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2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have always enjoyed the novels of Jane Austen and because of this I almost didn't buy this book. Then I saw it at a used book sale and thought for the price it would be a shame not to read.
Then I read the reviews; most rather scathing. Still, I ventures on.
If you are expecting a new classic in the Austen style, you Wil probably be disappointed. If you are expecting a mystery on par with Doyle or Christie, again, you will probably be disappointed. If, however, you find yourself between books on a cold rainy day and just want to sip your tea and revisit an old friend, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, then by all means curl up and read.
At times James was rather verbose when she could have just called a scoundrel a scoundrel. But, it was so comforting to see how Elizabeth one Darcy's love for each other had grown and blossomed. A quick read that took me back to the Pemberley countryside was as welcome as the rain outside was to our dry Texas soil.
Yes, the murder "mystery" was easily solved in the first few chapters. I still enjoyed the story and felt almost as if I were a port bred interoperability, in Pemberley house absorbing all the latest gossip.
Then I read the reviews; most rather scathing. Still, I ventures on.
If you are expecting a new classic in the Austen style, you Wil probably be disappointed. If you are expecting a mystery on par with Doyle or Christie, again, you will probably be disappointed. If, however, you find yourself between books on a cold rainy day and just want to sip your tea and revisit an old friend, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, then by all means curl up and read.
At times James was rather verbose when she could have just called a scoundrel a scoundrel. But, it was so comforting to see how Elizabeth one Darcy's love for each other had grown and blossomed. A quick read that took me back to the Pemberley countryside was as welcome as the rain outside was to our dry Texas soil.
Yes, the murder "mystery" was easily solved in the first few chapters. I still enjoyed the story and felt almost as if I were a port bred interoperability, in Pemberley house absorbing all the latest gossip.
It was okay. This book has some of my least favortie tropes. The book could also be half the size the same things are repeated over and over. There is also no detective work at all by anybody.
I love Austen, but I did not come to this book as an Austen purist. I found it to be an engaging trifle. If Pride and Prejudice is a classic masquerading as chick lit, this is chick lit masquerading as a classic. Do not expect a classic work of literature and you will not be disappointed!
This book was alright. For me it lacked tension most of the way through. I was never really on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next. To be honest nothing really happened. Despite this I really enjoyed reading about Jane Austen's original characters and I think James stuck to who the characters are. It was alright.
This started off so promising and then just got worse and worse. I was initially delighted by the voice, by Meryton’s perceptions of how Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy got together, and by the Darcys’ and the Bingleys’ happy lives post-“Pride and Prejudice.” The murder mystery setup was compelling, and I loved the feeling of being back among friends as the story started.
But then Colonel Fitzwilliam entered the scene — or rather, the original character masquerading as Colonel Fitzwilliam entered, because the Colonel Fitzwilliam I know would never allow a recently-acquired aristocratic title to make him arrogant and presumptuous. He’d never feel that Mr. Darcy abandoned his familial duty by marrying Elizabeth, and he’d certainly never consider Georgiana — nearly 20 years his junior and to whom he’s been a father figure — as a marriage prospect.
The blatant mischaracterizations continued as the story progressed. Who is this Mr. Darcy who doesn’t take charge of an emergency on his own property and who gets squeamish when faced with difficulties? Who is this Mr. Darcy who adamantly defends George Wickham, of all people? And who is this Elizabeth who rather passively sits by as significant events occur?
Perhaps I would’ve been more forgiving of the characterizations if the mystery hadn’t become so bland. There was no sense of urgency, no shocking revelation revealed in a clever twist, or even justification for why the reader should care that a character as strongly disliked as Wickham is facing the gallows. Instead, P.D. James took the reader through a plodding police procedural that had me questioning both the story’s pacing and its historical accuracy. I’m no expert on British police and court procedures, but a lot of the legal events felt far too modern for this time period. And then, instead of allowing the characters to discover the truth behind Captain Denny’s death, James neatly laid the whole thing out through a conversation between several characters. I feel like this type of “detective explains all” ending only works if the mystery has been wonderfully twisted — i.e., if the reader is truly begging for Sherlock or Poirot to make sense of the madness. But here, I was just impatient for an explanation so that I could get on with finishing this book.
