Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice [Paperback]

Jennifer Becton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2010

When Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, she believed herself to be fortunate indeed. Her nuptials gained her a comfortable home and financial security. If she acquired these things at the expense of true love, it did not matter one whit. To Charlotte, love in marriage was nothing more than a pleasant coincidence.

As the years of her marriage dragged by, Charlotte began to question her idea of love as she suffered continual embarrassment at her husband's simpering and fawning manners. When Mr. Collins dies, finally relieving everyone of his tedious conversation, she must work feverishly to secure her income and home. She gives no further thought to the prospect of love until her flighty sister Maria begs her to act as her chaperone in place of their ailing parents. Hoping to prevent Maria from also entering an unhappy union, Charlotte agrees, and they are quickly thrust into a world of country dances, dinner parties, and marriageable gentlemen.

But when an unprincipled gentleman compromises Charlotte's reputation, her romantic thoughts disappear at the prospect of losing her independence. As she struggles to extricate herself from her slander, her situation reveals both the nature of each gentleman and of true love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

With Charlotte Collins...Becton mines the rich vein of literary characters who've vanished into the mists of history.... Charming, witty, and grounded in period detail, Becton's debut novel will make Jane Austen fans rejoice. --Beverle Graves Myers

About the Author

Jennifer Becton works as a freelance editor and writer and is a lover of many genres of books, including historical novels, mysteries, and literary fiction. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband Bert and her cat Puttytat. She is also an avid equestrienne and owns a horse appropriately named Darcy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1453740473
• ISBN-13: 978-1453740477
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer has worked in the publishing industry for twelve years as a proofreader, copy editor, and freelance writer. In 2010, she accepted the challenge to self-publish her first novel Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Upon discovering the possibilities of the expanding ebook market, she created Whiteley Press, LLC, an independent publishing house. Caroline Bingley, Jennifer's second historical novel, was released in October 2011.

Jennifer also writes thrillers under the pseudo-pseudonym J. W. Becton. Absolute Liability, the first in the six-book Southern Fraud Thriller Series, made the Amazon Kindle Best Sellers list and spent three nonconsecutive weeks on the Indie Reader Best Sellers list. Death Benefits and At Fault are now available, and Moral Hazard will be released in 2013. The Southern Fraud series blends suspense, humor, and Southern charm with just a touch of romance. If you enjoy reading humorous mysteries or watching TV crime dramedies like Castle or The Mentalist, you should like the Southern Fraud series. For more information on Jennifer's thrillers, visit http://www.jwbecton.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Becton September 20, 2010

By Marcella

Format:Paperback

I know I have mentioned this before but I will repeat it again: I love Jane Austen sequels. I picked this one because I have never read or seen a sequel dedicated to Charlotte Collins before. For those of you who don't know, Charlotte marries the odious Mr. Collins after Elizabeth Bennett refuses to marry him. I don't know how other people view this union, but to me Charlotte sentenced herself to a life of tediousness and boredom. Jennifer Becton picks up Charlotte's story after the death of Mr. Collins. She longs to live out her days in peace and quiet but life and Maria have other plans for her. I really like this book! The story line was fantastic. It has twists and turns, heartache and humor. I loved the new characters that Jennifer introduced us to. Mr. Ben Basford is now a favorite of mine. I hope everyone loves him as much as I do. This is a great romantic read. You will fall in love with Charlotte as she learns to follow her heart. I sincerely hope that Jennifer Becton will write more books about Jane Austen beloved characters.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars better after the first 1/3 of the book May 18, 2011

By C. S. Roberts

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book starts out so slowly that it was hard to keep on reading. I almost abandoned it several times, but I saw that it got really good reviews on Amazon, so I kept saying 'one more chapter' until the story picked up. It kept on improving right to the end.

Jennifer Becton has created a whole person out of a very underdeveloped Pride and Prejudice character. She developed a character that was realistic based on what we know of Charlotte from P&P. This Charlotte could plausibly marry for security and be pious and proper throughout a marriage to a parson, but she wanted more out of life and envied her friends' loving marriages. This story explores how that could happen for her. Interestingly, Charlotte values her judgement of character only to have it all challenged similar to Elizabeth in P&P.

