Presumption: An Entertainment

Rating:
Summary: The best Jane Austin sequel I have read!!!
Review: Many writers have tried to continue the brilliant and witty writing of Jane Austen and have failed. This book was as close as one can get. Jane Austen understands human nature and enjoys writing the clever twists in plot lines; allowing her characters to finally realize and understand life (that only occurs when one puts aside human weaknesses). Read Jane Austen carefully, because she does not waste words. Ms. Barrett writes "Presumption" with a familar flair. Her style and use of words are very similar. Her characters come alive. I so enjoyed her book that I plan to read her other books.

Rating:
Summary: Jane Herself would be pleased!
Review: Having been disappointed with every Jane Austen "sequel" I have read (and I have read many), I really only purchased this one because of what other Amazon readers said in their reviews. Guess what?!! They were right! This book was very entertaining and read just like Jane's writing (which was one of the major defects of the other "sequels" I have read). This one actually stayed on my shelf, instead of going to the church garage sale bin. (This is high praise indeed!) No one can replace Jane Austen, but Julia Barrett surely gives one hope! A definite must for true Janeites. (You might also want to check out The Third Sister, by Julia Barrett, which continues the story of Sense and Sensibility)

Rating:
Summary: Must Reading for Any Jane Austen Fan
Review: I just finished reading this sequel to my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. It was like discovering one more book by Jane Austen. Julia Barrett does justice to all our favorite characters (good & bad). I would recommend this book to any Austen fan

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: 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.