Book Review: Letters from Pemberley

It's a truth universally acknowledged that if you love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice you might be left yearning for more. Pride and Prejudice fans will be pleased to know that the brilliant story Jane Austen crafted more than two hundred years ago continues in our modern day. Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins continues the life story of Elizabeth Bennet. Pride and Prejudice fans might be overwhelmed with the seemingly endless modern-day fiction pieces based on this work of art. Letters from Pemberley is definitely a must-read for any reader who loves fan fiction based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen enthusiasts will savor the carefully crafted ways Dawkins incorporated her favorite Jane Austen characters from works other than Pride and Prejudice into Letters from Pemberley, although it's not necessary to have read any other Jane Austen works other than Pride and Prejudice prior to reading Letters from Pemberley.

Letters from Pemberley takes the reader through the first year of Elizabeth Bennet's marriage to Fitzwilliam Darcy. If you're curious to know what happened to Elizabeth Bennet after her marriage, Letters from Pemberley provides a well-crafted glimpse into the possibilities through a series of letters between Elizabeth (Bennet) Darcy and her sister Jane (Bennet) Bingley. There are a total of twenty-five exquisitely contrived letters from Elizabeth to Jane, and each letter spans multiple pages, as the entire book is nearly two hundred pages long. If you only read one letter per day, you can have Letters from Pemberley finished in less than one month. Interestingly, it took me four days to read Pride and Prejudice, but I was so sad when it was over that I made a conscious vow to savor Letters from Pemberley a bit longer.

I wouldn't recommend reading Letters from Pemberley unless you have read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice first. It's not necessary to read other Jane Austen books even though Dawkins incorporates certain aspects of them into Letters from Pemberley; however, readers who are well versed in Austen will certainly appreciate these references and have an enhanced reading experience.

One of the most beneficial aspects of Letters from Pemberley is that it can be read in short ten-minute segments. This is a real advantage for readers like me who usually read multiple books simultaneously.

Letters from Pemberley is written in a more similar style to Pride and Prejudice than other fan fiction spin-offs, but true Austenites know there is no substitute for Austen's unique style that blends sophistication and humor.

After finishing Letters from Pemberley, satisfied readers who appreciate Jane Dawkins' efforts to revive Pride and Prejudice can read even more about the Darcy family in More Letters from Pemberley, which highlights the next five years following Elizabeth Darcy's first year as a newlywed.

I'm fully aware that I provided a deliberately ambiguous book review of Letters from Pemberley. No book review could do justice to the captivating and engaging read that Dawkins has crafted. After reading Letters from Pemberley, you will have no doubt why both Dawkins and Austen are both named Jane.