Searching For Pemberley

Aug 04, 2011 Ting rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never slogged through a book as reluctantly as I have done with this one. Generally reading a book in its entirety is a source of pride for me. I like to give any author the benefit of the doubt but I constantly found myself highly bothered rolling my eyes and guffawing.

The shallow plot of Jane Austen cribbing a family history for her most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice, is remotely interesting. The characters are flat, mere cardboard cut outs and I never found myself becoming attached...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jane-austen, pride-and-prejudice, austen-inspired

“Searching for Pemberley,”originally published as “Pemberley Remembered” in 2007, is an exceptional Austen-Inspired novel that combines history, romance, war, and “Pride and Prejudice.” In this novel, Mary Lydon Simonsen explores the possibility of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” being inspired by real people and illustrates how the love story of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey parallels that of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Ms. Simonsen does not imply that Jane Austen needed...more “Searching for Pemberley,”originally published as “Pemberley Remembered” in 2007, is an exceptional Austen-Inspired novel that combines history, romance, war, and “Pride and Prejudice.” In this novel, Mary Lydon Simonsen explores the possibility of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice” being inspired by real people and illustrates how the love story of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey parallels that of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Ms. Simonsen does not imply that Jane Austen needed to borrow material for her novels, yet this work of fiction indulges in the idea that one of the greatest love stories of all time was indeed inspired by real people.

Maggie Joyce, our quiet and unassuming heroine, does not have a lot to be cheerful about as she lives in London post World War II and works for the Army Exchange Service. Even though the war ended two years ago much of London is still devastated and destroyed, items like eggs and tea are considered a scarcity, and living quarters are often cramped and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Maggie finds enjoyment in spending her weekends touring country estates near London. One day she encounters Montclair, a famous estate rumored to be the inspiration for Jane Austen's Pemberley and she learns that many people believe the couple that lived there were the models for Jane Austen's characters of Elizabeth and Darcy. After touring the house Maggie decides to discover for herself if there is any validity to this rumor and embarks upon her own “Pride and Prejudice Project.”

Maggie is introduced to Beth and Jim Crowell, a couple who is connected to and is very knowledgeable about the Lacey family. This lovely and friendly couple begin to care for Maggie as a daughter and become a surrogate family for her while she is away from home. I greatly enjoyed Maggie's relationship with this kind and dear couple; they assisted her in studying the association between the Laceys and “Pride and Prejudice” as well as shared the story of their own loving, yet at times unhappy and troubled marriage.

There are two men in Maggie's life during her time in England: Rob McAllister, who served in WWII as a navigator on a B-17 bomber and Michael Crowell, son of Beth and Jim, who serves in the RAF. One of these men is reserved, emotionally scarred, and has a commitment problem. The other is flirtatious, charming, and already in a relationship. Maggie faces some trials and complications in her relationships with these men and it marks a time in her life where she matures, blossoms, and makes some life-defining decisions. I took pleasure in this love triangle and at times couldn't decide who I wanted Maggie to be with; Ms. Simonsen created a very captivating and heartrending romance.

How I enjoyed this unique and inventive tale by Mary Lydon Simonsen! It is a serious story and one that is leisurely and lovingly told. I greatly appreciated Ms. Simonsen's attention to detail and her impeccable research and representation of life post World War II. One of my favorite aspects of this novel was how well it portrayed the challenges of living during a war and how it effects and changes the lives of so many for such a long time. In addition, I enjoyed the various documents, diary entries, and letters interspersed throughout the story. These documents, to and from the Laceys, were what Maggie was researching to determine if the Laceys were the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I loved hearing the voices and thoughts of these characters through their letters and I found it quite amusing that Anne de Bough would serve as a confidante and faithful correspondent to Mr. Darcy! While these letters and diary entries were insightful and interesting, I would have loved for the story of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey to be a little more imaginative and original (especially the proposal scenes).

I highly recommend “Searching For Pemberley” for readers who want a break from reading light-hearted and fluffy novels and are interested in a mature and serious tale of three love stories interwoven with the tragedies of war and the discovery of a true “Pride and Prejudice” romance. I dearly hope to see more works from Mary Lydon Simonsen in print soon! (less)

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Mar 13, 2008 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Denise Tomasic

Recommended to Patricia by: Tony Burton

PEMBERLEY REMEMBERED
Mary Simonsen
TRC Castle Garden Publishing, 2007, 441 pps.
ISBN No. 978-0-9798933-0-8

Growing up in the small mining town of Minooka, Pennsylvania was very depressing unless you found an escape. Maggie Joyce’s escape was first in reading. Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice represented one of her escapes. By the time she was grown she almost had every passage memorized.

In June 1944, Maggie headed to Washington, D.C. to work in the Treasury Department. This employment eventual...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Lex rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story had so much potential, but in the end I just couldn't enjoy it properly. The major fault of this book is that it lacks balance. The author is trying to weave two different stories; the story of Maggie and the story of the Laceys, into one. But the writing comes off as feast or famine. We get very little substantial information about Maggie while being bombarded with the recollections of the Lacey family, and then after about page 300, the Lacey story is almost completely abandoned in...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Chase rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book, but I got the feeling that the protagonist's "research" into the "true" characters of Pride and Prejudice was just a pretense to attract Jane Eyre fans (and probably a smart one according to the publishers). Really, the story was interesting enough without this. Her research discoveries were charming enough, but were equivalent to a side dish at an already full and delicious dinner. The author did a lovely job researching the era in which most of the story unfolds: post WWII...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: austenesque, contemporary-fiction, regency-era-fiction

Was Pride and Prejudice fiction or reality?

Could Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice have been based on the courtship of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey, a Regency era couple who appear to be the doppelgangers of the legendary Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy? The possibility is intriguing to Maggie Joyce, a 22-year old American working in England after WWII who hears rumors of the story of Elizabeth and William Lacey while touring Montclair, their palatial estate in Derbyshire wh...more Was Pride and Prejudice fiction or reality?

Could Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice have been based on the courtship of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey, a Regency era couple who appear to be the doppelgangers of the legendary Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy? The possibility is intriguing to Maggie Joyce, a 22-year old American working in England after WWII who hears rumors of the story of Elizabeth and William Lacey while touring Montclair, their palatial estate in Derbyshire whose similarities to Pemberley, the grand country estate in Pride and Prejudice, seem to be more than a striking coincidence. As a devoted fan of Austen’s most popular novel, Maggie is curious to discover the truth. When she is introduced to Beth and Jack Crowell, a local couple with strong connections to the Lacey family, they gradually reveal to Maggie their own research through the Lacey letters, journals and family lore. As Maggie begins her own journey into the real-life parallel story of the Lacey/Darcy families she meets two young men, a handsome American ex Army Corpsman Rob McAllister who survived his treacherous tour of duty as a bomber navigator over Germany and the Crowell’s youngest son Michael serving in the RAF. Drawn into the struggles of her own love story and inspired by an eighteenth century version amazingly similar to Austen’s original, Maggie, like Elizabeth Bennet must choose if she will only marry for love.

A year ago I read and reviewed the self published version of this book, Pemberley Remembered. Recognizing its strengths and weaknesses, I was pleased to see that it had been picked up by Sourcebooks and would be revamped and combined with a second book, the sequel that Simonsen had already completed. I see vast improvements from its original edition. The complicated story line and vast historical details have been edited down, and the love story of Maggie, Rob and Michael brought forward. The story line, characters and subject are still intriguing, however as I mentioned in my first review, it is only the execution that could make this multi-layered story believable, entertaining and cohesive. It is still obvious from the historical references and antecedents that Simonsen did her research on Georgian and World War era English history as she includes stories about events, people and places to support her characters with aplomb. Searching for Pemberley reads like a documentary where subjects talk about their memories of people and events, or personal letters are read a-la the Ken Burns school of documentary film making. The narrative style is all about the characters telling and not showing how events and relationships unfolded. There is very little interactive dialogue. This is great for a fact based documentary, but tough for a historical love story. I usually prefer character driven plots, so once I accepted that this novel was not about getting into the characters head or their interactions, I quite enjoyed it. Like the epistolary novels of Jane Austen’s time, the style of Searching for Pemberley may be its greatest limitation.

