Presumption

know I've harped on my adoration of all things Jane Austen and my inability to leave well-enough alone, eschewing all but the originals on here before and this is another instance of me happily reaching for an Austen sequel. This time the obsession paid off nicely though as the writing team who comprise author Julia Barrett have crafted a novel similar in scope and tone to the original Pride and Prejudice, if somewhat lacking in plot originality.

Many of the characters from P&P make appearances here although they re-enact the original with different characters in the leading roles. Georgiana Darcy is faced with two very different suitors and she must determine which is the honorable man and which the charlatan. Having repented of her show more youthful folly with Wickham, she is determined not to offer her heart to the wrong man, only occasionally confiding in sister-in-law Elizabeth as she navigates the potential pitfalls of courtship. The plot unfolds in ways that keep it true to Austen's own future vision of her characters as laid out at the end of Pride and Prejudice but getting to that ending parallels, extremely closely, the plot of Pride and Prejudice.

I didn't go into this expecting Austen. No thinking reader would. And the authors who write as Barrett are neither of them Austen. But they have done a creditable job in setting the stage and evoking the language of the time. They have not strayed too far from the comedy of manners that defined Austen and while I would have liked to have seen more of Elizabeth and Darcy's life together, it is perhaps more fitting that they turned their authorial lights on Georgiana instead. There are moments where it seems that beloved characters act out of character from the original and that can be disconcerting indeed but for the most part, they've created an entertaining sequel to one of the most beloved books in the English language. show less

A creditable imagination of the next stage in the lives of the Bennetts after Pride and Prejudice, focusing mainly on a false imprisonment and Georgiana Darcy's love life. Mostly satisfying (to this Jane Austen fan): Mr & Mrs Darcy enjoy wedded bliss (as do their neighbors the Bingleys), another Bennett sister marries, the wicked Wickham sinks even lower, and Miss Caroline Bingley gets the husband she deserves. (Spoiler?)

Charming. The authors do a good job in recreating Jane Austen's tone. But overall the story was (as such spin-offs tend to be) disappointing and the ending entirely unconvincing. It was fun encountering Mr. Collins again though :)

This isn't the worst sequel to Pride and Prejudice I've ever read but it certainly isn't an A-level piece, either. At best, it provides enough escapist diversion to make it worth reading...if you're into Janeite literature. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a Lizzie/Darcy-centric sequel, this isn't it. This one focuses more on Georgiana than anyone else, although I do credit the novel with managing to give some page time to all of the major characters from the original novel. The depiction of Mr. and Mrs. Collins is particularly entertaining and Lady Catherine de Bourgh is, as usual, in top form. Be forewarned that there are some quite outlandish plot twists that seem downright silly. But all-in-all, it's worth a read. But only if show more you're into this sort of thing..... show less

I love Jane Austen and I really enjoyed this book.

Entertaining sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

En la idílica serenidad de la mansión Pemberly encontramos a Georgiana Darcy convirtiéndose en mujer y bajo la tutela de su cuñada Elisabeth Bennet Darcy.
Georgiana, de naturaleza romántica y herida anteriormente por sus desdichadas aventuras con el teniente George Wickham, promete no entregar nunca más su corazón a otro hombre. Sin embargo, su promesa se pone a prueba con las atenciones que recibe de un caballeroso capitán recién llegado de la guerra, Thomas Heywood. Otro admirador, James Leigh-Cooper joven y brillante arquitecto contratado por Fitzwilliam Darcy para reformar la finca de Derbyshire, no parece representar ninguna amenaza ya que por alguna misteriosa razón, su espontaneidad y franqueza irritan a show more Georgiana.
Mientras tanto, la desafortunada familia Bennet sigue acosada por sus desdichas, cuando todo indicaba la recuperación del prestigio social un nuevo escándalo, provocado por su loco tío Philips de Meryton, amenaza gravemente la reputación familiar... show less