Pride and Prejudice Told By Periphery Characters
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Gift from Author
TYPE OF NOVEL: Alternate POV
THE PREMISE: A clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice where each chapter is seen from a different secondary or tertiary character’s perspective. From neighbors, servants, or characters that have small roles – readers get to see what other characters know or think about the main events of Pride and Prejudice.
MY THOUGHTS: This was such a clever idea and I really enjoyed how it was executed. There are seventeen chapters and each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character starting with Mr. Phillips receiving a correspondence from another solicitor about a prospective tenant for Netherfield Park and concludes with Lady Lucas trying to tamp down her envy of Mrs. Bennet at the Bingley/Darcy wedding breakfast. There is also an epilogue-like chapter that takes place several years in the future from the perspective of Mrs. Darcy’s lady’s maid.
I appreciated the variety of characters chosen, there truly are so many more characters than we realize in Pride and Prejudice – not including so many unnamed characters that exist or were most likley in the background. Some of my favorites include Mrs. Long (she is keen with her observations), Mrs. Hurst (and how her experience of falling in love is similar to Charles’s) and Rupert Wells (Mr. Darcy’s valet (I loved the open and confiding relationship Mr. Darcy has with him).
Since it is a very true retelling, there is little occurs that isn’t unexpected. And occasionally some scenes maybe felt a little too similar to the original events and were not as unique. But that was counterbalanced nicely by shorter chapters and a faster pace. I sometimes found myself preferring to see more of the original or newer characters and their concurrent backstories than the very familiar events of Pride and Prejudice.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
👀 Ms. Stratton found a very creative and efficient way to share the well-known events of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of other characters.
🗣️ Never mind Lady Catherine, I want these other background characters of Pride and Prejudice to have their share of the conversation!
🤔 It is so interesting to observe the different ways events of ones’ life can be observed, speculated about, interpreted, or recounted.
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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
I happen to have a second copy of From Another Perspective, and I’d love to offer it as a giveaway with my review!
To be entered for this giveaway, leave a comment about my review!
- This giveaway is open to US residents.
- This giveaway ends April 17th!
Surprisingly I haven’t read this variation because I’m definitely a Stratton fan. It sounds amazing so I’m putting it on my list! Thanks for the review!
So glad to hear it! Thank you so much for checking out my review! It is my first Stratton. 🙂 Do you have a recommendation of which I should pick up next?
I saw this book and had decided not to read it but after your review I most definitely will be reading it now! Thanks so much for your review!
I definitely recommend giving it a chance! It is a quick read.
Thank you for this opportunity. I do enjoy this writer and look forward to reading this book.
My pleasure! Best of luck!
loved your complete review. I will be reading the book soon.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I’ve often been fascinated with other people’s differing perspective of events in my own life, what a treat to see this applied to my favorite book.
Yes! It is fascinating to hear how the interpretations can be different or similar based on others’ perspectives!
I’ve never read anything by this author and hope to remedy that! This is definitely a unique perspective where we get to hear from a ton of different characters. Is it anything like “Longbourn” which I think was told solely from the perspective of the housemaids?
I felt the same way! I’m glad I finally read something by Ms. Stratton! It is not very similar to Longbourn in that we only get one chapter with each character and there isn’t a big arc of a storyline with these secondary characters. But it is similar in that we get some insights and hear the voices of background characters.
O wow. That is a good idea. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you .
I agree! It is a wonderful concept!
I haven’t read this one yet so thank you for such a great review. I’ve never read any book with this premise before, I suppose the fact that it follows canon means it has the ‘Elizabeth believing Wickham’ and the ‘Lydia and Wickham’ parts? I prefer books without too much of that nowadays but this does sound interesting. Obviously you know I’m not in the US so please don’t enter me in the giveaway.
It does follow canon very closely and you may recognize some scenes from film adaptations too. The pace is quick, so the chapters about Lydia and Wickham are blessedly short!
I would love to hear what Darcy’s valet and Mrs. Long have to say about the doings of Meryton and Netherfeld
They were terrific! It makes me want to hear even more from Mrs. Long…I would love a whole book with her thoughts and observations!
I am intrigued by a book from others’ perspectives — I honestly haven’t read any before. Definitely need to add this to my TBR hoard.
Way back in the day, it was very popular to write versions of P&P from Mr. Darcy’s perspective, and I’ve read a lot of stories like that (same for the other Austen heroes), but I love this concept of hearing from the background characters! I definitely would love to see more of it!
Enjoyed your review. I agree that it is such an interesting idea and I am glad to see that there are diverse points of views utilized and am particularly interested in what the valet might think.
Thank you for checking out my review! Yes, the variety of perspectives make this a very unique read!
Sounds like a fun read. I look forward to reading it. Not usually inclined for these, but the comments got me curious…
Glad to hear you are thinking of giving this one a chance!
Looking forward to reading! Thanks for the review.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Hi Meredith,
Thanks for the review. This premise sounds really interesting and unique with the varied characters’ perspectives on the P&P story. I look forward to reading this novel. –Leslie
I appreciate you checking out my review and sharing your thoughts! Best of luck!
I enjoy MJ Stratton’s work — Will have to pick this one up!
That’s great to hear! This is my first one, I can’t wait to try another.
I’d love to read this. Thank you for the chance to win a copy! It sounds very interesting!
So glad to hear it! Best of luck!
What a unique way to tell the story! I’m interested in reading this book. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
Agreed! I think it is a great way to show what goes on behind the scenes and what others may know.
Thanks for the review; it gives a good idea of what to expect in the book. It will definitely be interesting to see what some of the other characters might have been thinking.
So glad to hear the review is helpful!
Your review convinced me I need to read it. There’s so much to choose from these days and I can’t keep up. So it’s really helpful to have a recommendation on a newer title. Thank you Meredith, I love minor character driven variations so I think I’ll enjoy this one. I especially like getting some interaction between Darcy and his valet.
That’s wonderful to hear! I agree about there being so much to choose from and needing maybe some help to know where to start!
Love the idea of a retelling from alternative characters! And , as I adored Jane’s original story, I’m thrilled that it “sticks to that script.” Sounds so interesting, and I look forward to reading it!
I think you will definitely enjoy this one, Amy!
I have not read this story. Good luck with the release. Sounds interesting.