Member Reviews
This was simply delightful. After so many retellings out today you don’t think this might be something new but it is and it is so so wonderful! Highly recommend
A few days ago I woke up to find I was approved for an ARC from HarperCollins for Pride & Premeditation, it would be an understatement to say I quietly smiled to myself. I full on fangirl squealed. I had only read the synopsis a few days before, but I was already so in. Pride & Prejudice?! Murder?! What else does my serial killer obsessed, Jane Austen loving, retelling excited loving heart need!?
The book starts off with Lizzie already furious about something Mr. Collins has done (no surprise there). And from the first page you really feel as though Tirzah has managed to get inside the real mind of Elizabeth Bennet. She has all the wit and spunk that our beloved heroine has in the original tale, plus she has the freedom to poke her nose into cases. At least, as far as Mr. Bennet is concerned. Mrs. Bennet is, unsurprisingly, unhappy with the matter. The story itself takes place in London, but don’t be worried that your favorite places are neglected. The law firm owned and run by Mr. Bennet is called Longbourn & Sons, cleverly named after the family home in the original novel. Mr. Bingley’s company is called Netherfield Shipping, and Mr. Darcy’s law firm is called Pemberley & Associates. I love how Tirzah has also managed to weave in all our favorite (and less than favorite) characters into the story. They all pop up at least a few times, but you’ll have to read it yourself to find out in what capacity! There are also several quotations in the book that are from the original that give a delightful nod to the source material, without relying too heavily on it. And the dialog between our beloved Elizabeth and Darcy is spot on.
All in all I loved this book. I was only 25% of the way through when I was eagerly looking up to make sure there would be sequels. I’m a bit concerned that the sequels appear to be based on the other Jane Austen works, but I know I’ll love them regardless. But if I could get another Lizzie book, I’d be beyond happy. **hint hint**
The story takes some obvious liberties (women in the early 1800s would not have realistically been allowed to work on cases, or defend a case in a courtroom), but who cares? It’s a retelling. The point of retelling a classic work is to give it a new spin, so, if you are able to suspend that disbelief then you should 100% pick up this book. If you like strong female characters set in a time where they wouldn’t have been viewed that way, pick this up. It’s great for fans of novels like the Stalking Jack the Ripper series or the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies book. (Although I can 100% say that there are no zombies or supernatural beings in this novel).
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. As far as retellings of Pride and Prejudice go, I thought that this one stuck refreshingly close to the characters! I both read and listened to this book. The audiobook and the book review will be the same since the audiobook was not a true representation of what the final product will be.
ride and Premeditation is the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and it is a fun retelling of the original. Here, Elizabeth Bennet's deepest desire is to be a lawyer at her father's law firm, Longbourn & Sons. She decides that the best way to reach her goal is to solve a crime, and a London society murder allows her to demonstrate her skills. Charles Bingley, the prime suspect, has legal representation though- Fitzwilliam Darcy of the Pemberly Associates law firm. Lizzie decides that her tactic must be to solve the case before Darcy, and an exciting rivalry begins.
Pride and Premeditation walks a fine line between being true to the original story and straying wildly off-course. The characters are essentially true to their original counterparts, although Lizzie's sisters are not a major part of the novel. Tirzah Price also wrote this book in a manner that was not historically accurate (to remove some of the limitations that would have been placed on a young woman living in Regency-era England). Part of the charm of Pride and Prejudice, however, was that Lizzie succeeded despite these restrictions.
If one can look past the inaccuracies, Price's story is an exciting and unpredictable whodunit that its YA audience should enjoy. This book will be a popular addition to any school or public library. Fans of the original will undoubtedly want to read this adaptation.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Love this take on Pride and Prejudice. The characters stay true to the originals, but have a fun twist. Can't wait to read more in this series.
This one just didn't work for me. I have no problem playing with Austen's text or characters (one of my favorite books is Pride and Platypus!), but the idea of a 17 year old girl failing insisting on her right to a career as both a barrister and a private detective in Regency England was just too much. Price should have considered moving the time period of the novel to a more contemporary period and aging Lizzie up if she wanted her readers to not be continually distracted by these two glaring stumbling blocks.
