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A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Elizabeth Bennet and her beloved sister Jane are inveigled in the matchmaking schemes of their mother when Meryton sees two of the neighboring estates rented to families with eligible gentlemen. With a bevy of bachelors nearby, Mrs. Bennet has grand plans for all her daughters.
First the Bertrams arrive at Purvis Lodge; though retrenching after the baronet’s heir bankrupts the family with his extravagant spending and expensive debauchery, the Bertram brothers still figure into Mrs. Bennet’s matrimonial designs for her dear girls.
Ere long Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, their sisters, and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive at Netherfield, accompanied by Lady Susan Vernon and the Crawford siblings. As cousins to the Bennets, Mary and Henry Crawford have all the credit of bringing this large party to the area – and their own motives for doing so.
The bonds of affection between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet and their Crawford cousins are put to the test over the course of a summer filled with more fine society than Meryton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet has met her match in Lady Susan Vernon, a masterful manipulator who is infinitely Mrs. Bennet’s superior in subtlety, and who brings out the schemer in Mary Crawford. Even Mr. Bennet is tempted to a little light trickery of his own when Mr. Collins comes to town.
Fitzwilliam Darcy wishes only to cheer his broken-hearted sister Georgiana and his bereaved cousin Richard, and in his endeavors he becomes embroiled in intrigue. Conflicting desires surround him as his friends at Netherfield all form opposing plans of their own, which threaten to keep any of them from a clear path to Happily Ever After….
First the Bertrams arrive at Purvis Lodge; though retrenching after the baronet’s heir bankrupts the family with his extravagant spending and expensive debauchery, the Bertram brothers still figure into Mrs. Bennet’s matrimonial designs for her dear girls.
Ere long Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, their sisters, and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive at Netherfield, accompanied by Lady Susan Vernon and the Crawford siblings. As cousins to the Bennets, Mary and Henry Crawford have all the credit of bringing this large party to the area – and their own motives for doing so.
The bonds of affection between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet and their Crawford cousins are put to the test over the course of a summer filled with more fine society than Meryton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet has met her match in Lady Susan Vernon, a masterful manipulator who is infinitely Mrs. Bennet’s superior in subtlety, and who brings out the schemer in Mary Crawford. Even Mr. Bennet is tempted to a little light trickery of his own when Mr. Collins comes to town.
Fitzwilliam Darcy wishes only to cheer his broken-hearted sister Georgiana and his bereaved cousin Richard, and in his endeavors he becomes embroiled in intrigue. Conflicting desires surround him as his friends at Netherfield all form opposing plans of their own, which threaten to keep any of them from a clear path to Happily Ever After….
- GenresHistorical
420 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2024
77 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 14, 2024
I struggled to finish this story. First of all, I had to frequently pause and remember where a certain character fit in this story, also remembering which of JA's stories they came from and their place in those stories. Then there is the fact that only one of the couples from canon end up together with a HEA in this tale. I actually kept expecting the attachments to correct to what we know of in canon.
The Crawfords and the Bennets are cousins and somewhere in time they spent part of their growing years under the care of the Gardiners. We do have Collins and Lady Catherine but their parts are so very different...I just could not like the pairings there! It almost seemed that one was in the way of a punishment.
Darcy and Elizabeth have the biggest parts with their misunderstandings playing out similar to canon.
I won't say more here. Just a note that the fact that this story took me over a week to read says something about my opinion of this variation.
The Crawfords and the Bennets are cousins and somewhere in time they spent part of their growing years under the care of the Gardiners. We do have Collins and Lady Catherine but their parts are so very different...I just could not like the pairings there! It almost seemed that one was in the way of a punishment.
Darcy and Elizabeth have the biggest parts with their misunderstandings playing out similar to canon.
I won't say more here. Just a note that the fact that this story took me over a week to read says something about my opinion of this variation.
February 16, 2025
When Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Lady Susan tales collide, a romp of a tale ensues. Jayne Bamber is not a new to me author, but this was only my second of her mashup variation tales which had me all over curious after reading the blurb and spotting this unique mashup blend.