Written with respect for Jane Austen and a passion for history, Simonsen has combined two genres into a bittersweet war-time drama encompassing the tragic elements of the devastation of war, not only on the men and women that bravely served, but the friends, family and loved ones that they came home to. The references to Pride and Prejudice will enchant Janeites as they remember favorite passages and compare plot lines. (It might even motivate a few readers to read the original) To be quite candid, it was hard for me to fathom that the genius of Jane Austen needed any prompting to create a story. To countermand, I just imagined it as a “what if” story and it softened the sting.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose(less)

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Jun 23, 2010 Irena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-for-review

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This novel will definitely please those readers who love to read about romance, history, family and Jane Austen. The foundations of this novel lie on Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, as the protagonist, Maggie Joyce, a young American girl working in London after WW2, goes in search of the real-life characters that appear in Austen's novel. The story of Pride and Prejudice, as well as its characters, are cleverly and unobtrusively included into Simonsen'snovel. The author remained...more This novel will definitely please those readers who love to read about romance, history, family and Jane Austen. The foundations of this novel lie on Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, as the protagonist, Maggie Joyce, a young American girl working in London after WW2, goes in search of the real-life characters that appear in Austen's novel. The story of Pride and Prejudice, as well as its characters, are cleverly and unobtrusively included into Simonsen'snovel. The author remained loyal to Austen's characters, but changed their stories in a way that will not bother a fervent Austen lover. If anything, this fresh take on the story of Pride and Prejudice will make you love them even more. Also, the idea is well presented and is actually completely plausible. Sometimes, I began to wonder how it would be like if Austen had actually based her Darcy and Lizzy on actual, real people that lived in the Regency England.

Foremost, this is a story about Maggie trying to escape her dreary hometown Minooka and trying to find true love, as well as about family (mostly the Crowells, also Maggie's family, the Joyces). The importance of family is, in my opinion, an important aspect of the novel. Family consists of people who share your blood, but you can also discover your second family that becomes your family in spirit. I got the message that a person is naked and alone without a family, an aspect that I also loved in Simonsen's second novel, The Second Date.The connection made to the real Darcys (the Laceys in the novel) is really delightful and enjoyable to read about.

I can say that the novel is a page-turner. I read it in a week, although I was sick at first and then busy, and there are a lot of small mysteries involved that you will just want to know about, the greatest one being how theCrowells are connected to the Laceys (Austen's Darcys). I also loved the little mysteries regarding the Crowells, especially Beth Crowell's youth and brothers. If you want to know what I'm talking about, you will just have to read this novel.

Last, but no least: the novel is also a great tribute to post-World War II history of Europe (especially London) and partly America, and also to Regency England. There are a lot of delightful details included, and as far as details about certain battles and soldiers go, I think that even men could enjoy this novel. The story runs very, very smoothly, too.

All in all, the novel features many interesting characters, their stories, and, of course, Jane Austen. I would truly like to recommend this novel to everyone who, as I've said, enjoys romance, history, family and Jane Austen. It is a very down-to-earth book, and a pleasure to read. (less)

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May 09, 2010 Carole Reese rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found Mary Simonsen's book to be utterly charming and entertaining. The historical content regarding Regancy England was spot on. Her
indepth knowledge of both world wars was expertly researched and fascinating to read.
Simonsen takes a small town girl named Maggie Joyce, who has never been out of her tiny town of Minooka, and places her in three of the most interesting places both during and after WWII: Washington D.C., Germany and finally England.
England is the home of her favorite author, J...more

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Feb 17, 2010 Jeannette rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: austen-follow-ups, 2010-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 17, 2010 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is much more than a Pride and Prejudice re-imagined, or continuation of the story. It takes the view that Austen was inspired by real events, relates that inspiration, and along the way tells the story of people living and growing up in England during two world wars. The author also explains Maggie's background and her life growing up in a coal mining town. Again, another tough way to live, but people did it and still do.

