karen_barrington's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty good book. I liked the concept of focusing on the men during the Napoleonic Wars, I just wish the narrative had been a bit more from their point of view prior to the Battle of Waterloo. I think it would have been just a bit better. However, that being said, I think the characters' behaviours were all well within the realm of Austen and how she might have envisioned them.
allison_on_a_book_break's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
1.0
I'd had some hopes from the good reviews and the fact that the sample was decent, but I was disappointed fairly quickly (particularly as I'd paid for this book). Colonels Brandon and Fitzwilliam were always two of my favorite Austen characters, and I had hopes for a book about them at war, but Brandon got very little book time, and was largely ignored in favor of the original character of Colonel Buford. Fitzwilliam had a bigger part, but it largely circled around his not very compelling romance.
In the end, the author tried to balance too many Austen characters without properly devoting time to any of them, and without bringing much new or of interest to the majority of them. All in all, a disappointment.
In the end, the author tried to balance too many Austen characters without properly devoting time to any of them, and without bringing much new or of interest to the majority of them. All in all, a disappointment.
serenaac's review against another edition
4.0
The Three Colonels: Jane Austen’s Fighting Men by Jack Caldwell is set during a time in Europe when empires were being built and shifted, including the Napoleonic empire. Colonel Brandon, Colonel Buford, and Colonel Fitzwilliam are the main players here, but Mr. Darcy’s connection to Fitzwilliam and Brandon and Fitzwilliam’s connections to Buford blend the picture seamlessly. A Regency period novel that begins with the exile of Napoleon to Elba is the calm before the storm as the world teeters on the brink of war once again, which can only bring the three colonels into danger, alongside that love-to-hate rogue Wickham. Caldwell can always be counted on for creating tension that leads to fast-paced action in an Austenesque novel, and he even sprinkles in the romance and common misunderstandings Austen’s characters have dealt with in the past.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/03/the-three-colonels-jane-austens-fighting-men-by-jack-caldwell.html
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/03/the-three-colonels-jane-austens-fighting-men-by-jack-caldwell.html
jemofabook's review against another edition
5.0
This was fantastic. I absolutely LOVE Jane Austen and this picked up where she left off with some of the characters from Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. I feel like he did a very good job remaining true to the characters he included in the story, and I loved the expansion of Caroline Bingley and Anne de Bourgh. It's nice to think that everyone in her novels exist in the same universe, and he positioned them in the context of history, which is lots of fun. I definitely look forward to reading more by him!
samjaymc's review against another edition
4.0
Paperback
Pages: 384
Published: March 1st 2012
Sourcebooks Landmark
Love reigns supreme for our three brave colonels at the start of this epic tale. Colonels Fitzwilliam, Buford, and Brandon are enjoying their courtships and their early married lives with three beloved Jane Austen heroines. The couples lead tranquil lives - until Napoleon escapes from exile. While the military men set out to meet their destiny on the fields of Waterloo, Anne, Caroline, and Marianne defend their hearts against the fear of losing their loved ones.
I placed The Three Colonels on my wish list way back in the summer last year after reading an interview over at Austen Authors. The premise seemed right up my street and I must say, I was not disappointed.
The Three Colonels follows Colonel Fitzwilliam of Pride and Prejudice, Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility and Colonel Buford, the love interest of Miss Caroline Bingley. Together, the three fighting men are settling into post war England of 1814 – until Napoleon escapes from Elba. Now they must fight him, once again, whilst guarding their hearts and family.
Caldwell delves into part of the Regency era that Jane Austen did not – the Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815, though he primarily concentrates on the Seventh Coalition in 1815. I found that because of this, I read quicker because it encompassed two of my favourite things – history and the characters of Jane Austen’s novels. However, do not be alarmed if you are not a major history lover – it is not overwhelming and is done in tidbits so as not to alarm.
Overall, The Three Colonels was a wonderful read for me and introduced me to a new Austenite author. I fully enjoyed the novel and its premise. I loved that Caldwell did not focus fully on the romantic aspect of the novel and that he chose a different route to go down when writing. It was wonderful to see a new and enlightening side to what Austenite authors can write about.
Pages: 384
Published: March 1st 2012
Sourcebooks Landmark
Love reigns supreme for our three brave colonels at the start of this epic tale. Colonels Fitzwilliam, Buford, and Brandon are enjoying their courtships and their early married lives with three beloved Jane Austen heroines. The couples lead tranquil lives - until Napoleon escapes from exile. While the military men set out to meet their destiny on the fields of Waterloo, Anne, Caroline, and Marianne defend their hearts against the fear of losing their loved ones.
I placed The Three Colonels on my wish list way back in the summer last year after reading an interview over at Austen Authors. The premise seemed right up my street and I must say, I was not disappointed.
The Three Colonels follows Colonel Fitzwilliam of Pride and Prejudice, Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility and Colonel Buford, the love interest of Miss Caroline Bingley. Together, the three fighting men are settling into post war England of 1814 – until Napoleon escapes from Elba. Now they must fight him, once again, whilst guarding their hearts and family.
