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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In Pride and Premeditation, Tirzah Price successfully brought together one of my favorite books (Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen) with one of my favorite (sub)genres (historical fiction/lady detectives). It is a fun, murderous spin on the classic retelling, but perhaps best enjoyed by long-time Austen fans.
Elizabeth Bennett, our favorite protagonist, is keen to join her father at his law firm and rise in the ranks to become a barrister, and perhaps not see her father's firm go to his heir, the dread Mr. Collins. She finds the perfect case to prove her mettle--the murder of Mr. Hurst. The accused? Mr. Bingley! Our favorite characters from Pride & Prejudice all make an appearance: Mr. Wickham, Caroline Bingley, Charlotte Lucas, and of course, Mr. Darcy.
Price is able to capture the themes of the original story in a slightly different context: class distinctions (although in this retelling the class disparity is not as stark), quick assumptions, and putting faith in words over deeds. She adds the interesting, although understated, element of race through Charlotte Lucas's character, making her of mixed-race descent. This adds a different tone to Lizzy's criticism of her romantic choices, because Lizzy cannot truly know what it means to be a person of color in the world she lives in.
However, as an avid historical fiction reader, I was immediately disoriented by the time setting when the book began. Pride & Prejudice takes place in the early 1800s, during which time a women of Lizzy's social class really could not have worked in a law firm without significant scandal. Of course, for the sake of fiction some of these boundaries are pushed (for example, Amelia Peabody, the character written by Elizabeth Peters, was relatively free to move around without supervision. But, this was also nearly 60 years later in the late 1880s, and she still needed to marry to maintain propriety). I originally thought that Price had moved the time period, but other signals (like Wickham being employed as a Runner, who were mostly uninvolved in reporting to crimes after 1815) indicated we were still in the early 19th century. Price acknowledges this in the end notes, but for me it would have been much easier to move the time period, as many retellings have done before.
I recommend this book to lovers of Pride & Prejudice, but it's hard to say if the book would be as good if it was stand-alone. I know the characters so well already that I can't say how much Price developed them versus how much she relied on their well-known traits. Ultimately, it is perhaps more a fanfiction than a retelling, since she maintains so much of the same time period and norms. I still give it 3.75/5 stars and think it's a fun read for Austen fans!
A few other notes:
- No spicy scenes (only a few PG-rated)
- Easy to read
- Fast-paced
Elizabeth Bennett, our favorite protagonist, is keen to join her father at his law firm and rise in the ranks to become a barrister, and perhaps not see her father's firm go to his heir, the dread Mr. Collins. She finds the perfect case to prove her mettle--the murder of Mr. Hurst. The accused? Mr. Bingley! Our favorite characters from Pride & Prejudice all make an appearance: Mr. Wickham, Caroline Bingley, Charlotte Lucas, and of course, Mr. Darcy.
Price is able to capture the themes of the original story in a slightly different context: class distinctions (although in this retelling the class disparity is not as stark), quick assumptions, and putting faith in words over deeds. She adds the interesting, although understated, element of race through Charlotte Lucas's character, making her of mixed-race descent. This adds a different tone to Lizzy's criticism of her romantic choices, because Lizzy cannot truly know what it means to be a person of color in the world she lives in.
However, as an avid historical fiction reader, I was immediately disoriented by the time setting when the book began. Pride & Prejudice takes place in the early 1800s, during which time a women of Lizzy's social class really could not have worked in a law firm without significant scandal. Of course, for the sake of fiction some of these boundaries are pushed (for example, Amelia Peabody, the character written by Elizabeth Peters, was relatively free to move around without supervision. But, this was also nearly 60 years later in the late 1880s, and she still needed to marry to maintain propriety). I originally thought that Price had moved the time period, but other signals (like Wickham being employed as a Runner, who were mostly uninvolved in reporting to crimes after 1815) indicated we were still in the early 19th century. Price acknowledges this in the end notes, but for me it would have been much easier to move the time period, as many retellings have done before.
I recommend this book to lovers of Pride & Prejudice, but it's hard to say if the book would be as good if it was stand-alone. I know the characters so well already that I can't say how much Price developed them versus how much she relied on their well-known traits. Ultimately, it is perhaps more a fanfiction than a retelling, since she maintains so much of the same time period and norms. I still give it 3.75/5 stars and think it's a fun read for Austen fans!
A few other notes:
- No spicy scenes (only a few PG-rated)
- Easy to read
- Fast-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
This was cute. Nothing groundbreaking but a fun murder mystery using the world and characters of Pride and Prejudice.
mysterious
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a brilliant idea, conceived and executed by a clever young woman, must be claimed by a man.”
Enola Holmes meets Pride and Prejudice and gives you THIS.
This was so much fun! I started off reading it and then read it with the audiobook and then I couldn't stop listening to it while doing my laundry
Enola Holmes meets Pride and Prejudice and gives you THIS.
This was so much fun! I started off reading it and then read it with the audiobook and then I couldn't stop listening to it while doing my laundry
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated