I always enjoy reading a new perspective on a character who I have known for a long time but never really considered more widely. This is a refreshing exploration into Caroline Lucas and her life with Mr Collins. I spent quite a lot of the novel waiting for romance to blossom with Travis but can see that the fact that this did not come to pass is by far the more likely, and sorrowful, outcome.

I *love* a good Pride & Prejudice continuation! There are many books that fit the bill, that either follow Darcy and Elizabeth in their married life, or books like this that take a supplementary character and expand on their story and, in the case of The Clergyman’s Wife, we are following Charlotte Collins.

Charlotte is a really interesting character, in that she is pragmatic in marrying Mr Collins for security, rather than love. This novel explores what happens when Charlotte – after considering herself far too old for such frivolities as love – begins to have feelings for a local farmer.

The book is interesting in how it looks at the Collins’ marriage. One would assume from the original book that there is no love there, Charlotte puts up with Mr Collins and that is that. That’s not the case here as Charlotte is often frustrated with her husband – and his very long sermons – yet acknowledges that he has entered a life of religious service from a place of a genuine wish to do good. She can’t ever say that he is not a devoted husband and, despite not really knowing what to do with his daughter, he is not a neglectful father or husband. He’s just a bit of a boob.

The challenge also with Charlotte is realising that she is not an old woman – she’s only 30-years-old, and only ‘old’ in the framing of the 18th Century, so it’s natural for her to be in her first flush of love, it’s just unfortunate that societal norms of the time mean that she is already married and settled.

This slow blossoming of Charlotte as a woman who feels capable of love is really lovely to read and it’s not a spoiler to say that the book ends on a hopeful note for her future as she decides to live with determination and, arguably, more spirit than she has had before.

She could settle for the easier life that her eligible match would afford her and calmly accept her role as a dutiful wife but is that really what Charlotte Collins, Elizabeth Bennet’s close friend, wants? At first it would appear so but Molly Greeley’s main character is to find that perhaps this mundanity is not to be enough.
This historical novel offers the reader another insight into the Austen world of Pride and Prejudice and is quite pleasant reading if you like the original.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Jane Austen and people who like period drama will love this book. It's a pleasant easy reading book and the characters are interesting but personally for me I like a book with a bit more depth and plots,, although it is a well written and worth a read

If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice and ever spared a thought for Charlotte Lucas, who married Mr Collins, this is her story. Characters are recognisable from the original inspiration, but this Charlotte's story and what happens when she finds true love.

The story draws the reader into a Jane Austen style world, but with more emotion and a faster pace.
Charlotte and Mr Travis' friendship and forbidden romance are gentle and heartbreaking.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review

This was an ok read, not my usual type of book. It is the story of Charlotte's boring and tedious life her ups and mostly downs.

Fans of Jane Austen and historical fiction fans will find a lot to like about this. Have you ever wondered what happened to Caroline Lucas, the character from Pride and Prejudice, who married Mr Collins and we all pitied ? Well we find out. This is their story. All the characters are true to Jane Austen's original and you will recognize them. No-one acts out of character. The claustrophobia of Caroline's life is portrayed very well. You may well soften towards Mr Collins. Excellent book club read.

Quite obviously I am not the right audience for THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE as I found it bland and rather boring. And found myself counting the minutes until I finished it...though I hardly know why I bothered. Absolutely nothing happened in this story and I kind of felt what was the point of it? A friend quite cheekily answered "Just to p*** you off!" Admittedly, I have never read an Austen novel because, although I love the screen adaptions of her books, the writing vernacular is too old style for me to get my head around. THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE followed that same vernacular and I found myself re-reading the same sentence several times on occasion to understand what was being said. And when a chapter ended rather abruptly I found myself thinking "what just happened?"

Charlotte Lucas married William Collins, a vicar/parson/clergyman, for security and not love, given that she was now 27 and unmarried. I think this is the first thing I didn't like because where would the passion be? Obviously there was none. William had previously asked Charlotte's friend Elizabeth Bennet for her hand first but as she had repugnantly refused him, Charlotte accepted after only two meetings and was content in her decision, for she knew her position as William's wife would give her security. When the Bennet's father died, William would inherit their estate, therefore securing her future as mistress.

