Presumption: An Entertainment

Rating:
Summary: It wasn't THAT bad..........
Review: ...even if it wasn't all that good either. Let's face it, folks, the book doesn't pretend to be Jane Austen. It's called an "entertainment". That's all it is, no more, no less. The fact that it's second-rate entertainment is neither here nor there. Some people take this book far too seriously. Lighten up.

The focus in "Presumption" is on Georgiana Darcy, the younger sister of the hero of "Pride and Prejudice". Some readers were upset that the focus wasn't on Darcy himself and Elizabeth. But we know at the end of "P&P" that those two were married and lived happily ever after, and what else is there to be said about people who live happily ever after? So a new focus is needed, and Barrett chooses Georgiana Darcy, not a bad choice at all when you come to think about it, because all we knew about her from "P&P" is that she was very young, innocent, almost made a disastrous elopement with the detestable Wickham and came to her senses in time, and was devoted to her brother and Elizabeth.

Julia Barrett (actually a trio of three different writers each trying to write like Austen and not succeeding very well) needs to marry Georgiana off, so two prospects are introduced: James Leigh-Cooper, an up-and-coming young architect to the aristocracy, and Captain Thomas Heywood, a dashing, handsome army officer distantly related to Darcy's noxious aunt Lady Catherine DeBourgh. Lady Catherine, blinded by Captain Heywood's good looks and charm, wants to marry him off to her daughter Anne, since she thinks that being related to the DeBourghs, he must be rich like they are. Boy oh boy, is she about to be disillusioned. Seems Captain Heywood, who doesn't have a shilling to his name, has leagued with the loathsome Wickham in a dastardly plot to frame an honest woman for shoplifting and blackmail her to get rich. Of course the poor victim has to be nobody else but Mrs. Phillips of Meryton, Elizabeth's airhead aunt.

While Darcy goes off to London to help untangle the mess with the assistance of Elizabeth's uncle Gardiner, Leigh-Cooper is trying to make Georgiana fall in love with him but she has a crush on Captain Heywood who is trying to hook either Anne DeBourgh or Caroline Bingley, 24 and still unwed, and the whole thing gets terribly complicated. Meanwhile, Kitty Bennett is off visiting Charlotte Collins at Hunsford, where she manages to captivate Mr. Collins' new curate, Samuel Beasley, while right across the road, Captain Heywood is busy at Rosings charming Anne DeBourgh. Lady Catherine loathes all Bennets on principle with a purple passion and tries to talk (or bully) Mr. Beasley out of this attachment, but she's bitten off more than she can chew here, and fortunately for Kitty and Mr. Beasley, Lady Catherine has more important fish to fry, as she discovers Captain Heywood is poorer than the proverbial church mouse for all his looks and charm, and gives him an unceremonious heave-ho from her premises. So Captain Heywood salvages what he can and elopes with Caroline Bingley, rescuing her from incipient old-maidhood while making himself considerably richer off her inheritance.

Of course everything gets untangled in the end, Georgiana finds and marries her true love, Wickham's dastardly plot is discovered in time, Jane and Bingley and their baby daughter Eliza are happily settled in their new estate within hallooing distance of Pemberley, Darcy and Elizabeth are still living happily ever after with their new son, Kitty becomes Mrs. Beasley in spite of the howls of protest from Lady Catherine, and Lady C. herself still has her unmarried Anne on her hands. Just what we expected. No, it's not very profound, and whatever the writer(s) intended, it is not, and never will be, Austen; but it's a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. Just don't expect too much from it.

Rating:
Summary: It wasn't THAT bad..........
Review: ...even if it wasn't all that good either. Let's face it, folks, the book doesn't pretend to be Jane Austen. It's called an "entertainment". That's all it is, no more, no less. The fact that it's second-rate entertainment is neither here nor there. Some people take this book far too seriously. Lighten up.

The focus in "Presumption" is on Georgiana Darcy, the younger sister of the hero of "Pride and Prejudice". Some readers were upset that the focus wasn't on Darcy himself and Elizabeth. But we know at the end of "P&P" that those two were married and lived happily ever after, and what else is there to be said about people who live happily ever after? So a new focus is needed, and Barrett chooses Georgiana Darcy, not a bad choice at all when you come to think about it, because all we knew about her from "P&P" is that she was very young, innocent, almost made a disastrous elopement with the detestable Wickham and came to her senses in time, and was devoted to her brother and Elizabeth.

Julia Barrett (actually a trio of three different writers each trying to write like Austen and not succeeding very well) needs to marry Georgiana off, so two prospects are introduced: James Leigh-Cooper, an up-and-coming young architect to the aristocracy, and Captain Thomas Heywood, a dashing, handsome army officer distantly related to Darcy's noxious aunt Lady Catherine DeBourgh. Lady Catherine, blinded by Captain Heywood's good looks and charm, wants to marry him off to her daughter Anne, since she thinks that being related to the DeBourghs, he must be rich like they are. Boy oh boy, is she about to be disillusioned. Seems Captain Heywood, who doesn't have a shilling to his name, has leagued with the loathsome Wickham in a dastardly plot to frame an honest woman for shoplifting and blackmail her to get rich. Of course the poor victim has to be nobody else but Mrs. Phillips of Meryton, Elizabeth's airhead aunt.

