Review: Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James

Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James

I am so very embarrassed at the amount of time it took me to read this book! My family was struck down by the aforementioned virus, I went back to work full time, and my son began to teethe, leaving my husband and I with many sleepless nights. It is tough trying to finish a book when at some points I was falling asleep after ten pages. Life seems to have calmed down some now and I am ready to get back into the swing of reading, reviewing, and reading again.

Summary (from the publisher):

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Thoughts:

I think my sights were set too high. I love Jane Austen, I love Lizzie and Darcy and Jane and Bingley, and I love Pemberley. All of these took a back seat to a murder mystery in this book. I knew that going in. The title tells us that is what is within the pages of this book. Still, I was disappointed.

My disappointment is by all means more my fault than the author's. P.D. James writes in the style of the times. She is true to the characters of the original story. Wickham is still a jerk, Lydia is still a loudmouth, Mr. Bennett is still a calming presence among chaos. Darcy and Lizzie are still in love and Jane and Bingley are as sweet as can be.

New characters are introduced, and James did a lovely job of making it seem like they should have been there all along. Honestly, the book is authentic and Austen may have enjoyed it herself. I would have loved it more if I did not love Pride and Prejudice the way that I do. I wanted more of the sexual tension between Lizzie and Darcy, which, of course, after six years of marriage will have waned or disappeared all together. I wanted them to still be as special to me six years after their wedding, but they weren't. They were...normal.

I have made a promise to myself to no longer read sequels written by a different author to the original. I am always disappointed and I feel that I cannot review properly without bias. However, I have promised the readers of this blog that I would review honestly and from the heart, and so I have done.

Please read and enjoy this murder mystery. It is enjoyable. It is a fun read. It was lovely to see my friends again. I just wish it had been different this time around.


Link to Death Comes to Pemberley through Barnes & Noble