Pride and Prejudice Narrated by Josephine Bailey

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Narrated by Josephine Bailey

As you know I am trying to read every Austen adaption, that includes the audiobooks.

I spotted this one on Libby and decide to give it a listen.

Unlike the other audiobooks, Josephine Bailey did not do a ton of emoting or change her voices for the different characters; but I still enjoyed her reading of the text. Instead of being caught up in the emotional aspects of the story I actually listened to the text more. Here are a few of my random thoughts while listening.

Hmm…?

“How can you be so silly,’ cried her mother, ‘as to think of such a thing, in all this dirt! You will not be fit to be seen when you get there.”

‘I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want.’

‘Is this a hint to me, Lizzy,” said her father, ‘to send for the horses?’

‘No, indeed. I do not wish to avoid the walk.The distance is nothing, when one has a motive; only three miles. I shall be back by dinner.’

Pride and Prejudice

I thought it was interesting they use miles instead of meters. All the British TikTok’s I see they are always making fun of Americans for not being on the metric system. These are the little things that once they enter my mind I have to research and find the answers.

Research says that adopting the metric system was discussed in Parliament as early as 1818, after this book was published, so miles were being used. In fact the adoption of the metric system didn’t begin until 1965. I’m going to remember that the next time I spot a British tiktok making fun of the use of miles.

Elizabeth thinks she is nothing like her mother but truth of the matter is, Elizabeth is a bit of a gossip. She shares she story of her being slighted with multiple people, when she reads her book at Netherfield she makes sure to be by Caroline and Darcy so she can eavesdrop on their conversation, and she definitely over-shared with Wickham as she just met him. I think it goes to show you that we are often more like our parents then we realize.

Why did Elizabeth find it weird for Mr. Collins to apologize for the entail?

“He must be an oddity, I think,’ said she [Elizabeth Bennet]. ‘I cannot make him out. There is something very pompous in his style. And what can he mean by apologizing for being next in the entail? We cannot suppose he would help it, if he could. Can he be a sensible man, sir?”

Pride and Prejudice

Yes it’s over the top and unnecessary, but I think he was just trying to be polite and mend the broken family fences; apologizing for the family’s loss, even though he knows this is something that is out of his control. I mean Matthew felt sorry about it in Downton Abbey as he knew it meant the Crawley ladies would lose everything. The letter was a little much, but at least he’s trying. He could be like Sayre in Duty and Desire and plan to just kick them to the curb after their father passes.

When Wickham was trying to turn Elizabeth, and therefore the village, against Darcy he made one mistake as he does not know Mr. Bingley,

“After many pauses and many trials of other subjects, Elizabeth could not help reverting once more to the first, and saying,—

‘I am astonished at his intimacy with Mr. Bingley. How can Mr. Bingley, who seems good-humour itself, and is, I really believe, truly amiable, be in friendship with such a man? How can they suit each other? Do you know Mr. Bingley?’

‘Not at all.’

‘He is a sweet-tempered, amiable, charming man. He cannot know what Mr. Darcy is.’

‘Probably not; but Mr. Darcy can please where he chooses. He does not want abilities. He can be a conversible companion if he thinks it worth his while. Among those who are at all his equals in consequence, he is a very different man from what he is to the less prosperous. His pride never deserts him; but with the rich he is liberal-minded, just, sincere, rational, honourable, and, perhaps, agreeable,—allowing something for fortune and figure.’

Pride and Prejudice

Darcy’s friendship with Bingley does not align at all with what Wickham has said about Darcy’s character, as Bingley is not Darcy’s equal. Darcy’s family are from “a noble line; and, on the father’s, from respectable, honourable, and ancient — though untitled — families”; while Bingley is “new money” his father being a wealthy tradesman. However, Elizabeth is too busy disliking Darcy that she fails to notice that.

She sure is

Elizabeth jumps on Darcy being the one to separate Jane and Bingley but she doesn’t really know for sure. Colonel Fitzwilliam doesn’t even know who the person is and is just supposing

“And remember that I have not much reason for supposing it to be Bingley. What he told me was merely this: that he congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage, but without mentioning names or any other particulars; and I only suspected it to be Bingley from believing him the kind of young man to get into a scrape of that sort, and from knowing them to have been together the whole of last summer.”