This story is fashioned in such a way that the reader forgets th...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book of all times so I had to pick this one up. I was always curious if Pride and Prejudice was based on any real characters so I loved this idea. I was slightly disappointed in that the story of who the characters were based on were revealed early on and then the rest of the story mainly focused on the present day character, Maggie, and what is going on in her life. I was also a little surprised by how easily the Crowells took Maggie in and started sharing wha...more

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May 16, 2011 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As an avid Austen fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve never really been into history or historical fiction. I’ve read a few historical fiction novels, but it they were never as interesting to me as was Simonsen’s book. Obviously, one of the things I like most about it was its connection to Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. I was introduced to the wonderful world of Austen by my former roommate and friend (former roommate, we’re still friends :]) in my sophomore year of high school, by he...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, austen-themed

I really, really disliked this book. There's a good chance that most of what made me so mad is that the marketing campaign is so off of this book. The Pride and Prejudice aspects are so slapped on, this is really more of a story about people and relationships in the aftermath of WWII, with people who fought in WWI watching their children die in another horrific war. If this is what it had been advertised as, then I probably would have still picked it up, but I would have looked at it differently...more I really, really disliked this book. There's a good chance that most of what made me so mad is that the marketing campaign is so off of this book. The Pride and Prejudice aspects are so slapped on, this is really more of a story about people and relationships in the aftermath of WWII, with people who fought in WWI watching their children die in another horrific war. If this is what it had been advertised as, then I probably would have still picked it up, but I would have looked at it differently and been able to handle its lack of a plot and sleepy pace.

There's nothing of any real interest to the PandP storyline, there aren't any surprises or twists, or anything even all that interesting. There was a family that had some stuff happen to them and it was an unexciting version of PandP. Jane Austen is both credited as having added the fun bits and making it such a great story, but also discredited as such a great author because she couldn't just make it up herself. That rankled me. Presumably, the PandP stuff is marketing so extremely in the cover/book jacket/synopsis because they are reaching out to that fanbase, but I kept finding myself borderline offended at the idea that Jane Austen was such a hack that she had to lift some vaguely interesting plots from a local family.

I would have even preferred it if they went to the extreme, and had Jane Austen be the poor rector's daughter that Georgiana Lacy/Darcy sent her manuscripts to so that they could be published without tarnishing her noble name. I suspected that for a while, but it actually turns out that I couldn't suspect the twists because there weren't any. The P and P stuff is really straightforward, and while Rob isn't a bad guy, it is obvious from the get-go that Maggie is supposed to end up with Michael. Maggie had so little personality, all I really know about her is that she doesn't want to live in her small town (except at random points in the book she gets super homesick), she's Catholic (she talks about going to church and not having sex out of wedlock, but throughout the book we don't really see her at church, and she's having lots of sex), and people tell her stuff. She honestly sits like a bump on a log for the whole book and people tell their life stories in giant chunks of exposition. Lots of sex life details too, which I found awkward. Thanks, Beth.

This book also had some editing problems, Bingley is Bingham, Darcy is Lacy, Lydia Bennett's "real" name is Lucy Garrison, and as difficult as this sort of thing is for the reader to keep straight, an entire production team missed at least one point where Elizabeth GARRISON writes a letter and mentions her sister Lydia. Sloppy.

I think this would have been a more successful book as either a more straightforward Austen homage (when picking this up, I expected it to be like Austenland) or as a not Austen related historical fiction look at WWII and the aftermath in England. (less)

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Dec 08, 2009 Serena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mary Lydon Simonsen's Searching for Pemberley starts was a premise many interviewers often ask authors about their fiction: "Are any of your characters based upon real people?" Did Jane Austen use real people to write the great love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy? Simonsen's book may not offer the truth behind Austen's characters, but it does spin a unique mystery tale through which one possible reality of Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet are discovered.

