What If Lady Catherine Became the Self-Appointed Guardian of the Bennet Sisters?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Source: Gift from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation including characters from other novels

THE PREMISE: After tragedy strikes multiple families in multiple ways, Lady Catherine learns of a family of 5 now-orphaned daughters who will soon be supplanted from the only home they’ve ever known by her former parson. Because of her own loss and grief – and because she loves being useful – Lady C hightails it to Meryton to sponsor, support, and seek suitors for these five sisters. Will Lady Catherine’s aide be a help or a hinderance…?

WHAT I LOVED:

• Dramatic and Striking: 🫢 Ms. Bamber went on a killing spree! 😵  While the loss of so many characters is devastating (Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Jane’s fiancé, Sir William Lucas, Anne de Bourgh) it creates some very new dynamics and situations for these characters. What becomes of their lives now? I really enjoyed exploring such new realities and storylines with these characters. This premise standouts and is very unique.

• Who Run The World?: Girls! We got some strong and independent women in this tale and I absolutely loved it! I loved seeing how the Bennet women and Charlotte are taking full responsibilities for themselves and have created organized, longterm plans for securing their own futures. And none of them require men or matrimony! Their sufficiency and savvy was inspiring.

• Multiple Storylines: With five Bennet sisters and Charlotte, there are definitely more than six storylines to follow in this tale! I liked that each Bennet sister and Charlotte received some attention and new developments. Lydia and Kitty have some different interests for sure. I especially enjoyed the deeper and more challenging storylines for Jane and Charlotte.

• Mother Catherine: I loved Lady Cat in this tale. She is so caring and likable, and does not possess any hauter or severity. She immediately develops a strong affinity for each of the Bennet sisters and learns their individual personalities and qualities. And she has a very special affection for Elizabeth most of all – which was wonderful to witness, since she was never really close with Mrs. Bennet. Believing herself to have such celebrated skills of understanding and discernment, Lady C attempts a good amount of matchmaking and sets up a grand house party at her new residence – Netherfield Park. And it was great fun to see her orchestrating some new matches and, like Emma Woodhouse, being a little off the mark…

• Familiar Characters and New Twists: Speaking about this grand house party – there are some familiar faces popping up around Netherfield. I won’t spoil all the fun surprises in store, but I will say that all six major Jane Austen novels represented with various characters and themes. It was great fun to see all these characters interact with the P&P gang. I especially enjoyed some of the romantic pairings that came about – even the ones that didn’t work well! I appreciated all the creativity and cleverness of these relationships. And how in some cases they traversed some familiar paths.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Antagonists: I felt like some of the antagonists of this story were a little disjointed and inconsistent. Including Mr. Collins. Maybe they needed more page time? Maybe some time spent from their perspectives? The main antagonist never appeared on page – only in recollections and discussions. I did enjoy the drama the antagonists caused, but I think they were maybe a little undeveloped.

• Balance and Pacing: It was a little slow going in the beginning, but I was happy to see the action picking up in the latter half of the story. With so many storylines to switch back and forth from, I did wish that some more time was spent with certain couples/characters and with the fast-paced events of this story’s conclusion. Perhaps with some lopting and cropting the story would be more even and balanced?

CONCLUSION:

Filled with tragic fires, fearless females, familiar faces, and surrogate families – Five Daughters Out at Once is a fantastically unique Pride and Prejudice variation. One that will be sure to delight readers who love seeing a softer side to Lady Catherine and exploring some entertaining Jane crossovers!

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