My first thought is always who ends up related to whom and then, most importantly, who ends up with whom? The other mashup I read, Outmatched, took things in new and clever directions and didn't really rely on canon much for any of the stories involved (S&S and MP). That was not the case with A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings. This one was a bigger gamble in ways because Jayne Bamber put in some near canon scenes and plot points and brought together many folks in general's favorite and least favorite Austen novels with P&P and MP. And, to drag in Austen's lesser known novella, Lady Susan really set the cat among the pigeons.
So, I was primed for something startling and new and, no surprise, I got it. The book is mostly set in the neighborhood of Meryton and is able to bring a massive cast of characters from all three stories together by having the Bertrams owning a smaller estate, Purvis Lodge, and being forced to retrench after Tom Bertram's spending forces them to lease their main estate, having Mary and Henry Crawfords as maternal Bennet cousins, and having Lady Susan an aunt to the Bingleys at Netherfield Park.
Chronologically, Lady Susan and P&P are variations with Mansfield Park more a sequel. It all begins when Mary Crawford, now staying with her Uncle Gardiner in London learns that the Bertrams have moved to the neighborhood where her favorite cousins reside. It takes little machination to talk Henry's university friend and host, Charles Bingley to consider the empty estate of Netherfield Park when he is looking to lease and maybe buy an estate. Charles' guests include his taciturn friend Fitzwilliam Darcy and, at the last minute, his aunt Lady Susan.
It was fun seeing clever and mischievous Mary and Henry as Elizabeth and Jane's favorite cousins and Charles and Caroline Bingley claiming Lady Susan as their relation. Between most of the cast of characters for all three books repped with a few notable exceptions and many scenes from two of them, this was a full and sometimes ponderous story of mixing and matching romances and intrigues. It starts to gel with who will choose who even with a love triangle or two mentions. There are some original bits that Jayne Bamber put in the plot with familiar bits to make a whole new tale. And, oho, some off scenes Persuasion action mentioned a few times.
Someone has to be the villain- or at the very least the ones not given their Happy Ever After- and these were altered a little in personality to make it happen. But... not extremely.
All in all, it was big and took a while to get moving with some lag or lesser-developed moments, but it was still a clever treat to read. The author has a fun gift of mixing and matching with the stories in surprising and fun ways.
My first thought is always who ends up related to whom and then, most importantly, who ends up with whom? The other mashup I read, Outmatched, took things in new and clever directions and didn't really rely on canon much for any of the stories involved (S&S and MP). That was not the case with A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings. This one was a bigger gamble in ways because Jayne Bamber put in some near canon scenes and plot points and brought together many folks in general's favorite and least favorite Austen novels with P&P and MP. And, to drag in Austen's lesser known novella, Lady Susan really set the cat among the pigeons.
So, I was primed for something startling and new and, no surprise, I got it. The book is mostly set in the neighborhood of Meryton and is able to bring a massive cast of characters from all three stories together by having the Bertrams owning a smaller estate, Purvis Lodge, and being forced to retrench after Tom Bertram's spending forces them to lease their main estate, having Mary and Henry Crawfords as maternal Bennet cousins, and having Lady Susan an aunt to the Bingleys at Netherfield Park.
Chronologically, Lady Susan and P&P are variations with Mansfield Park more a sequel. It all begins when Mary Crawford, now staying with her Uncle Gardiner in London learns that the Bertrams have moved to the neighborhood where her favorite cousins reside. It takes little machination to talk Henry's university friend and host, Charles Bingley to consider the empty estate of Netherfield Park when he is looking to lease and maybe buy an estate. Charles' guests include his taciturn friend Fitzwilliam Darcy and, at the last minute, his aunt Lady Susan.
It was fun seeing clever and mischievous Mary and Henry as Elizabeth and Jane's favorite cousins and Charles and Caroline Bingley claiming Lady Susan as their relation. Between most of the cast of characters for all three books repped with a few notable exceptions and many scenes from two of them, this was a full and sometimes ponderous story of mixing and matching romances and intrigues. It starts to gel with who will choose who even with a love triangle or two mentions. There are some original bits that Jayne Bamber put in the plot with familiar bits to make a whole new tale. And, oho, some off scenes Persuasion action mentioned a few times.
Someone has to be the villain- or at the very least the ones not given their Happy Ever After- and these were altered a little in personality to make it happen. But... not extremely.