Pride and Prejudice

Colonel Fitzwilliman isn’t sure and she doesn’t know for a fact it’s Bingley. That’s a big assumption to make. She does turn out to be right, but still.

Sigh!

Elizabeth laughing at the stupidity of people being wrong about Darcy really got me this time:

Miss [Jane] Bennet paused a little, and then replied, “Surely there can be no occasion for exposing him [Mr. Wickham] so dreadfully. What is your own opinion?”

“That it ought not to be attempted. Mr. Darcy has not authorized me to make his communication public. On the contrary, every particular relative to his sister was meant to be kept as much as possible to myself; and if I [Elizabeth] endeavour to undeceive people as to the rest of his conduct, who will believe me? The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent, that it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton, to attempt to place him in an amiable light. I am not equal to it. Wickham will soon be gone; and, therefore, it will not signify to anybody here what he really is. Some time hence it will be all found out, and then we may laugh at their stupidity in not knowing it before. At present I will say nothing about it.”

Laughs their stupidity! That was you two days ago, you were the “stupid” one. I think I’d feel a bit more shame at favoring the rotter for a while longer before I could make jokes about it.

I’m so embarrassed.

I think Pemberley is such an important place in the novel because even though Elizabeth has read Darcy’s letter, a small part of her still believes the lies Wickham told her; and a large part of her wants to be right about her judgement of Darcy. It is not until she meets his housekeeper, sister, sees how he treats her uncle and aunt, etc.

“I say no more than the truth, and what everybody will say that knows him,” replied the other. Elizabeth thought this was going pretty far; and she listened with increasing astonishment as the housekeeper added, “I have never had a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old.”

This was praise of all others most extraordinary, most opposite to her ideas. That he was not a good-tempered man had been her firmest opinion. Her keenest attention was awakened: she longed to hear more; and was grateful to her uncle for saying,—

“There are very few people of whom so much can be said. You are lucky in having such a master.”

“Yes, sir, I know I am. If I were to go through the world, I could not meet with a better. But I have always observed, that they who are good-natured when children, are good-natured when they grow up; and he was always the sweetest tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world.”

Elizabeth almost stared at her. “Can this be Mr. Darcy?” thought she.

The introduction, however, was immediately made; and as she named their relationship to herself, she stole a sly look at him, to see how he bore it; and was not without the expectation of his decamping as fast as he could from such disgraceful companions. That he was surprised by the connection was evident: he sustained it, however, with fortitude: and, so far from going away, turned back with them, and entered into conversation with Mr. Gardiner. Elizabeth could not but be pleased, could not but triumph. It was consoling that he should know she had some relations for whom there was no need to blush. She listened most attentively to all that passed between them, and gloried in every expression, every sentence of her uncle, which marked his intelligence, his taste, or his good manners.

The conversation soon turned upon fishing; and she heard Mr. Darcy invite him, with the greatest civility, to fish there as often as he chose, while he continued in the neighbourhood, offering at the same time to supply him with fishing tackle, and pointing out those parts of the stream where there was usually most sport

Those were just a few random thoughts I had when reading. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

Hmm…

For more audiobooks, go to Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Enjoy the Book the Jane Austen Society?: Book and Audiobook Read by Richard Armitage Review

For more Pride and Prejudice, go to Duty and Desire

For more posts focusing on the text of Jane Austen, go to The Lost Dreams of Elizabeth Elliot or How Elizabeth Elliot is the “Sad” Version of Emma Woodhouse

Duty and Desire

Duty and Desire (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman #2) by Pamela Aiden

I read the first book in this write, An Assembly Such as This, about ten years ago and postponed continuing the series. I always meant to finish it, but I never got around to it, there are just so many books to read.

However, this year I am really trying to complete series, and have finally decided it was time to read book two.

The previous book, An Assembly Such As This, retold the story of Pride and Prejudice, but from Darcy’s point of view. We see life before going to Longbourn all the way to their abrupt departure after the Netherfield Ball. The author did a great job of showing how his feelings evolve from when Darcy snubs Elizabeth to where he is giving her second thoughts and falling for her.