While Darcy goes off to London to help untangle the mess with the assistance of Elizabeth's uncle Gardiner, Leigh-Cooper is trying to make Georgiana fall in love with him but she has a crush on Captain Heywood who is trying to hook either Anne DeBourgh or Caroline Bingley, 24 and still unwed, and the whole thing gets terribly complicated. Meanwhile, Kitty Bennett is off visiting Charlotte Collins at Hunsford, where she manages to captivate Mr. Collins' new curate, Samuel Beasley, while right across the road, Captain Heywood is busy at Rosings charming Anne DeBourgh. Lady Catherine loathes all Bennets on principle with a purple passion and tries to talk (or bully) Mr. Beasley out of this attachment, but she's bitten off more than she can chew here, and fortunately for Kitty and Mr. Beasley, Lady Catherine has more important fish to fry, as she discovers Captain Heywood is poorer than the proverbial church mouse for all his looks and charm, and gives him an unceremonious heave-ho from her premises. So Captain Heywood salvages what he can and elopes with Caroline Bingley, rescuing her from incipient old-maidhood while making himself considerably richer off her inheritance.

Of course everything gets untangled in the end, Georgiana finds and marries her true love, Wickham's dastardly plot is discovered in time, Jane and Bingley and their baby daughter Eliza are happily settled in their new estate within hallooing distance of Pemberley, Darcy and Elizabeth are still living happily ever after with their new son, Kitty becomes Mrs. Beasley in spite of the howls of protest from Lady Catherine, and Lady C. herself still has her unmarried Anne on her hands. Just what we expected. No, it's not very profound, and whatever the writer(s) intended, it is not, and never will be, Austen; but it's a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. Just don't expect too much from it.

Rating:
Summary: Continues the Jane Austin style of writing
Review: Having been gullible enough to purchase and read the sequels to Rebecca and Gone With the Wind, I was VERY hesitant to invest any time or money in yet another poor imitation and sad continuation of a most beloved book. But I just couldn't get enough of Pride and Prejudice or any of the Jane Austin novels, and HAD to have one more. (I was tempted to write it myself if necessary.) Thankfully, I found Presumption. I expected this novel to focus almost entirely on Elizabeth's life at Pemberley. I mean who can deny that they wanted to know what happened after the dramatic courtship and satisfying wedding of Darcy and Elizabeth? But I was pleasently surprised when Julia Barret (actually two authors collaborating) primarily set her focus on Georgianna Darcy. Barret presents a very plausible (a must in a sequel), interesting, and fun-to-read story surrounding Georgianna's marriage prospects. She throws in some very amusing portraits of the delightfully "wicked Wickham" (as I like to think of him) and Lydia. We even get to fnd out what happens to Bingley's unmarried sister (a just result, rest assured) and other minor characters. It's lots of fun, if you were, like me, disappointed that Pride and Prejudice wasn't longer.

I was especially pleased with Barret's phrasing and language. As you know, Austin was a bit sparse in her descriptions and explanations. But Barret emulates Austin's style well. We learn about the characters more from their conversations and actions rather than lengthy descriptions of their feelings or appearances.

If you ever wished for one more Jane Austin novel, I really do recommend this book. And, if you haven't yet read Pride and Prejudice, I think you might still enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, yet inaccurate
Review: I enjoyed reading this tasteful and fun "sequel" to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", but there were many inaccuracies in the book that I couldn't quite get over. First and foremost, the Georgiana in "Presumption" is a far cry for the shy, soft-spoken girl for "P&P". The author's explanation for this is Elizabeth Darcy's influence over her since marrying Mr. Darcy, but I never did buy that. In addition, Miss Bingly (yes, she's back!), behaves in a way I couldn't believe near the end of the novel. Kitty's character is basically just like Lydia from "P&P"...in fact the whole plot is just like "P&P", just involving different characters in a different way. I could go on and on, but there's no point to that. Perhaps I'm too much of a purist or maybe I'm extra picky about all these things due to the fact that I read "Presumption" just a few days after reading "Pride and Prejudice" so all the details from the original were fresh in my mind. I also would have liked to read more about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, but for that I guess I'll have to find another "sequel" to satisfy my needs...or I should just leave those events to my own imagination so I'm not so disappointed. Still, don't get my wrong or let me lead any one who reads this away from the novel--"Presumption", was fun to read and written very well in a Jane Austen-like style that was enjoyable enough as a story all its own. After all, the sub-title is "An Entertainment" which is what I guess it is, if you don't take it too seriously.

Rating:
Summary: I've read worse
Review: I've read worse Jane Austen sequels, but I assure you that is not meant as overwhelming praise for this book. It's pleasant enough, and the authoresses do a halfway-decent job of imitating Austen's style and language. In fact, the pretty language lulled me sufficiently that I was halfway through the book before I realized that there was almost no plot. There's a lot of coming and going from Pemberley, Lady Catherine is still annoying, Miss Bingley treats Elizabeth with civility (unlike Emma Tennant, the authoresses got that right--Jane says as much in the last chapter of P&P), Georgiana acquires some beaus, but what little sustained plotting the book contains (i.e., Georgiana Finds A Husband) moves at such a glacial pace that it was hard to remain interested. The plot with Aunt Philips being accused of stealing the lace was cleverly borrowed from Jane's own life, but everything happens off-canvas, so why bother? I frankly can't even remember how that subplot ended up, because I lost interest in it.