"'Mr. Crowell, you don't know me....more Mary Lydon Simonsen's Searching for Pemberley starts was a premise many interviewers often ask authors about their fiction: "Are any of your characters based upon real people?" Did Jane Austen use real people to write the great love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy? Simonsen's book may not offer the truth behind Austen's characters, but it does spin a unique mystery tale through which one possible reality of Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet are discovered.

"'Mr. Crowell, you don't know me. I'm Maggie Joyce, but I was wondering if . . .' But that was as far as I got.

'You're here about the Darcy's right? Don Caton rang me to let me know you might be coming 'round. Come through. Any friend of Jane Austen's is a friend of mine.'" (Page 12 of the ARC)

Maggie Joyce is the main protagonist and an American from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. She quickly leaves her hometown of Minooka for Washington, D.C., to help with the government with its World War II-related administrative work. Eventually she is stationed in Germany and later in England following the end of the war. She meets a fantastic family, the Crowells, who help her unravel the real family behind Jane Austen's characters.

"Beth gestured for me to follow her into the parlor. She had a way of carrying herself that was almost regal, especially when compared to her husband, who reminded me of a former football player who had taken a hit or two." (Page 25 of ARC)

Told from Maggie's point of view, the novel grabs readers with its immediacy as Maggie moves through war-torn Europe and reads through a variety of diary entries and letters to uncover the origins of Pride & Prejudice. Readers who have read Austen's novel once or more than a dozen times will recognize echoes of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy in the Crowells and may even find parts of the mystery obvious. However, this story is more than a look at where Austen may have found inspiration, it is about a nation (England) and its people in the midst of rebuilding after the devastation of the German blitzkrieg and World War II. There also a healthy dose of romance between Maggie and two beaus that add to the tension.

"'Nightmares from the war that I hadn't had in ten, fifteen years came back. Jesus, they all came back,' he said, massaging his temples as if the act would block out any unwanted images. 'Picking up bodies and having them fall apart in my hands. Stepping on limbs. Being scared shitless during barrages.'" (Page 254 of ARC)

Simonsen does an excellent job examining the shell shock felt by airmen and other military personnel and how their war experiences could impact their relationships with family, friends, and lovers. While there are some occasions in this nearly 500-page book that are bogged down by too much detail, Simonsen's characters are well developed and the twists and turns as Maggie unravels the mystery of the Bennets and the Darcys are fun. The aftermath of World War II is well done and rich in emotional and physical detail, showing Simonsen's deft research and keen eye. Searching for Pemberley is an excellent addition to the every growing market of Jane Austen spin-offs.(less)

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Jan 20, 2010 Debbie Robson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a lovely, leisurely read. Mary Lydon Simonsen definitely knows her history and puts the reader firmly in place in Post War England. I particularly enjoy books where a character is on a journey and immediately it is clear that Maggie Joyce, the main character in Searching for Pemberley, is on a journey too and I'm not talking mere geography.

Leaving a small mining town in Pennsylvania Maggie accepts a job in London and her adventures begin. Whilst touring the Derbyshire countryside she meets...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Valerie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The idea that Jane Austen would need to base her story on real people rather than using her imagination, I felt was insulting to Jane Austen. There were a few times that Simonsen put in the wrong names for the characters- such as using the name Lydia when she was talking about Lucy, who Lydia's character was based on. There were three or four of these that apparently the editors didn't catch. One thing that really bothered me is that Maggie (the main character) is sleeping with a guy, and she's...more

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Dec 25, 2009 Dianne Salerni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Searching for Pemberley is a historical romance of complexity and depth, with skillfully layered characters that readers will remember for a long time. Author Mary Simonsen intricately weaves multiple timelines of British history – the Regency era and both World Wars – while exploring three different historical romances.

The first is the courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Narrator Maggie Joyce, a young American living in post-World War II England, visits a Regency-era home that...more Searching for Pemberley is a historical romance of complexity and depth, with skillfully layered characters that readers will remember for a long time. Author Mary Simonsen intricately weaves multiple timelines of British history – the Regency era and both World Wars – while exploring three different historical romances.

