Rating:  Summary: Mind-candy for the uncritical Review: How I wish I'd gotten this used! Its appeal must be to those who crave regency romances, no matter how superficial or awkward. This novel, with its consistent errors of usage, errors in language and tone, the banal lack of dimension Austen's characters are reduced to, was a waste of time and money. Better to reread Austen, or even try Jo Beverly, rather than this disappointment.
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 thought this was an excellent book! Review: 'The third time's the charm' people often say and I'm inclined to agree in this case. Presumption was the third sequel I read to Pride and Prejudice and, while I enjoyed the other two, I can honestly say I was not satisfied until I read this novel. The authors did a wonderful job continuing the lives of our beloved characters without shaking their foundations or letting them remain altogether unchanged. The perfect analogy for this perfection is presented in the book itself, by the renovations to Pemberley. They wished not to improve the characters but to preserve them and let them grow naturally. Although the focus was mainly on Georgiana Darcy and her troubled love-life, the other characters are not neglected by any stretch of the imagination. I actually preferred the playful and affectionate bantering of Elizabeth and Darcy in this sequel to the overtly passionate relationships displayed in others. Wicked Wickham and the dashing Captain make a sinister pair and Lady Catherine DeBourgh is her usual "delightful" self! The Gardiners, Kitty, Charlotte, and Anne are all given more defined personalities that contribute to the outcome of the climax in addition to the overall pleasure of reading the book. The only drawback for me was the notable absence of Fitzwilliam, since he was a favorite of mine from the original work. I adored the twists that tied all the woes and anxieties of the plot together and the romance portrayed throughout the story--both in the Darcy and Bingley marriages and in the misfortunes and eventual happiness of Georgiana and her love. This is by far my favorite Pride and Prejudice sequel and I highly recommend it! I will definitely cherish this excellent novel in the coming years and will probably enjoy it more with each additional reading.
Rating:  Summary: As good as a sequel can get! Review: I loved it! Julia Barrett isn't Jane Austen, but she did a good job!
Rating:  Summary: Not Jane, But Pretty Damn Close Review: Julia Barrett's Presupmtion is quite posibly the best P&P sequel ever. Nothing will ever be Jane Austen except Jane herself, but Ms. Barrett's work is fabolus in it's own right and as a sequel, it's very good. It's the story of Georgianna, Darcy's sister, but Elizabeth and Darcy get their fair share as well. If you love P&P and want just *one* more story about the Darcys, read this book.
Rating:  Summary: Very Nice Sequel to Austen's Book Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. This time the main character is Georgiana Darcy and she is much more like Elizabeth in Austen's book than she is like the painfully shy girl that Austen portrays her as. This is of course due to Elizabeth's good influence on her. In many ways this book is like the retelling of Pride and Prejudice just with different characters. Then again it is more complicated. Captain Heyward, one of Georgiana's suitors, plays the role that George Wickham played in Austen's book. Except that in this case Georgiana is an heiress to a great deal of money and is therefore quite a catch for Heyward, whereas Elizabeth Bennet was heir to nothing and therefore only a meaningless flirtation for Wickham. Anyway, we spend much of the book watching fascinated while the Captain Heyward courts not only Miss Georgiana Darcy, but also Miss Anne deBourgh and Miss Caroline Bingley all at the same time. On top of all this one of Elizabeth's aunts is in jail for theft. Therefore, Mr. Darcy spends much of his time away from Elizabeth trying to save her family's good name yet again. Yet this time it is not he who saves them, but a Mr. James Leigh Cooper, a rising young architect who is remodeling Pemberly, who also happens to be in love with Georgiana, but there is a pretty big problem here-he is not of the same class, and therefore is not worthy of her. Like Austen's book, Georgiana spends much of the book thinking him to be a proud unlikable man; when in truth he is a much more honorable fellow than the Captain Heyward, who initially has captured Miss Georgiana's heart. The plot gets very complicated towards to the end of the book. I don't want to totally give away the end of the book for those who have not read the book. But it is safe to say that Captain Heyward breaks Georgiana's heart and is found out to be a first-class scoundrel. Elizabeth's Aunt is cleared of the theft charges and James Leigh Cooper is indirectly the one responsible for this. I don't know that I like the fact that the authors decided that Georgiana Darcy should end up with someone whom most people will say is beneath her, like her brother did when he married Elizabeth. This is a really good book and it is very fun to get to spend more time with Elizabeth, Jane and all the other wonderful characters that Miss Austen originally created in her book.
Rating:  Summary: Don't Expect Anyone Else to Be JANE AUSTEN Review: I thought this was a great sequel to P&P. I would never expect someone else to match Jane Austen's style. I just like to see what might have happened to the characters. I think Ms. Barrett did a great job. At least she didn't copy Emma Tenant and totally disgrace the morals of the characters. I mean Bingley having an illegitimate child? Come On! This is plausible and in keeping with the characters. I wouldn't expect some of the characters to have changed. Lady Catherine for example is just to set in her ways. Mr. Collins wouldn't change even if someone payed him a million dollars to. Mrs. Bennett deffinately carries on her comical character. She would be the type of person to say somthing to a stranger about her family's scandals. Look at how she reacted to Lydia's elopement with Wickham. Also as to calling Wickham a Leut. Gerogiana is probablly refering to him in what his possition is now, not when he tried to elope with her. Also calling Lady Anne Darcy Susan may be a nickname. We never hear Darcy called Henry in P&P, so why can't his mom have a nickname.
Rating:  Summary: A Delightful Sequel, One of Many Possible Endings Review: I thought PRESUMPTION was a good sequel to Pride and Prejuice. Although some of the characters may not have seemed that developed, Julia Barret is NOT Jane Austen, so we shouldn't expect her to be like her. At least, unlike the author of PEMBERLEY she doesn't have Mr. Bingley having a illegitimate child. Come on, he wouldn't do that. Mr. Whickham would have been a more likely canidate. Mr. Collins is as pompous as ever!!!
Rating:  Summary: Good idea poor execution Review: I felt that while the concept of the book was good, it was poorly developed and didn't flow. The end completely took me off guard. I felt that the writer got tired at the end and instead of creating a proper ending, just shoved something together so she could finish. Too many of the characters did things that were out of character. The writing style was Austen like, but I would have prefered reading sequels that are perhaps less Austen like in style and more Austen like in spirit.
Rating:  Summary: Not Jane Austen, but still a fun read Review: After reading Pride and Prejudice, I wanted more of all the characters. It was interesting to see something from a new perspective (that of Darcy's sister, Georgiana). If you still crave more of Elizabeth and Darcy, another sequel to read is Berdoll's Bar Sinister. However, I liked Presumption quite a bit. The only drawbacks were that the ending was very predictable and although at some points Barrett manages to use Austen's style accurately, it sometimes seems redundant and not quite the way Austen would've written it. This book wasn't as good as Pride and Prejudice itself(obviously, since it's such a difficult book to live up to), but overall it kept me entertained .
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