A little more attention to detail and a tighter plot would have made this book a lot better. It had potential, but that potential was unfulfilled.

And once and for all, DARCY'S MOTHER'S NAME WAS LADY ANNE! Not Susan, or Elinor, or Mrs. Darcy! She was the daughter of an earl, for heaven's sake, she would never be "Mrs." Anything! (sequel writers NEVER get this right!)

Rating:
Summary: Almost 3 stars
Review: If you want to read about Elizabeth and Darcy, this isn't the book for you. As a Jane Austen fan and a fan of the A&E movie with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, I was very disappointed in the book. The focus of the book is on Darcy's sister Georgiana, and Lizzie and Darcy take a back seat to her romantic wanderings. If she has learned much from Elizabeth, as stated in the final chapter in Pride and Prejudice, it isn't evident here. The authors also drag the poor Bennets through even more mud than Lydia's elopement did. The best part of the book is what happened to Caroline Bingley; a fitting end for the snobbish sister.

Rating:
Summary: I am too harsh.
Review: It is not so much that I did not think the plot plausable, but the characterizations are untrue to the original book. I feel not enough time and care was taken to move the plot within the parameters of the characters as set by JA. Miss Darcy, although entertaining, becomes a pale shade of Elizabeth Bennett. Lady Catherine becomes flaccidly comic (has she become a vicar or even transposed with Mr Collins?) It pains me also to see the most interesting and engaging characters of Elizabeth and Darcy pushed so far into the background. I also take issue with the use of Lizzy and Fitzwilliam as the familiar names the couple uses when refering to each other. I am almost certain that Elizabeth would always be Elizabeth in Darcy's eyes and that none of the characters in P&P would have used anything but Darcy's surname. All of this censure aside, it was a good attempt. I thought the phrasing and meter of the work to pay homage to Austen. I also admire the care taken in research of the subject matter and time period. I would recommend this book as what it is aptly titled ":An Entertainment".

Rating:
Summary: Not for anyone who loves P&P
Review: This book is really not worth reading if you like Jane Austin. I agree with the editorial reviewer who said that it is a restatement of the P&P plot with different characters. What fan of P&P would believe what the authors tell us happens to Caroline Bingley and Mary Bennet? Both were totally out of JA's character creation. It just doesn't make sense. I love the idea of a sequal to P&P because I want to know more and more about the characters, especially Georgiana, but this was not even close to what would have happened had JA written it.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Bad
Review: This is the first Austen sequel by "Julia Barret", and it had better have remained the only one, to judge by the quality of the two that followed, "The Third Sister" and "Charlotte". But this first effort is nice enough to be readable and entertaining.

Two years after Elizabeth's wedding to Darcy, a 17-years old Georgiana, now increasingly assertive as she follows Elizabeth's example, is ready to emerge into the world. The plot revolves mainly around Georgiana's love triangle between two young men, and the outcome is predictable. Another important plot point is supplied by a real-life incident occurring in Austen's family, when her aunt was accused of stealing lace from a shop.

The language is adequate, if a little artificial, though the humor is sometimes downright silly (as when Lady Catherine suggests a remedy for the gout which includes soap-but it is to be swallowed rather than be rubbed on). There are also some historical inaccuracies. The characterization of the P&P characters is mostly adequate. While not dead-on, they are not so grossly violated as to make the reader uncomfortable.

Georgiana herself may be a tad too spirited at times, but she's an engaging enough character, and develops nicely throughout the book. The book's strongest point may be the characterization of James Leigh-Cooper, which is well-thought up, appealing, and for a Julia Barret novel, a little more in-depth than usual. However, the character of the supposedly dashing Captain Thomas Heywood is as shallow as cardboard, and it's not hard to predict the end of the book the second he appears.

All-in-all, a nice read, but don't go hunting for more Julia Barret after this one-her other two novels range from dull to awful.

Rating:
Summary: It wasn't bad....
Review: While the story did center on Georgiana, I didn't feel cheated from seeing lots of Lizzie, Darcy, Jane and Bingley, and the rest of the main characters from the original book. The writing style was solid -- however the one thing that irked me a bit was the way some of the characters spoke. Kitty sounded exactly like Lydia -- in fact every time I read her dialogue Lydia popped into my head instead of Kitty -- and I just cannot for the life of me see Darcy calling Elizabeth 'Lizzie' as Jane did. The only other small gripe I had with the book is the way the romance was resolved at the end with Georgiana. Her feelings towards the man she did pick at the end seemed totally sudden and was therefore awkward to read and just didn't feel genuine.

Not a bad try at a sequel, and it was nice to catch up with all the Bennetts, Darcys, Bingleys, Collins, and the rest again.