Customer Reviews

Virtue and Vanity

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I cannot decide if I deserve a pat on the back for being willing to give the Baders' attempts at Austen a second chance, or a kick in the pants for being such a sucker. This second attempt compounds the problems of the first. If possible, it is clumsier than Desire and Duty, more plodding, and less readable. Superlatives all, but insufficient to explain the depth of dismal writing to which this nonsense sinks. It would not be such a crime, were the authors not attempting to tag their awful efforts on the saleability of Ms. Austen's name and talent. She cannot defend herself. Hopefully her discerning readers will not fall into the trap I did. I now have TWO books in 48 years that I have returned to a bookstore. How SAD!

This is a good story that continues the sequel of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. It is not the best book I have read but it is certainly a good, fun, somewhat cheesy, story. It is worth the read, but one must read DESIRE AND DUTY before this book. It wont make sense unless you do so. If you like Jane Austen's fabulous novel then you will most likely enjoy this quick read.

Both this book and the previous one could very well have been written by someone who hasn't got past ninth grade--the language is sophomorish, the vocabulary stilted, and Austen is probably turning over in her grave.

There is simply no virtue in writing novels like these that purport to be sequels to Austen's stupendous work, and to ride on the coattails of her fame. Perhaps the authors' next book should be titled CEASE AND DESIST.

It all seems like vanity in any case--who or what is Revive publishing, certainly not a publishing house I have heard of, and the copy I borrowed from the library (Hah, unlike the other reader who bemoaned this shabby work, I get to return mine easily) is not too elegantly put together. Sounds like a VANITY press to me--perhaps even the authors' own press?

What, did not reputable publisher, independent or otherwise, want to publish these novels? Sure is a surprise.

As a continuation of Desire and Duty, I enjoyed watching the further development of characters and plotlines from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. There was a lot more intrique and comedy of errors that added to the enjoyment of the book.

I found I didn't like this book as much as I did Desire and Duty, even though in that book the Bingleys hardly appearred in it.

Why did you kill off Jane and Charles Bingley? Why not kill off Lydia and George Wickham or like many other writers kill off my namesake Mary Bennett? But not the Bingleys!!!!

Once I had read this I couldn't read anymore of the book ! not that Pride and Prejudice was my favorite Jane Austen book! My favourites were Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, been trying for years to get a copy of Sir Willy by Jane Gillespie a sequel to Jane Austen's Persuasion with no luck.

But going back to Virtue and Vanity i can't say i enjoyed reading it one little bit. Though the historical facts and the settings were pleasant but i just couldn't get into it at all. I didn't think anyone would kill of the Bingleys it's unforgivable in my books.

Well I just thought I'd let you know what I think, if you ever get the chance perhaps you'd like to read the books Rebecca Anne Collins wrote as sequels to Pride and Prejudice. There's 10 in the series and they're all excellent!!!

I really liked your first book the best, Desire and Duty, at least the Bingley's were still alive and Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy were in it more. But also the story lines were better. So if I was rating this book out of 10 I'd give it a 3. A real waste of money it was!

V&V is a sweet story, and an interesting follow-up to Desire & Duty. The ending is a bit recycled from D&D -- so it is predictable. But since there are no more works by Jane herself, this is a quick fix for a Jane junkie.