Customer Reviews

From Lambton to Longbourn: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just wanted to make all buyers aware that this book is a reprint of a book previously written by Reynolds entitled "From Lambton to Longborne".

I bought this after reading the glowing reviews. I was disappointed. I've read several P&P sequels, and though I did find it somewhat entertaining, the repeated descriptions of Darcy & Elizabeth stealing kisses again, and again, and - surprise - again was a bit tedious. Different readers enjoy different types of novels, and I enjoyed Pamela Aidan's trilogy quite a lot, though my favorite so far has been Helen Halstead's "Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride." The Linda Berdoll books are on the other extreme - the X-rated version of Darcy & Elizabeth's relationship. This novel was somewhere in between, a Harlequin romance warmed over. The story got less and less plausible as it went, as much of a story as there was - which wasn't much, sad to say. I did enjoy seeing a bit more of Georgiana, but I missed seeing what Lady Catherine would have to say in this take on the P&P story. I also didn't enjoy the development of Darcy's and Elizabeth's personalities as needy, clingy, and insecure in the romance department.

I did enjoy it, and would give it 3 and a half stars if I could, but I wouldn't spend the money on it again. It's just not my type of novel. For those who enjoy light paperbook romances, you'd probably like it much better than I did.

I decided to read this, to see what a variation of P&P would be like and I'm a little dissapointed. The scenes between Lizzy and Darcy have Darcy coming off as if he has a hair fetish, considering every time they get close his face seems to go straight for that.

Miss Darcy's characterization as a giggling schoolgirl comes from nowhere, and the whole book seems to be written for the express purpose of having Darcy and Lizzy snog each other's brains out. With no other plot to sustain itself it got boring reading every other scene where Darcy goes ant tries to eat Lizzy's hair again. I wasn't expecting Austen in this, but I was hoping for an entertaining read, mostly I kept getting pulled out of the story by the bad characterizations. Not the worst continuation of P&P I've read, but nowhere near the best.

This is the third of the Abigail Reynolds Pride and Prejudice "variations" which I have read and I'm finally understanding the concept (just color me a slow learner!). Having said that, I can say that these books are so completely different from each other that it can be really quite confusing. Each Darcy is totally different from the last one. Each Elizabeth is totally different. This is quite a feat for Ms Reynolds to carry off in five books and still keep the Pride and Prejudice fanatics, of which I am one, happy. So far I have really liked one (The Last Man in the World), been rather surprised and unhappy with one (Without Reserve), and am now sitting firmly on the fence with this one. My assignment is to come up with a review stating what I liked and what I didn't like about this book.

What I liked: 1.) It was a Pride and Prejudice variation. 2.) I think Ms Reynolds managed to get the "voice" of the period down very well in this book. 3.) The characters of Mary and Kitty were much more pleasing and came closer to being real, average young women in this novel. 3.) Georgianna came out of her shell quite a bit, but here I think this plus may also bleed over into the minus category somewhat. She came out of her shell almost too much. 4.) The characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were well done. More of him, less of her. I liked that.

What I didn't like: 1.)If the reader is not completely familiar with the original Pride and Prejudice, this book opens so abruptly that some readers will take a long time to figure out what is happening. It literally begins the moment after Lizzy has told Darcy in the private parlor of the Inn at Lambton about the problem with Lydia and Wickham. A non-Austenite might feel slightly lost for a while until the background is finally filled in. 2.) Did Ms Reynolds have to turn Darcy into such a thoroughly lovesick puppy? I read another review published here in which the writer says that Darcy seemed to have a hair fetish. After I finished laughing out loud I realized that that reviewer had hit on a totally true fact. I wanted Elizabeth and Darcy to have more private time in the Austen original but here it just became repetitious. At least it was confined to kissing in this variation. 4.) The confrontation with Lady Catherine is one of the pivotal points in the original Pride and Prejudice yet it is totally left out of this variation. I wonder why that was (unless Lizzy and Darcy were kissing in the garden when she came by and they just missed her visit!)? This could have been used by Ms Reynolds to have both Lizzy and Darcy confront his aunt and would/could have made for some very interesting reading.

Overall, I think a three star rating is a very fair judgment for my own personal opinion. And, after all, this is only my personal opinion. It doesn't have to mean that the book was not good or that I didn't enjoy reading it. But, I have read better continuations of the Pride and Prejudice story and that is something I would feel honor bound to tell anyone asking my opinion of this book

