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2.96 AVERAGE
2.96 AVERAGE
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can’t find anything bad to say about this book. P.D. James has been so careful to keep to Austen’s writing style and the world of Pemberley is revived through his writing with an accuracy that you wouldn’t know it wasn’t Austen if you hadn’t look at the cover. The mystery adds a nice depth to the world of Pemberley, making it more real to the reader than is experienced without reading this book. Definitely recommend for lovers of Austen, avid crime readers and it is a paradise for those who are both!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Pregnancy
Minor: Violence, Grief, War
The author seemed to be trying to recreate Jane Austen's writing style, but didn't quite succeed. The mystery was boring and there was no detective work at all - everything ended up just being confessed. I'm willing to give the author a little leeway, since she was 90 or 91 at the publication date, but overall I would not recommend this book.
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not her best work, but I kind of enjoyed the style.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
I went back and forth between two and three stars for this one. I ended up with two because most of what I liked best about the book was what I recalled about the characters and story of _Pride and Prejudice_, and not what was in this actual book.
The book relies upon the reader's affection for the characters created by Jane Austen. We get partial summaries of the plot of _Pride and Prejudice_ over and over again. The actual characters in the book seem thin, especially Darcy, who comes across as indecisive and tentative, not at all like the forceful character he was in the book. The book is written in a pseudo-nineteenth century style, with long, awkward speeches coming from characters' mouths that no real person would ever say. I'm not a fan of this type of writing, and once again, it serves to distance the reader from the story and characters.
The mystery itself is slight, and once you know all the players, it's obvious what the true meaning of the late-night trip to Pemberly was. I can't really call it a mystery because no one spends any time investigating anything, but instead the characters discourse at great length about the British justice system and proper etiquette. The case is solved by a deus ex machina of the clunkiest kind, right after we get a reinactment of the last scene of Anna Karenina. Melodrama!
So, the book made me think fondly of the movie "Pride and Prejudice", and I want to watch it again to get this sad attempt to cash in on the Jane Austen phenomenon out of my brain. The book gets two stars because of that.
The book relies upon the reader's affection for the characters created by Jane Austen. We get partial summaries of the plot of _Pride and Prejudice_ over and over again. The actual characters in the book seem thin, especially Darcy, who comes across as indecisive and tentative, not at all like the forceful character he was in the book. The book is written in a pseudo-nineteenth century style, with long, awkward speeches coming from characters' mouths that no real person would ever say. I'm not a fan of this type of writing, and once again, it serves to distance the reader from the story and characters.
The mystery itself is slight, and once you know all the players, it's obvious what the true meaning of the late-night trip to Pemberly was. I can't really call it a mystery because no one spends any time investigating anything, but instead the characters discourse at great length about the British justice system and proper etiquette. The case is solved by a deus ex machina of the clunkiest kind, right after we get a reinactment of the last scene of Anna Karenina. Melodrama!
So, the book made me think fondly of the movie "Pride and Prejudice", and I want to watch it again to get this sad attempt to cash in on the Jane Austen phenomenon out of my brain. The book gets two stars because of that.