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addielum's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kassiani's review against another edition
4.25
It took me a bit to truly get into this book, but then I was enamoured.
It gives us a glimpse into Charlotte's inner life, as well as her pragmatic view of the realities women faced during this time period, notably how the only control she had over her life relied on smart underhanded machinations. Elegy of a quiet life: the daily happiness and minutiae of helping the parish's community, managing her small estate, tending her garden, visiting friends... VS the entire open world she glimpses at when talking to Jacob, the austrian composer.
On companionship: a new look at Mr Collins (mutual respect and support), her friendship with Elizabeth, Anne de Bourgh, and Jacob.
On the pain of grief, loosing one's child, and the subsequent vulnerability of her daughters when it comes to inheritance.
Loved Anne de Bourgh in this (super blunt, ace, riding at night through the moor in drag, traveling the world, and becoming the archetype of the cool aunt).
It gives us a glimpse into Charlotte's inner life, as well as her pragmatic view of the realities women faced during this time period, notably how the only control she had over her life relied on smart underhanded machinations. Elegy of a quiet life: the daily happiness and minutiae of helping the parish's community, managing her small estate, tending her garden, visiting friends... VS the entire open world she glimpses at when talking to Jacob, the austrian composer.
On companionship: a new look at Mr Collins (mutual respect and support), her friendship with Elizabeth, Anne de Bourgh, and Jacob.
On the pain of grief, loosing one's child, and the subsequent vulnerability of her daughters when it comes to inheritance.
Loved Anne de Bourgh in this (super blunt, ace, riding at night through the moor in drag, traveling the world, and becoming the archetype of the cool aunt).
catherine_t's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas marries Mr. Collins, whom Elizabeth Bennet famously rejects despite all the entreaties of her mother. The reader gets a glimpse of their married life when Lizzy goes on a visit to Hunsford with Charlotte's father and sister Maria. But that glimpse was not enough for Helen Moffett. The result is Charlotte, in which Moffett imagines Charlotte Collins' life outside of Elizabeth's point of view.
The book opens with Charlotte and her husband losing their youngest child, Tom, to hydrocephalus at the age of 3. The Collinses have been married for seven years at this point, and have two daughters as well. But the loss of their son is devastating, as indeed the loss of any child is. As Charlotte lives with her grief, she finds an unexpected ally in Anne de Bourgh, daughter of the formidable Lady Catherine, a character Moffett develops greatly beyond the pale silent creature Austen gives us. Then comes an invitation from Pemberley: Mr. Darcy has business that must take him away for several weeks, and he would like Charlotte and her daughters to keep Elizabeth company. Charlotte accepts with alacrity.
Charlotte and her girls are not the only visitors at Pemberley. When they arrive, they meet Jacob Rosenstein, a musician and composer who has come to repair Georgiana Darcy's instruments, and Charlotte begins to realize that there is something beyond her limited Kentish horizons.
Though I am a dyed-in-the-wool Janeite, I haven't read much Jane Austen "fan fiction", for want of a better term, though what I have read I have mostly enjoyed. Charlotte definitely falls into this category. I can't say I've ever really speculated on what became of Charlotte Lucas when she became Mrs. Collins, but Moffett has expanded on what Austen gives us in a thoroughly authentic way (though I much doubt Jane would have written the fantastically erotic scene between Charlotte and Jacob). She gives an inner life to a character that Austen used to comment on the circumstances of single women in her own time, and she does it very well. Definitely recommended for Austen fans.
The book opens with Charlotte and her husband losing their youngest child, Tom, to hydrocephalus at the age of 3. The Collinses have been married for seven years at this point, and have two daughters as well. But the loss of their son is devastating, as indeed the loss of any child is. As Charlotte lives with her grief, she finds an unexpected ally in Anne de Bourgh, daughter of the formidable Lady Catherine, a character Moffett develops greatly beyond the pale silent creature Austen gives us. Then comes an invitation from Pemberley: Mr. Darcy has business that must take him away for several weeks, and he would like Charlotte and her daughters to keep Elizabeth company. Charlotte accepts with alacrity.
