Longbourn
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4,1 • 229 notes
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- 11,99 $US
Description de l’éditeur
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • “Fans of Austen...will take particular pleasure” (People) in this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice.
While Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters fuss over balls and husbands, Sarah, their orphaned housemaid, is beginning to chafe against the boundaries of her class. When a new footman arrives at Longbourn under mysterious circumstances, the carefully choreographed world she has known all her life threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.
Mentioned only fleetingly in Jane Austen’s classic, here Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Regency England and, in doing so, uncovers the real world of the novel that has captivated readers’ hearts around the world for generations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The servants of the Bennett estate manage their own set of dramas in this vivid re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice. While the marriage prospects of the Bennett girls preoccupy the family upstairs, downstairs the housekeeper Mrs. Hill has her hands full managing the staff that keeps Longbourn running smoothly: the young housemaids, Sarah and Polly; the butler, Mr. Hill; and the mysterious new footman, James Smith, who bears a secret connection to Longbourn. At the heart of the novel is a budding romance between James and orphan-turned-housemaid Sarah, whose dutiful service belies a "ferocious need for notice, an insistence that she fully be taken into account." When an expected turn of events separates the young lovers, Sarah must contend with James's complicated past and the never-ending demands of the Bennetts. Baker (The Mermaid's Child) offers deeper insight into Austen's minor characters, painting Mr. Collins in a more sympathetic light while making the fiendish Mr. Wickham even more sinister. The Militia, which only offered opportunities for flirtations in the original, here serves as a reminder of the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars. Baker takes many surprising risks in developing the relationships between the servants and the Bennetts, but the end result steers clear of gimmick and flourishes as a respectful and moving retelling. A must-read for fans of Austen, this literary tribute also stands on its own as a captivating love story. First printing of 150,000.
Avis d’utilisateurs
Very Good.
Very good book. I really enjoyed it. I cried at the end, not because it was sad, but because it was so very bittersweet and tugged at my heart strings. Read it: it’s good!! ☺️
Longbourn
This is a slow-moving story built around the "downstairs" people. You need to be patient while reading as nothing very much happens during most of the first half of the book. It is, however, interesting reading about the daily lives & duties of these hard working characters & you do get to know their personalities along the way. Plot development is slow, but the writing is descriptive and fascinating. It's a good read as long as you don't expect a lot of drama.
Fascinating
I loved seeing inside the Bennet household from the viewpoint of the house staff. The book was meticulously researched to reflect accurately the details of the period. I will never again read Austen without thinking about all those others lurking in the wings but not on stage.