Book two, Duty and Desire, picks up where book one left off and takes place in December making this a Jane Austen holiday book. Just wanted to let you know if you are looking for more to read in December that Yuletide and Holiday Mix Tape.

While the first book was a wonderful read, I was really interested in where Pamela Aiden would go with this second one as this is the time we have no knowledge of what Darcy is up to as Elizabeth is far from him. It could go very well, or it could go very wrong…

Darcy is back in London and is dealing with the philosophical dilemma of wanting to be a good Christian man and practice forgiveness with his desire for revenge and justice against Wickham, something even more deeply on his mind with it being Christmastime.

He spends Christmas with his family, telling Colonel Fitzwilliam what happened in the fall, back in Longbourn, discussing Georgiana, and other cousinly subjects. I really enjoy this time spent with Darcy and his cousin and seeing how close they are. I thought that was a very good addition to the story.

Darcy also spends time with Bingley and we see more of their relationship and that Darcy honestly thought Bingley wasn’t as serious about Jane, nor her about him. I like seeing them as buddies.

Darcy also can’t stop thinking about Elizabeth, having the desire to propose, but the duty he has to his family keeping him from pusuring her (hence the title).

I also love that this book continued to show the relationship between him and his sister and highlighted how much he cares for her. In this story Georgiana is given a minister’s widow as a companion; this friendship and faith in God helping to heal her from the trauma of Wickham.

After much thought and deliberation, Darcy decides he needs to be serious about his life and start looking for a suitable bride. Taking up this mission will also help him out Elizabeth forever out of his mind and give Georgina another new friend to confide in.

Although, suitability does not always promise the marriage will be a good one, as his cousin’s (Colonel Fitzwilliam’s older brother) fiancé is from a good family; but is very desirous of male attention and while she has promised her hand to the Viscount; she has no problem lending out other parts of her body.

With thoughts of Elizabeth always at the forefront of his mind, Darcy decides to risk it and move forward with his plan, accepting an invitation to Norwycke Castle. There will be several ladies of the ton in attendance and he can spend time with them to see if they will be the next Mrs. Darcy or if he should cross them off his list. One of them is Lady Felicia, his cousin’s fiancé, who is trying to throw a wrench in Darcy plan as she is hoping to add Darcy to her list of accomplishments.

So while I had been enjoying this book, once we went to the castle I found it extremely difficult to put down. As soon as we entered the castle gates the book switched from historical fiction to a gothic tale. And you know how much I love Gothic fiction.

At Norwycke Castle there is quite the party collected but the most important members are the Sayre family, who own the Castle. Sayre is the head of the family and a degenerate gambler who’s lifestyle is bankrupting the family. His younger brother, Beverly, is angry at the circumstances, knowing he would have been better at maintaining the facility if only he had been born the elder son. Lady Sayre, his wife has a secret desire that she will do anything to have come to fruition.

If that wasn’t enough elements, it also turns out that Sayre has a half sister Darcy had never met before. After his mother died, Sayre’s father remarried an Irish woman and had a daughter. Like Mrs. Dashwood and John Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, Sayre is not close to his stepmother or half sister. After his father died he evicted them from the family home and sent them back to Ireland. He would never have let his sister, Lady Slyvanie, return…except her mother died and left Sayre property in Ireland, with the caveat that he will only inherit IF he brokers a marriage for Slyvanie. He needs the property to pay his debts, and he needs to marry his sister off. Cue the invitation to Darcy.

Darcy finds himself tangled in multiple webs at this fête as one person tries to gamble him out of his inheritance, one attempts to trap him in a tryst, the marriage minded mamas are constantly plotting, one young lady is constantly trying to maneuver him into a forced marriage, and of that wasn’t enough he suddenly is thrown into a gothic mystery.

Sigh!

One night, Sayre’s brother Beverly, tells a ghost story about a henge on the property called the whispering knights. Legend says a son tried to kill his father and steal his inheritance, but the son was outwitted. The son and those he had turned over to his side were cursed and transformed to stone, forever returning to warn any future heir that threatens the legacy of their father.

