Why, did you read it in A3?

For me one big reason is because she makes the protagonists so multidimensional - they tend to be witty, independent, flawed, intelligent, and somewhat outsiders.

I think this contrasts really well with the formality of society of the time which is reflected in many of the antagonists/clowns/minor characters.

I was convinced I disliked Austen because I tried to read Pride as Prejudice too young - I couldn’t understand the old fashioned language and sentence structures, and so avoided all the classics like the plague for a few years. Now I adore Austen and am so happy I tried again when I was a bit older