A Tale of Three Heroines Prior to Pride and Prejudice
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
In this charming and praiseworthy debut novel, author Melanie Kerr pens a prequel to Pride and Prejudice that surprisingly is not centered on Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth Bennet! Instead she chooses to flesh-out and fill in the histories of Caroline Bingley, George Wickham, and Georgiana Darcy. (Not one Bennet will you find here!) And while we do see our reserved and illustrious Mr. Darcy on the page quite a bit, this prequel focuses on other characters, especially three women: Caroline Bingley, Georgiana Darcy, and Clare Langford, Georgiana’s dearest friend from school.
Since I felt three distinct story-lines with three different heroines in this novel, I thought I’d break down my review in a similar fashion.
Caroline Bingley: In this prequel we witness Caroline’s first visit to Pemberley and introduction to Georgiana Darcy. As expected, Caroline’s ambitions and pursuit of Mr. Darcy are in full force. But when her heart is touched by another – a man with no title, wealth, or estate – Caroline’s interest in Mr. Darcy begins to waver. And while this unsuitable yet extremely charming man is a Class A Fortune Hunter, he finds himself quite liking the idea of marriage with Caroline… While there wasn’t anything unique about Caroline’s ambitions and interactions with Mr. Darcy, I greatly enjoyed the twist of her falling in love with an unsuitable man! I enjoyed seeing a softer portrayal of Caroline Bingley and witnessing her become “crossed in love.”
Georgiana Darcy: Here we see Georgiana become reacquainted and enamored with George Wickham. We see how the perfidious Mrs. Younge is the prime instigator and promoter of this match and how Georgiana, with her eagerness to grow up, experience love, and be Wickham’s savior, was so easily worked on. (Boy, Mrs. Younge is a nasty piece of work!) I enjoyed how Ms. Kerr portrayed Wickham, I liked that he was a reluctant participant to this scheme.
Clare Langford: By far, this is my favorite story-line in the novel!!! Clare, a daughter of an admiral with limited prospects and no property, comes to live with Georgiana in London and serve as a companion. Clare greatly enjoys her time with Georgiana and her family, but she starts to feel uneasy around Georgiana’s cousin, Lord Ashwell (Colonel Fitzwilliam’s older brother) because of all the scandalous rumors she hears about him. In addition, Clare does not approve of Georgiana’s growing friendship with George Wickham, and when she expresses caution it drives a wedge between her and Georgiana…
Clare is definitely the true heroine of this piece, she wins us over with her substance, moral center, and true friendship. She felt reminiscent of Georgette Heyer heroines to me – artless, perceptive, and not easily thwarted; and I completely admired and adored her! In addition, I loved Lord Ashwell, the black sheep in the Fitzwilliam family. I was dying to learn what he did in his past and why there were so many rumors circulating about him! And I thought it was brilliant how the author kept in suspense so long! The scenes with Lord Ashwell were splendid, what an intriguing character, I was deeply invested and moved by hime and his story-line.
I loved how well this thoughtful and illuminating prequel tied into Pride and Prejudice, the new character additions and fleshed-out histories were both creative and believable. I greatly enjoyed learning things like: why Colonel Fitzwilliam is appointed to be Georgiana’s guardian instead of his older brother and how Darcy came arrive in Ramsgate earlier than expected. The answers were equally satisfying and fitting. I also loved seeing some life put into to Anne de Bourgh and hearing about her not-so-dull existence.
I sincerely hope we will see more from Melanie Kerr soon, I absolutely loved her heartwarming tale and endearing characters! I’d definitely recommend this prequel if you are looking for a enthralling story about Pride and Prejudice’s lesser known characters!!
Thanks for the review Meredith. It sounds very interesting and I think I would enjoy this book, in fact have added to my TBR pile!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!
I have this one on my kindle and I’m glad to hear it was a fab read for you! 🙂 I thought you were going to say that Clare was falling for Darcy and I was all “oh no she didn’t!” lol (not that I could blame her, of course.)
LOL!! I would not be cool with that, either! Happy to say that Darcy remains unattached by the end of this prequel, as he should be!
Thank you, Meredith. Bought it after reading your review.
Happy reading, Joy! I’d love to know what you think of it when you are done!
I have it on my kindle, and it waits me to read it. Wonderful review, Meredith. I enjoy that the Authors tell us about the other characters.
It is a refreshing change, I love Darcy and Elizabeth, but truly all Jane Austen’s characters are fascinating and fun to explore, don’t you think?
It’ll be interesting to see how Georgiana was about to end in Wickham’s arms. It’s a theme that doesn’t often appear in novels. Looking forward to meeting Clare!. Thanks for the review, Meredith 🙂
I’m sure you will love Clare, she is so admirable! 🙂 Poor naive and misguided Georgiana, so glad she has Clare for a friend!
I loved this book! Perhaps she’ll write another prequel that includes the characters from Lucas Lodge, the previous residents of Netherfield, etc.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did, Leslie!!! That sounds like a brilliant idea for a prequel – I’d definitely want to read that!
Oh I’m so glad to get your details on this one. It’s on my wish list. Sounds like the author’s own original characters are the best part.
For me they were, I wouldn’t mind reading an all original Regency novel by this author, I like her style!
Sounds intriguing. It’s great to see minor characters becoming fleshed out in related stores. I wish Melanie much success in this book and hopefully more! Good review, Meredith!!
Thanks, Catherine! I love how Jane Austen’s characters are not at all one dimensional. 🙂
I have this on my TBR pile Clare’s story sounds really good 🙂 As much as I like the Darcys I think I could manage with out them just this once lol
LOL! You will see Darcy around a little bit, Caroline is trying her best to make him propose!
Really does sound fascinating. At first I was hesitant when you mentioned no Bennets but I changed my mind by the end.
The Bennets are such a fun bunch, I can understand why you’d be deterred. Glad you are willing to give this one a chance!
really enjoyed this book when I read it earlier this year
Awesome! So happy to hear that!
I love minor character stories. I will definitely have to put this in my TBR! Thanks for the review Meredith. As you always do, you got me intrigued.
🙂 Happy to hear that! I’m with you Stephanie! I leave seeing the development and unique perspectives of these characters.
I have this one on my Kindle so I’m glad to see you liked it so much!!:)
I’m glad I liked it too! 😉 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
This sounds fascinating and unusual, Meredith. I always like an Austenesque novel that gives some attention to Caroline Bingley and gives her an extra dimension. Yay!
It’s nice to see how many authors have a sympathetic heart for Caroline Bingley, like you, Monica!!! 🙂
You wrote a great Caroline Bingley Monica! Still Caro, but with an extra layer!
What a wonderful sense of the period the author, Melanie Kerr has. Her talent for dialogue makes it perfectly transportable to the film/T.V. industry. I only have one complaint about this book….It is too short. I was so absorbed and enjoying being transported back in time to Regency England, that I read it in four sessions. A first for me….I usually fall asleep and have to back track with my book the next evening.