Reviews

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

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daxual's review against another edition

5.0

I went into this a bit unsure -- I'm not an Austen purist, I don't think, but there are quite a number of fanfiction (not an insult, at least not from me) takes on her characters, and I feel like most of them are probably not great? This one aims high, by taking the despicable Wickham and the frivolous Lydia and asking us to put aside what we know about them long enough to find out What Really Happened. And it's astonishingly good! Funny, twisty, dark, and faithful to the books -- not just P&P but also Austen's unfinished SANDITON. Whether the Wickhams are redeemed by the end is perhaps debatable, but the getting there is full of schemes and weird, bloody magic, and it is at least clear that while Lydia did make bad decisions, other people from the book were secretly much worse than her. The ending is not neat and tidy, and it might break your heart a little. It makes me think a bit of Mark Twain -- if HUCKLEBERRY FINN exposed the underbelly of TOM SAWYER's world, then maybe this book does that (respectfully) with P&P. Very highly recommended for Austen fans, especially those who enjoy fantasy.

guylou's review

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2.0

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗬𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗧, 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗧𝗮𝘂𝗯 had much potential—Lydia Bennet as a witch, finally telling her side of the story—but sadly, it didn’t work for me. I stopped at about 30%. The concept is clever, but the execution felt disjointed, and the pacing was off. There were some highlights, like the quirky twist where Kitty is actually a cat and Lydia’s familiar, using magic to make everyone believe she’s another Bennet sister. However, much of the book meanders with too much self-reflection that bogged down the plot. Even Lydia acknowledges her digressions, which only made it more frustrating. It's disappointing because the story had great promise, but it just couldn’t hold my attention for 400 pages.

bkanipe's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bluesleepy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

delaneywhitworth's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

pink_alex's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Everyone knows the story of the Bennet sisters of Pride and Prejudice. And Melinda Taub took a closer look at Lydia, the sister who ran away with Wickham. She gives the story a magical, witchy twist and shows what was really going on when she ran away with the officer.
I think I loved the idea of a witch story combined with Pride and Prejudice more than the actual story. Lydia annoyed me a little with all her wining and self-pity. I enjoyed the different view and the witchy parts but I still couldn’t fall into the story as I could in others.