Edmund Bertram's Diary [Hardcover]

Amanda Grange (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2007

Edmund Bertram's well ordered life at Mansfield Park is turned upside down by the arrival of the bewitching Miss Crawford. She brings the excitement of the fashionable world to the countryside, quickly captivating him with her beauty and wit. But she is not all she seems to be, and if Edmund is to find the happiness he deserves he will need the help of all his friends, not least the gentle Fanny Price. Amanda Grange's acclaimed series of Jane Austen retellings continues with this delightful volume, inspired by Austen’s Mansfield Park.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Amanda Grange’s retellings of Jane Austen’s novels from the point of view of the heroes are hugely popular and deservedly so.”
—Single Titles (singletitles.com)

“Amanda Grange is a writer who tells an engaging, thoroughly enjoyable story!”
—Romance Reader at Heart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Amanda Grange is the author of several novels, including Darcy's Diary, Mr Knightley's Diary, and Captain Wentworth's Diary.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709084641
• ISBN-13: 978-0709084648
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,923,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I paid over $50 for this -- & felt it worth every bit!, December 6, 2007

By 

Christina Boyd "Great Reader & sometimes gues... (Custer, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edmund Bertram's Diary (Hardcover)

I purchased this through Amazon UK and so therefore paid dearly for it in getting it sent to the U.S.-- a little over $50 when all the shipping was done,etc. But this hardcover was so worth it! Amanda Grange does a fabulous job telling Mansfield Park through Edmund's eyes. The infatuation he has with Mary Crawford is clearly developed and the disappointment he later gains by hearing first hand her feelings on the Crawford/Maria affair is heartfelt. But what is so endearing is how he relates to Fanny Price and how he comes to finally realize she is his true match. The writing is top notch and I am more than delighted to have this part of my library. Edmund Bertram's Diary is as honest with his thinking and emotions as Darcy was in his.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Author did an admirable job with a work I don't like, April 11, 2010

By 

J. Blakely "Book Lovin' Mama" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edmund Bertram's Diary (Paperback)

Amanda Grange is excellent at these reworkings of Austen's tales from the male perspective. I have deeply enjoyed all of them. This one was also well done, but I honestly didn't care for it. I think it is because I don't really like Edmund. In the recently released BBC adaptation of this novel, I started to like Edmund, but like in book he was distasteful to me in Grange's adaptation. If you like Mansfield Park, I think you will enjoy this book. If you don't, you probably won't.

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars! A great retelling of Mansfield Park through Edmund's eyes., May 26, 2009

By 

Meredith "Austenesque Reviews" (Wilmington , NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edmund Bertram's Diary (Paperback)

Amanda Grange has done it again! I love her series on Austen men! This is my fourth book and to be honest, I was a little wary of it because Edmund is not one of my favorite Austen heroes. Like in her other books, Ms. Grange did her homework, her retelling follows the course of Mansfield Park, with accurate dates, events, and dialogue taking place.

Unfortunately, because Ms. Grange is so diligent with her work, it means a lot of Edmund's diary entries are consumed with talk of Mary Crawford. This is because through out most of Mansfield Park that is whom Edmund is in love with. Nevertheless, there is a lot of Fanny in the book too. We see her when she arrives at age 10, and how Edmund befriends her, cares for her like a brother, like a guardian. And again when they are older and even though his mind is full of Mary he looks to Fanny for comfort, support, and advice.

I liked the relationship between Edmund and Fanny a lot in this book and I feel a better understanding of it. It did not bother me that there was so much about Mary Crawford, because that was true to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.

What I liked most about this book is all the added insight to Edmund. We see his relationship with his brother develop, how he decided to go into the clergy, and his true thoughts and feelings as to being the man of the house when his father and brother go to Antigua. In addition, you see his interest in Mary Crawford develop. What was it that attracted him so much? How did he feel over her teasing about clergymen? What were his thoughts of her after he had given her up? I do like Edmund more than I did before I read this book, and I, of course, have always liked Fanny, but this book has made me dislike Mrs. Norris and Mary Crawford even more. (But that is okay we are supposed to dislike them!)

The only thing that held me back from give this book the full five stars is that I was hoping for more of a romantic love-declaration scene at the end of the book. It is true that in the original that there isn't a big declaration of love, but some of the movie adaptions have tried to add a scene that was not originally in the book. I also would have liked to know more about how Fanny and Edmund did after marriage rather than "We are the same, Fanny and I." Maybe a little description of their happily ever after would have satisfied me more.

So if you are interested in Edmund, and you want to understand him better, or perhaps read the story of Mansfield Park through his eyes then I recommend you give this book a try. I also recommend the others in this series: Colonel Brandon's Diary, Captain Wentworth's Diary, Mr. Darcy's Diary, and Mr. Knightley's Diary.