Another issue was the way James unnecessarily rehashed large portions of the “Pride and Prejudice” story. For instance, why did Mr. Darcy feel the need to pull Elizabeth aside and explain all over again that he was wrong to separate Jane and Mr. Bingley, and that her rejection of his Kent proposal made him reevaluate who he was? They’ve been married for six years by this point, haven’t they moved on by now? James also spent a lot of time “telling” rather than “showing” important scenes, and a number of the side characters’ actions didn’t add up. It got old fast.
This book wasn’t all bad — I especially enjoyed the glimpses of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s deep, abiding love, and how the ending wrapped things up satisfactorily. But “Death Comes to Pemberley” largely felt like someone trying and failing to pay homage to one of the most beloved English novelists of all time. Like James herself said in the author’s note, if Jane Austen had wanted to write this kind of story, she would have, and she would have done it better.
But then Colonel Fitzwilliam entered the scene — or rather, the original character masquerading as Colonel Fitzwilliam entered, because the Colonel Fitzwilliam I know would never allow a recently-acquired aristocratic title to make him arrogant and presumptuous. He’d never feel that Mr. Darcy abandoned his familial duty by marrying Elizabeth, and he’d certainly never consider Georgiana — nearly 20 years his junior and to whom he’s been a father figure — as a marriage prospect.
The blatant mischaracterizations continued as the story progressed. Who is this Mr. Darcy who doesn’t take charge of an emergency on his own property and who gets squeamish when faced with difficulties? Who is this Mr. Darcy who adamantly defends George Wickham, of all people? And who is this Elizabeth who rather passively sits by as significant events occur?
Perhaps I would’ve been more forgiving of the characterizations if the mystery hadn’t become so bland. There was no sense of urgency, no shocking revelation revealed in a clever twist, or even justification for why the reader should care that a character as strongly disliked as Wickham is facing the gallows. Instead, P.D. James took the reader through a plodding police procedural that had me questioning both the story’s pacing and its historical accuracy. I’m no expert on British police and court procedures, but a lot of the legal events felt far too modern for this time period. And then, instead of allowing the characters to discover the truth behind Captain Denny’s death, James neatly laid the whole thing out through a conversation between several characters. I feel like this type of “detective explains all” ending only works if the mystery has been wonderfully twisted — i.e., if the reader is truly begging for Sherlock or Poirot to make sense of the madness. But here, I was just impatient for an explanation so that I could get on with finishing this book.
Another issue was the way James unnecessarily rehashed large portions of the “Pride and Prejudice” story. For instance, why did Mr. Darcy feel the need to pull Elizabeth aside and explain all over again that he was wrong to separate Jane and Mr. Bingley, and that her rejection of his Kent proposal made him reevaluate who he was? They’ve been married for six years by this point, haven’t they moved on by now? James also spent a lot of time “telling” rather than “showing” important scenes, and a number of the side characters’ actions didn’t add up. It got old fast.
This book wasn’t all bad — I especially enjoyed the glimpses of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s deep, abiding love, and how the ending wrapped things up satisfactorily. But “Death Comes to Pemberley” largely felt like someone trying and failing to pay homage to one of the most beloved English novelists of all time. Like James herself said in the author’s note, if Jane Austen had wanted to write this kind of story, she would have, and she would have done it better.
You can’t expect this book to be Pride and Prejudice because it’s not. It is a great, easy reading murder mystery that keeps you intrigued. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and premise of the book. This is a favorite that will be read again!
You’d think that a Pride and Prejudice murder mystery by a well respected author would be amazing, but you’d be wrong. The narrative plods along with a side storyline that is obviously going to play into the mystery, but instead of Elizabeth and Jane as a dynamic investigative duo or Darcy and Elizabeth working together to crack the case, we get pages and pages of expository dump at the end and a pathetic epilogue. I can’t not mention the incredibly clunky “as you’ll remember, Darcy” dialogue to awkwardly explain history or P&P recaps, and the silly introduction of other Austen characters to the story. What a disappointment.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes