Customer Reviews

Pemberley Manor

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that one of the most romantic stories of all times must be in want of a sequel. And so, Pride and Prejudice gains another completion, this time in the form of Pemberley Manor, by first time author, Kathryn Nelson. Unabashedly inspired by A&E's Miniseries, Pemberley Manor gives new life to familiar characters as they seek their individual Happily Ever Afters.

The story begins on "the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters" and as one might expect from the title, follows the Darcy's as they adjust to married life and a deeper knowledge of each other. Other characters are portrayed in varying degrees of domesticity, including the Bingley's, both Charles and Jane as well as his sisters, Colonel Fitzwilliam and of course, Georgiana Darcy.

Jane Austen gives us only a glimpse into the future awaiting the new couples and Ms. Nelson expands on that theme with surprises at every turn. New and interesting characters are introduced even as Pemberley's ghosts begin to materialize.

Family history is revealed showing how Darcy, who claims to "have been a selfish being all [his] life, in practice, though not in principle" and "was taught what was right, but...not taught to correct [his] temper...was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit" came to be the man found at the beginning of Pride and Prejudice. These same family forces will not be easily erased. Elizabeth soon discovers that it will take all her love and a family tragedy to ultimately free him from this dark past.

As much as one would like to think of the senior Darcys as models of propriety and manner, Ms. Nelson chooses a path of more realism. Darcy's mother, the late Lady Anne, is not the shy retiring gentlewoman one might expect. She proves to be much more like her sister, Lady Catherine DuBourgh. She is a woman who married in haste only to repent at leisure. It is this personality which shaped Darcy's childhood, causing him to explain that as "an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own."

Throughout the book Darcy is shown as a man conflicted by his past prejudices and present happiness. As he comes to a better realization of the life his parents shared, he learns to cherish the fresh opportunities he has with Elizabeth at his side. Friends of his late father, the Alexanders, play a pivotal role in his new understanding, and a childhood mentor returns to Derbyshire with surprising revelations about Darcy's past.

This story is presented at times from Darcy's point of view and at others from Elizabeth's. The plot is well written and tightly knit, with loose ends being neatly tied up by the conclusion. The text is sprinkled with dialogue and while some readers may find it wordy, it is easy to imagine Elizabeth and Darcy settled into their life at Pemberley sharing just such conversations.

As Elizabeth adjusts to her new role as Darcy's wife, she must face the scrutiny of the neighborhood and the Darcy's lifelong friends. Enjoyable scenes play out as she develops her niche in society as the mistress of Pemberley.

Georgiana Darcy is given nearly as many pages as the happy couple, and her character is developed in a delightful way. Her new friendship with Elizabeth causes her once shy personality to bloom. Even as her new found self possession unfolds, a satisfying romance falls her way.

Perhaps the most interesting change of heart is given to Caroline Bingley who appears at first much as she did in the original. Her pride damaged by Mr. Darcy's abandonment of her expectations, she takes desperate measures to restore her self esteem. Through the ensuing events Charles Bingley is finally awakened to his responsibilities as brother and friend. Jane (Bennet) Bingley remains her sweet, uncomplicated self.

Not for the faint of heart, this sequel runs well over 400 pages and explores themes along a darker and more adult line than the original. Questions of Georgiana's parentage are brought to light and answered through a surprising plot twist. Scenes of marital felicity between Darcy and Elizabeth abound and are explored in a delicate and tasteful way. Sometimes heartbreaking and often humorous, the story will keep readers intrigued to the last, though the revelation of a main character's alternative lifestyle will shock most and offend many.

In some ways, this book was one of the better P&P sequels but it could have been even better with a few changes. For example, the reaction to one character's coming out of the closet seemed more like a 20th century reaction and not consistent with what would have happened in the early 1800's. Darcy's family is portrayed as very dysfunctional and that was an interesting concept but at times, it seemed a little too dark. At the same time, the story was well-written and unlike some other reviewers, I didn't have trouble getting through the book at all. In fact, it went quite quickly. For avid P&P fans, this is a must read.