Caldwell delves into part of the Regency era that Jane Austen did not – the Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815, though he primarily concentrates on the Seventh Coalition in 1815. I found that because of this, I read quicker because it encompassed two of my favourite things – history and the characters of Jane Austen’s novels. However, do not be alarmed if you are not a major history lover – it is not overwhelming and is done in tidbits so as not to alarm.
Overall, The Three Colonels was a wonderful read for me and introduced me to a new Austenite author. I fully enjoyed the novel and its premise. I loved that Caldwell did not focus fully on the romantic aspect of the novel and that he chose a different route to go down when writing. It was wonderful to see a new and enlightening side to what Austenite authors can write about.
vesper1931's review against another edition
4.0
The story of Jane Austen's Colonels -Fitzwilliam, Brandon and new character Buford. Telling the tale of their lives, courtships and marriages until Napoleon escapes Elba. Then to battle.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the writing style, the history and loved the characters, and finished wanting to read more. Can't wait for the next in the series
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the writing style, the history and loved the characters, and finished wanting to read more. Can't wait for the next in the series
reader_fictions's review
2.0
Going into this, I was rather skeptical, both of the fact that it was written by a man (something I've never before encountered) and because I have found that those novels that attempt to combine characters from multiple Austen novels tend to be particularly bad. The merging of the characters did actually work alright, and was perhaps the best part of the book.
One thing Caldwell has done, that I found both interesting and off-putting, is to focus upon the least likable women from P&P. Caroline Bingley gets married (and sexed). She's suddenly supposed to be a likable character, and I am supposed to be happy for her, even though much of the fun of reading or watch P&P is to laugh at her and yell backfire every time she tries to turn Darcy's eyes her way with the end result of making him more interested in Lizzy.
Caldwell actually does a decent job of selling Caroline's transformation. He says that Caroline and Mary became friends, out of lack of anyone else to talk to in combine family gatherings, to the betterment of both. Mary gets a bit fancier and finds a husband and Caroline gets a bit nicer, because she now knows true friendship. I think that's cool. Still, I just cannot like Caroline Bingley; I'm like Darcy: my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.
I also have trouble sympathizing with Lydia Bennet. She was a stupid girl who did stupid things and got her due punishment (Wickham). Okay, maybe that seems harsh, but, come on, she rubbed her married status in her sisters' faces, even though Wickham had to be bribed to wed her. Nice she is not. Does she deserve better? Maybe, but only slightly so, if that. Thus, the introduction of a character from her past to pursue her (somehow) was not exactly thrilling for me.
Continuing on in the unlikable women of Austen parade, we have Anne de Bourgh. Actually, we don't see much of her in P&P, mostly because Lady Catherine doesn't let other people get a word in edgewise. Anne suffers from curiously poor health. Caldwell has decided that once she got older, she recovered from her poor health. I am actually okay with Anne getting a personality, because she could be a great person, once healthy and away from her awful mother. However, I really think that there must have been someone better to match her up with than her cousin. You're no better than Lady Catherine, Jack Caldwell!
Oh yeah, and, in case you had the idea that men do not write romance novels, allow me to set the record straight. This novel has steamy romance scenes, just like those you would find in the popular romance novels. Of course, there is slightly more discussion of war, but, really, romance is the main subject. Also, I have to say that giving oneself a nickname for during sex seems rather awkward; I laughed heartily at that scene. Do people really do that? Wait, don't answer that.
Also awkward was the organization. One story line would be followed for several chapters, and then it would jump to another one for several chapters. It was hard to form a sense of an overall plot from all of this. I suspected that it had something to do with the Napoleon stuff in the prologue, but since that didn't come up again for hundreds of pages, it was hard to be sure. Note: it does have to do with Napoleon, but first all of the colonels need to be happily coupled. I definitely liked that Caldwell made a bit more of the historical context of the time period. The book is set against the backdrop of Napoleon's escape from Elba and subsequent attempt to take over Europe, but the historical bits are fairly limited.
So, to sum up, this is about as schmaltzy and full of cheesy sex scenes as most Austen-inspired fiction, all of which I seem to find it necessary to subject myself to. It's a fairly entertaining read, but, well, see above.
One thing Caldwell has done, that I found both interesting and off-putting, is to focus upon the least likable women from P&P. Caroline Bingley gets married (and sexed). She's suddenly supposed to be a likable character, and I am supposed to be happy for her, even though much of the fun of reading or watch P&P is to laugh at her and yell backfire every time she tries to turn Darcy's eyes her way with the end result of making him more interested in Lizzy.
Caldwell actually does a decent job of selling Caroline's transformation. He says that Caroline and Mary became friends, out of lack of anyone else to talk to in combine family gatherings, to the betterment of both. Mary gets a bit fancier and finds a husband and Caroline gets a bit nicer, because she now knows true friendship. I think that's cool. Still, I just cannot like Caroline Bingley; I'm like Darcy: my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.