After their wedding in Hertfordshire, the couple travelled to Kent where William's position as clergyman under the ghastly patroness Lady Catherine who was so inherently snobbish, looking down her nose at positively everyone. Charlotte took up her position as William's wife and called upon the villagers, though Lady Catherine failed to see the benefit of doing so. When Charlotte produced an heir, it was short-lived for baby Lucas lived just a few minutes, having being hurriedly baptised before his untimely demise. Then she gave birth to little Louisa who gave her much joy, but then the ever interfering Lady Catherine secured a girl from the village to take care of baby Louisa, leaving Charlotte for her more important duties. Such as...what, exactly? Because she didn't seem to do anything.

When she met Mr Travis (no one hardly ever has first names in this book), enlisted by yet again lady Catherine to plant and care for some roses at the parsonage, Charlotte felt she had found a friend at last. I was waiting for something exciting to happen and had this been a re-imagining of D.H. Lawrence rather than Jane Austen, I'm quite sure something would have.

Nothing much actually happened in this book. Charlotte was quite obviously in a loveless marriage which was wholly reflected in the pages but that was about it. I was secretly hoping for a roll in the hay with Mr Travis just for some excitement but alas, no.

I'm not sure I liked anyone in this book. Charlotte seemed flaky and boring. Lady Catherine was snobbish and overbearing. William was so ghastly that the thought of copulating with him gave me nightmares. Though when Elizabeth and Mr Darcy come to visit, I found myself hearing Laurence Olivier's voice in the role of Mr Darcy, as he was in the 1939 adaption of "Pride and Prejudice".

I really don't know what I can say about THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE because I honestly found it passionless, bland and boring. By the time I reached the last page I found myself thinking "That's it? What was the point?" For me, there seemed to be none.

Lastly, one of my biggest pet peeves is a book that is set in the UK (as THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE is) was riddled with American English rather than UK English. But I see now that the author is in fact American, so that probably accounts for that.

I guess you need a pre-requisite of being an Austen fan, or at least of "Pride and Prejudice", and as I simply have not read any of them I guess that counts me out. However, there has been plenty of positive feedback about THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE. It just wasn't for me.

Perfect for fans of Jane Austen.

I would like to thank #MollyGreeley, #NetGalley and #AllenAndUnwin for an ARC of #TheClergymansWife in exchange for an honest review.

A nice easy read with a feel of Jane Austen. Charlotte Lucas is quite a plain young girl and knows she is unlikely to find a husband for love; however she sets her eye of Mr Collins to secure a stable future. Once married, they move to Hunsford where he is the parish vicar. Charlotte soon realises that her life will be dominated by the formidable Lady Catherine and expected to help minister to the parishioners.
Its a quite life and when her daughter Louisa is born she has a new focus and purpose. Eventually, she meets Mr Travis a local farmer and they quickly become friends.
They both realise their feelings are stronger but she is married so their love is forbidden.
A tale of love and difficult decisions of a time gone by.

A wonderful spin-off from Pride and Prejudice, this charming book tells the story of Charlotte Lucas. Mr Collins, after setting his sights on both Jane and Elizabeth Bennett, turns his attention to the plain and sensible Miss Lucas. She knows she can never love a man like him, but for her, security is the main objective in accepting his proposal. They move to Hunsford where Mr Collins is the local clergyman. With the birth of their daughter Louisa, she finds herself living a quiet life, that whilst somewhat unfulfilling, is nevertheless, satisfactory. She had never craved romance. But that all changes when she meets local farmer Mr Travis. A beautiful friendship grows, they share their life stories, they laugh hard together, and she feels truly seen for the first time in her life. As they spend more time walking together, they cannot deny the growing strength of their feelings. They are drawn irresistibly to one another. But when news reaches them that Mr Bennett has died and they have therefore inherited the estate of Longbourn, their move is imminent. In a farewell scene that is both poignant and heartbreaking, Mr Travis and Charlotte know they will never forget one another and Charlotte resolves to give her daughter the self-belief she never herself possessed in order that she doesn't accept a life that is less than she deserves.