"Pemberley Manor" is a light and sprawling continuation of the lives of Elizabeth and Darcy following their wedding. The author is inventive and imaginative and the reader comes away from the book feeling they understand the characters better than they did, before.
There is a jarring plot device that seems more 21st century than early 19th, however, and not all of the dialogue rings true.(Darcy sometimes speaks more like a man who has been to group therapy or one "reborn" rather than one who simply has learned he can love a woman who is his social inferior.) He is remarkably introspective for a 19th century man, let alone an Englishman!
Nevertheless, if you like a lot of dialogue, the book is pleasant and reads quickly for its size, and it is good fun to see more of Elizabeth and Jane together, not to mention Georgiana (who finds her soulmate), good old Colonel Fitzwilliam, and--in a satisfying denouement--Caroline Bingley eating humble pie. Elizabeth Bennet (Elizabeth Darcy, here) is saintlier than Austen created her, I think, but it is a difficult challenge to carry on the work of JA and "Pemberley Manor" is an attempt to do just that.
Kudos to Ms. Nelson for attempting such a piece of work and for coming up with a book that entertains as well as gives her vision of the future for a well-beloved fictional couple. If you like JA continuations, then you must get this book!

I am a big Jane Austen fan, and I read many sequels - some good and some bad. I have started this book twice, and I am determined to finish it. Mr. Darcy is too troubled in this sequel to set with my tastes. Having his mother to be so dark and lustful a character was an interesting concept, but how it affects his love for Elizabeth bothered me. If I read this book and did not know the P & P characters or the story line, I would find it interesting, but to have Darcy treat Elizabeth as he does creates havoc for me as a reader. He would be with her when she loses the child. He would not turn on Elizabeth. Having Trevor come out of the "closet" did not seem appropriate for Regency England. Having Darcy suspect that Trevor was tempted by Lady Anne Darcy and was Georgiana's father was a bit much. So much seems out of "time" for this novel. Again, I do not think it was bad; the story line is well developed as are the characters; it was just such a "dark" piece as a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

I think fans of this story agree that not only was Elizabeth Bennet's family [what we would in contemporary times call] "dysfunctional", but Darcy's family also suffered the same plight, yet in a different way. Ms. Nelson continues the P&P story by revealing that Darcy had a difficult childhood which he is trying to understand and cope with: a "loveless" marriage; possible adultery; estranged friends reappearances. All this and more, puts Darcy in a multitude of mood swings, with Elizabeth by his side helping him through it. There are some unanswered questions at the end of the book which makes me think there will be a sequel, I hope it will be more light-hearted than this book. I did not dislike it, we all have ideas of what Darcy and Elizabeth's marriage would be like, this is Ms. Nelson's continuation of this beloved story. I liked the introduction of some past family friends of the elder Darcy's and how Caroline Bingley comes to grips with the Darcy's marriage (very different from other "continuation" novels). And I do not think Darcy was portrayed as weak, but I never imagined his moodiness and certainly would not have his character constantly question Elizabeth's love for him: that is a given.

There are a great number of Pride & Prejudice sequels that have been published and they vary much in terms of quality. Fortunately Kathryn Nelson's 'Pemberley Manor' is one of the good ones, sympathetic to the writing style of Jane Austen, not changing any of the characters significantly and adding a few of her own characters to enliven the story.

'Pemberly Manor' begins the day of the double wedding between Lizzy and Darcy and Jane and Bingley. We follow Lizzy and Darcy's first months together as they learn about each other and as their different temperaments adjust to one another. The author writes with real affection for the characters, showing their love for each other on each page, and yet also giving them some privacy from the reader in terms of bedroom scenes (a welcome aspect of this book when I compare it with some of the others I have read which have detailed the sex lives of these much-loved literary creations; too much information for me!)

The central theme of this book is understanding why Darcy seemed so proud and unfriendly at Meryton when the servants at Pemberley described him so positively to Lizzy when she visited during P&P. Kathryn Nelson has looked to Darcy's parents for the explanation of this side of his nature and the book is a gradual unfurling of the history of the elder Mr Darcy and his wife and how their individual behaviour reflected on their son and, to some extent, on Georgiana. This theme was quite heavy throughout the book and it felt very much focused on Darcy rather than Elizabeth, although of course she is there throughout the pages. We are also reacquainted with Bingley, Jane, Caroline Bingley, Mr & Mrs Hurst and some Pemberley servants such as Mrs Reynolds. Some characters from P&P don't occur in this story, such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr Collins, and most of the people at Meryton are only mentioned briefly.