The first is the courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Narrator Maggie Joyce, a young American living in post-World War II England, visits a Regency-era home that may have been the inspiration for the stately home of Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s famous novel. Maggie’s interest in the family who may have inspired Austen’s timeless book Pride and Prejudice blossoms into an enduring friendship with the British couple who have kept and catalogued the family letters and diaries. Through these historical documents, readers are treated to a retelling of the P & P story, with characters and events just different enough from the Austen novel to keep things interesting. Soon, however, we become immersed in the story of the British couple themselves, Beth and Jack Crowell. Beth is a descendent of the Darcy family (here named Lacey) and Jack is the son of her family’s butler. Their class-breaking romance is set against the back-drop of World War I, when a generation of young Englishmen were killed, maimed, or emotionally-scarred by the horrors of war. Add to this a burgeoning love triangle between the narrator herself and two servicemen – a dashing American flyer and a sergeant in the Royal Air Force who may be a descendant of the original Mr. Darcy – and the result is a truly wonderful romantic novel.

I read the original, self-published version of this novel, Pemberley Remembered, and enjoyed it very much. This newer, enriched version, published by Sourcebooks in December 2009, is superior, however, in that it weaves multiple layers of history and romance into a compelling tale and satisfactorily wraps up a narrative that was left open-ended in the original book. Simonsen has created characters who tug at your heart and skillfully paints an emotional picture of the devastation of war. When Jack Crowell, who lost a brother and two brothers-in-law in the first war, reacts to the news that his younger son has been assigned to combat in Burma, I was reduced to tears. However, there were also plenty of joyful and truly funny moments, such as a diary entry in which “Mrs. Bennet” gives advice on the marriage bed to her daughters and a humorous retelling of eldest Crowell son facing a “privacy hole” cut into the bedcovers on his wedding night in Italy.

As the focus of the book gradually shifts from the distant romance of Pride and Prejudice fame to the life-changing decisions of young Maggie Joyce, readers will find themselves swept along on a rich backdrop of history and personable, enduring characters.
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Apr 15, 2008 Pauline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Along with a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the love story of Rob McAllister, who navigated a B-17 bombers during WWII, and Maggie Joyce, an American working in postwar London. This book has tons of history on WWII and the years immediately following Britain's victory over Germany. I found historical nuggets in almost every chapter.

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Mar 16, 2010 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was pretty good. The idea of it, I liked better than the actual book. I didn't like the choices that the main character made in her life. I did, however, like the "true" story of Pride and Prejudice that the main character stumbled upon. I liked that she investigated, researched and visited so many of the places mentioned in the book. The journal entries and the original houses that the main character visited made me remember so much of Pride and Prejudice. That was what made...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Cindy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a strange book that, at times, felt more like a history lesson than a love story. Even more confusing was the fact that it seemed far more interested in just about every time but the one in which it was set, in the years after World War II. For most of the book, our heroine, Maggie, seems more like a passive narrator than a heroine. We know little about Maggie, except that she's Catholic, from a small mining town in Pennsylvania that she hates, and that she likes Jane Austen. Her person...more This was a strange book that, at times, felt more like a history lesson than a love story. Even more confusing was the fact that it seemed far more interested in just about every time but the one in which it was set, in the years after World War II. For most of the book, our heroine, Maggie, seems more like a passive narrator than a heroine. We know little about Maggie, except that she's Catholic, from a small mining town in Pennsylvania that she hates, and that she likes Jane Austen. Her personality never really comes through very strongly.

After a lengthy narrative of how this small-town Catholic girl came to be living and working in Post World War II England, we are immediately plunged into the story of her interest in Pride and Prejudice and her discovery of a family that was supposedly the inspiration for Jane Austen's novel. We met Jack and Beth Crowell, two people who tell her the story of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey, whose story closely resembles the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. This leads to long stretches of dialogue--more like monologues--in which one character or other sits and talks about the history like one big story time. This clumsy storytelling device was used liberally throughout the book, and not just to tell the history of the Lacey family. We learn about Beth's history as the descendent of the Lacey family and Jack's history as the son of the butler. We hear anecdotes from World War I, and from World War II, and at one point it just seems like one big collection of anecdotes. Maggie would ask a question, and someone would say "That's an interesting story..." and launch into another long story, most of which was unnecessary, and only half of it was interesting. It felt like the author had done a lot of research and was determined to cram it all in, whether it fit or not.

Even when Maggie begins dating Rob the American pilot, she still feels distant and out of reach. It's hard to pin her down and understand what the character is thinking and feeling. It isn't really until about halfway through the book that it feels Maggie's story has really started. She starts having trouble with Rob and his commitment issues, and begins to realize that Michael Crowell, the youngest son of Jack and Beth, has feelings for her.

As a result, the book feels fragmented and distant. It's padded with so much extra material that the actual story seems lost amid a stack of hay. The "Pride and Prejudice" connection was interesting, especially when it was told through letters and journal entries, but the additional information and anecdotes about the war just seemed to take the reader out of the story. It had a lot of potential, and I liked the ending, but I would have liked to have seen more of our heroine and less of the history lesson.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was really two books in one. It takes place shortly after the end of World War 2 in England. A young American woman who is working there visits a manor that was rumored to be the one Jane Austen used when writing Pride and Prejudice. When there she and an elderly couple become friends. The couple gradually disclose to her letters and diaries that show that indeed Jane Austen used these people and places as a basis for her book. I actually got tired of having these things interspersed in the...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Debbie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I'm not really finished, just finished for now. I was reading this on my Kindle. I had purchased it because it seemed to be well-reviewed and it was inexpensive but I just can't get into it. The whole story is told in exposition or by the characters telling summary stories about themselves. The main plot is the researching of the "real" story of Darcy and Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice by Maggie after the end of WWI. I could have muddled through it if it was just her telling you about her...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Tiffany rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story is set after WWII, which I enjoyed, and has the main character searching to see if there is any truth that Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice based off of a real family that lived nearby. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, but that part of the story was not what intrigued me most. The story of WWII and the immediate characters were far more intriguing than those of Jane Austen's fictional works. Shocking, I know! But, I was caught up in the love triangle that the book presented.

I had tr...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Leah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Oh, this book was lovely. The story takes place right at the end of WWII and just after. The main character Maggie, finds herself connected to a family in England who just might be the relatives of the real-life people who Pride & Prejudice is based on. Jane Austen was friends with the family. The Crowell family and Maggie become more connected to each other in wartime, and she is eventually taken into their confidence and allowed to see journals, letters, and pictures that confirm the Lacy...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Charmie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this novel! It's a love story that takes place just after WWII about a love triangle who are searching through past generations for the "real life" story of Darcy and Elizabeth. I loved the P&P references but the WWI and WWII history is fascinating - a lot of military pilots which make me think of My brother, a Navy pilot, and the main character is from a small coal town in Eastern Pennsylvania who moves to Europe after the war for an adventure. Her family are Irish Cathol...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book would have been sooooooo much better with the help of a good editor!! I really liked the premise and enjoyed the setting of post-WWII England. The author clearly did her research. However, she routinely mixed up the names of the PandP characters and their "real" counterparts, often in the same paragraph. There was a major continuity error about halfway through, wherein a flashback scene has the main character referring to a fact she had not yet learned. And at nearly 400 pages, it coul...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, austen-influenced, pride-and-prejudice-influenced, war, contemporary-romance, historical-romance

