The Good

So lately I've been talking about some of the bad P & P fan fiction. Obviously no one wants to read that, but if you are looking for something to read, here are a few that might help:

"Pemberley Shades" by Dorthea Bonavia-Hunt is probably the best P & P sequel I've read. It was written in 1949 and was almost impossible to find until recently. I first heard about it several years ago and through the magic of interlibrary loan was able to borrow it from the University of Pennsylvania. The bad thing is the book, which was one of the original 1949 printings was missing some pages, so I didn't get to read the whole story. Then one day I found it had been reprinted and was available through amazon.com. There is a problem with the reprint as well: it is riddled with errors. There are typos everywhere, but if you can get over that, then it's a great read. One thing that makes this sequel so great is not overly much happens. There are no rapes or kidnappings. It's like an Austen novel. There's a masquerade, which creates the main part of the story. The characters act like you want them too. There is no, "This isn't really how Elizabeth would act." It's well done and I enjoyed it immensely. If only we could get a decent copy.

The other sequel I really enjoyed was "Conviction" by Skylar Hamilton Burris. This follows Georgiana's path after Elizabeth and Darcy marry. It's a truly beautiful story. There might be a little more politics than Austen would give us; abolitionism takes a major role, but it is really well written. Georgiana becomes engaged and then her fiance leaves and she develops a friendship with another man. Obviously you can see where this goes, but the love story is sweet and the decisions real. I've actually read this book several times and love it each time. It's timeless like P & P. I can read it 100 times and each time wonder what will happen at the end.

Happy reading.