This is absolutely not my usual kind of book, so I was rather astonished that I enjoyed it so much!
Charlotte Collins lives a rather joyless life, until she makes the acquaintance of Mr Travis, the farmer and gardener.
Then she finds she has some difficult choices to make...
This is a story about a woman’s worth, about her place in society.

This was a real page turner and I loved it. I loved Pride and Prejudice and I felt this was a great follow on read. I was completely absorbed in the story.

An excellent read for lovers of Jane Austen.

I have always loved Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice has always been my favourite book well before the TV adaptation and Colin Firth! When I was at university back in the seventies my dissertation was called ‘Irony in the Character Studies of Jane Austen’ and in fact Ms Austen was the master of this genre. On the surface she was telling romantic stories but her characters were always so well observed and she had the most amazing ironic tone.

The greatest compliment that I can pay Ms Greeley is that she has managed to write a book about one of the relatively minor characters from the original story but still imitates the style of Ms Austen remarkably well.

The story revolves around Charlotte, who has married Mr Collins and is living her life with him and her daughter, Louisa, who is the light of her life. We discover that her first born child was a son who died shortly after her birth. Charlotte is well aware that she was a second choice for Mr Collins. He had proposed to Elizabeth Bennet who had turned him down very strongly and needing a wife had turned to Charlotte. She does not love him but as a woman from a poor family she had felt useless and a burden to her parents and any marriage was better than that.

One of the beauties of this book is the way it alludes to characters from the original classic. We do briefly meet Elizabeth and Mr Darcy when they are visiting the wonderful Lady Catherine De Bourgh and her ailing daughter but they are peripheral. Lady Catherine is just as obnoxious as before and Mr Collins is just as fawning around her and some of the conversations are just brilliant.

This is a bitter sweet story as Charlotte, quite by accident, meets Mr Travis, who is hired by Lady Catherine, to plant the roses at the vicarage. Immediately there is a rapport between them and, as the book continues, it is obvious that they are very much in love with each other. Charlotte is trapped in a loveless marriage but realises that for her there is no other choice. The author describes the growing attachment between them so well but they both realise that there is nothing that can be done.

I absolutely loved this book and was so hoping for a happy ending but that did not detract from the brilliance of the writing. I see she has another book due out next year. Please can I review it!

Dexter

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review

If like me you are fascinated and disturbed by the decision of Charlotte Lucas to marry Mr Collins in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, then you will enjoy ‘The Clergyman’s Wife’ by Molly Greeley. I felt immediately immersed in Charlotte’s world at Hunsford.
I won’t summarise the background to this novel on the assumption that all readers will be fans of ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Suffice to say, this could so easily have slipped into negative territory, negativity about William Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but Greeley handles Austen’s characters with respect, taking the heritage of Charlotte’s situation and adding a fresh perspective on her future. We see Mr Collins from a new, sympathetic angle, and are given an insight into Charlotte’s decision to marry him, her family’s position and the limited options available to her.
I liked Charlotte extremely, a considered, thoughtful woman, given an impossible choice to make and often put into uncomfortable situations by the crassness of people around her. Charlotte however is not negative, she works out the positive thing to do rather than assign blame.
This is a Regency family drama structured around the meaning of love; all kinds of love, for your spouse, your parents and siblings, as a mother, for the people who are your responsibility, and for yourself. Although Charlotte lives a life constrained by geography, convention and manners, that does not mean she lacks freedom. It is a freedom of imagination, a freedom of the mind. So when she faces a situation which she never believed would befall her, it is a life-changing experience.
A delightful light read, I read it in one sitting in holiday, you most definitely must have read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ first to get the most from the undercurrent of references. I can’t help but wonder what Jane Austen would think of it.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

I found myself intrigued by Charlotte and the choices that she made.