From there on Darcy spots a mysterious figure with a candle walking at night, and is privy to discovering a dead child who turns out to be a swaddled piglet. What is the purpose of this, to scare? Threaten? Murder?

Hmm…

And who is behind it? One of the party? A member of the dysfunctional Sayre family? Lady Slyvanie’s creepy maid?

Mystery, you say?

Darcy and his valet start investigating and discover witchcraft, betrayal, a goosebump inducing maid that would be best friend with Mrs. Danvers, and more.

Creepy…

After all this time with the ton, Darcy has become disgusted with the way the people act. He longs for people who are not committing constant manipulation, who are not completely obsessed with themselves, and who actually understand loyalty, fidelity, and honesty. Even while Bride hunting he still hasn’t been able to get Elizabeth out of his mind, and after this fiasco he longs for a women who speaks her mind and is who she says she is; no pretensions.

This was fantastic! I enjoyed every page of it and could not stop reading.

I think it did a great job of showing Mr. Darcy’s thought process, especially that switch from being all about “duty” and family honor to go after his “desire”. Some people have criticized Austen’s work saying that they felt the turncoat of Darcy’s affections were out of left field; (I have never felt that way), but if you did feel that sentiment, Aiden makes it clear that the feelings were always smoldering.

The whole mystery, gothic tone, and witchcraft was completely unexpected although after spending a minute with those people I too would hightail it back to the picturesque village of Longbourn.

The ton, especially the Sayres

It was a fantastic book and I am even more eager to read book three.

Although I probably won’t get to it until late May or June.

For more books by Pamela Aiden, go to An Assembly Such as This

For more on Pride and Prejudice, go to Undeceived: Pride & Prejudice in the Spy Game

For more mysteries, go to Spill the Tea: Lyon’s Tea + Non-Austen Reads for Austen Readers: The Secret Adversary

For more Gothic fiction, go to Catherine Morland’s Reading List: Dangerous to Know (Lady Emily Ashton Mystery #5)

For more books based on Jane Austen’s works, go Sense and Second-Degree Murder

Catherine Morland’s Reading List: Dangerous to Know (Lady Emily Ashton Mystery #5)

You all know how much I love spooky and gothic fiction, almost as much as my girl Catherine does.

That’s why I started Catherine Morland’s Reading List, a list of gothic fiction I recommend for my fellow spooky lovers.

Dangerous to Know (Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #5) by Tasha Alexander

The Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries are a historical fiction mystery series that follows the adventures of the heroine Lady Emily Ashton, later Hargreaves. I was first introduced to the mysteries with book 9, and then started over with book one; And Only to Deceive. In book one, Lady Emily has become a widow not long after her marriage. She is not too sad about the death of her husband as she wasn’t in love with her husband, marrying him to get out of her parent’s home and their control. However, everything changed when her husband’s best friend came to visit after a year and a half. Mr. Colin Hargreaves brings information Emily did not know about her husband, along with questions regarding the true nature of her husband’s death. Was it really a fever? Or was it murder? Or has Phillip faked his death in order to be safe from a betrayal? As Lady Emily tries to hunt down the truth she also finds herself embroiled in a Greek and Roman art forgery ring. Who can she trust and who is plotting against her?

I enjoyed book one and I encourage Jane Austen fans to read it as I think they will enjoy the parts that are reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and other Austen works.

Book two, A Poisoned Season, follows Lady Emily as she tries to determine whether or not to accept a proposal by Colin Hargreaves, attempts to hunt down a thief obsessed with Marie Antoinette and Lady Emily, tries to determine if the lost French heir is really who he says he is, strives to clear her name from viscous rumors, and also discover a murderer. The second book was a good mystery, but not anything I could see reviewing on the blog.

Book three, A Fatal Waltz, took our newly engaged couple to Vienna as Emily tries to prove the innocence of her best friend’s husband. This one was boring as we were missing her interactions with a lot of side characters, the mystery was extremely easy to solve, the author had all this spy and intrigue that has nothing to do with the mystery of the murder, etc.