Abagail Reynolds is one of my favorite authors when in comes to Pride and Prejudice variations. I have read several of her novels and have fallen in love with each one. She takes the question 'what if?' and applies them to the original story line. In this novel, What Would Mr. Darcy Do? Abagail Reynolds addressed the question, What if Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett were upfront with their feelings for each other at the Lampton Inn?" The storyline takes off in a new direction. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy both confess to their romantic feelings towards each other and things start to heat up. They are caught in a precarious position by the Gardiners and hard choices have to be made. Although Elizabeth is fond of Mr. Darcy, she does not want to be forced into marriage. Mr. Darcy makes it his mission in life to convince Elizabeth that he is the right man for her.
This book was originally published in 2008 under the title, From Lambton to Longbourn. However this was my first time reading this particular variation. I found the story line to be very enjoyable. I like this twist on the original story. I also like that Abagail Reynolds keeps most of the side stories in tact while giving us something completely new. She stays true to the characters and their personalities. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth both express doubts and misinterpret each other quite a bit. They must learn to overcome it their insecurities, with the help of the Gardiners. Things also become a little hot and steamy between the two. It's not R rated but definitely not PG either. The chemistry between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is captivating.
Overall this book is a great Pride and Prejudice variation. I adore Abagail Reynolds and I love reading her novels. She definitely gives me my Mr. Darcy fix. If you're a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I would recommend this novel to you. Even if you're not a fan it's still a good read.

This is a lovely, lovely story, and an interesting what-if for those who are fans of P&P. What if the smallest change happened when Darcy came to Lambton Inn? The combination of engaging characterizations, humor and sweetness, without being cloying makes for a most enjoyable read. And, it is appropriate for all ages and sensibilities. There is no explicit sex, but there is plenty of romance.

It is a satisfying romance, even if you're not a fan of Pride and Prejudice. A great choice for lazy afternoon read.

I really like this variation. I have read six (6) of Abigail Reynolds books and this is my favorite after: "Last Man in World". This book does not have the explicit sex scenes which all the other books by Ms. Reynolds have, which in itself is a twist!!!

In this variation of "what would happen if" Ms. Reynold's story starts with Mr. Darcy and Elisabeth expressing their true feelings for each other at the Inn at Lampton. This occurs after Elisabeth has recieved the devestating news about Lydia and Mr. Wickham's infamous elopment. Elisabeth is torn between her love for Mr. Darcy and Lydia's disgrace. Can she accept the man she loves when her "family connections" have sunk to a new low?

I picked up "From Lambton to Longbourn" this morning, and was not able to put it down till I finished it. I immediately wanted to start reading this book again. I wanted to go back to the Lambton Inn and experience the beginning all over. This is a "feel good" book. You get an intimate look at Lizzy and Darcy in a courtship. As much as I love Jane Austen's writing, and understand that she was limited by propriety and the scope of her own experience, her endings can sometimes feel anticlimatic for the reader. I think this is why variations and adaptations are so popular. We want to see more than Jane was able to show us.

I love the role that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner play in this romance. As confidants for both parties, Lizzy's Aunt notes, she's in a perfect postion for a meddling aunt. We know the Gardiners well enought to trust that they have everyone's best interests at heart.

My thoughts:

This was another lovely Jane Austen variation from Abigail Reynolds. It was sweet, and it made me smile.


In this one the story takes a slight turn at that day at the Inn in Lambton. Instead of him going away at once they talk a bit, she cries a bit, and there is a promise to see each other again. What we have next is Bingely showing up to court Jane, Georgiana writing letters to Elizabeth, and Darcy pining over Lizzy. There are no big surprises or changes, but instead it's a closer look at this couple.


Mr Darcy in this one is lovely, absolutely lovely. He is violently in love as Mrs Gardiner says to Lizzy, and he is just so so, yes in love. It's great to see this passionate side of him and the only thing he wants to do is to court her. Lizzy is Lizzy, firm in her opinions but she has fallen for him, and these two together when they sneak away are such a joy to read about.


At the beginning this book was so cute, and I just had this big grin on my face. Then it became a bit more passionate (ok passionate for that age), lol, just reading about these two saying each other's given names and kissing was plenty.


Conclusion:

A lovely re-telling of a story that I just can't get enough of. I would recommend this one to my fellow JA lovers.


Rating:

Short and nice

When I first received this book from Amazon my first impression was that I was going to be disappointed. (It is an extremely thin book, with relatively large print.) We all know that first impressions aren't always correct, so I started reading hoping for the best.
I am sorry to say this book was a bit of a letdown. The concept of the book itself, is a great one, and I think in the right hands it would have turned out better. There was simply not enough substance to the story. It seemed to progress too rapidly without enough detail. I would not have minded the endless make out scenes (of which there are many) if there had been more substance to the rest of the story.
I also did not like this Darcy Ms. Reynolds has created. We all have impossibly high standards of what we think our Mr. Darcy would be like, and I think Pamela Aidan has came the closest to meeting them of all the P&P spin offs I have read. I did not like the love struck puppy that has been portrayed in this book. I also found the author to dwell too much on Mr. Darcy's "self control" or lack thereof. There was quite a lot more to Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy than this aspect, and I think the author missed a great opportunity in not exploring those other facets of his character.
All in all, it's an OK read... but if you're looking for something exciting and in depth, keep looking. You're not going to find it in this book.
I might try one more of Ms. Reynolds books. If I'm not impressed, I'll avoid the rest of the series.