A Pemberly Medley

Summer book #10: A Pemberly Medley: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Abigail Reynolds.  Another Pride and Prejudice related freebie on my kindle.  I started this after downloading it last week because Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and I read nearly everything I come across related to it.  I was excited about this one as I thought it was going to be stories told from the inhabitants of Pemberly after Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy married.  I was wrong.  Only one story actually took place at Pemberly, so in my view, the book was misnamed.

When I read the first short story, I was a bit miffed because the author took liberties with the timeline and situations that occurred in Jane Austen's masterpiece.  I kept thinking "How dare she mess with this book?" As I continued to read, I realized that was exactly the point: to tell parts of Pride and Prejudice in different ways.  Once I made my peace with that, it was ok, for the most part. 

You have to keep in mind that I hold Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in an exalted status in my mind.  I mention that only because it is sometimes hard for me to read things that are out of character for them based on Ms. Austen's work.  Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship was conducted with the utmost propriety.  In this work, however, Mr. Darcy is undecorous in his behavior, always trying to find ways to act inappropriately with Elizabeth. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is often painted as a wanton, slutty figure.  I'm not saying that their behavior is outside the realm of possibility, but I never picture them that way.  I would venture that not many people do, based solely upon the numerous retellings and sequels that I have read based on this book the past few years.

If I were to rate this book on a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a five. Not the best read, but not terrible either. I applaud the author for asking herself the question "What if it had been this way?" and taking the time to write what she thought the answer to that question would be.

I have been inspired by all of these Jane Austen and Austen wannabe books to aquire for myself a portable writing desk similar to those used by Austen's heroines.  I have my eye on one on ebay, and I'll post how that goes.