Although I enjoyed this book and felt that Kathryn Nelson's grasp of the language of Austen's book was good, there were a couple of things about 'Pemberley Manor' that didn't sit quite right with me. The first was the title - the author has affixed 'Manor' to the name Pemberley and refers to the house as the Manor in places in the text. The thing is, Manor isn't a common word for a country house in the UK, unless it is part of the house's official name (which it wasn't in this case, or in the case of another house which she also calls a Manor). The author's use of English was very good in this book but she did slip into a few Americanisms, such as using the verb 'quit' and having people 'visit' to mean 'converse with people', as well as referring to the third season as 'fall'. However there were fewer examples of these errors than usual in American-authored Regencies so I was impressed.

The other big issue with this book, for me, was its rather twentieth century habit of navel gazing, revisiting the past, trying to come to terms with events from one's childhood. Now I have no doubt that childhood events affected people's adult lives in the 19th century but somehow I couldn't quite believe that Darcy and Elizabeth would talk quite as they did to each other, particularly with regard to exploring Darcy's history and unfolding it slowly and, at times, in a rather irritatingly bitty manner. Darcy also seemed an exceptionally emotional man, regularly succumbing to tears, which didn't chime with my reading of his character from P&P.

The book was a very long read and seemed to try to work itself up to the big final scene but for this reader the pacing and scene building didn't really work, the major upheaval at the end felt a little flat, and the revelations about and reactions to events surrounding Darcy's parents' marriage seemed rather more modern than the time in which they were set. The author is good at crafting new scenes, showing the ways in which Darcy and Elizabeth interact with far more detail than Jane Austen gives, whilst still keeping from prying into the bedroom, but I felt that the book did drag in places and some aspects of the story were too simplistic.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Boo © Helen Hancox 2008

I love Jane Austen's books ( especially P & P) and have read many of the sequels that have appeared in the last few years. Even the worst had some redeeming feature but this one was a real waste of my time and money. I can't believe the author would think it credible ( and that Austen fans would believe it!) for Darcy to break down in tears ( on multiple occasions!) in front of Elizabeth and Georgianna! She spends in excess of 300 pages harping on an outrageous and totally unbelievable theme that really is laughable. She never develops any of the characters we met in the original and can't even write a decent love scene. This is one sequel I wish I hadn't purchased.

I have read at least 10 P & P sequels/what-ifs and this one was nearly perfect to me. Very much written in the Jane Austen style. NO R-rated sex scenes(thank-you!) and the passion was there anyway. This Darcy seemed most like I would expect him to be. Darcy's struggles made me cry, Lizzie's wit made me laugh out loud. I will be trading in many of the P &P books I have purchased but this one is a KEEPER!

This book has its ups and downs stylisticly, but I enjoyed the overall effect.

Starting right after the wedding which ends P&P, this sequel follows Mr. & Mrs. Darcy as they grope their way through the emotional issues created by their upbringings and family histories. The author gets fairly inventive, yet the plot comes across as a plausable continuation. After an initial hesitation, I found that I was very interested in where the characters were going.

The writing style was a bit modern compared to Austen's, and the introspection sounded more like 20th century psychology than the actual time period, but was an interesting look at their possible thoughts and emotional developments. The coming out of one of the new characters was handled in a manner that would be surprisingly tolerant for current times, never mind early 1800s. But aside from that, it was great read.

I recommend this to P&P fans everywhere.

I've lost count on the number of P&P sequels, P&P from Darcy's POV, and P&P variations I've read. Suffice it to say it's more than I should own up to. Pemberley Manor is the best sequel I've read so far. The author constructed a family backstory that explained Darcy's manner and then constructed a totally believable and well-written story to fit it. If you like P&P sequels, and I can understand a lot of reasons not to, this one should be close to the top of your reading list. Speaking for myself, I'm fonder of the Darcy POV and variation sub-genres, but I'm glad I took the time to read this excellent sequel.