Charlotte and her girls are not the only visitors at Pemberley. When they arrive, they meet Jacob Rosenstein, a musician and composer who has come to repair Georgiana Darcy's instruments, and Charlotte begins to realize that there is something beyond her limited Kentish horizons.
Though I am a dyed-in-the-wool Janeite, I haven't read much Jane Austen "fan fiction", for want of a better term, though what I have read I have mostly enjoyed. Charlotte definitely falls into this category. I can't say I've ever really speculated on what became of Charlotte Lucas when she became Mrs. Collins, but Moffett has expanded on what Austen gives us in a thoroughly authentic way (though I much doubt Jane would have written the fantastically erotic scene between Charlotte and Jacob). She gives an inner life to a character that Austen used to comment on the circumstances of single women in her own time, and she does it very well. Definitely recommended for Austen fans.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage and Religious bigotry
isabelmary's review against another edition
5.0
in content probably a 4.5 but I just loved it okay?? the plot was quite improbable by the end but the voice was superb
laure_frompariswithbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
hannykin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
philippakmoore's review against another edition
4.0
As a die-hard Pride and Prejudice (and Jane Austen in general) fan, having adored the story and characters since I was a child, I have long resisted any sequel or fan-fic by modern writers that involves reimagining this beloved story in any way. It felt like dangerous territory to me, best left alone.
However, after reading Charlotte, I'm beginning to think I've missed a trick. This book very convincingly reimagines that beloved world and characters, through the perspective of a minor character. And it really works.
Charlotte gives us, as the title suggests, the untold story of Charlotte Lucas and her marriage to Mr Collins. I have long been fascinated by the character of Charlotte, whom many feminist scholars have held up over the years as a character that represents the reality that faced the majority of women, including Jane Austen herself, during that period. As appalled as Charlotte's best friend Elizabeth Bennet is at her decision to marry Mr Collins, a man Lizzy herself has rejected as repulsive, Charlotte's choice is entirely understandable. Whether she loved Mr Collins or even liked him was rather immaterial - for a 'plain' woman, marriage was her ticket out of spinsterhood, being a burden to her family (particularly her brothers who would be honour-bound to support her after the death of their father) and having an insecure future. Love was for those who could afford it.
Charlotte ends up having a very fulfilling life as mistress of her own domain, Hunsford Parsonage, and she and Mr Collins, while still over-effusive and odd, do become a good team, in marriage, life and parenthood. The details of her housekeeping and the fruits (and other products) of the estate are so interesting and enjoyable to read. And there are flashbacks to the scenes we all remember from the original told from Charlotte's perspective (and I appreciated the author's note as to why she reimagined some scenes in a certain way), so this tale is very much anchored in that universe and convincingly so. I particularly enjoyed the reappearance of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the evolution of Anne de Bourgh's story, another minor character from the original who is brought to life and given a lot more to do in this story. It was also highly amusing to hear the fate of Lydia Bennet/Wickham!
This book was 5 stars until almost the end. On a month or so long visit to her friend Mrs Darcy at Pemberley, Charlotte becomes acquainted with Jacob Rosenstein, an instrument repairer and talented musician from Austria, hired by the Darcys to fix their very expensive pianoforte. They spend a lot of time together, and Jacob becomes very much a part of the Darcy family for the duration of Charlotte and her daughters' visit. For most of the book, it appears that this spark between Charlotte and Jacob, while felt strongly by both, culminated in an intense embrace towards the end of the visit but nothing more. So I presumed. And, to be honest, I would have preferred that. I felt it would have been more realistic, and more true to Charlotte's character, had the connection never gone any further than some intense moments of unexpressed longing, and the meaningful embrace. There is something in choosing not to take a spark or connection further, to preserve the preciousness of what you already share with the other person. I realise those moments are not always what great novels are made of....but perhaps they should be.