All in all, it was big and took a while to get moving with some lag or lesser-developed moments, but it was still a clever treat to read. The author has a fun gift of mixing and matching with the stories in surprising and fun ways.
March 4, 2024
Buckle in kids cuz this is a LONG read - it took me over a week to read this one.
I've said it before - no one does a mash up like Jayne Bamber - NO ONE! Jayne takes the characters words that we all know from across all of JA's work and creates her own Jane Austen Multiverse.
I've said it before - no one does a mash up like Jayne Bamber - NO ONE! Jayne takes the characters words that we all know from across all of JA's work and creates her own Jane Austen Multiverse.
March 18, 2024
Another Delightful Amalgamation of Austen’s Amiable Characters
I was quite delighted by the myriad plot twists and matches made in this mash up between P&P, Mansfield Park, and Lady Susan, with whispers here and there of Persuasion. I never liked Mary Crawford, or Henry for that matter, until now. Miss Bamber brings out the best in both of them, and chooses better for the Crawfords than they had themselves, while showing the Bertrams for who they are. It sounded as if there might be a sequel- I certainly hope so. I always love this author’s work and look forward to more.
I was quite delighted by the myriad plot twists and matches made in this mash up between P&P, Mansfield Park, and Lady Susan, with whispers here and there of Persuasion. I never liked Mary Crawford, or Henry for that matter, until now. Miss Bamber brings out the best in both of them, and chooses better for the Crawfords than they had themselves, while showing the Bertrams for who they are. It sounded as if there might be a sequel- I certainly hope so. I always love this author’s work and look forward to more.
April 1, 2024
All the characters motives were glossed over quickly, the romances killed me, and not in a good way. I hated Mary in this book, I wanted her to have redeeming qualities, and none were presented. The Crawfords relationships with the Bennets didn't really fit for me. I always viewed the Crawfords as being conniving and vain, whereas the Bennets weren't.
March 15, 2024
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
March 16, 2024
I struggled a bit to start with as I found I didn’t like Elizabeth very much and I really didn’t like her cousins. This made it a bit hard to get into. I found Elizabeth a bit more likeable as it went on but never really got behind her and that’s a shame as I feel like I need to like Elizabeth and get behind her to really enjoy the story. I found her cousin selfish and vain and just not very nice.
February 28, 2024
A noble effort
I have never warmed to Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, bless her heart. Thank you, Ms Bamber, for making those characters people I want to read about. The Crawfords fit in seamlessly with the Bennets.
The rest of the book has several storylines which are easy to follow. Lady Catherine really didn’t need to be here, even though her life takes an entertaining twist in the epilogue. Finally, I could have gone decades without entertaining the notion that Uncle Gardiner had a checkered past, especially what that fact had no bearing on the rest of the novel.
I have never warmed to Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, bless her heart. Thank you, Ms Bamber, for making those characters people I want to read about. The Crawfords fit in seamlessly with the Bennets.
The rest of the book has several storylines which are easy to follow. Lady Catherine really didn’t need to be here, even though her life takes an entertaining twist in the epilogue. Finally, I could have gone decades without entertaining the notion that Uncle Gardiner had a checkered past, especially what that fact had no bearing on the rest of the novel.
October 12, 2025
I loved it!
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes that would scandalize the ton. Readers of a delicate constitution are advised to keep their fans and vinaigrettes close at hand.
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation.
Elizabeth Bennet and her beloved sister Jane are inveigled in the matchmaking schemes of their mother when Meryton sees two of the neighboring estates rented to families with eligible gentlemen. With a bevy of bachelors nearby, Mrs. Bennet has grand plans for all her daughters. First the Bertrams arrive at Purvis Lodge; though retrenching after the baronet’s heir bankrupts the family with his extravagant spending and expensive debauchery, the Bertram brothers still figure into Mrs. Bennet’s matrimonial designs for her dear girls. Ere long Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, their sisters, and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive at Netherfield, accompanied by Lady Susan Vernon and the Crawford siblings. As cousins to the Bennets, Mary and Henry Crawford have all the credit of bringing this large party to the area, and their own motives for doing so.
