Presumption Pb [Paperback]

Julia Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 1995

A sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", which reveals what happens to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy after their marriage. The reader also meets again Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the absurd Mr Collins, Elizabeth's mismatched parents and many other characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aside from the intelligence native to its title, this continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has little to commend it. Barrett (the pseudonym of writers Julia Braun Kessler and Gabrielle Donnelly) essentially reassigns the plights of Austen's characters. Thus Darcy's sister, Georgiana--Barrett's heroine--prejudges an honorable fellow even as she is dazzled by the duplicitous, Wickham-like Captain Heywood. This dastardly fellow hooks up with Wickham himself in an extortion scheme whereby Elizabeth's aunt Philips is imprisoned on charges of shoplifting. Haughty Caroline Bingley, running off with Heywood, implausibly enacts the role previously assigned to Lydia, while Georgiana (of course) finds solace for her wounded heart with aforesaid honorable fellow. Elizabeth, almost a minor figure, is rarely allowed to simply speak: she "cries, " "says smiling" or even "cries . . .with sparkling eyes" her various utterances. Arch and cumbersomely worded pseudo-aphorisms take the place of Austen's witty comments. The real presumption here is not the attempt to reincarnate Elizabeth, Darcy et al., but the titling of the work "an entertainment." Readers will more likely cringe.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Presumption , Barrett's skillfully styled sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice , continues the story of the Bennet, Bingley, Wickham, Darcy, and Collins families, focusing mainly on Georgiana Darcy without, however, neglecting the other colorful characters. Georgiana, sister to the formidable Darcy, is suffering from past romantic indiscretions and is determined to remain more rational in her reactions to masculine attention. However, she soon finds her thoughts turning with alarming frequency to a dashing naval officer as well as to the talented architect her brother has hired. Meanwhile, her irrepressible sister-in-law copes with supercilious friends and neighbors--a task made more difficult by the continuing vulgarity of her mother and the imprisonment of her aunt. Barrett expertly captures Austen's ironic voice and subject matter in a book that is sure to delight and intrigue most Austen devotees. Highly recommended.
- Cynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Limited (May 5, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854799932
• ISBN-13: 978-1854799937
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,473,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Continues the Jane Austin style of writing, March 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Presumption: An Entertainment (Paperback)

Having been gullible enough to purchase and read the sequels to Rebecca and Gone With the Wind, I was VERY hesitant to invest any time or money in yet another poor imitation and sad continuation of a most beloved book. But I just couldn't get enough of Pride and Prejudice or any of the Jane Austin novels, and HAD to have one more. (I was tempted to write it myself if necessary.) Thankfully, I found Presumption. I expected this novel to focus almost entirely on Elizabeth's life at Pemberley. I mean who can deny that they wanted to know what happened after the dramatic courtship and satisfying wedding of Darcy and Elizabeth? But I was pleasently surprised when Julia Barret (actually two authors collaborating) primarily set her focus on Georgianna Darcy. Barret presents a very plausible (a must in a sequel), interesting, and fun-to-read story surrounding Georgianna's marriage prospects. She throws in some very amusing portraits of the delightfully "wicked Wickham" (as I like to think of him) and Lydia. We even get to fnd out what happens to Bingley's unmarried sister (a just result, rest assured) and other minor characters. It's lots of fun, if you were, like me, disappointed that Pride and Prejudice wasn't longer.

I was especially pleased with Barret's phrasing and language. As you know, Austin was a bit sparse in her descriptions and explanations. But Barret emulates Austin's style well. We learn about the characters more from their conversations and actions rather than lengthy descriptions of their feelings or appearances.

If you ever wished for one more Jane Austin novel, I really do recommend this book. And, if you haven't yet read Pride and Prejudice, I think you might still enjoy this book.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time or money, October 12, 2002

By 

"clayjars479" (il) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Presumption: An Entertainment (Paperback)

Reading this book makes me a little sad. It seems to me that authors working off of something as spectacular as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice could come up with something closer to resembling a good story. This book is simply a waste of my time. I read it with extreme speed, not because it is engrossing but simply because it is fluff.

Please understand that I am not yet finished with this novel. I am forty pages from the end and am not quite sure that I have found the plot yet. It is enough, be assured, to know that I will not enjoy it no matter how it ends, and I will read it to the end. Rarely do I detest a book so much as to put it down for good before I finish it. Now, about this book. It is "about" Georgiana Darcy and her romantic endeavors, apparantly taking place two years after Pride and Prejudice, and yet Georgiana is only one year older than she was in the previous novel. But let's not even bother with the particulars; this book fails on grander levels.

Who is Georgiana? Why is she suddenly such an outspoken girl? Simply because of her life with Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy? I don't buy that - it could perhaps have been more convincing if I had ANY idea about who these people were. This book gives me no clear picture. Neither, for that matter, of Elizabeth, or Mr. Darcy, or Jane, or Mr. Bingley, or anyone I liked in the previous novel. And what of the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy? I can recall off the top of my head one conversation between them included in the book, and it gave me no insight into their married relationship. Or anyone's relationship, for that matter. Georgiana and the obligatory Dashing but Undoubtedly Hiding Something Necessary to the Plot Captian? Why does she like him? And why do the authors feel it necessary to not only include the Captain's (or Georgiana's) too forward remarks, but then everyone's reactions to said inappropiate remarks, and WHY they had that reaction. Please, please, I have a mind of my own that I enjoy using - this is why I love Austen.

Having gone on that tirade, let me just say that whatever plot that I may or may not have yet found in this book, I simply cannot care about. I do not feel attached to any of these characters, nor do I for a second feel that they are attached to each other. Waste of time. I will finish it, and if the authors somehow redeem themselves in the last forty pages of the book, I will humbly apologize, and remove this review. But don't hold your breath for it.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, August 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Presumption: An Entertainment (Paperback)

When I bought the book, I didn't have high expectations of reentering the world Jane Austen created for these characters, but I expected a LITTLE more effort on the parts of the two authors who use the pseudonym Julia Barrett. After all, to take on such a task as writing a sequel to P&P, they should really have done their homework, but it seems like they neither read the original book nor saw the wonderful 1995 movie. They got the characters wrong in many instances: they couldn't decide whether Elizabeth's nickname was Lizzie or Lizzy and so used both, they gave Mr. Darcy's mother the wrong name, and the actions and emotions of all the characters were so out of place as to ruin any suspension of disbelief for me. Elizabeth - crying because Mr. Darcy's servants were mean to her? What is this, "Rebecca?" And Mary wanting to come to the ball, and Elizabeth being upset that her parents couldn't come? I should think she wouldn't be too upset about her mother's not coming. Also, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley are delegated to the background, and none of the interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth, which made the original book so wonderful, occurs in this one. The dialogue and settings are very contrived. All in all, it feels as though the two women using the name Julia Barrett had bought themselves a set of P&P paper dolls and were playing with them like little girls, paying little attention to the original plot and character types, making up their own story as they went along. Again, the story seems like "Rebecca," or, even worse, like the corny cartoon sequel for "Cinderella" that came out this past year. And I hardly think Elizabeth, always described as being spirited and independent, would suddenly have the same sort of emotional insecurity as the second Mrs. de Winter. Then again, I was only able to get through the first quarter of the book before putting it down for good, since it just seemed wrong to me to continue reading it, as if I were betraying Jane Austen and her original characters. Maybe, maybe it gets better. But I just don't care.