Jane Austen meets mystery novel
Posted on: June 22, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
I have a deep love for Jane Austen. Since high school I’ve read and re-read several of her books. Obviously, like most Jane Austen lovers, Pride and Prejudice has been my favorite. So when I was at the library last Friday, this caught my attention:
Pride and Prescience begins at the wedding of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy. It weaves a mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s new sister-in-law, Caroline Bingley. Caroline, who gets married right after Elizabeth, is entangled in horrific happenings. If you’ve read the original or seen the movie(s), then you might feel little sympathy for Caroline {who proves to be just as self -centered in this story as the original}. But once the other characters become involved, it draws you in even more. I won’t go into detail about the plot, since I’ve had a least one reader voice their desire to read it and I’d hate to ruin it for them.
Two things I loved about the book were:
1. I already had a “relationship” established with the main characters {Darcy and Elizabeth} making it easy to start the book.
2. It was written in the fashion of Austen, so there was no “inappropriate” scenes.
Since having had the girls, it takes me a good long while to finish any book. But, I devoured all 287 pages in four days {partly due to Friday’s power outage and lack of internet distractions}. I’d say that’s a testament of a good book.
9 Responses to "Jane Austen meets mystery novel"
June 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I loooove to read! But, the whole internet thing sure does get in the way! Maybe a few power outages would do me some good! 🙂
June 22, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I’ve been hesistant to read the mystery P&P spin offs because I’m not a huge mystery fan and the combo seems strange to me, but maybe I will give it a try. I did read one series that was written like Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s viewpoint. There were 3 books and I loved the first and third, but the middle not as much.
I also read one other P&P spin off, which I can’t remember the name of. It took off at the wedding, but really was more like a steamy romance novel, which was odd, and so not Jane Austen “appropriate”.
June 22, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I hear ya about the mystery novels. I don’t typically go for them, because the few I have read seem like bad movies. I’d never heard of a P&P mystery until this. But, like I said, it was really good. There were a few times that I thought “Jane Austen would never write that” – more because of the way it was written {more 21st century wording} then what was actually said.
I did tell Leah today, the few “scenes” were overly mild. Like once, when Elizabeth is braiding her hair for bed, Darcy says something like “Leave it down” and then you’re left to assume what might happen. But nothing was actually ever stated {can’t even recall kissing}.
June 22, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Oh my word!!! Must read now! Do a give-away! Just kidding, it would be ridonculous to mail it over here.
June 22, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Ohhh… I’ll have to look into shipping. If it’s not crazy expensive I might just do it!
June 23, 2010 at 1:21 pm
It’s been added to my Good Reads “to read” shelf!
Do you know the name of the series written from Mr. Darcy’s point of view?
June 23, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I think it’s Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, but I could be totally wrong… You should enter my giveaway for a chance to win a copy! 🙂
[…] 1. Scarlet Pimpernel – Perhaps this is justly placed at Number 1. Scarlet Pimpernel is favorite book and has been for years. If I’m going to read, and can’t find something to hold my interest, I turn to Scarlet Pimpernel. I’ve read it at least a dozen times. {Perhaps that’s why I don’t read a lot of books – I usually re-read all my favorites.} 2. Harry Potter series – Go ahead and laugh. Or agree with me. People seems so divided on the Potter series. I started the Potter series at this crazy, painful time in my life. It was a great escape from reality and I loved it. I’ve read the last 3 books several times and while I don’t plan to re-read them before the release of the last movie, they will come out again at some point. 3. Chronicles of Narnia – I grew up reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but it wasn’t until Jonathan bought me the series that I had read the others. Amazing. Like most people know, there is such amazing allegories through out this series that just capture me. And my overwhelming love of lions doesn’t hurt. 4. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden – A harrowing semi-autobiographical story about a teenaged girl battling schizophrenia. Haunting in many ways, this book made me walk away realizing the true struggle and battle of mental illness. 5. The Alchemist – I read this book while struggling with my faith in my last semester of college. I read it back to back in less than a month. Then I made Jonathan read it. Then our friend, then my mom. And then I re-read it. God really used the Alchemist to push me over from complacency to desire to seek Him. 6. The Bible – Jonah – As a Christian I will say that the Bible is by far the best “book” to read. It constantly speaks to me in new ways, revealing God’s heart to me. However, over the course of the years, no book in the Bible has spoken to me more than Jonah. A constant reflection of who I am in comparison to my great and mighty God, Jonah and I are two very similar people. 7. Pride and Prejudice – I’m not one for love stories {or romances}. And if I’m going to read one, I need strong characters, nothing fruity and shallow. If you’ve ever read Pride and Prejudice {or seen the movies} you know there is nothing weak or shallow about Darcy and Elizabeth. And while my little teenaged heart use to go pitter-patter for Darcy, my woman’s heart go pitter-patter for having my own Darcy. 8. To Kill a Mockingbird – I am fairly certain it is a right of passage for all Southerners to read Harper Lee. A beautiful book about racism, seeing past skin color and the heart of the Deep South. 9. The Hiding Place – While I was introduced to Corrie ten Boom as a child, it wasn’t until I read the Hiding Place as an adult that I fully comprehended the overwhelming truths in her book. 10. A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery series – I have slowly made my way through the first three books in this series since May. I think my willingness to already throw them into a favorite category comes from 1) my love of Austen, 2) my gratitude at the books stay so close to the true personalities of Darcy and Elizabeth. See my review here. […]
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
June 22, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Ooooo!!! Looks good! I’m going to check it out. I ❤ Elizabeth