Book four, Tears of Pearl, the newly married couple travel to Turkey and have their honeymoon interrupted by the murder of the sultan’s concubine who turns out to be an English woman who was kidnapped at the age of three. Emily is on the case again as she is the only one who can infiltrate the harem and question the women. She finds herself in the middle of one man’s thirst for what he believe is justice and may lose more than she is willing to on this adventure.

From The Wolf Man (1941)

That brings us to book five, Dangerous to Know. The fifth book in the series is full of Gothic intrigue and finds itself a perfect addition to the blog.

Lady Emily and her husband Colin suffered from a miscarriage when Emily was attacked by a crazed man. After she recuperated enough to travel, they decide to head back to Europe and rest on Colin’s mother’s estate in Normandy.

However, this turns out to be a not relaxing place at all. First Emily’s mother-in-law dislikes her and does not hide it from her, cutting her out and treating her with disdain. To try and keep herself from lashing out or going crazy she deals with her grief and anger by going horseback riding across the estate. One day as she is trying to lose herself in the countryside she comes across a dead body. And not just any dead body, a woman who looks similar to her and one who’s body was mutilated, cut up like how the notorious Jack the Ripper worked over his victims.

Colin and Lady Emily are both worried over the incident. Could Jack the Ripper have moved to France, planning on continuing his killing spree on the continent? Did someone kill this woman because of who she is? Or was she murdered because she looks like Lady Emily? Is Lady Emily safe? Will this discovery set back Lady Emily’s healing?

Lady Emily wants to investigate, but her worried husband warns her off and tries to get her to refocus her attention on a thief that has recently come into the area. Believing it to be the same thief, Sebastían Capet, from Book two, Emily sets off to try and trap him.

Mrs. Hargreaves, the elder, is very close to her neighbors an Englishman George and his French wife Madeline. The two have a crumbling medieval chateau with a dreary spooky tower that they are constantly renovating. Supposedly the area also has a ghost story about a little girl who had a terrible mother that lead to her death. Legend says the ghost girl roams the area crying, leaving behind a blue ribbon, and searching for a new mother. Creepy right? Like a reverse La Llorona or the creepy girl from The Ring.

Emily doesn’t really think much of the story, that is until she hears crying in the night and begins to find blue ribbons left behind everywhere.

George and Madeline are very kind people and Emily enjoys spending time with them. Things are looking up for Emily, until they take a downward spiral as Madeline and her mother both suffer from dementia. Madeline has a light form of it, but Emily finds it quite unsettling as her conversions can abruptly change. Madeline understands how Emily feels as she has had several miscarriages; causing Emily to wonder if she is looking into her own future.

Madeline shares about how she is okay with her little life but suffers immense grief over the loss of her children. No children are allowed on the chateau grounds, espechially little girls. She also shares with Emily that she has has both heard and has seen a girl in the dovecote, which shocks Lady Emily. Lady Emily has also seen a girl and thought that it was a child of a servant, but to hear there are no children and knowing the madness stricken Madeline has seen it; is Lady Emily loosing her mind?

Going mad! From Possessed

They meet the family of the murdered woman, Edith, in their investigations and find it to be a perfect setup for a gothic novel. Parents who were cruel and unkind to their children, having sent Edith away to an asylum and never even visiting her. Edith’s twin brother is crazily obsessed with her, having resented Edith when she took a lover and become pregnant (wanting the baby to be aborted). To further add to the creepiness of the family Lady Emily discovers a secret passage between Edith and her brother’s room that he created, unknown to anyone in the house.

SUPER creeped

The house staff suspect the twins’ relationship as being “too close” along with her brother being the reason she was driven crazy.

Does this family house a killer?

Hmm…

Throughout the story we are able to see into Mrs. Hargreaves’, the elder, journal entries and head how much she dislikes Emily, resents their marriage, and how she sees it as a loss of her son. Could she be behind some of these occurrences? Maybe she is hoping to get rid of Lady Emily and having her son back?

Hmmm…

Then Edith’s asylum doctor is murdered and as Emily continues investigating, it turns out that one of these characters is hiding their true face, they have created a Frankenstein-like plan, with Lady Emily to be the recipient of their next experiment.

Will Lady Emily find her way out of this Gothic horror? Or will this be her last investigation?