So I was disappointed that it is eventually revealed that Charlotte and Jacob did indeed succumb to temptation - and the sex scene is quite jarring to read. It felt very out of place with everything that had gone before - but perhaps that was the intention, to reveal a lustier, more human side to Charlotte, the dutiful clergyman's wife and doting mother (it should be noted that for all of the book she is grieving the loss of her youngest child who dies as a toddler, so perhaps this strange act is mean to be reflective of that, I'm not sure). Don't get me wrong, I'm all for an erotic scene - this just really didn't work for me, given everything else that I'd read and enjoyed up to that point.
The above is the only reason that Charlotte gets 4 stars from me and not 5 - otherwise, it is a wonderful, enthralling read that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice but, like me, feared that reading a reimagined version of it might ruin the original. Far from it. For these strange times, stepping into a beloved familiar story again is a great deal of fun and much-needed escapism.
With many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
However, after reading Charlotte, I'm beginning to think I've missed a trick. This book very convincingly reimagines that beloved world and characters, through the perspective of a minor character. And it really works.
Charlotte gives us, as the title suggests, the untold story of Charlotte Lucas and her marriage to Mr Collins. I have long been fascinated by the character of Charlotte, whom many feminist scholars have held up over the years as a character that represents the reality that faced the majority of women, including Jane Austen herself, during that period. As appalled as Charlotte's best friend Elizabeth Bennet is at her decision to marry Mr Collins, a man Lizzy herself has rejected as repulsive, Charlotte's choice is entirely understandable. Whether she loved Mr Collins or even liked him was rather immaterial - for a 'plain' woman, marriage was her ticket out of spinsterhood, being a burden to her family (particularly her brothers who would be honour-bound to support her after the death of their father) and having an insecure future. Love was for those who could afford it.
Charlotte ends up having a very fulfilling life as mistress of her own domain, Hunsford Parsonage, and she and Mr Collins, while still over-effusive and odd, do become a good team, in marriage, life and parenthood. The details of her housekeeping and the fruits (and other products) of the estate are so interesting and enjoyable to read. And there are flashbacks to the scenes we all remember from the original told from Charlotte's perspective (and I appreciated the author's note as to why she reimagined some scenes in a certain way), so this tale is very much anchored in that universe and convincingly so. I particularly enjoyed the reappearance of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the evolution of Anne de Bourgh's story, another minor character from the original who is brought to life and given a lot more to do in this story. It was also highly amusing to hear the fate of Lydia Bennet/Wickham!
This book was 5 stars until almost the end. On a month or so long visit to her friend Mrs Darcy at Pemberley, Charlotte becomes acquainted with Jacob Rosenstein, an instrument repairer and talented musician from Austria, hired by the Darcys to fix their very expensive pianoforte. They spend a lot of time together, and Jacob becomes very much a part of the Darcy family for the duration of Charlotte and her daughters' visit. For most of the book, it appears that this spark between Charlotte and Jacob, while felt strongly by both, culminated in an intense embrace towards the end of the visit but nothing more. So I presumed. And, to be honest, I would have preferred that. I felt it would have been more realistic, and more true to Charlotte's character, had the connection never gone any further than some intense moments of unexpressed longing, and the meaningful embrace. There is something in choosing not to take a spark or connection further, to preserve the preciousness of what you already share with the other person. I realise those moments are not always what great novels are made of....but perhaps they should be.
So I was disappointed that it is eventually revealed that Charlotte and Jacob did indeed succumb to temptation - and the sex scene is quite jarring to read. It felt very out of place with everything that had gone before - but perhaps that was the intention, to reveal a lustier, more human side to Charlotte, the dutiful clergyman's wife and doting mother (it should be noted that for all of the book she is grieving the loss of her youngest child who dies as a toddler, so perhaps this strange act is mean to be reflective of that, I'm not sure). Don't get me wrong, I'm all for an erotic scene - this just really didn't work for me, given everything else that I'd read and enjoyed up to that point.
The above is the only reason that Charlotte gets 4 stars from me and not 5 - otherwise, it is a wonderful, enthralling read that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice but, like me, feared that reading a reimagined version of it might ruin the original. Far from it. For these strange times, stepping into a beloved familiar story again is a great deal of fun and much-needed escapism.
With many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
friendlyflamingo's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0