Review - Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.
 

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is only the second Pride and Prejudice "sequel" that I've ever read. The first being Experience by Meg Kerr (which was fantastic, I highly suggest you read it if you haven't already).

I had high hopes for this one because Experience had been so good and so spot on as far as language and setting were concerned. It really felt like a true sequel that could have been written by Jane Austen herself. Death Comes to Pemberley was not quite as accurate in my opinion where conversation was concerned, but it wasn't bad. Not WONDERFUL... but not bad.

Scandal befalls Pemberley when Lydia Wickham interupts planning for Lady Anne's Ball screaming that she thinks her dear husband has been murdered. She is absolutely beside herself and blaming Elizabeth for what possibly has befallen her darling Georgie. After all, if she hadn't had to show up uninvited to Pemberley because she and her husband were not welcome there in the first place, they never would have been sneaking through the woodland and none of this ever would have happened!

Ugh. I never ever liked her. That much is still the same.

There are a few new characters introduced, Henry Alveston who only has eyes for Georgiana Darcy (and she for him) and a slew of magistrates and police and not so innocent bystanders. We also get to see more of Colonel Fitzwilliam who, as it were, also has eyes for Georgiana. However, nothing as far as that particular part of the story line where he's concerned is developed.

I was not accustomed to "seeing" Mr. Darcy as... weak... as he seemed to be in this book. There was a shift from P&P and Mr. Darcy seemed to take over as main character. We really don't see much of Lizzie at all. She was the focus of Jane Austen's novel, strong willed and independent. But she shrinks into the background of this story. And it's sad. Too much focus was put on the "murder mystery" and not enough on developing any of the characters. They were all so stuck and so static that I never got to know them or see how their relationship had grown since I'd last read about them.

The love story disappeared completely. And while I understand this was supposed to be mystery and suspense, I still hoped to experience some of what Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth felt toward each other previously... but it was barely a passing thought for the both of them. There was no chemistry between any of the characters.

Sadly, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this as a read. (SPOILER: I will never be a fan of the brother/sister romantic relationships... I just won't). I wouldn't necessarily discourage you from reading it... but if you asked to borrow my copy I'd probably tell you I couldn't find it. No, if you want a great P&P sequel, go read Experience by Meg Kerr.

Giveaway WINNER - Experience by Meg Kerr

And we have a winner!

The copy of Experience by Meg Kerr goes to lucky comment number...















Comment numba 5. And that comment belongs to.....

Congratulations Randi! I've emailed you for your mailing address. Please respond within 72 hours so I can send your information to the publisher!

Follow Friday #26

Follow Friday is hosted every week by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

This week's question:

Q: Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?

A: Ugh, a tough tough question. There are so many books that I think everyone should read. :-P It's hard to choose just one. I should cheat with this question and say Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or even The Chronicles of Narnia. The truth is, I don't know if there IS just one book that I'd recommend to absolutely everyone. I know that I've told everyone I know that they should read The Hunger Games. Does that count? I really can't think of just one..... hmmm.

On that note, I CAN tell you that there are books that I think you  guys should check out. I've got two giveaways going on right now that NEED ENTRIES!! All you have to do is comment with your email address. Please? One ends SATURDAY. That one would be for 2 signed copies of Tears of the Broken by A.M. Hudson. She's really great and up until a bit ago her book and been online for everyone to read. She's just recently published it in paperback and she's really excited. It's great. I suggest you enter for a chance to win a copy! With the other, Bluebell publishing is offering a copy of Experience by Meg Kerr. It's a sequel to Pride and Prejudice and it's just wonderful. I love it!

Please go enter. Please?

Ok, now that that plug is done, I'm off to see what books you guys would recommend to everyone!

Daring You to Read - The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Daring You to Read is hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

This week, even though the story is not exactly new, or even new-ish, I'm daring you to read The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Despite the fact that it was written AFTER The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it is our introduction to Aslan and Narnia. And it's wonderful.

I read the book and listened to it at the same time. And I have to say I think that's part of what made me love it so much. Being able to hear it, hear the characters, as I read. It was - this may sound a bit corny but oh well - magical.

