What is a poor widow to do when no one else realizes her magnanimous dreams? Lydia Wickham lives at Pemberly with Elizabeth, her older sister, and her stick-in-the-mud brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy. She dreams of exciting diversions on the Continent and the endless adventures that await. Now that she has lost Mr. Wickham, her late husband, she aspires to marry a wealthy man. This in turn will furnish her with enough money and then she will no longer be a poor widow.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham
Newlyweds Mr. Knightley and Emma are hosting a party at Donwell Abbey. In attendance are some of Jane Austen’s most beloved characters living happily ever after: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, Colonel Brandon and Marianne, and Edmund Bertram and Fanny, among others. In an interesting interconnected web, all the characters are tied together in one way or another. Mr. Knightley is friends with Mr. Darcy, and so on.
Susan
Miss Susan Smithson is thrown out of Mrs. Ansruther’s school after she is accused of having a dalliance with the music teacher. When this occurs, the penniless orphan has no choice but to go live with her uncle George Collins’s family. Since she is a lively young beauty with dark tresses and a fair complexion, she has no shortage of admirers. Many people who meet her remark upon her loveliness and playful vivacity.
Longbourn
Every time I see a Jane Austen pastiche, I tend to approach it with a wary caution. Since this is a pastiche based off Austen’s very own Pride and Prejudice, I held it to a higher standard than I normally would any other book. All I have to say is that I wasn’t disappointed.