_Pride and prejudice_ hits for me similar notes as those for fantasy and historical fiction" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46237544))
- Captivating, hooking opening lines (3 comments): "The opening line of Pride and Prejudice alone is already immediately captivating." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49594320)) "within the first minute I laughed and I'm hooked again" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49594068)) "that opener just sucks you in" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49595427))

## What people warn about

- Slow and tiresome to read (1 comments): "I find her books a bit of a slog even now." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47141869))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509896376?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781509896370) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen", https://hackerapproved.com/p/pride-and-prejudice/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).