Greeley had an exceptional talent of keeping me in suspense every time she met up with Mr Travis, wondering whether they were just going to come together or not.

A brilliant piece of writing encompassing the fight between love and lust but also the hard decisions we face even after we thought we made the right ones at the beginning.

A beautiful summertime read

Set in the 1800's. Charlotte Lucas had married clergyman, William Collins who was heir to the Bennett Estate. It's been several years now since they were married. She's given birth to Louisa and made a new friend Mr Travis, a local farmer. Charlotte had married out of necessity, not wanting to be a burden o her brothers.

The author has did a fantastic job with Charlotte's character development. It's a heartwrenching and bittersweet read. There is some domestic abuse and the death of an baby. William Collins is a dreadful character. This is a well written book. I hope the author writes more of these classical fiction stories.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books (UK) and the author Molly Greeley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spin-off chicken requires lots of additions and spices to make it barely palatable and the same is true of Jane Austen. The trouble is that if you add too much flavour the aficionados will complain and if you stick to what you know from the source novel the taste can be flat and unexciting.

These are the challenges which Molly Greeley is facing in this novel based on, dare I say it, one of the more boring characters in Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas. She's the one who thinks she's fairly plain and talentless and just wants to get married so she settles for the horrible cleric, William Collins, who has already been turned down by almost everybody else and that's about where this book starts.

It's basically an account of how Charlotte manages to compromise her existence to the extent where life is bearable as a clergyman's wife. She loses one child but another lives and there is a predictable knee trembling relationship with a local farmer but it never gets to the bodice ripping stage. She engages politely with the horrible Lady Catherine but never challenges her and constantly bites her tongue. She finally works out how to operate as a vicar's wife supporting the poor and, generally, knowing her place. In that sense, the book is quite positive in terms of Charlotte making the best of what she thought she could aim for.

That's probably true to her character as well but you so want her to break out and express these feelings which are bubbling beneath the service, whether it's contempt for privilege and her snobby husband or ill-concealed lust for Mr Travis. The trouble is this isn't in the original but the problem is exaggerated by the timescale of the book which runs for almost a decade where things only very slowly get better so most of the time they are pretty bad!

The novel is written in what you might call an Austen-esque style so everything is expressed slightly obliquely and politely. It's so easy to parody that it's sometimes hard to convey any genuine sense of feeling in this kind of writing.

Also, with a Jane Austen novel you can get away with the sense of a very small enclosed society and a fairly confined timeframe but with this story you have to think about what Charlotte is missing. The source book was published in 1813 so shortly after that Mary Wollstonecraft was cavorting with Shelley and there were food riots nationwide after two calamitous harvests, not to mention Waterloo! It's weird how none of these impinge on the novel.

In the end, perhaps these things don't matter. If you ever wondered about what happens to Charlotte Lucas, and plenty probably have, well here's one version and, to be fair, it is true to her character but, by the last pages, I wouldn't have been too sorry to see the zombies arrive!

This was interesting in that it gave the background to Charlotte’s life as well as her life with Mr. Collins. I did feel sorry for Charlotte, particularly when she saw other couples who had married for love. The story seemed to portray an accurate picture of the sensibilities and expectations of behaviour at this time. Charlotte’s main joy was her daughter Louisa. Even her friendship with Mr. Travis was tentative due to spying eyes. The main reason I gave three stars was it left me feeling a little depressed and that’s not what I want from a book. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A wonderful relaxing read, the characters are strong and the time and settings are well described. The anticipation builds until the last chapter when the Clergyman and his wife move on to their next location. A book you don't want to reach an end. The reading group questions at the end of the book were very thought provoking and cause the reader to review the impression the book gave. This is a book that could be re read with different aspect of the story becoming more prominent.

This is a beautiful book, telling the story of the parson’s wife, with the parson being the character from Pride and Prejudice. If the reader is not familiar with Pride and Prejudice, I think they would miss a considerable part of this book. Then again, most readers will be familiar with it. The characters are realistically built, and I really enjoyed their interactions. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read.