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title: Pemberley Manor: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice continues...

author: Kathryn L. Nelson


first line : The morning that Jane and Elizabeth Bennet married Charles Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy might be seen by some as the end of a story of faltering and reviving passions, a tale of petty prides and prejudices solved and resolved into a loving state of eternal bliss for all.


published: April 2009

genre: historical fiction, regency

pages: 380

rated: 4 out of 5




This was my first time reading a Pride & Prejudice sequel. P&P is one of my favorite novels and in my opinion, it's the perfect love story. So when I began reading this book, I didn't know what to expect. Being a Jane Austen fan, i've been kind of wary of those many Pride & Prejudice sequels/spin offs out there. I kind of think P&P does not need a sequel, Elizabeth & Darcy lived happily ever after, Jane Austen never felt like writing a second book to it, so what's the point of a sequel?
Having said all that, I was curious to read Pemberley Manor and figured i'd give it a try. Live a little, right?



I really enjoyed reading Pemberley Manor . One of the reasons why I liked this book is
because Kathryn L. Nelson stays true to Austen's characters while inserting a few new characters into the storyline.



The book begins with Elizabeth's and Darcy and Jane and Bingley's double wedding. Bingley's sister, Caroline, is present and jealous of Lizzy and Darcy as always.
All the P&P main characters are there too, such as Elizabeth's parents and sisters. The story goes on to Darcy & Lizzie's married life. I was hoping there would be no sex scenes between the two, I think it would be obscene to write such a scene. And thank fully, there were no explicit love scenes between these two characters. But when Darcy finally kisses Lizzy, he does it feverishly, and grabs her. Elizabeth's reaction is to be terrified and cry. So of course, Darcy feels awful and runs out of the room. Now, I wouldn't think that would have happened between these two. I'd like to think Lizzy, as saucy and smart as Austen wrote her, would have loved Darcy to kiss her so passionately.



Before you know it, these two make up and begin thier lives together as husband and wife living at Pemberly. As the story goes on, Lizzy learns about Darcy's past, mostly about his parents. Turns out he has personal demons that he is dealing with, and that he hopes to overcome. Little by little, he shares the details of his past with his wife. And a visitor arrives, straight out of Darcy's troubled past, to stir up long ago buried emotions and anger.






Some of the passages that really stood out and seemed to fit seamlessly into what I would expect from Jane Austen's characters were:

Caroline Bingley's rage at the engagement of Fitzwilliam Darcy to Elizabeth Bennett was no trifling matter. The indignity of finding herself allied to a country simpleton with no social connections was galling enough, but the greater injury of losing her own hopes for an alliance with Mr.Darcy was sufficient to catapult her into an hysterical fury that had all but prevented her from attending the wedding.

Mr and Mrs Charles Bingley were passing a very agreeable fortnight engaged in respectful explorations of the delights of matrimony. Jane was, to be sure, a shy bride and Charles a nervous groom, and a little awkwardness marred their first days together, but they were so intent on pleasing one another in word and deed that very soon they found themselves quite easy together.

'When I came to Pemberly this summer, Mrs Reynolds showed us the portrait of you in the gallery. As I listened to her praise of you as the most generous of brothers and the kindness of masters, something stirred inside me that I could not name. When we met on the green, I think I saw you for the first time with my eyes really open, and I was overcome with shame that I had so misjudged your character. What you did for Lydia merely proved to me what I should have known from my own feelings, that you were the man I loved above all men.' -Lizzy speaking to Darcy

'I have you to thank, Bingley, for this happy change in my fortunes. I confess I little expected to enjoy any of the charms of Meryton when I first visited you there, and with my stubborn pride I came very close to missing what has proved to be the dearest treasure of my life. I had not thought it ever possible for me to ever feel as content as I do. And although I cannot truthfully say that I have learned to enjoy the company of Mrs Bennet, I must give her respect for producing two such magnificent daughters.'-Darcy speaking to Bingley

I found this to be an easy, fun read. I liked many things about this book. It was interesting to think of Darcy having that type of troubled past, and how Elizabeth, having come from a closer family, helps him overcome it and move on. I also like that Lizzy calls Darcy 'Will', short for Fitzwilliam. I enjoyed how the author brings Jane and Bingley into the story as well, since Lizzy and Jane are very close, you would imagine them being very much a part of each other's lives. I think the author got Catherine Bingley's behavior just right as well as the other Austen characters.


As I said before, I really like the dialogue between Lizzy and Darcy, it was very much how i'd imagine they would act. Even the little things, like her teasing him about what he said when he first saw her at the ball, and him just kind of enjoying her humor and just 'rolling with it'. Also how thier friends and family were surprised to see such a change for the better in Darcy.








If you're a fan of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, and are curious to see what ever happened after the wedding, grab a copy of Pemberley Manor and enjoy!





Author Kathryn Nelson stopped by my blog to chat, click here for that post.





Special thanks to Danielle Jackson at Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of
Pemberley Manor .

