Meghan's Reviews > Longbourn's Songbird

Longbourn's Songbird by Beau North
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it was amazing
bookshelves: netgalley, published-2015, read-2018, historical-fiction, stars-5

Today, 06/29/19, this book is on sale for $.99! Go check it out!!

***
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a free review. As always, thank you Netgalley.

I am not a huge Jane Austen fan. I've read both Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, but I couldn't get into her other books. And I tend to love P&P retellings more than the actual source material. I read one every year or two, and I was incredibly fortunate to get my hands on this one.

What I love about this retelling is the focus on the secondary characters of the original story. Charlotte's storyline had me crying multiple times over, something I've never done with a retelling, and I ached with Richard in his sadness and PTSD. I love how the author integrates nods to the future — while the end of the 1940s is typically seen as a happier time period, the world was definitely not at rest. There are nods to Charlotte's brother going off to war and to what happens with Richard's story.

I love how real the characters feel in this book. Jane isn't just a caricature of a perfect, pleasant, quiet woman. Kitty and Mary get a little bit of depth, Collins is pushed further into an antagonistic role. The portrayal of Aunt Catherine is unique and different from any other retelling I've read, and I'm really starting to love seeing what authors do with Anne. Georgina isn't just a meek, sad shy girl, she gets angry and heated and doesn't seem to be entirely reliant on Darcy.

This book blends the original P&P in with the 1940s seamlessly. It doesn't ignore the hardships of the times, it updates aspects of the story (like what business Darcy actually does), not having Jane and Bingley not happy until the end of the book, the breakup between Darcy and Elizabeth feeling real and deserved (and even making me wonder if they truly should be together!)

5/5 stars easily. It took me a few chapters to get into (more a fault of me reading multiple things at once) but I couldn't put it down once I hit about a quarter of the way into the book.
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Reading Progress

October 28, 2017 – Shelved
October 28, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read
October 28, 2017 – Shelved as: netgalley
October 28, 2017 – Shelved as: published-2015
January 29, 2018 – Shelved as: next-up
February 15, 2018 – Started Reading
February 18, 2018 –
9.0%
February 20, 2018 –
15.0%
February 23, 2018 –
27.0%
February 24, 2018 – Shelved as: read-2018
February 24, 2018 – Shelved as: historical-fiction
February 24, 2018 – Finished Reading
May 7, 2019 – Shelved as: stars-5

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