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heath_bar3's review against another edition
4.0
A really great read for anyone who loved Pride and Prejudice. The author stays true to Austen’s original storyline and gives Anne de Bough the personality and backstory she deserves.
ally_ed's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
This book brought me to tears and not for the way you think. It was truly just a stunning beautiful read. One of the best I’ve ever read. I am so, so moved.
jlynnreadsandwrites's review against another edition
4.0
I love Pride and Prejudice and thought this was an interesting premise. What does the world look like through Anne de Bourgh's eyes?
This is a novel of self-discovery, of Anne finding her way free of the "medicine" she's been prescribed her entire life so that she can be in control of her life and actually live. With a clear head, Anne can experience the world and herself for the first time. We see Anne's childhood through glimpses of her medicated state. She struggles to interact with others and the world, and is kept secluded in Rosings Park, deemed too delicate and fragile to do very much. Nor does Anne expect much from herself. She believes the stories told to her about herself and expects that when she marries her cousin Darcy, he will be take over the responsibility of Rosings Park, in addition to his own estate. Because even though Anne is the heiress, no one - with the exception of her governess, Miss Hall - believes Anne capable of such a daunting responsibility.
After decades under the numbing influence of laudanum, Anne decides to stop taking it. She seeks solace in London, under the care of her cousin John and his wife. After a few harrowing days, Anne is clearheaded and, for the first time, can see a world other than Rosings Park. Slowly, she discovers her appetite and the wonders of a body that is nourished and awake. She makes friends and falls in love. Eventually, Anne takes up her rightful place as mistress of Rosings, which requires her to do battle with her formidable mother. Anne rises to the occasion, finding that she is far more capable than anyone, including herself, gave her credit for.
While it was necessary to create a background of Anne's life and to show the shape of her childhood, I did the find the start of the book to be a bit slow. However, it picked up once Anne decided to take more control over her life. Her struggle of figuring out how to be in the world is relatable to anyone who has struggled with what it means to run your own life.
LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW
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Even in Anne's laudanum stupor, she finds her romantic interests don't match with expectations. Though, it becomes much clearer when she is no longer addicted and living in London. Anne's crush on her governess, Miss Hall, led to uncomfortable moments but in London Anne is able to find someone who shares her attraction. Anne and Eliza are such a good match. I loved Eliza's big, open personality that allowed Anne to feel comfortable being herself. Anne is awkward and uncertain, having little experience in social situations, but Eliza finds it charming. There is a clear connection between them and it is satisfying to see them come together. The heartbreak of their parting and the sweetness of their reunion felt realistic and also made a very satisfying ending.
This is a novel of self-discovery, of Anne finding her way free of the "medicine" she's been prescribed her entire life so that she can be in control of her life and actually live. With a clear head, Anne can experience the world and herself for the first time. We see Anne's childhood through glimpses of her medicated state. She struggles to interact with others and the world, and is kept secluded in Rosings Park, deemed too delicate and fragile to do very much. Nor does Anne expect much from herself. She believes the stories told to her about herself and expects that when she marries her cousin Darcy, he will be take over the responsibility of Rosings Park, in addition to his own estate. Because even though Anne is the heiress, no one - with the exception of her governess, Miss Hall - believes Anne capable of such a daunting responsibility.
After decades under the numbing influence of laudanum, Anne decides to stop taking it. She seeks solace in London, under the care of her cousin John and his wife. After a few harrowing days, Anne is clearheaded and, for the first time, can see a world other than Rosings Park. Slowly, she discovers her appetite and the wonders of a body that is nourished and awake. She makes friends and falls in love. Eventually, Anne takes up her rightful place as mistress of Rosings, which requires her to do battle with her formidable mother. Anne rises to the occasion, finding that she is far more capable than anyone, including herself, gave her credit for.
While it was necessary to create a background of Anne's life and to show the shape of her childhood, I did the find the start of the book to be a bit slow. However, it picked up once Anne decided to take more control over her life. Her struggle of figuring out how to be in the world is relatable to anyone who has struggled with what it means to run your own life.
LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Even in Anne's laudanum stupor, she finds her romantic interests don't match with expectations. Though, it becomes much clearer when she is no longer addicted and living in London. Anne's crush on her governess, Miss Hall, led to uncomfortable moments but in London Anne is able to find someone who shares her attraction. Anne and Eliza are such a good match. I loved Eliza's big, open personality that allowed Anne to feel comfortable being herself. Anne is awkward and uncertain, having little experience in social situations, but Eliza finds it charming. There is a clear connection between them and it is satisfying to see them come together. The heartbreak of their parting and the sweetness of their reunion felt realistic and also made a very satisfying ending.
sagittariusreads_'s review against another edition
realized this is a pride and prejudice retelling.. i didn't like pride and prejudice
heather626's review against another edition
4.0
When Anne de Bourgh was an infant , she cried incessantly. The doctor at the time prescribed laudanum to keep her calm. Anne spent her childhood and much of her young adult life asleep from the dosing of laudanum. Most of the community thought Anne was ill and took pity on her. Her family continued to shelter her and keep her away from everything thought to harm her. Anne always knew her father's estate would belong to her when she was older. It had been decided upon when she was an infant she would marry her cousin and he would help run her estate. When her father dies, nothing is making sense to Anne anymore. She escapes to her cousin's estate in London away from her mother. There have been a few people in Anne's life that have verbalized their concern for her and Anne decides it is time to find out if their inklings were correct. Anne stops taking her laudanum. After the sudden halt of the medication, Anne finds herself in a new world. She transforms before her cousin's eyes. As Anne gains her physical strength back, she also gains her confidence as a young woman. London does wonders for her as she takes her destiny in her own hands. She takes what is rightfully hers since her father has now passed despite the grumblings of her mother. Anne decides the path laid out before her was not the path she wanted to take for herself and she carves out a new one.
The Heiress by Molly Greeley was a book that draws you in. The first half of the book was great. I loved the historical story laid before us and couldn't get through it fast enough. I did get lost a little in the middle of the story and almost gave up. But Eliza entered the story and the I was back flipping the pages as quick as I could! I will be recommending The Heiress to my historical fictional reading friends and would love to read additional works by Greeley. Special thanks to NetGalley, Molly Greeley, and William Morrow and Custom House Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I do apologize for my late review. 4 stars for me.
#TheHeiress #NetGalley
The Heiress by Molly Greeley was a book that draws you in. The first half of the book was great. I loved the historical story laid before us and couldn't get through it fast enough. I did get lost a little in the middle of the story and almost gave up. But Eliza entered the story and the I was back flipping the pages as quick as I could! I will be recommending The Heiress to my historical fictional reading friends and would love to read additional works by Greeley. Special thanks to NetGalley, Molly Greeley, and William Morrow and Custom House Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I do apologize for my late review. 4 stars for me.
#TheHeiress #NetGalley
mkcannon21's review against another edition
3.0
Spin-offs are always tricky because they never can meet the needs of every reader and what every reader is expecting for that character. So for me this wasn't the best spin-off, but only because it's not where I had taken Anne de Bourgh in my own head. However, the writing is really good and I can see why others love it.
oliviajehane's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely enjoyed this one more than Molly Greeley’s “The Clergymans Wife”, but it still has its odd parts.
Even though this is fictional I was furious for the first half of the book. How could they do that to a child? How could anyone think that was appropriate. The rest of the book did not receive as strong a reaction. It is definitely an interesting take on an ancillary character from Pride and Prejudice, but it is one that I don’t believe could be true. Turning Anne into a lesbian was definitely unexpected and not something I would have thought to do, so kudos to the author for that.
The book kept me interested and I did enjoy most of it.
Even though this is fictional I was furious for the first half of the book. How could they do that to a child? How could anyone think that was appropriate. The rest of the book did not receive as strong a reaction. It is definitely an interesting take on an ancillary character from Pride and Prejudice, but it is one that I don’t believe could be true. Turning Anne into a lesbian was definitely unexpected and not something I would have thought to do, so kudos to the author for that.
The book kept me interested and I did enjoy most of it.
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
This newest installment of the "Pride and Prejudice" universe was a surprisingly pleasant read. Focused on a quite minor character in Austen's original novel, Anne de Bourgh, this novel gives the story of her life, from birth to death. An avid lover of "Pride and Prejudice," I was a bit worried that I might not be able connect to a story that included one of the more antagonistic characters of the novel, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but I'm so glad I got over that! In Austen's work, Anne's illness is only vaguely alluded to and she is simply described as "sickly," which makes for a perfect foundation to explore the possible universe that is her life.
