Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 2 stars
Borrowed this book from the library.
In A Nutshell:
This book disappointed me, but I am not sure if that disappointment came from my high expectations, my love of the original text, or a sign that this author is not meant to be a favorite of mine. But I am committed to not basing my feelings about this author solely on this book. I will read another since I have heard so many great things about this author.
Review:
This book is hard for me to review. If you have followed me very much at all, you know I LOVE Pride and Prejudice. I think it has been my answer or part of my answer to so many of the Follow Friday questions. I want to meet Darcy. Darcy is one of my literary crushes. When I have taken quizzes on which Jane Austen heroine I am--it always comes up Elizabeth. I have watched the six hour version of the movie at least 100 times (probably more). So, I think you can see that I LOVE this book.
I do not typically read the "sequels" that are out there because when I have tried them, I have been disappointed. I made the exception for Death Comes to Pemberley because a friend of mine had wonderful things to say about this author. So I took the plunge. And now I struggle because I cannot necessarily pinpoint the source of my disappointment. Were my expectations too high? Possibly. Was the writing not my style? I am not sure because I feel like many of my problems were because her style is so very different from Jane Austen's in Pride and Prejudice. Was I dissatisfied by her treatment of the characters? Sometimes. The prologue provided indications that P.D. James reading of Pride and Prejudice and her impression of the characters was very different from my own.
So as a "sequel" to Pride and Prejudice, I cannot say that I recommend this book. However, the story and the mystery were interesting and compelling which makes me think that I would like her books in a different context. So I am determined to read another one of her books--with her own characters. I want to give her a chance to wow me without the comparisons to one of my favorite books.
Recommendations:
My friend who has read a lot of P.D. James' books has recommended I try the following before deciding if I like P.D. James:
Thanks for this review! I have it on my wishlist for paperback swap, now I'm not so sure about it.
ReplyDeleteMegan @ passionateencounters.blogspot.com
I was so excited to get it from my library and then such a let down.
DeleteThis book has been going out like crazy at my library, and I keep seeing it on bestseller lists. But I just adore P&P and the characters too much to read a 'sequel'.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping that it would be an opportunity to spend more time with the characters I loved. But that isn't how I felt at the end.
DeleteI love PD James and you know how much I love P & P but I could not get through more than a few chapters of this book. It just didn't work for me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you had tried this one. In many aspects the characters lost some of the feel that made them so endearing in P&P.
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