123 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
WARNING - PLEASE DO NOT READ, February 20, 2002
This review is from: Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued (Hardcover)
I forced myself, through 184 measly pages, to finish this unfortunate book even though I couldn't stand to stomach the book after the first few chapters, only because I hate leaving books unfinished. The first thing that really, really bugged me throughout the book is how Jane could have a 1 yr old child after being married for only 1 year and Lydia have 4 children after being married for only around a year and a half? What in the world was she thinking? Second, it seems as if she never even read P&P because many of her facts are impossibly wrong. I won't go into examples of that because they are too numerous. But I will say taht she seems to have happily overlooked the last chapter of P&P, where Austen goes into some detail describing their lives after they've been married. Third, the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy and everyone else are horribly, horribly misrepresented. Elizabeth comes off as some weak-willed pushover idiot, who does nothing but cry and pine over Darcy and over all her shortcomings. Why she would ever have doubts over Darcy's fidelity and intentions towards her is another question I'll never be able to answer. And I cannot even begin to imagine that Darcy would revert back to his cold, proud attitude found in the beginning of P&P. If he loved Elizabeth so much in P&P, he would never go through the lengths of alienating her in her new home. I found Mrs. Bennet extremely annoying. Why so many chapters were devoted to her I can scarce imagine. And Georgiana was seen as a stupid brat, easily swayed by Miss Bingley. Georgiana was a sweet, understanding, and very shy child in P&P. She loved and admired Elizabeth and would never stoop to the level of snickering and making fun of her with Miss Bingley behind her back. And would anyone in their right mind believe that Bingley, of all people!, would have an illegitimate child with some random Frenchwoman? Finally, the behavior of the characters definitely do not fit in this time period. Women do not speak so openly about pregnancy and they definitely do not do it in front of men. They also do not cheerfully discuss 'douching oneself with vinegar and water' over tea or ever. All in all this was one of the worst books I've ever read. Tennant took gross liberties with the characters of P&P that would make anybody cringe after seeing what they've become. There are huge factual and historical inaccuracies spread throughout the book. This book just left a bad taste in my mouth after reading it.
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44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A dreadful book and a complete travesty of 'P&P', August 5, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued (Hardcover)
My main reaction on reading this dreadful novel was to question whether Emma Tennant has ever actually read 'Pride and Prejudice'?
She gets almost everything wrong. The chronology is completely haywire - not only does Lydia, still aged 17, and married just over a year, have four children, three of whom are old enough to cheer as they arrive at Pemberley (with their father, whom, according to JE, Darcy would never receive at Pemberley), but even Jane, who has not yet been married a year, has a daughter who is old enough not only to talk, but even to manage a hoop!
ET kills of the delightful Mr Bennet, despite JA's specific statement that he often visited Pemberley and therefore by implication that he did not die just after Jane's and Lizzie's weddings. (ET's Mrs Bennet has been a widow nine months by Christmas so her Mr B must have died in March)
JA's Georgiana is the same age as Lydia, therefore younger than Mary and Kitty, but ET says she is older even than Mary, though when her age is given it is the same (17) as Lydia's.
In 'P&P', Mr Gardiner's letter to Mr Bennet is dated Monday August 2. There was a Monday August 2 in 1813, the year when 'P&P' was published. Lydis stayed two weeks with the Gardiners before her marriage, also on a Monday, so she was married on 16 August, just aged 16. ET has her age as still 17, so this novel must be set at Christmas 1814. Yet Master Roper asks Col Kitchiner of he was wounded at Waterloo - which was fought in June 1815! And Mr Collins plans a park feature commemorating Waterloo!
Master Roper is evidently a relative of darcy through his mother's family. In this case, how can he be Darcy's heir? Pemberley must have come to him from his father's side, not his mother's! And if Roper is the heir, how come Darcy apparently never heard of him before, but Lady C did?
Talking of Roper, he must be psychic, because he predicts the arrival of large numbers of visitors from Manchester and other cities. How can he possibly foresee mass tourism, 11 years before the opening of the very first railway in 1825?
ET states at one point that Georgiana had been brought up exclusively at Pemberley, and at another that she was brought up by Lady C at Rosings. JA says that Georgiana had spent most of her time in London after the death of her father.
JA names the Bennets' housekeeper as Mrs Hill - but ET says that Mrs Moffat was their housekeeper in the time of Mr Bennet.
Just as it is inconceivable that Mrs Bennet would have discussed in mixed company how to ensure a son (and if she knows a sure means, how come she has only 5 girls?) it is even more inconceivable that Lady C would admit to having a difficult birth with Anne, never mind to a male of inferior rank such as Mr Collins.
(Something that has always puzzled me in P&P is how Longbourn could have come to be entailed to someone who, having a different surname, must have been related to Mr Bennet in the female line?)
According to JA, none of the Bennet sisters draws - yet ET's Mrs Bennet tells Mary to pack her paints! Similarly, in 'P&P' Anne de Bourgh's health prevents her learning to play the piano, while Georgiana is an accomplished player. Yet acording to ET, after only a year of study Anne's prowess is such that she can contemplate a comparison with Georgiana!
Et says that Lydia is to come north and take a house at Rowsley. JA says that Lydia went to live in the north, at Newcastle - so she would have to come south to Derbyshire.
ET also says that Lydia would stay with Aunt Gardiner at Rowsley - but JA never mentions Rowsley; Aunt Gardiner lives in London; and the town visited by the Gardiners and Elizabeth is Lambton.
ET also has Elizabeth plan to go to Aunt Phillips in London - but Aunt Phillips lives in Meryton.
At one time ET says Wickham had lured Georgiana to Ramsgate, and at another that he abducted her to Ramsgate. JA's version is that Wickham took advantage of Georgiana being in Ramsgate to try to seduce her.
According to ET, Mr Gardiner was able to pursue his interest in salmon fishing during his Christmas visit - but she also has Miss Bingley point out that winter is not the season for salmon!
According to JA, the sum settled on Mrs Bennet was £5000. ET gives it as £4000.
Mr Collins asserts that there is always a ball at Pemberley at New Year. How does he know? He only met Darcy a couple of years before, and had never heard of him or of Pemberley before that.
He also thinks that Col Kitchiner may have been to Rosings - which, given Lady C's contempt for all Mrs Bennet's connections, is highly implausible.
Mrs Bennet tells Kitty that Darcy had been most generous to Wickham. How did she know? And since when has Mrs B been the voice of sweet reason?
Lady C expresses surprise that anyone who pleases can make a trip to Pemberley. Yet JA has Elizbeth and the Gardiners do precisely that in 'P&P'.
What, by the way happened to the Gardiner children? Would ET not allow them to visit Pemberley at Christmas with their parents?
And what about Colonel Fitzwilliam? Surely he should have been invited?
ET has Lady C say that Darcy detests children, and that for this reason she was not in favourof Anne marrying him, because Anne will have Rosings to pass down. Yet in 'P&P' the marriage of Darcy and Anne is Lady C's main objective! Indeed she regards them as betrothed since birth.
ET's Wickham claims to have led an exemplary life 'for many years now' - yet this is only 17 months after he eloped with Lydia!
ET has little Emily go to Whitby for sea air. In January??
These are just some of the many inconsistencies and silly errors which make this book so detestable. I have given it one star only because there is no option to give it none.
Don't bother reading it - and don't bother with the continuation, which is just as bad.
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