Such an interesting novel -- As someone that was fan of history (especially the WWII era) I found this a delightful read. It delves into the possibility that Lizzie and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice were actually based on real people. It creates a background story of a family with the name of Lacey. Via diary entries and letters written by members of the family, the main character (Maggie) discovers eerie similarities between the Lacey and Darcy families. All the while she is discovering hersel...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Ruth rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars. Following the end of World War II, twenty-two year old Maggie Joyce, desperate not to return to a dead-end future in her mining hometown in Pennsylvania, accepts a job in post-war Europe with the Army that sees her transferred to London. While touring Montclair, a grand country estate, Maggie is astonished to recognize striking similarities between the story of estate's ancestral owners, William and Elizabeth Lacey, and Pride and Prejudice, her favorite of Jane Austen's novels. The id...more 2.5 Stars. Following the end of World War II, twenty-two year old Maggie Joyce, desperate not to return to a dead-end future in her mining hometown in Pennsylvania, accepts a job in post-war Europe with the Army that sees her transferred to London. While touring Montclair, a grand country estate, Maggie is astonished to recognize striking similarities between the story of estate's ancestral owners, William and Elizabeth Lacey, and Pride and Prejudice, her favorite of Jane Austen's novels. The idea that Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy were based on real people is too tantalizing to resist, and Maggie embarks on a journey to sift fact from fiction, hoping to learn the truth behind one of literature's most enduring love stories. Maggie's "guide" into the real Elizabeth and Darcy's past are Beth and Jack Crowell, whose relation to the subject of Austen's novel is closer than Maggie could've dreamed, and provide a fascinating glimpse into the war-torn history of one of Britain's premiere families. Along the way the once lovelorn Maggie finds herself torn between two men, and faced with the chance to determine her own postwar future, Maggie must decide if taking a chance on her own real-life Darcy is worth the risk of leaving behind the life she was raised to know.

The basic premise of this novel is fascinating -- I love the idea that one of my favorite fictional couples could've been real individuals, and the idea promises rich fodder for a devotee of Pride and Prejudice. While I have no doubt that Elizabeth and Darcy were wholly products of Austen's considerable talents and imaginative genius, the idea of a real-life Pride and Prejudice "treasure hunt" is an appealing fiction, and as such I found myself relating to Maggie's enthusiasm in her quest to discover the real Elizabeth and Darcy -- a literary archaelogical expedition of the highest order. The problems come in the execution of this premise -- the storytelling format consists mainly of large "information dumps," with pages of dialogue where a character shares research with Maggie, or pages of prose where she details her latest discoveries. The result is a lengthy tome that reads more like research thesis notes than a novel. There is very little character development, Simonsen opting instead to showcase research and history -- and the only reason this works to some degree for me is because I appreciate the basic premise of her story.

I didn't expect this novel to provide a not uneffective analysis of the cost of war on those who survive combat to return to civilian life. Through Jack and Beth's reminscences and the stories of Maggie's love interests, Simonsen explores the terrible toll both world wars took on society as a whole, particularly those who survived to return home to "normal" life. At first blush the juxtaposition of a late 18th-century love story and life in postwar Britain seems most unlikely, but in some weird way it works -- Maggie's research into the Laceys' past helps her find her footing in a postwar society, torn between the wounds of war and hope of peacetime. The "upstairs/downstairs" dynamic of Beth and Jack's love story is particularly timely, given the resurgence of interest in the pre-World War I time period thanks to shows like Downton Abbey.

Simonsen clearly has a passion for history and her love of research, both Georgian and World War II era, shines in this reimagining of Austen's inspiration for Pride and Prejudice. This novel is ALL telling and little to no showing, but despite the novel's often awkward and stilted narrative style, there was a spark within that kept me turning pages -- perhaps it was recognizing in Simonsen a fellow Austen aficionada. With more attention to character development and action instead of packing in every single bit of research in pages-long information dumps, Searching for Pemberley reveals the potential of an author whose passion for history and the classics can't help but be appreciated.(less)

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Mar 25, 2010 SarahC rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just after WWII, young American Maggie chooses an overseas government job in order to see the world -- particularly England. She has grown up in a very small town and has lived a pretty ordinary life. Living in Germany and then England teaches Maggie of Europe's struggles in both war and post war. This novel is heavy in detail and historical facts. I feel the book really went beyond historical fiction. I prefer an emphasis on the personal story where the historical setting surrounds the human ta...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

For me this book was a perfect combination of my love for Jane Austen and especially Pride and Prejudice and my love for historical fiction. The only reason why this book does not get five stars from me stems from the love triangle that strings you out for far too long and potentially could cause the reader significant frustration.
The characters were lovely in their complexity- I love how the author honored the sacrifices of those who fought for their country and dealt with them gently after th...more

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