The bonds of affection between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet and their Crawford cousins are put to the test over the course of a summer filled with more fine society than Meryton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet has met her match in Lady Susan Vernon, a masterful manipulator who is infinitely Mrs. Bennet’s superior in subtlety, and who brings out the schemer in Mary Crawford. Even Mr. Bennet is tempted to a little light trickery of his own when Mr. Collins comes to town. Fitzwilliam Darcy wishes only to cheer his broken-hearted sister Georgiana and his bereaved cousin Richard, and in his endeavors he becomes embroiled in intrigue. Conflicting desires surround him as his friends at Netherfield all form opposing plans of their own, which threaten to keep any of them from a clear path to Happily Ever After. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.
Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes that would scandalize the ton. Readers of a delicate constitution are advised to keep their fans and vinaigrettes close at hand.
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation.
Elizabeth Bennet and her beloved sister Jane are inveigled in the matchmaking schemes of their mother when Meryton sees two of the neighboring estates rented to families with eligible gentlemen. With a bevy of bachelors nearby, Mrs. Bennet has grand plans for all her daughters. First the Bertrams arrive at Purvis Lodge; though retrenching after the baronet’s heir bankrupts the family with his extravagant spending and expensive debauchery, the Bertram brothers still figure into Mrs. Bennet’s matrimonial designs for her dear girls. Ere long Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, their sisters, and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive at Netherfield, accompanied by Lady Susan Vernon and the Crawford siblings. As cousins to the Bennets, Mary and Henry Crawford have all the credit of bringing this large party to the area, and their own motives for doing so.
The bonds of affection between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet and their Crawford cousins are put to the test over the course of a summer filled with more fine society than Meryton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bennet has met her match in Lady Susan Vernon, a masterful manipulator who is infinitely Mrs. Bennet’s superior in subtlety, and who brings out the schemer in Mary Crawford. Even Mr. Bennet is tempted to a little light trickery of his own when Mr. Collins comes to town. Fitzwilliam Darcy wishes only to cheer his broken-hearted sister Georgiana and his bereaved cousin Richard, and in his endeavors he becomes embroiled in intrigue. Conflicting desires surround him as his friends at Netherfield all form opposing plans of their own, which threaten to keep any of them from a clear path to Happily Ever After. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.
January 30, 2025
I like this author…she uses a bit more drama than I prefer and her Darcy is more obnoxiously snobbish than I prefer-although that is pretty cannon.
What I loved best about this one though was the added characters of the Crawford siblings. I am very content with how they were portrayed and their endings. I can’t say more without spoiling.
What I loved best about this one though was the added characters of the Crawford siblings. I am very content with how they were portrayed and their endings. I can’t say more without spoiling.
March 5, 2024
Loved this!
What a wonderful mash up! So many great twists and delectable words. The alliteration in many sections was spot on, and I highlighted many to read again. This was one of those books that you wanted to keep reading but didn't want to have end. Thank you, Jayne, for such an enjoyable book.
What a wonderful mash up! So many great twists and delectable words. The alliteration in many sections was spot on, and I highlighted many to read again. This was one of those books that you wanted to keep reading but didn't want to have end. Thank you, Jayne, for such an enjoyable book.
April 13, 2024
Long, with a slow start, but fun read
I did enjoy this take on Mansfield Park / P&P mashup. This version was able to throw some unexpected wrenches into the HEAs we all adore in P&P JAFF. I do recommend (especially if you are having surgery on a finger with only local anesthetic).
I did enjoy this take on Mansfield Park / P&P mashup. This version was able to throw some unexpected wrenches into the HEAs we all adore in P&P JAFF. I do recommend (especially if you are having surgery on a finger with only local anesthetic).
March 5, 2025
Is this a farce?
I have really liked this author’s other works, but this one astonishes me in how tedious and ridiculous it is. Every action is so contrived as to be “shoe-horned” into the story.
I have had to set a story aside for many factors (work being foremost) but this tale I had to force myself to continue reading.
Seriously, skip this one. Not worth it.
I have really liked this author’s other works, but this one astonishes me in how tedious and ridiculous it is. Every action is so contrived as to be “shoe-horned” into the story.
I have had to set a story aside for many factors (work being foremost) but this tale I had to force myself to continue reading.
Seriously, skip this one. Not worth it.
April 11, 2024
I found myself struggling to finish the book - I can’t quite out my finger on why, but it didn’t engage me.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews