Baker, Jo "Longbourn" - 2013
I don't care much for novels that are based on someone else's work (so-called fan-fiction) and I might never have started reading this one if it hadn't been for a friend who had finished reading this and lent the book to me.
What can I say, it was an interesting read to learn about the servants at Longbourn, the house of the Bennets from "Pride & Prejudice". I think we know all more about their lives since watching "Downton Abbey".
While it is helpful to know the original story and thereby following the life of the Hills, Sarah, Polly and James, I don't think you necessarily need to have read it.
However, the author has gone a little too far with some of her assumptions and I doubt Jane Austen would have agreed with her protrayal of the family. I can only grant the author a lot of imagination. She should have written a book about a fictional house in the Regency Period with the main focus on the servants. Would have avoided a lot of silly allusions to the Bennet family.
Yeah, as I said before, not a fan of books written about other books. If you can't think of a storyline by yourself, leave it. I am sure it will be a long time until I pick up some fan-lit again.
From the back cover:
"It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and raw. Domestic life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and an iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman, bearing secrets and the scent of the sea."
Thank you for sharing. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Thanks for coming by, Regine.
DeleteI agree with you about the author going too far with her assumptions in this one. There were several characterizations she made about Elizabeth and her father that I really didn't like. But I did like her portrayal of the servants.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lark. I am glad I am not the only one. Yes, the descriptions of the servants' lives was interesting but she should have made another novel of it if she wanted to include all the details about the family as she did. This made it annoying.
DeleteFan fiction can be a little bit dubious from time to time, although I have come along a few good once. I guess this is easier to take in, since there is not so much written about the staff in the original book.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, Eva, I am not a fan of that genre but read it because my friend gave the book to me. And I love Jane Austen, but was a tad apprehensive. And the book showed me that I don't have to touch that sort of book again, at least not for a long, long time.
DeleteSorry, Lisbeth, I had quite a few comments from both of you and mixed up your names. You know me ...
DeleteI agree - I do not care for fiction based on other books (with a few exceptions such as Wide Sargasso Sea). While sometimes the authors are commissioned to do these, it just seems as if they are trying to trade on someone else's hard work and popularity. If the original author would be disgusted or exasperated by the new work, then I suspect it is quite unnecessary and that is how I felt about this book. Thus, I did not read any more by her.
ReplyDeleteHa, that is great, Constance. I loved Wide Sargasso Sea but mainly, I stay away from those pre- or sequels.
DeleteSame here, I doubt I'd read anything else by her, either.