The Magician's Nephew has us meeting Diggory and Polly. Neighbors turned friends when Polly finds Diggory crying in his backyard about his chronically ill mother. Diggory and Polly have many adventures in the rafters of their townhouses but one day run in to Diggory's crazy Uncle Andrew in his "study" without meaning to. Uncle Andrew is dispicable and a coward and sends Polly off into an unfamiliar world and then forces Diggory to go and get her himself.

We also meet Jadis in this story, at the end of her world, Charn. And later on, Aslan, at the beginning of Narnia. The creation of Narnia is wonderful and I think that part was my favorite to listen to.

If you have a chance, I highly suggest checking out Focus On the Family's full cast audio version of this story. You can borrow it from the library or listen to it on youtube!!

Here's the introduction to the story and the first few minutes of  the audio book. Douglas Greshem, C.S. Lewis's stepson is who provides the introduction for us.

How to participate in DYTR

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!
- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.
- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.
- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.
- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.
- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

And before you go, check out the giveaways I have on the blog this week! Author A.M. Hudson stopped by for an interview and giveaway of two SIGNED copies of her novel Tears of the Broken. And Bluebell Publishing is kindly offering up a copy of Experience (a wonderful sequel to Pride and Prejudice) by Meg Kerr. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your email address on either entry or stop by my Facebook page and comment there!

So there you have it, what are you daring everyone to read?

Giveaway - Experience by Meg Kerr

I am extremely excited to announce that my friends over at Bluebell Publishing have offered up a copy of Experience by Meg Kerr.

I recently featured Experience in a Teaser Tuesday post and way back in April I posted my review which you can read HERE (pssst... it's even linked to on their website HERE). I think Meg is a fantastic author and I can't say enough how much I absolutely enjoyed this sequel to Pride and Prejudice. I hadn't realized, before receiving experience, that there were other sequels to the story. I can say, however, that I am glad this is the first one I found. It was perfect.

Ok, the giveaway rules (I don't like that word but I couldn't think of anything else):

Just leave me a comment with your email address and a week from today I will randomly select a winner. After I post the winner up on my blog I will email you and you have 72 hours to respond with your name and mailing address so that I can send it away to the publisher and they can send you your book!

Easy right?

So get to commenting!!

Teaser Tuesday #24

Thank you to MizB of Should Be Reading for giving us Teaser Tuesday every week!

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Experience by Meg Kerr. I reviewed this a while back and absolutely LOVED it. You can read my review for it here. Meg did such a good job with the story and I just fell in love with everyone all over again.

"Shall I ask you the reason of your grave and troubled look this morning?" inquired Mrs. Darcy as their coach conveyed them out of the innyard onto the North road. "I am inclined to attribute it to the breakfast ham, though it might equally have been the cold damp toast." p 1

That right there, as you can see, is from the very first page. Any book that can make me smile or laugh within WORDS of beginning it is awesome. I urge everyone to read it. I got it for review from Bluebell Publishing, with a note from Meg inside! You can find the book here on Amazon. It's totally worth it!

Ladies & Gentlemen

I would like to introduce you to my BOOKSHELVES.

 This Harry Potter bookend was originally purchased before Harry Potter was a movie I believe. So, we've had it for a while. My mom was big into HP stuff so we got it for her. :-)

These owls are just cool. And reminded me more of Harry Potter. I'm weird. What can I say.

So I don't have ENOUGH books to fill my shelves. I know. Horrible isn't it? And You see Elvenblood by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey there... I have the 2 other that have been published SOMEWHERE. Still wish they'd publish the final book... even though Andre's not around anymore. Next to that are some things from Angelfire signed by Courtney Allison Moulton! And next to THOSE is the note that came along with Experience written by Meg Kerr!

More HP memorablia. That little dragon right there is Norbert. :-)

And the bottom shelves have my daughter's books. It looked like she had more than that, but I didn't realize how skinny some of her books are. That's all Junie B Jones and Magic School bus etc.

And... courtesy of my brother, lol, Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog.

This... I am sad to say.... does not fit on my bookshelves. :-( This is Hagrid... and another Norbert. Hagrid sat watch over all my books while they were stacked up on the top of my chest of drawers. Now, I don't know where to put him. Makes me sad.

