Reviews

The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley

andyatx's review

hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

mychemicalseal's review against another edition

3.5

I enjoyed it as a viewpoint of a character we don't see much of in the original Pride and Prejudice, but I'm not a big fan of stories that do birth to death stories. I'd have liked it to pick a moment (say, leaving Rosings and shaking the laudanum) and go through exactly what Anne thought as she got used to a new life. 

a_little_bit_of_erica's review

emotional reflective slow-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? No

3.25

k_lenn's review

4.0

I love Anne de Bourgh with my entire heart.

Molly Greeley did a great job exploring sensitive topics in a way that's empathetic and (from my very limited historical knowledge) true to the time period. The writing is fantastic, the characters feel real, and the antagonist's motive is frustrating but human. I don't have anything negative to say.

I haven't read Pride and Prejudice yet, but this book made me very excited to do so. Seems like historical fiction is growing on me!

jgreggs's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bbarcenas's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.5

jackiehorne's review

4.0

A Jane Austen canon extension, featuring the first-person narration of Anne de Bourgh, whose "sickliness" as a child is treated with laudanum, a treatment that continues into Anne's young adulthood. Until a letter from a previous governess prods the dreamy, half-drugged young woman to question the rightness of what she's always taken for granted, and she makes a break for freedom. Anne's first-person narrative voice put me more in mind of Charlotte Brontë than Austen—not at all a drawback, just a note that the prose is far more introspective and elegant than I was expecting. It's been a while since I took such pleasure in a writer's prose; Greeley is a superb, understated stylist. Will have to go back and check out her first book, [b:The Clergyman's Wife: A Pride & Prejudice Novel|44286204|The Clergyman's Wife A Pride & Prejudice Novel|Molly Greeley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569893224l/44286204._SY75_.jpg|67107724], an imagining of the story of Charlotte Lucas/Collins.

ctasala's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

oatmilkmatchalatte's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mar_p's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction