text: god forbid i be so bold as to trash a classic.  and yes, maybe because of all the raving reviews from my friends and from the book's great reputation, i entered it with high expectations. - which the book however did not satisfy.  yes, it is a good comedic parody of the upper class of the time, a lampoon of the courtship ritual, and of course oh so witty, blah blah blah, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.  the main character was likeable, but that aside, i found it completely insufferable to read through, and absolutely painfully boring.  every subsequent event from the very beginning could be predicted, let alone the ending.  not that anything really ever happens - the entire book could be summed up with, "then they walked and talked and had tea and walked and talked and had tea, walked and talked and had more tea, then got married and lived happily ever after."  the entire novel was a headache of girly gossip and mental drama.  it would save more time just to watch a chick flick.  so if you're interested in the relationship fiascos of fictious characters, witnessing the agony over who's going to marry who (even though the reader could already predict the happily-ever-after match-making light-years in advance), then this is the book for you!!  if not, then i suggest picking up some dan brown.           
  