Pemberley: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice

Rating:
Summary: Falls short of Jane Austen
Review: A truly disappointing attempt at a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Although Ms. Tennant's language is acceptable, it does not hold a candle to Jane Austen's smart prose. Pemberley's plot is similar to a bad TV movie; the denoument is so poorly written, it seems as though the author wrote it in the lobby of her publisher's office on the same day of her deadline. Elizabeth Darcy (nee Bennet) was made to look too insecure and, in contemporary terms, "clingy." I was so disappointed that I literally tossed the book across the room after reading it.

Rating:
Summary: A very disappointing sequel
Review: Anyone who adored Pride and Prejudice should stay far away from this book! The plot was very predictable and hardly entertaining at all. Worse than that was the fact that Emma Tennant seemed to re-write the final chapter of "Pride and Prejudice" to suit herself. Although in "Pride and Prejudice" Jane and Elizabeth were married on the same day, in "Pemberley" Jane had a 1 year old child and another on the way when Elizabeth had been married only 1 year. And Lydia had 4 children by this stage! Mr Bennet was quickly killed off in "Pemberley" before he or his wife had been invited to visit Mr & Mrs Darcy, but in "Pride and Prejudice" it says he delighted in going to Pemberley. Also disappointing is what Emma Tennant does to Georgiana, who seemed so devoted to Elizabeth in "Pride and Prejudice" but teamed up against her fairly easily with Miss Bingley in "Pemberley".
Going straight from "Pride and Prejudice" to "Pemberley" I found these discrepancies extremely annoying, but it may not seem quite so bad to someone who hasn't read "Pride and Prejudice" for a while. Even so, I don't think these changes can be justified, as they certainly did nothing to improve the plot.
Although I don't think anyone could truly do justice to a "Pride and Prejudice" sequel, I enjoyed "Presumption" by Julia Barrett far more than "Pemberley".

Rating:
Summary: Darkness falls on the Shades of Pemberley
Review: If you love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and are hungry for more, keep looking. This book is a terrible rip-off of Jane Austen's masterpiece. Do not be fooled by the title of Emma Tennat's book, just because the names of the characters are the same, as is the setting, it does not necessarily qualify it as a sequel. If you are looking for a book that more closely mirrors Jane Austen's style, and character development, read Julia Barrett's PRESUMPTION. But, whatever you do, do not waste your time or money on this book, you will be sorry you did, I know I am. I also feel that I need to add that I rated the book as one star, this being due to the lack of negative stars.