Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
The story over all was ok. The writing style was closer to the old style then to the new age books, though I didn't feel Elizabeth's character was captured exactly right. It was nice to read a story that took me back to a simpler time. The book would be good for a 12 or 13 yr old girl.
I got what I wanted out of this one - insider Austen moments - but only a few times. The setting made the mystery aspect seem clumsy as well as slow.
The story had amazing promise. I loved it right from the very beginning, but the ending fell a little flat for me. There wasn't as much drama as I'd expect for a murder mystery and the reveal wasn't as shocking as it could have been but overall still a good read.
3/5 stars, full review to come! I did myself a disservice seeing the miniseries first because it had a better ending and a better b plot. But full marks for perfect characterization of my girl Jane.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Very slow, and boring. I kept waiting for it to get exciting but it's dry throughout. I think the reader not knowing whether Wickham was guilty or not was supposed to be suspenseful but I found myself thinking "who cares?".
I don't think I realized how much of an optimist Jane Austen was until it's juxtaposed against so much cynicism. I also thought the epilogue was weird. It felt like an alternative epilogue to Pride & Prejudice rather than to this book.
I don't think I realized how much of an optimist Jane Austen was until it's juxtaposed against so much cynicism. I also thought the epilogue was weird. It felt like an alternative epilogue to Pride & Prejudice rather than to this book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book. I am not out attending Jane conventions, but I have long loved Jane Austen's work, and most especially "Pride & Prejudice." I had avoided any of the spate of books which "continue" the Darcy's story, but this book was recommended so I gave it a whirl.
If I had one word to describe "Death comes to Pemberley" it would be "dull." This story is relentlessly boring. There is no suspense. I could not have cared less about the murderer's identity. Also the book is written assuming that one has read P&P and knows the characters(which I think is good, since who else would read this) but then quotes over and over and over phrases used in the source book. I physically recoiled at each reference to "polluting the halls of Pemberley."
I was thinking 2 and a half stars and planned to round up to a 3 star until the epilogue. The epilogue was so unspeakably terrible that I now consider it a kindness to have granted 2 stars rather than one. There is nothing I hate more than when authors slap 20th/21st century pop psych sensibilities onto historical characters. Darcy never read Leo Buscaglia, and I, for one, liked him the better for it.
If I had one word to describe "Death comes to Pemberley" it would be "dull." This story is relentlessly boring. There is no suspense. I could not have cared less about the murderer's identity. Also the book is written assuming that one has read P&P and knows the characters(which I think is good, since who else would read this) but then quotes over and over and over phrases used in the source book. I physically recoiled at each reference to "polluting the halls of Pemberley."
I was thinking 2 and a half stars and planned to round up to a 3 star until the epilogue. The epilogue was so unspeakably terrible that I now consider it a kindness to have granted 2 stars rather than one. There is nothing I hate more than when authors slap 20th/21st century pop psych sensibilities onto historical characters. Darcy never read Leo Buscaglia, and I, for one, liked him the better for it.
Not what I was hoping for. The cast of characters didn't have the feel of Jane Austen as much as I had wished for and the murder mystery was really boring.
If you love Pride and Prejudice, please, please avoid this terrible attempt at a continuation of Darcy's and Elizabeth's story. The prose is dull and utterly lacking in any Austen-style wit or charm, and the plot is pedestrian at best: less 'whodunnit' and more 'who gives a damn'.
I liked it but was it convincingly Jane Austen? No not for me.