In short, this work is an excellent tale about a "sickly" girl who reclaims her life, finds her power, and defies those who would stand in her way. It is a story filled with the ills of early medicinal laudanum, the ideas that women are educated to simply become the property of men, and the idea that women may find love with other women. Perhaps even more complex than the Bennets, Lady Catherine de Bourgh has made sure her daughter Anne will be the heiress to the Rosings Estate, meaning it won't be entailed away from her without a male heir. This means Anne must also understand the ways of running her own estate, and that she is the value of any marriage, rather than the other way around. Should she marry, the property belongs to her husband, meaning she has more to lose from marriage, in a way, unless one focuses on potential heirs to keep the De Bourgh line going. In any case, it is an interesting exploration of the necessity of dual strength and weakness in women at this time in history. Women must have sons to pass along property, but early medicine saw death from childbirth so often, even among the wealthy. A mother must trust in doctors and their advice, especially when fathers so often left a daughter's rearing to the mother, so can her love be enough? I worried Anne would be too weak to find her legs, but she turns out so powerful and strong that I felt wholly reassured and thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Since Anne is such a minor character, the book avoids any possible pitfalls of trying to retell any major story lines or risk changing any character. We see Darcy and Elizabeth, but very infrequently, and the author is exceedingly careful to make sure their characters are kept true to Austen's original descriptions. Her treatment of Lady Catherine was also a fascinating exploration in how to keep her stubborn, immovable, cold demeanor that we see in Austen's work, but allow for a little crack here and there to illuminate Anne's possible life. A very well done work of fiction, and I definitely would recommend to anyone who loves "Pride and Prejudice" enough to reenter its world and see what might have become of Anne de Bourgh.
In short, this work is an excellent tale about a "sickly" girl who reclaims her life, finds her power, and defies those who would stand in her way. It is a story filled with the ills of early medicinal laudanum, the ideas that women are educated to simply become the property of men, and the idea that women may find love with other women. Perhaps even more complex than the Bennets, Lady Catherine de Bourgh has made sure her daughter Anne will be the heiress to the Rosings Estate, meaning it won't be entailed away from her without a male heir. This means Anne must also understand the ways of running her own estate, and that she is the value of any marriage, rather than the other way around. Should she marry, the property belongs to her husband, meaning she has more to lose from marriage, in a way, unless one focuses on potential heirs to keep the De Bourgh line going. In any case, it is an interesting exploration of the necessity of dual strength and weakness in women at this time in history. Women must have sons to pass along property, but early medicine saw death from childbirth so often, even among the wealthy. A mother must trust in doctors and their advice, especially when fathers so often left a daughter's rearing to the mother, so can her love be enough? I worried Anne would be too weak to find her legs, but she turns out so powerful and strong that I felt wholly reassured and thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Since Anne is such a minor character, the book avoids any possible pitfalls of trying to retell any major story lines or risk changing any character. We see Darcy and Elizabeth, but very infrequently, and the author is exceedingly careful to make sure their characters are kept true to Austen's original descriptions. Her treatment of Lady Catherine was also a fascinating exploration in how to keep her stubborn, immovable, cold demeanor that we see in Austen's work, but allow for a little crack here and there to illuminate Anne's possible life. A very well done work of fiction, and I definitely would recommend to anyone who loves "Pride and Prejudice" enough to reenter its world and see what might have become of Anne de Bourgh.
windy_witch's review against another edition
4.0
A rather lovely side novel to Pride and Prejudice which is a favored classic. Anne de Bough was a sickly baby and prescribed laudanum to sooth her ills. As an adult, she remains taking the opium based medicine everyday unable to break free from its grip and also without a grip on reality.
This is until she makes a break from her mother’s care in the country and travels to her cousin’s house in London, here is finally able to wean herself off of the medicine that has held her back from her life.
A beautifully written book about Anne’s trials to fit into society that she has been on the outside of all her adult life, where she finds friendship and love in another young lady.
This complemented Pride and Prejudice really well, I would look forward to reading more by this author.