Laura Wood captures the romance, wit and drama of the original in an adaptation that's quick and clear to read. This retelling is perfect for readers who love romance but might struggle with regency era language. It could also offer a great way into the original text. I can also imagine this appealing to adult readers who enjoys the TV and film adaptations, beyond Barrington Stoke's usual child and teen audience.

Some of the dialogue and wittiest lines remain the same, but there's also a more modern insight into internalised emotions and character's motives (which makes the story easier to follow). However, it never feels like a summary of the story, and nothing seems rushed or glossed over. A perfect, pocket-sized period retelling.

I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time last year and thoroughly enjoyed it but to be honest it was a very intimidating read for me!

This retelling will make the story so much more accessible to many more and to be honest I found that it helped me in understanding the original story so much better.

This is the first book I have read from Laura Wood but I have now been left eager to read all the rest!

I am a huge Jane Austen fan and I love that her stories and characters are still being read and loved over 200 years later. Bestselling YA author Laura Wood has now taken what is perhaps Austen’s most well-known novel Pride and Prejudice and adapted it for young readers. I had such a lovely time revisiting the story in this way.

Elizabeth Bennet has no desire to marry merely because it is expected of her. She will marry for love and nothing less. When the eligible Mr Bingley moves into nearby Netherfield Park with his sisters, he brings with him a handsome, aloof friend named Mr Darcy. Elizabeth quickly decides that Mr Darcy is the last man she’d ever marry. But social engagements -and perhaps fate- keep bring Elizabeth and Darcy together and it transpires that perhaps Elizabeth was wrong about Darcy after all.

Every chapter is ended with a beautiful illustration of a peacock feather illustrating the unwavering, frustrating levels of pride that ring through the book. It’s a subtle yet stunning and very fitting symbol of what the novel is really about.

I love that Laura Wood kept some of the best, most famous lines from the original novel in her version. Overall, the language is more accessible and the plot moves much faster but it is undeniably still the same story that forms the basis of so many of our contemporary romantic comedies.

Elizabeth’s sass and wit shines through beautifully and I was reminded that her personality is timeless. Young women who know their own minds and refuse to have their lives mapped out by society’s expectations have always existed and there’s no doubt that they always will.

Mr Darcy’s brooding introversion is spelt out for the reader and he comes across as a shy yet romantic hero. We all know a good-looking, awkward guy that we want to get to know better and that’s exactly who Darcy is. I fell in love with him all over again.

Laura Wood has done a wonderful job with her version of such a timeless classic. All of the characters are still there in full and that ‘world of Austen’ quality is retained. This book would make a really lovely gift for a young reader aged between 8-12 who would perhaps struggle with the florals of Austen’s writing but is curious about her stories. I really hope there are going to be more of these adaptations, whether it’s Austen’s other novels or the works of other classic authors, in the future!

I don't know about you guys, but I am an absolute sucker for retellings. Fractured fairytales, modern retellings of classics, you name it. So when I spotted Pride and Prejudice: A Retelling, written by Laura Wood, I just knew I had to give it a chance.

However, I should clarify something I learned very quickly when reading Pride and Prejudice: A Retelling is more of an abridged tale than a retelling. So that makes the title here a little bit misleading.

Essentially, this is very much the original version of Pride and Prejudice; it is just significantly shorter than the original. Now, I have ZERO problems with this premise. I think abridged classics are a more approachable way of getting people to read them. I just wish that this novel hadn't been marketed as a retelling, as that is what caught my attention in the first place.

I do think there is an audience for Pride and Prejudice: A Retelling, and I want to be very clear on this fact. This novel would be perfect for anybody that wants to read this beloved classic (my personal favorite) but don't necessarily have the time to invest in the full novel.

This was a very serviceable retelling of Pride and Prejudice for readers who might have difficulty with the original's language and length. The spirit of the plot and characters where preserved for the most part.. Definitely a good book to recommend to someone who might want to read the original but would find it too challenging.

Go to IG: @entre.mi.libro.y.yo to read the full review.

Okay, first of all, this book is NOT a retelling, this book is an adaptation for young readers. This is not a complaint, but, had I known this was not a retelling, maybe I wouldn´t have read it.

But I did read it and I do not regret anything.

This adaptation of Pride and prejudice is perfect if you:
- Want to read Pride and Prejudice in a shorter amount of time (much shorter, it took me 2 days)
- Are a young reader and classics scare you a little (we've all been there)
- Don't feel like you have the necessary level of English to read the original book (again, we've all been there)
- Want to start to read classics and don't know where to start.

This was a brilliant example of how to keep the charm and wit of a well loved classic while making it accessible for those who would have struggled with the original material. Laura Wood manages to tell the story well in a condensed and easy to read manner.

While I am not the audience it is aimed at I can see how well it will work to bring such a wonderful classic to a whole set of people who would have struggled to enjoy it otherwise.

Big fan of Barrington Stoke and a big fan of Laura Wood.

A novella retelling of the much adored Pride and Prejudice. Wood has rewritten the classic for today's world to absorb easily, no matter your age. The reader still gets the characters were love, the demeanor of each and the love story we adore. Hopefully this sparks interests into the classic.

So, reading a re-telling of one of my favourite books was a bit risky granted but I was intrigued to see what it was like.

