Longbourn in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Dec 26, 2014 Mary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub-neighborhood, format-audio, read-harder-2015

Read Harder - a "retelling" - this is Pride & Prejudice from the downstairs perspective.
P&P is one of my very favorite books and this retelling lived up to it. Now I need to re-read P&P with this backstory; I wonder what I'll think?! Loved Emma Fielding's narration, too. ...more

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Dec 21, 2013 Carla rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: not-own, portuguese, 2014

It was a pity this book was somewhat focused on the events of Pride and Prejudice since it would be a better story on its own. I feel that the author would have much more liberty to explore the upstairs family, developing the characters as she liked but the Bennett family never seemed like the one written by Austen. Their personalities palled and lost whatever made them appealing in the original book.

Unfortunately, the servants weren't able to shine brighter when given the spotlight, apart from ...more

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Oct 15, 2013 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

I have never before read a book about which I felt so entirely ambivalent. Entirely. I could not care less about any of the characters, didn't care what they did, or how it affected anyone else. The only strong feeling I had was rage about the one particularly stunning revelation involving a character from Pride and Prejudice that really impugned that person's character. I have no problem with making up stories about the silent staff behind the characters in a beloved story (even if not not a si I have never before read a book about which I felt so entirely ambivalent. Entirely. I could not care less about any of the characters, didn't care what they did, or how it affected anyone else. The only strong feeling I had was rage about the one particularly stunning revelation involving a character from Pride and Prejudice that really impugned that person's character. I have no problem with making up stories about the silent staff behind the characters in a beloved story (even if not not a single one of those characters is in any way engaging for me), and working those characters' stories around the events of the earlier book. What I have a huge gripe with is altering in significant ways the nature of a previous character, making them into an utterly unlikeable person. Frankly, no one in the Bennett household escaped this story with their charm intact.
I can't give this book a terrible rating, though. I think it's well-written, in a grammatical and historical sort of way. It's a coherent, consistent, realistic, carefully written, and obviously painstakingly researched piece of work that in no apparent ways deviates from the order of the story from the original novel.
It just isn't enjoyable. One friend from book club only finished 30% of the story before she quit. She said simply that it felt like the author was depressed. I can see that logic. Everything in this book feels sad and gray. There's so little joy in any of it, and maybe that's realistic for the lower classes of the time, but it's not enjoyable to read AT ALL. Not engaging. Not memorable. And certainly not repeatable. I finished this book because I didn't want to waste the time spend already reading it, in my quest towards a number of books read for the year, and also because it marked off the county of Hertfordshire from my counties of England to-read challenge.
The book, aside from that particular burst of outrage, wasn't something I detested, that I couldn't stand to read. I read it slowly, in manageable chunks, learning bits of history and culture along the way. I appreciated the historical and cultural details, but if I'm going to suffer through dry delivery, I think I'd rather read in a non-fiction format any further information on the time and place. For now, I've finished, and I can check this off several lists it satisfies, from book club to reading goals, and move on with my life. There are certainly more enjoyable books out there waiting to be read. ...more

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May 30, 2020 Adjrun rated it liked it

My opinion is mixed about this one. Seriously torn. The writing is beautiful, with almost poetic imagery. But the characters are all such emo malcontent sadsacks. And it requires that all the characters we love be thoughtless, entitled jerks.

It’s just unpleasant.

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Jan 03, 2014 Roxy rated it really liked it

Great escapist reading.

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Oct 25, 2013 Sarah rated it really liked it

this is a good story in and of itself, separate from being the sister story to p&p. but it's more remarkable as a story that gives voice to characters that are invisible. there were several times as i read the book that i was deeply struck by the character's powerlessness, the despicable way they were treated, by the way they weren't viewed as human. i really enjoyed how well-rounded the longbourn staff became. and how insignificant the ladies of longbourn seemed in comparison. ...more

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Dec 03, 2016 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, fracture-fairy-tales

A delight and a revelation for Jane Austen fans, Baker has created more than just a shifted perspective on Pride and Prejudice - Longbourn is a fully realized novel in its own right.

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