I also have trouble sympathizing with Lydia Bennet. She was a stupid girl who did stupid things and got her due punishment (Wickham). Okay, maybe that seems harsh, but, come on, she rubbed her married status in her sisters' faces, even though Wickham had to be bribed to wed her. Nice she is not. Does she deserve better? Maybe, but only slightly so, if that. Thus, the introduction of a character from her past to pursue her (somehow) was not exactly thrilling for me.
Continuing on in the unlikable women of Austen parade, we have Anne de Bourgh. Actually, we don't see much of her in P&P, mostly because Lady Catherine doesn't let other people get a word in edgewise. Anne suffers from curiously poor health. Caldwell has decided that once she got older, she recovered from her poor health. I am actually okay with Anne getting a personality, because she could be a great person, once healthy and away from her awful mother. However, I really think that there must have been someone better to match her up with than her cousin. You're no better than Lady Catherine, Jack Caldwell!
Oh yeah, and, in case you had the idea that men do not write romance novels, allow me to set the record straight. This novel has steamy romance scenes, just like those you would find in the popular romance novels. Of course, there is slightly more discussion of war, but, really, romance is the main subject. Also, I have to say that giving oneself a nickname for during sex seems rather awkward; I laughed heartily at that scene. Do people really do that? Wait, don't answer that.
Also awkward was the organization. One story line would be followed for several chapters, and then it would jump to another one for several chapters. It was hard to form a sense of an overall plot from all of this. I suspected that it had something to do with the Napoleon stuff in the prologue, but since that didn't come up again for hundreds of pages, it was hard to be sure. Note: it does have to do with Napoleon, but first all of the colonels need to be happily coupled. I definitely liked that Caldwell made a bit more of the historical context of the time period. The book is set against the backdrop of Napoleon's escape from Elba and subsequent attempt to take over Europe, but the historical bits are fairly limited.
So, to sum up, this is about as schmaltzy and full of cheesy sex scenes as most Austen-inspired fiction, all of which I seem to find it necessary to subject myself to. It's a fairly entertaining read, but, well, see above.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
Now this one was a bit different from the JA books I usually read, and that is always something I approve of. I do like change.
This book is all about Colonel Fitzwilliam and the lady he loves (yes yes we can all figure it is Anne), Colonel Brandon and Marianne, and Colonel Buford who falls for Caroline. Really Caroline?! That was my first thought, but if Darcy can change then so can Caroline and she does change. She actually becomes a really sweet person and I liked her. Which I never thought would happen.
I felt that the book was mostly about Buford and Caroline, then came Fitz and Anne and last the Brandons. But then these two were settled and happy so no drama there. While there sure was drama around Anne and Richard. And of course the romance of Buford and Caroline. What was also fun was that everyone knew each other. Lizzy was friend with the Marianne and Elinor. There is a mention of Tilney and the Elliott family and I do love that. Like they all were there and could have met.
As for the story there was romance, drama and then last, Waterloo. I liked to see all the characters I love and to see new people find happiness and to hear what happened to others. One thing though, something happened that I did not like one bit, I am still a bit upset, sadly I can't say what. Then again another thing also happened which made me really glad so I guess those two things take themselves out. And there was also a love scene that felt a bit awkward. But I have never been one for details. All in all a fun Jane Austen variation. Though even if not a colonel, I still missed Wenthworth, he is a fighting man after all.
Conclusion:
If you want more than just Lizzy and Darcy then this might be JA variation for you. Jane Austen's fighting men sure needs love too.
This book is all about Colonel Fitzwilliam and the lady he loves (yes yes we can all figure it is Anne), Colonel Brandon and Marianne, and Colonel Buford who falls for Caroline. Really Caroline?! That was my first thought, but if Darcy can change then so can Caroline and she does change. She actually becomes a really sweet person and I liked her. Which I never thought would happen.
I felt that the book was mostly about Buford and Caroline, then came Fitz and Anne and last the Brandons. But then these two were settled and happy so no drama there. While there sure was drama around Anne and Richard. And of course the romance of Buford and Caroline. What was also fun was that everyone knew each other. Lizzy was friend with the Marianne and Elinor. There is a mention of Tilney and the Elliott family and I do love that. Like they all were there and could have met.
As for the story there was romance, drama and then last, Waterloo. I liked to see all the characters I love and to see new people find happiness and to hear what happened to others. One thing though, something happened that I did not like one bit, I am still a bit upset, sadly I can't say what. Then again another thing also happened which made me really glad so I guess those two things take themselves out. And there was also a love scene that felt a bit awkward. But I have never been one for details. All in all a fun Jane Austen variation. Though even if not a colonel, I still missed Wenthworth, he is a fighting man after all.
Conclusion:
If you want more than just Lizzy and Darcy then this might be JA variation for you. Jane Austen's fighting men sure needs love too.
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