Hmmm…

I figured out the mystery early on, but still enjoyed the book and loved all the spooky elements. It is a great read that will definitely satisfy your appetite for gothic fiction.

From MadsenCreations

For more from Catherine Morland’s Reading List, go to iDRAKULA

For more Lady Emily Mysteries, go to And Only to Deceive

For more Gothic tales, go to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

For more mysteries, go to Sense and Second-Degree Murder

For more on historical fiction, go to Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Enjoy the Book the Jane Austen Society?: Book and Audiobook Read by Richard Armitage Review

Jane Austen Word Search (Brain Games)

I was gifted this word search years ago as a Christmas gift, I always meant to use it but had misplaced it in my last move. I found it and decided to crack it open and try it out.

The book is a collection of word searches, but not just word searches, with some pages having passages from Jane Austen texts, to having you solve anagrams to find the words to search for, answer trivia questions, fill in quotes, etc.

The word searches run from easy passages with an average collection of words to very difficult ones with large passages from Austen’s novels and with tiny printed word searches.

You might need one of these.

It is a fun diversion, and there are only two things I didn’t like. The last word search in the book was on Austen adaptions and has questions about actors, screenwriters, and directors. My complaint is that they got one of the names wrong, listing Jeremy Northam as Jeremy Thompson.

What??

Probably a printer’s error.

The other thing I disliked is that it is spiral bound and my kittens keep trying to bite the metal. I have to shelve it pages out to keep them from it.

But I otherwise found it a fun and diverting thing to do, especially with these past rainy days.

To purchase your own copy, click here!

For more word searches, go to Ireland Cruise: My Jane Austen Travel Must Haves

For more Jane Austen stuff, go to Clueless Party Game: Ugh As If! Edition

Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Enjoy the Book the Jane Austen Society?: Book and Audiobook Read by Richard Armitage Review

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

I have a google alert for Jane Austen so I always get any Jane Austen related news. I might not post on it right away-but I always get read press right away.

I read press surrounding this book when it was first published as you know I am interested in anything Jane Austen related.

When this book was added to my libraries collection, I was the first to check it out, but didn’t get a chance to read it in the time allotted. It happened several times with me checking the book out and returning it, while I saw people post about how much they enjoyed it on instagram.

I saw the audiobook on libby and decided to borrow it especially as I saw that Richard Armitage was narrating it.

I started listening to it and quickly became confused. There seemed to be a lot of time jumps and then some of the characters they introduce they don’t give a name to immediately? And time seemed to go so fast! The war just started and then it was ended? Was it because it I was listening to it?

Where is everyone?

I then checked out a physical copy but continued to dislike the book. I’m not sure why so many people enjoyed this book and promoted it.

On the dust jacket it describes the book as:

With the winds of change blowing through the country in the postwar days and the cottage’s future now in the hands of fate, a group of disparate individuals fight to preserve both Austen’s home and her legacy for the world. These people- a farmer, a young war widow, the village doctor, an employee of Sotheby’s, a Hollywood star, a local solicitor, the anticipated heiress to the estate, and a precocious house-girl could not be more different, and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with the loss and trauma of war and other tragedies, they find solace, connection, and hope in rallying together to create the Jane Austen Society.

I thought this book was going to be about them becoming the society, but they don’t even begin the start of it, or even “thinking about it”, until 200 pages in, that’s 2/3 of the book! In fact for a book called The Jane Austen Society, there is very little Society and as a Society they do very little at all; meeting like only three times, publishing an ad in the paper, and buying books from the estate. I expected a lot more from this book.

The story is also a bit of a mess as it is a bunch of tangled tales of different people living in a postwar England (with one American) that the author seems to tentatively tie together within the last very few pages.

Hmm…

The Jane Austen Society plot which doesn’t enter the chat until page 200 is that Chawton House is supposed to stay in the Knight family but the father is a terrible jerk and misogynist who has written his only child out of his will as she is a girl and he decides to give everything to his next male relative, with Fanny, his daughter, having the cottage until she dies unless the whole estate is sold. While this is happening the society has just formed and was hoping to purchase the cottage for a new museum. The new heir is a wastrel that wants money for gambling and prepares to sell the whole estate to a hotel/golf chain, but unbeknownst to everyone one of the Society members is actually the real heir to the estate. Should he take his inheritance and save Jane Austen’s home; or just purchase the books and risk the loss of this famous estate being destroyed?

I’m going to go through the character threads one by one, working through them as they are introduced on the dust jacket.

Farmer

So each character kind of “follows” an Austen plot. Adam is a local farmer and groundskeeper of Chawton who has never been interested in Jane Austen until he helps an American find the path to Jane Austen’s house. The American later turns out to be a famous actress, but at the time she was just a symbol to Adam of hope beyond the war with her sweetness. After she encourages him to read Jane Austen, Adam does so and becomes a giant fan, with Pride and Prejudice being his favorite.

We don’t get a lot of development with him other than his thoughts about Jane Austen and being thankful for Mimi, the actress, bringing Jane Austen to his notice. I thought he was going to turn out to be Elinor in Sense and Sensibility with the engaged Mimi being his Edward Ferrars. However, the author decides to throw in the last minute that he is actually the real heir to Chawton as his mother and James Knight, Fanny’s father, had an affair. Instead of claiming his inheritance and saving tbe house and cottage, making it a museum as he wanted; as he was the one who initially came up with the idea of the society. He decides to put the idea of claiming his inheritance to the society for a vote and for some convoluted reasoning they decide that it is better for him not to claim his inheritance as the the gossip will be too much for such a “shy” person and he will regret the story of his birth???

What? Yeah some people might talk, but a lot of a people would also kiss up to him being the new heir, new community leader, and not to mention he will be able to achieve his dream of the Jane Austen museum, and get to save the house from being knocked down to make a hotel and golf course. Like doesn’t that solve all their problems?

But no, he decides to do nothing and instead this “so shy guy” who can’t be the “center of attention” and doesn’t want to make a choice that will cause the “whole village to talk about him”; decides to instead be openly gay and buy a farm and live with a man. For someone who doesn’t want to be the talk of the village; how does choosing to be openly gay in a time when it was against the law, a less talked about option than claiming your Knight and Austen inheritance?

None of that makes any sense to me. I also thought Adam’s relationship with Mr. Yardley was kind of out of left field for me as he wasn’t with or seems interested in anyone; except he did think about Mimi and there were several references and callbacks to the scene that Adam helped Mimi. But that turned out to be a red herring. Instead he ended up being Julia Bertram, with Mr. Yardley his Mr. Yates; a union that you didn’t see coming.

War Widow & Village Doctor

The young war widow, Adeline, is tied up in the same storyline as the Chawton village doctor, Dr. Gray; our Emma and Mr. Knightley. Dr. Gray’s wife passed away years earlier when she fell down the stairs. The doctor has never remarried but has feelings for Adeline that are obvious to everyone but him and Adeline. Adeline was the local teacher, often butting heads with Dr. Gray who is on the school board, leaving her job when she married a local boy before he went off to war. Her husband passes away and she also ends up losing her baby; but we later find out she never really loved her husband that way, instead marrying him under the pressure of war and because he loved her.

She and Dr. Gray discuss books and are obviously in love; but have a weird fight where she gets angry and yells at him for no reason. I reread the chapter and listened to the audiobook and was like did I miss pages, did it accidentally skip? I have no clue why she is so upset and after I reread it, it still didn’t make any sense.

Where is everyone?

First Adeline is angry that he assumes she quit him as a doctor because “he lost her baby”; but what is he supposed to think when she suddenly drops him as a doctor after losing her baby? She doesn’t even give him a reason just says she prefers a new doctor over an hour away (it is really is because she has feelings for him). Then when he tries to admit his feelings for her she gets angry and accuses him of just trying to be with the first woman that is available. Like what? He’s been single for many years and serval women are after him, but if he was looking fnor the first available woman he wouldn’t pick you, there are plenty other he could get his kicks with. I don’t know what the author was doing here, nor did I enjoy it. It felt like contrived drama although they end up together, obviously.

