Four Ladies, Four Points-of-View
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
Anne de Bourgh, pale, sickly, and rich, with a desirable inheritance and the promise of a brilliant betrothal, seemed to have a blessed future ahead of her. Or at least she did until Miss Elizabeth Bennet walked into her life and changed everything. With no expected betrothal, no marriage prospects, indifferent health, and her mother’s severely disappointed hopes Anne is left wondering what path her future will take… Will her mother find another auspicious suitor for her to marry? Will she be forced to settle for a marriage of convenience? Or will she find a chance of romance?
While there are many Pride and Prejudice sequels that share what becomes of Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, and Mary Bennet, Shannon Winslow has instead decided to focus her lens on some secondary characters that are not usually given a large spotlight (although one of them often demands to have her share of it!) In this charming sequel, readers will see parts of Pride and Prejudice from the point-of-views of Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine, Charlotte Collins, and Mrs. Jenkinson, as well as learn what becomes of them all after the close of Jane Austen’s beloved tale. Readers will not only be privy to the astute observations and inner thoughts of these ladies, but also witness their private feelings and emotions.
To hear from such a diverse group of ladies with such different situations in life and unique personalities sounds like quite a delightful prospect, doesn’t it? Absolutely! Especially when the author who is depicting these differing perspectives captures the voice and individual personality of each character with flawless authenticity. I hope Shannon Winslow takes this as a compliment, but she perfectly channels Lady C’s exalted pride, frankness of character, and imperious attitude! Her speech and inner thoughts (or should I say schemes and machinations) were some of the most entertaining to read.
As someone who is of a quiet nature themselves, I most loved seeing more from the quiet personalities of Anne de Bourgh and Mrs. Jenkinson. I loved seeing how Anne viewed the world – what she thought of her cousins, her mother, her future. Ms. Winslow pleasantly fleshes out Anne’s character and gives her a heartwarming affection for her cousins, a fond attachment to her father, a sincere friendship with Mrs. Jenkinson, and girlish dreams of romance. I loved being witness to Anne’s daydreams and seeing how she would imagine different scenes of her life taking place or seeing her playing out various conversations. It shows that she has a witty and lively mind but just lacks the courage and confidence to speak out more.
Another element I greatly enjoyed in this story was seeing the interesting dynamic and differences between Lady C and her daughter – how both seem to want to do their duty/responsibility, yet there isn’t much affection or admiration between them. In addition, I also loved seeing more of Mr. Essex, who is sent after a long line of unsuccessful doctors to see if he could help improve Anne’s health. His care and concern are sincere and I enjoyed seeing how he could deftly handle Lady Catherine into doing his will. 😉 And lastly, I enjoyed the little hints we learned about the past – like what Mrs. Jenkinson’s life was like before she became Anne’s companion and what happened to Anne’s father when she was fourteen.
With her newest Austenesque release Shannon Winslow brings readers on an exceptionally satisfying sojourn to Rosings Parks and delivers a thoughtful and thorough tale of the ladies that live therein. I highly recommend!
(NOTE: this alternate point-of-view sequel parallels Shannon Winslow’s The Darcys of Pemberley, and while this story does stand alone for the most part, there are some details alluded to in this sequel that are further expounded upon in The Darcys of Pemberley.)
great review
d
Thank you, Denise!
Great review, Meredith! I also enjoy a new perspective and have found Shannon’s previous books most diverting. Will have to add this one to my (bloated) TBR list.
Thank you! I’m sure you will love this one. Shannon is a great story-teller!
Lovely review for a lovely book! Yes, I liked seeing Anne’s character so beautifully developed!
Thanks, Carole! I’m so glad to hear you loved this one as much as I did! Your review GR is wonderful!
I won the book (thank you!) and found I enjoyed it very much indeed. Shannon did an excellent job of fleshing out these characters while keeping them true to what we know of them from P&P. I loved the doctor (and kept picturing in my head the young doctor from Cranbourg), and watching Anne develop a life. An entertaining read!
Awesome! Congrats on the win! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this story as much as I did! Yes, Dr. Essex was wonderful! Will have to look up the doctor you are talking about.
I read some chapters of this online. It was very good, but then Shannon is one of my favorite writers of JAFF! I’ve never been disappointed by any of her books that I’ve read. And a very good review too!
Thank you, Denise! I agree! Shannon never disappoints! I’m so glad she continues to write add more to her Darcys of Pemberley series!
5-stars.. great review. This sounds amazing. After reading a few chapters on line… I knew I wanted to read this. It is on my wish-list. Blessings to Shannon on the success of this work. Hello to Mr. Bingley… 🙂
Awesome! I’m sure you will love it, Jeanne! Hope you get the chance to read it soon!
I love reading Shannon’s books so I know I shall love this one too. And, I confess to being eager to see what Anne thinks about Darcy marrying Lizzy. 🙂
Yes, I enjoyed seeing that too. And I very much enjoyed how Shannon portrayed Anne’s feelings about Darcy, Elizabeth, and just marriage in general.
Woohoo! I was so thrilled to discover your review today, Meredith, and to learn you found TLoRP so enjoyable and diverting! It was delightful to write in this method, letting each of the “Ladies” tell the story from their diverse points of view. I have to say, Lady Catherine’s chapters were definitely the most fun to write. Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your review! 😀
Of course I did, Shannon! I knew I would. 🙂 I’m so glad you focused on all the characters you did in this story. LOL! I’m not surprised! Her prideful nature and authoritative attitude must be fun to emulate!
I would love to read this. I love secondary characters. Charlotte and Mrs. Jenkinson… ooh i’d Love to know what they really thought.
Me too! 🙂 Mrs. Jenkinson is a dear and I loved seeing the small actions she took to help Anne. I always feel such sympathy for her and her position.
What a lovely review, it sounds every bit of a book I wish to read myself 🙂
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I really like the idea of using Austen’s minor characters in P&P and developing them into more fleshed out personalities, with their own desires and thoughts. It makes for an interesting, intriguing story. Thanks for this lovely review, Meredith. It definitely sounds like something I’d like to read.
Yes, it is so interesting to learn a whole history about a character you didn’t know before. Jane Austen’s books are full of intriguing and engrossing characters. Thanks so much for reading my review!
Terrific review!! I can’t wait to read this book!!! (I just have to save my pennies, LOL!)
Thanks, Shannon, for writing another wonderful tale!!! 😀
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Thank you, Susanne! You will definitely love this one!
Terrific review! I enjoyed this one too.
So glad to hear that, Christina! 🙂 Thank you for checking out my review!
I love having Anne’s story told and look forward to reading more of this delightful tale. Congratulations Shannon!
Absolutely! I love seeing how much can be done with Anne! She has such a difficult situation with her health and overbearing mother. Seeing her have a HEA is especially rewarding!
Shannon Winslow is a favorite. I really enjoy differing points of view of the same circumstances, such as Shannon did with Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley and The Darcys of Pemberley. I am looking forward to reading this, also, because I really like P&P variations that feature secondary characters (well, at least the ones I LIKE.) So I want to hear more from Charlotte and Anne, and learn more about Mrs. Jenkinson. I wish Shannon great luck with this book and thank her for the ones she’s already written for us.
So well said, Michelle! I echo your sentiments heartily! It is so great that Shannon wrote this story. I love the spotlight on these characters And I’m so glad she is continuing this lovely series!