And there you have it folks. A quick look at some of the things on my shelves. There are more shelves than what's pictured, of course. But They're kind of bare, so I'm waiting until I have more on them to show them off. :-) I have other books upstairs, I just have to go through boxes to find them. But I'm wicked excited to finally have somewhere to put them!

Review: Experience - Meg Kerr

   I just finished reading Experience by Meg Kerr and I have to say, I was blown away. Meg is a  modern author writing effortlessly in the style of Jane Austen. I absolutely loved it. I got to spend time with some of my favorite characters again in a totally new way. I may have actually enjoyed this more than the original... it is a strong possibility.

Where Pride & Prejudice was mainly focused on Elizabeth Bennett, Experience gave you a little bit of EVERYONE. Some of the characters that served as background fixtures in Jane Austen's novel were brought front and center in Meg Kerr's sequel.

We get to know Kitty a great deal better than we had previously. And we find that without Lydia around as a "bad influence" she is actually an incredibly charming character. Lydia seems as shallow and flirtatious as always (and quite scandalous). And at one point I ACTUALLY felt sorry for Caroline Bingley. But only for a minute. Lady Catherine is as pompous as ever and Mrs. Bennett is completely frazzled and seemingly at her wits end every time we meet her.

Within the first few paragraphs I was already chuckling. Experience is funny. Not in a belly - laughing "Can you BELIEVE it" kind of way. But in a subtle way that's littered throughout the book. It kept me amused the entire time I was reading.

There were definitely frustrating points (nothing to do with the writing but with the way the characters were acting) where I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but still hoped for the best. And Meg definitely didn't disappoint. Everything was beautifully written. It was the type of book where you don't WANT to read it fast because you want to be able to soak everything in. Instead of a run or a jog it was more like a nice leisurely stroll through a peaceful quiet park.

I definitely recommend this book to absolutely anyone. Jane Austen fans, even people who've never read Pride & Prejudice, who may have only seen the movie (whatever adaptation). It's an outstanding book and is definitely a new favorite of mine.

Teaser Tuesday #8

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This week I'm going to share teasers from City of Glass and Experience.

 

"Clary, stiff with horror, felt Simon stir beside her. She turned to look at him and was shocked - he was white as paper except for a hectic red flush on both cheekbones. She could see the veins snaking under his skin, like the growth of some delicate, branching coral. "The blood," he whispered, not looking at her. "I have to get away from it." p 278

(I have to say, I just opened up the book and an evelope fell out. It was a note written by Meg Kerr!!! Totally awesome... ok, on to the teaser)

"It is a suspicion generally entertained, that a honeymoon too sweet may bode ill for the marriage. It was well, therefore, that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy had a source of vexation, and that it did not derive, at least directly, from his new wife." p 1

Can't wait to read YOUR teasers!

In My Mailbox #6

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi The Story Siren. It's to showcase all the books that you got one way or another during the previous week.

This week was another sparse one, but that's ok because last week definitely makes up for it.

So this week it's Experience by Meg Kerr sent to me by Bluebell Publishing.

"This new sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice spirits the reader away to Regency England, beginning as Darcy and Elizabeth arrive at Pemberley on their honeymoon. But Elizabeth had captured the heart of more than one man…what will that man’s swift arrival at Pemberley mean for the Darcys? Lady Catherine de Bourgh is intent on capturing a husband, with or without his heart, for her daughter scorned by Darcy; and Caroline Bingley, also rejected by Darcy, is intent on achieving greater importance in the world through marriage to an aristocrat—yet who is that tall, dark man attracting her gaze who is “not quite a gentleman”? And who is it that Lydia’s eyes…and feet…are following? Kitty is turning into a woman, and her fine dark eyes are turned towards one who is out of her reach, while Jane and Bingley who had achieved perfect happiness on their marriage begin to find it retreating from their grasp. Mary, meanwhile, stakes her happiness on a union of true minds, only to learn that learning alone is a cold companion. As this Pride and Prejudice sequel moves in interwoven stories from the end of 1812 to the end of 1815, new light is shed on much loved old characters, and new characters are introduced who will make thousands of friends".

I mean really, who can get enough of Mr. Darcy? And this sounds like an amazing "sequel" to Pride & Prejudice. I can't wait to read it! What's in YOUR mailbox this week?