British actress Keira Knightley has named her favourite book, and it’s a Jane Austen adaptation. Pride and Prejudice was the pick of the Bend it Like Beckham actor, Austen’s most well-known novel. Pride and Prejudice was the second published novel by Austen, published in 1813.
The Goodreads synopsis of the novel states: “Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen’s radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.”
Knightley played Elizabeth in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which was directed by Joe Wright, in his feature directorial debut. Knightley starred opposite Matthew Macfadyen and alongside Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Tom Hollander, Penelope Wilton, and Judi Dench. The film was met with high praise and has a critics rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Knightley has called this book a favourite for its wit and relevance. Its enduring appeal lies in Austen’s ability to capture human nature with charm and precision.
She told Stylist: “I read the book a lot. I’ve been obsessed by the book since I was about 7. I had all the Austen series on book tape. I was obsessed with the BBC version when I was about 10 or 11. I read the book finally when I was about 14 and got obsessed again.”
On the book, Knightley also said: “For me it’s about growing up, about making mistakes, it’s about love and it’s about things that are as relevant today as then… it’s one of the most beautiful romantic stories ever told. I think it has completely universal appeal, and it doesn’t matter when you set it or when you’re watching or read it. You can’t not love it.”
The 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Knightley, is available to stream on Netflix right now.