It should be noted that thus title has been specially written and edited to provide an accessible entry point for those who may struggle with the length or language of the original text and is designed primarily for a YA audience. On that basis I do think it’s a great way to introduce more readers to a great classic.

I did, however, find that it seemed to skip so much detail that it felt disjointed for a reader familiar with the original. For someone new to the story I think this would be an enjoyable read and great introduction to Austen

Thank you to NetGalley and Barington Stoke for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First, I feel like it’s necessary to point out that this isn’t a retelling. A retelling implies an author has taken a source material and reworked the story to make it their own. This is the original Pride & Prejudice that has been abridged and reworded to make it more palatable to a younger generation.

At first, I was irked at this version of P&P, but then I looked into this publisher and saw that publish books for YA and teens, and - while I’m not saying teens can’t read Austen - I can see how the rephrased and shortened version of this story might draw a younger audience to Jane Austen.

Overall, this book does its job in making a classic more accessible.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Pride and Prejudice: A Retelling in exchange for an honest review.

First off to address the elephant in the room, despite what the title claims this isn't a retelling. It's basically the source material being adapted to be shorter and more easily consumable which can be great and I'm sure will be a brilliant tool for those who want to familiarize themselves with P&P without having to physically read all of P&P but as someone who's read it and was expecting a retelling, it was kind of a let down.

No matter how much I love Pride and Prejudice, I wasn't the target audience for this book. I saw 'retelling' to mean a slightly different take on the pride and prejudice story, but this was the same just written with language for a younger audience. Because of this I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping, but I think it would be great for the audience it is intended for - younger readers that want to read the classic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publiher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this book was a retelling but actually it's an abridged version of the whole novel with an easy text. It's a good book for the readers who doesn't want or can't read the original P&P. It's well written and we get the most important parts of the story. Laura Wood did a good job if that was her purpose.
For me, as a lover of all J.A's books and writing style, I can't say that I really loved it, it felt kind of flat with no life when you have read the story several times but I get that what was done here, was for a certain audience and the most important thing is that everyone could discover the classics.

This was a really fun retelling, despite how short the book was the characters were still charming and the story didn't lose any of its romance. I loved the relationships with everyone, you still got the feeling of what the society was like.

A beautiful retelling of an old real masterpiece.
I loved everything, the writing was good.
Would totally recommend!

I DON'T THINK I'M THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THIS BOOK

Actual rating: 2.5⭐

I am a great fan of Pride and Prejudice. So when I saw this book, I absolutely had to read it. But it didn't take me long to realise that I was not the target audience. First of all - this is NOT A RETELLING. It's an abridged rewrite. I wanted to read a retelling. If I had known it was not a retelling, I never would have started it. As someone who knows the P&P story intimately, I am not interesting in reading a rewrite. This book is aimed at YA readers, who are new to the story. That is not me.

So before I start, I really should declare that I've never read Pride and Prejudice before. I'm pretty well aware of most of the story through my little sister's repeated viewings of the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version, but that's really the extent of my knowledge of the original story.

Having said that, I really, really enjoyed Laura Wood's retelling of it. It sparkled with humour and wit, and Lizzy Bennett really is a fantastic heroine. Mister Darcy was all brooding and mysterious, and yeah I get the appeal now. There's social commentary in there, whether it's the proper behaviour of young women interested in a man or criticism of Lydia running away, and most of it was delivered with the kind of cutting wit I associate with Austen. There was also swoon-worthy romance aplenty.

I can't really comment on how much of the original story was excised, though I know from conversations with Laura that it was a difficult adaptation because Jane Austen didn't have a superfluous amount of prose. Yet somehow it has all been presented in a very accessible short novel, with all of the adaptations we come to expect from Barrington Stoke, a publisher prized for the accessibility of their books, particularly for reluctant readers or anyone with reading difficulties.

For younger or reluctant readers wanting to experience Austen but put off by the idea or length of the classics, this really is the perfect adaptation. And for anyone else who just wants to read Laura Wood's sparkling adaptation over a few hours I also heartily recommend it!

I thought this was amazing. As a long time fan of Pride and Prejudice I’ll read anything about it. I thought at first that this was a retelling but it’s really more of a simplified version of the original. It’s much shorter but keeps the important parts of the story. For those that have a hard time reading classics, which usually includes myself, this is a wonderful starting point. A great way to get into the storyline and if you enjoyed it then go read the original for more details. Overall I really appreciated this and had a blast rereading my favorite book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a monumental task to take upon oneself, the retelling of one of the most beloved classics of all time! Laura Wood has taken up this task and has exceeded expectations by far! Keeping the spirit and emotion of the original intact, Wood has rewritten this classic in language that younger readers can better understand, rather than the original more stilted version, that at times can prove difficult even to the seasoned reader. In Laura Wood's version you still get all of Mr. Darcy's dark broodiness, Lizzy's outspoken, strong-willed rambunctiousness, along with the escapades of the entire Bennet brood.
Perfect for any middle grade or higher student or those with English as a second language. I am hopeful that this version will spark the young readers curiosity, thus causing them to pick up the original and give it a try!
Thank you to the publishers at Barrington Stoke and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review this ARC. This was a very nice retelling of the original text. I enjoyed it as an adult, and I think it would be a great introduction for young readers. Well done, Laura Wood!