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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I'm glad I bought this one at a library sale. There are some much better, in-depth reviews about how the writing is not Austen-ish, not just in style, but also historical accuracy. One I read mentioned the modern sensibility that made Sarah so resentful of her position. It never felt earned or natural; it was very much a contemporary voice placed in Regency England. Other authors, like KJ Charles and Zen Cho, really nail the historical voice and setting, so this was disappointing in that respect. It interfered with my entire reading experience and I wasn't ever able to believe Sarah's or the portrayal of any other character.
I know that the Bennett family isn't actually the best and I'm biased because I love Austen's novels so much. BUT. It felt like Baker went out of her way to make them terrible. Not totally cartoonishly evil, but certainly awful to make you want to side with the protagonist. Especially at the end, with the sort of climactic (?) confrontation between Sarah and the Darcy's. It felt very self-insertion and not believable at all. To me, it came off as manipulative and shallow, to get some kind of response from the reader.
I know that the Bennett family isn't actually the best and I'm biased because I love Austen's novels so much. BUT. It felt like Baker went out of her way to make them terrible. Not totally cartoonishly evil, but certainly awful to make you want to side with the protagonist. Especially at the end, with the sort of climactic (?) confrontation between Sarah and the Darcy's. It felt very self-insertion and not believable at all. To me, it came off as manipulative and shallow, to get some kind of response from the reader.
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I really enjoyed this well-researched and delightfully-realised version of Pride and Prejudice from the "downstairs" point of view.
The writing itself made this book really enjoyable. Also, I have never been so grateful for indoor plumbing.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Look, I really did try. I blame the marketing proclaiming this as "Pride and Prejudice" meets "Downton Abbey" (both of which I quite enjoy). But do you know what those two works of fiction have that this book doesn't? Interesting characters. Compelling plot lines. A narrative that I actually WANT to continue reading without the desire to jab a rusty spork in my eye. One hundred pages into "Longbourn" and I could not bring myself to care about anyone that I wasn't already familiar with. Good grief - Elizabeth Bennet's mudstained petticoats had more personality than whatsherface that's supposed to be the main character of this novel. I kept waiting for someone to do something of note, but it never happened - just endless whining about laundry and bread and chamber pots (evidently, the author never read the book "Everyone Poops" in grade school and as such, this novel treats the fact that people in the 18th century had normal bodily functions like it's some great scientific discovery. Next you're going to tell me that sex wasn't discovered until 1965). So yeah - not enamored with this at all. If you love pretentious and elitist literary crap, then you'll have a field day with this one. As for me - I'll stick with Austen's original masterpiece, thank you.
A wonderful telling of the below-stairs story of Pride and Prejudice. Be prepared though, this is grittier and a little sad-bastardy.
Loved it! Listened to the audiobook and the reader was great.
This book is unfortunate, but not for the reason I expected. I kind of expected the writing to be dull, to try to live up to Jane Austen, but Baker was able to conjure a story that was written quite well (not quite Austen, but her own voice). I'm not a huge Austen fan, so I wasn't expecting to be too attached to the source material for it to sway my opinions or offend me. And yet…
I wish that Baker had simply had her original characters in their own original stories. Baker didn't need Longbourn and the Bennets to tell this story, yet there they were, getting in the way and being a general nuisance. It seemed as though Austen's world was a crutch, a way to under develop and undersell the characters that she had created. I did like how she fleshed out Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, but beyond adding to their backstory, I feel that the rest of the clan as we met them in Austen hasn't really changed much. Then what's the point of having them there? Sarah's story gets lost in the backstory, in the silliness that is the Bennets. Perhaps that is the point: that servantry was the background and stayed that way, their desires and hopes never fulfilled. But that makes for an unfulfilling plot, especially when the main character is a servant, yet the main focus shifts from Bennets to rumors to servants and back again.
Overall disappointing.
I wish that Baker had simply had her original characters in their own original stories. Baker didn't need Longbourn and the Bennets to tell this story, yet there they were, getting in the way and being a general nuisance. It seemed as though Austen's world was a crutch, a way to under develop and undersell the characters that she had created. I did like how she fleshed out Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, but beyond adding to their backstory, I feel that the rest of the clan as we met them in Austen hasn't really changed much. Then what's the point of having them there? Sarah's story gets lost in the backstory, in the silliness that is the Bennets. Perhaps that is the point: that servantry was the background and stayed that way, their desires and hopes never fulfilled. But that makes for an unfulfilling plot, especially when the main character is a servant, yet the main focus shifts from Bennets to rumors to servants and back again.
Overall disappointing.