ciska's review against another edition
4.0
This book was on my wish list for a while so when it was mentioned for book group I was really happy. I really enjoyed the developments in this story. Knowing the story of Pride and Prejudice by heart I was surprised how little the servants story connected. Just a few of the general situations overlap in the story making it easy to read this book even if you are not familiar with Pride and Prejudice.
I really liked Sarah. She is smart and aware of her position in the same time. Often wishing for more she realizes that her position at the house is pretty good and I like the way she thinks about it. Though I did have a hard time deciding on her age as at points she could be childish. I enjoyed how not only the social ladder from the servants to the rest of the house where made clear but also the one between the servants. Mrs. Hill was obviously from a pretty good household and it was obvious she would be the head of a household where Sarah would most likely always be a maid unless she would marry an important male servant even though she was smart.
The book can be read as a light and entertaining read but there are some deeper subjects in the book too if you are looking for a more thoughtful story.
I really liked Sarah. She is smart and aware of her position in the same time. Often wishing for more she realizes that her position at the house is pretty good and I like the way she thinks about it. Though I did have a hard time deciding on her age as at points she could be childish. I enjoyed how not only the social ladder from the servants to the rest of the house where made clear but also the one between the servants. Mrs. Hill was obviously from a pretty good household and it was obvious she would be the head of a household where Sarah would most likely always be a maid unless she would marry an important male servant even though she was smart.
The book can be read as a light and entertaining read but there are some deeper subjects in the book too if you are looking for a more thoughtful story.
laura_h_77's review against another edition
3.0
This was ok. The links to P&P were obvious and I did like the crossover of the stories, but ultimately it was a bit boring. I like historical books and I think the servants lives are too often overlooked, I just didn’t find myself caring much. I skimmed the war section. It wasn’t a bad book, just not my sort of thing.
maxwellkb2's review against another edition
5.0
The characters are richly drawn and I quite enjoyed learning the detail of daily life of Regency England. I thought section three dragged on a bit, but it ended nicely.
sgjohnson2001's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE Pride & Prejudice and really enjoyed reading a perspective of the servants. It brought to light how very privileged the Bennet sisters were and how very oblivious they were to it. I had been such a fan of the character Lizzy until I considered her from the perspective of her servants. I appreciated being able to spend more time at Longbourn and seeing it from a different angle.
marg408's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. I'm not sure how believable Sarah's journey at the end was...but this was a great "beginning of summer read." Even better if you go into it and pretend like you never read P&P.
elsanore's review against another edition
3.0
Parts One and Two had me hooked. They paralleled the Pride & Prejudice storyline from the servants' perspectives, and I enjoyed them very much. Part Three had a jump back in time that took me out of the main story but rooted P&P in its historical setting. I appreciate the research that went into this novel and think it is a good companion to its inspiration.
mverdoorn's review against another edition
3.0
Well, for Pride & Prejudice fan fiction, this was probably the best one I've read. It wasn't bad - it was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I hated the ending though. If you are going to tie everything up in a neat little bow, it could have been done much better than it was.
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
3.0
This is the version of Pride & Prejudice that focuses on the "downstairs" staff. While the Bennett young ladies are going to fancy balls, young maid Sarah is washing their laundry and cleaning up the scullery. Alongside her are Mr. and Mrs. Hill, another younger orphan named Polly, and the new boy of all trades James. Of course some romance ensues.
I thought this story was a bit dull. If you're a fan of fiction from this time period, you might like it more.
I thought this story was a bit dull. If you're a fan of fiction from this time period, you might like it more.
flappermyrtle's review against another edition
4.0
So far, Longbourn has been one of the best-executed Pride and Prejudice rewritings I've read. It is very original in its subject matter, choosing to show the life 'downstairs' in Longbourn. The references to Austen's novel are neatly done and not too much, which is a pitfall many other writers fall into. Interestingly, this book also shows some of the political background of Austen's times with a couple of scenes taking place in the war. The only thing that didn't work for me was the extra wickedness placed upon Wickham, as it seemed out of character and simply heaping another accusation on the pile.