I call them the Emma and Knightley as the doctor is older than Adeline and has known Adeline since she was young, he also took on that role of trying to help navigate her when he was on the school board. Unlike Emma, Adeline and been in love with the doctor for a long, long time.

An Employee of Sotheby’s

Mr. Yardley works at Sotheby’s and is the least developed character in the whole book. We know he loved Jane Austen, works at an auction house, is gay, and has a dream of being a “farmer”, i.e living on a farm while someone else takes care of the actual farming. That’s it that’s all we know of him, not what brought him to Austen, what he thinks of her works, how the war affected him, why does he dream of being a farmer, what about his family, etc. He and Mimi discuss his love life and how it’s hard for him to date as he could end up in jail so I had a momentary feeling they would pair him up with another guy in the society, but as both Forrestor and Gray were spoken for, that only left Adam who I thought was going to get with Mimi. I wish they had done more with Yardley; but instead he was just a piece of the scenery. Like I said before, the two make me think of Julia Bertram and Mr. Yates.

A Hollywood Star

Mimi Harris is an American actress and the daughter of a judge. Her father was the one to introduce her to Jane Austen and the two loved to read through all the books. She ends up going to Chawton running into Adam and encouraging him to read Jane Austen, opening up a love of the author. Later she becomes a stage actress, eventually moving to Hollywood. In Hollywood, Mimi meets Jack, an American businessman and producer (who feels like the author copied Markam V. Reynolds from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). Jack is a narcissist who wants Mimi as she is not initially into him, and won’t sleep with him right away. He buys her all kinds of Jane Austen things and agrees to make a Sense and Sensibility film starring Mimi as Elinor. Jack is a terrible person who always puts himself and needs/desires first; a Willoughby through and through-always going to sacrifice anything for his bottom dollar. Mimi is assaulted by a studio head and Jack beats the guy up getting her out of her contract; but is later willing to sacrifice her dignity by using said studio head to finance the Sense and Sensibility movie; dumping Mimi as the lead actress because the studio head who assaulted Mimi won’t give him money for the film unless Mimi is out.

Clearly Wontagby

He also has the Wickham’s mercenary heart as he is a part of the group planning on taking down the Chawton home to create a hotel/golf course. With a few pages to spare Mimi finally realizes the terrible guy he is and dumps him, turning him into the feds.

Mimi’s feelings

I thought it was odd that the studio head would attack Mimi with her father being a judge, but then they drop that he committed suicide near the end of the book. And that was another issue I had with the novel, the author liked to do these bombshells of character history/development but moved so fast that as you try to wrap your mind around it, she’s already moved on. It’s like emotional whiplash.

Local Solicitor and the Anticipated Heiress to the Estate

Fanny Knight is our Eleanor Tilney/Anne Elliot. She has an abusive controlling father, has become gray from living under his thumb, loses everything with grace (not even trying to fight for her inheritance) and ends up with the man she her once loved and was secretly engaged to; solicitor Andrew Forrestor.

Andrew Forrestor has loved Fanny for a long, long time; but was unable to stand up to her father. He then turned himself to work and built up his practice, staying the solicitor to the Knight family so that he can still be connected to Fanny. When Mimi calls off her wedding, he proposes to Fanny and they walk down the aside getting their happily ever after.

precocious House-Girl

Evie is a village girl who’s dreams of more ended when her father was injured in a farm accident and she was sent into service to the Knight Family. She reads every night and begins cataloging the Chawton library. She is observant but has an overactive imagination, the “Catherine Morland” of the book. I wish we had more of her character but that’s mostly it.

That’s my biggest problem with the book, only half the characters are actually developed. It feels like these are just outlines instead of fully developed people/figures. It’s not a length issue as the book is 300 pages long, and I have read books of the same and shorter that had more development. I think Jenner had an idea, but just wasn’t able to fully complete it, maybe she should have just focused on one character or two instead?

Richard Armitage reads it well, but even he couldn’t save the book for me. I did not enjoy it but would be interested in why others liked it or disliked it. Please comment below and let me know your thoughts.

For more fictional books based on Jane Austen, go to Just Jane

For more audiobooks, go to Jane Austen, the Secret Radical Audiobook Narrated by Emma Bering