Date of Reading: 23/05/2018Author: Carrie Kablean
Publisher: Red Door
Year: June 2018
Rating: 3.4/5
About the book (Goodreads):
England, 1813. Nineteen-year-old Catherine Bennet lives in the shadow of her two eldest sisters, Elizabeth and Jane, who have both made excellent marriages. No one expects Kitty to amount to anything. Left at home in rural Hertfordshire with her neurotic and nagging mother, and a father who derides her as "silly and ignorant," Kitty is lonely, diffident and at a loss as to how to improve her situation.
When her world unexpectedly expands to London and Darcy’s magnificent country estate in Derbyshire, she is overjoyed. Keen to impress this new society, and to change her family’s prejudice, Kitty does everything she can to improve her mind and manners—and for the first time feels liked and respected.
However, one fateful night at Pemberley, a series of events and misunderstandings conspire to ruin Kitty’s reputation and she is sent back home in disgrace. But Kitty has learnt from her new experiences and what she does next will not only surprise herself but everyone else too.
My Review:
It goes without saying that I am a HUGE Austen fan. But I am not fond of sequels as they usually never live up to the original. Still, the cover was too persuading and I also felt the need to relive the characters and gave it a try. I would have liked to read about Mary rather than Kitty as she is the bookish sister.
Kablean does a nice work of capturing the spirit of 'Pride and Prejudice' using almost similar language and narrative style. Nothing happens much in the first half other than what is described in the cover blurb -- gatherings, visits and dresses. We are slowly eased into the world of the sisters again, but this time Jane is going to be our favourite. Then comes the conflict resulting in Kitty's disgrace and after that the story takes momentum.
You might be wondering about Kittie's love interest, and though I am itching to reveal that, it will be better if you find it yourself. It is only in the last pages the readers are enlightened as to who it is and until then it was quite fun guessing. Happy reading!!!
Meet the author:
I was born and raised in London and came to Sydney in 1990. I love both cities - shame they are so far apart.
I have always loved reading and when I was a kid and the mobile library made its weekly stop nearby I read anything in the historical fiction genre I could get my hands on. Especially loved Tudor England. Then Jane Austen came into my life and never left. And I started working my way through other great English classic novels (an ongoing pastime). But my tastes range farther afield too, Junot Diaz, Stella Gibbons, Tom Wolfe, Graham Greene, Karen Joy Fowler, Alice Sebold.... have to stop, it will go on forever.
The theatre is also a passion. I reviewed for The Sunday Telegraph for more than a decade, and still post the occasional review.
I was a journalist with The Australian for more than 20 years, and now write for my own amusement - and hopefully yours!
Don't forget to check out the other stops in the tour
Don't forget to check out the other stops in the tour