The character of Maria was also sketched out in more detail than in P&P, and I liked what the author did with her, including the improvement of her character throughout the novel. The original characters in this book were enjoyable, the villain truly nasty. There was a nod to Mansfield Park with the elopement. The romantic ending was predictable but the scenes leading up to it were pleasingly surprising.

This book is well-written technically, with a few sections of language reminiscent of Jane Austen herself, for example, the letter from Miss Farmington regarding the picnic. The vocabulary is not intending to be overly impressive like some Regency romances can be; the author sticks to mostly words of less than four syllables. She is Regency-correct in many areas where other authors make mistakes particularly in length of mourning, mourning attire, and language appropriate to the period. There were quite a few good descriptive scenes such as the scenery on the walk in the forest with Basford, the ballroom scenes, and the gentlemens' clothing.

If it weren't for my impression of the first third of this book being unengaging, I would give it four stars.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Plain and Proper Charlotte Finds Love! September 22, 2010

By Meredith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life." - Chapter 6 Pride and Prejudice

What a bleak and unromantic view of marriage Charlotte Lucas had! Did marriage to Mr. Collins refute or support her conviction? Did seeing the blissful and affectionate marriages of her dear friends Jane and Elizabeth Bennet alter Charlotte's opinion on marital felicity? Is love and happiness in marriage more important than financial security and a home of your own?

In Jennifer Becton's beautiful Pride and Prejudice sequel, Charlotte Collins receives the opportunity for a second chance in love. After seven exasperating and tedious years of marriage, Mr. Collins passes away in an unfortunate carriage accident. Charlotte, now in her mid-thirties, enjoys a life of independence and solitude as she lives off the jointure Mr. Collins begrudgingly set up for her. Charlotte's peace and quiet is soon interrupted when her younger sister Maria becomes a permanent house guest and coerces Charlotte into being her chaperone. Charlotte finds herself revisiting the world of balls, beaus, and romance as she assists Maria in finding a felicitous match. It soon becomes apparent though, that Maria is not the only one who has romance on the mind...

We don't encounter all our old friends from Pride and Prejudice since the story focuses extensively on the lives of Charlotte and Maria, but Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and Lady Catherine all make a brief appearance. Nonetheless, we are introduced to several new, original, and well-defined suitors in this tale. Mr. Card is a wealthy young man with a strong regard for Maria Lucas, but does Maria think of him as more than a friend? Mr. Whitfield and his uncle Mr. Benjamin Basford are Americans touring the continent, and both of them seem to take pleasure in the company of Maria and Charlotte. However, ever proper and practical Charlotte takes an instant dislike to Mr. Basford's inappropriate familiarity and lax manners. Lastly, we are introduced to a Mr. Edgington, a distant bachelor relative of Lady Catherine's who seems develop an intense and fervent interest in Charlotte. It was a pleasure to meet all these intriguing and brilliantly developed new characters.

I absolutely love it when an author takes a secondary Austen character, brings them to the forefront, and transforms them into an admirable hero or heroine. What a delight it was to read a novel that centered on these two diverse sisters who were previously only minor characters! One aspect of this novel I took great pleasure in was discovering the parallels between Charlotte and Maria and the Dashwood sisters. With a head full of romantic notions and her blatant disregard for society's standards, Maria Lucas reminded me very much of Marianne, and Charlotte's sensible levelheadedness and realistic disposition made me think of Elinor. There are other subtle nods to Jane Austen's novels to be found in this tale, such as Charlotte being blinded by her prejudices and Maria displaying, very publicly, her feelings for a certain gentleman. My only tiny quibble about this novel is that Maria, whom I guess to be in twenties now, was a little too flighty and heedless for her age. I felt she was sometimes a little too much like Lydia Bennet.

Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Becton is a deeply satisfying and captivating read. If you have desired a better fate for Charlotte Collins or are intrigued by the idea of her becoming a heroine, then this is the novel for you! I am completely enamored with the romantic and tender love story in this novel, and I dearly hope that this is only the beginning of Ms. Becton's Austenesque writing career!

Austenesque Reviews