Calling all Austen fans, I have just finished reading 'Pemberley Manor', my review will be up soon.
For now, I have a special treat, author Kathryn L. Nelson, has stopped by my blog to chat! Please welcome her:





Before I can think about writing a guest blog for the Bookworm, I need to say that your site is stunning. Poetry, art, music…so beautiful that I want to keep going back for another look. I truly do appreciate the opportunity to join your conversation.



Pemberley Manor was written in the wee hours of the morning after my jobs as parent and business owner were put to bed. I still look back fondly on those nights when I sat alone with some of my favorite characters and with Jane Austen’s own words. I read and reread her novels to try to catch the quality of her voice; I laughed out loud at her cheeky wit. And I shamelessly crawled inside the heads and hearts of the Bennets, the Bingleys, and the Darcys, imagining what their lives might have been like before and after the brief part that Miss Austen gave us.



Georgiana, so young and unfinished – if she came from the same stock as her brother, she must have had some opinions of her own to express. As to Elizabeth Bennet, she should have arrived at her wedding night with an understanding of certain character flaws that might give her some trouble in the future. And Darcy, well, could we really imagine that he would never again exhibit those troublesome behaviors that nearly cost him Elizabeth’s love? The newly-wed Darcys were brimming over with confidence and, I should think, relief, when they left the church. But would they not find all of that pent up passion troublesome?



Here’s Elizabeth, slightly nervous as they reach the inn where they will spend their wedding night:


“Well she knew that Fitzwilliam Darcy’s proud nature too closely matched her own. The difficulty of such a relationship was clear, but her thoughts were far from morose for her self-assurance and optimism had taught her that she was rather more than equal to a challenge.”



But what of her new husband?


Mr Darcy’s reflections were far less suited to the occasion, however, for the long silences of the afternoon coupled with his nervousness had precipitated a disturbing coldness in the pit of his stomach. He was acutely aware that there were parts of his life that he had not begun to share with Elizabeth. The honest and impassioned love he met in her eyes today urged him to open his heart without reservation and he longed to do so, but he could not imagine how to begin to unravel the layers of history that he had carefully avoided for so long; what effect such revelations might have on her feelings he did not wish to imagine.”



One of my favorite things about Jane Austen’s characters is that all are flawed, some stupendously so, and so they endear themselves to us. We can revel in their weaknesses and foibles if it is kindly – for the most part, at least – and humorously done. And nearly all have some shred of humanity that prevents us from writing them off completely. Would Caroline Bingley, for example, stay true to her snarky form, or was she capable of improvement? I spent a considerable amount of time on Miss Bingley in Pemberley Manor with the intent of redeeming her. I found it great fun, as it required her to be utterly humiliated to accomplish the task. Luckily, I left Lydia Bennet alone, because Jane Odiwe soon after produced a perfect explanation for that silly girl’s behavior in Lydia Bennet’s Story, complete with a redemption story of her own.



I left behind those few Austen characters whose company seemed beyond my power to enjoy. In their place I introduced a kindly gentleman, friend to old Mr Darcy, who filled in some of the mystery around Fitzwilliam Darcy’s guarded temperament. And Trevor Handley, a young man who had benefitted from the generosity of the elder Darcy, brings in a note of mystery and intrigue that catapults Elizabeth and Darcy, as well as Georgiana, into a chaotic chain of events that threatens their happiness.



Pemberley Manor is every ounce a tribute to the genius of Jane Austen. It makes no pretense to reach her level, but it is honestly and sincerely meant to honor the strength of her characters and the beauty of her language. I think she might be amused by the massive body of work that has sprung from her well. I certainly am.



Thanks again for having me as a guest. It would be fun to hear from Bookworm readers who were captivated by Jane Austen too. Or maybe some who weren’t?


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Thank you for stopping by and chatting with us Kathryn. I really appreciate your taking the time out of your busy schedule to stop by. It's interesting hearing about how your novel came to be. I enjoyed reading it very much. I love all things Austen, and your book truly grabbed my attention. I think Darcy is perfection and I liked the story you wove above his past. I also enjoyed the scenes with Caroline Bingley, that is what i'd expect from her. This made me laugh out loud:

..the greater injury of losing her own hopes for an alliance with Mr.Darcy was sufficient to catapult her into an hysterical fury that had all but prevented her from attending the wedding.

And I really like the dialogue between Lizzy and Darcy, it was very much how i'd imagine they would act. Even the little things, like her teasing him about what he said when he first saw her at the ball, and him just kind of enjoying her humor and just 'rolling with it'. Also how thier friends and family were surprised to see such a change for the better in Darcy.



Thank you also for your kind words about my blog, I am flattered. Best of luck with your book and congratulations on your novel being on the bookstore shelves! That must be very exciting.

And to my readers, stay tuned, I will be posting my review of Kathryn's great book very soon!




Special thanks to Danielle L. Jackson over @ http://www.sourcebooks.com/ for this opportunity!