Take all of your favorite characters from Pride and Prejudice with their quirky and unique personalities, stick them in a fun mystery, and you've got this lovely story. Pride and Premeditation was a fun read, but take it with a grain of salt; I've read my share of Pride and Prejudice adaptations, and I like them all. In the place of romance there's more action/mystery, so don't go into this looking for the love. And, maybe I should have guessed the solution, but I didn't! Based on my love of Pride and Prejudice, I would have never guessed the killer.
I really wanted to like this; the author is on some of my favorite podcasts and I think she is great. There were parts of this that were fun, but ultimately I just had trouble buying into a Lizzie Bennet that worked in a law firm and presented a case in court. In the early 1800s. Also I think the Darcy character was weakened enough to make me wonder why Lizzie wanted anything to do with him. I enjoyed the Stephanie Barron Jane Austen mysteries, so I had high hopes for this, but I just couldn't swallow the weird anomaly of a teenage girl presenting in Court.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.
If I could change one thing about Netgalley, it would be the addition of a maybe option for the educator feedback choices.
I very well might adopt this title for use in my classroom. I like the idea of it and the book as a whole it fine, but I don't know if it's the most well written. At times, the language feels a bit stilted, a bit over simplified. Something about the flow of this book just didn't do it for me. BUT, having said that, I think for the context of a classroom, the things I did like outweigh the things I didn't.
I really like that this is definitely written in a very YA style and would be easily digested by high school students. I like that so many of the elements of the story stay so true to the original text as I think it would make it easier to justify utilizing it alongside Pride and Prejudice. I also really like that it's a mystery, becuase let's face it: kids like mysteries. Overall, I am definitely leaning towards adopting it and I was glad for the chance to preview it.
I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.
As a diehard P&P fan, I found this book to be delightful! It had all the flavor of the original, with just the right amount of shared quotes/dialogue, with the fun twist of intrigue and murder! This Lizzy was just as great as the original, Darcy just as broody, Mr Collins just as insufferable, and the rest of the cast just so well done. I would highly recommend this for Pride & Prejudice fans everywhere.
Looking for a YA mystery with a smart young woman as a protagonist? Are you interested in Pride and Prejudice adaptations? This is a delight of a twist of both!
This book was received as an ARC from HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Being a fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and all of her novels, I was super ecstatic to read this version. I loved the modern feel to it and Elizabeth Bennett is still the strong empowered woman she was in the original book. This time as a law assistant in her father's lawfirm and now given a murder case from a young informant, she has everything deemed necessary to prove to everyone that she is a right fit for the job and will stop at nothing to get what she is aiming for. Every character mentioned in the story was just like their originals everyone from Jane, Bingley, Collins, Charlotte, and the rest of the gang were such a treat to read and follow alongside.
We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
"Pride and Premeditation" is a mystery theoretically set in the Regency period in England. When the story started, I thought it was set in modern times due to the way the characters were speaking and interacting. Then we learned that there were no women lawyers yet, so I thought maybe it was late 1800s or very early 1900s. But then Wickham appeared as a Bow Street Runner, and it became clear that it was supposed to be the Regency period. Many of the legal and setting details were correct for that time. The characters shared one or two characteristics of their namesake, like Jane was sweet and beautiful, but they acted much more modern and often very differently than the Jane Austen characters would have. A reader would not know that this was meant to be Pride and Prejudice except for the use of the names and a few near quotes from the book. Some characters were very different, like Charlotte was a biracial orphan working as a legal secretary.
That said, this was still a very enjoyable story. Lizzie started out very confident in her abilities only to realize how many mistake she had made along the way. Still, she was clever enough to figure out what was going on and, with the help of Darcy and her father, was able to make the case that not only was Bingley innocent but that whodunit was the true murderer and why. The main characters were engaging, and I cared about what happened to them. The mystery was a clue-based puzzle mystery, and you could guess the murderer. It wasn't difficult for a reader to figure out who the bad guys were, but it was a process to figure out who did what and why. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romp of a mystery.
Pride and Premeditation was a thrilling murder mystery. Loved how the author put a sort of Agatha Christie twist to the original characters and story. Things are not exactly as they seem as Elizabeth Bennet tries to solve a mystery involving the Bingley family to prove to her father that she can be a successful solicitor. While trying to prove her clients innocence she meets Mr.Darcy who is actually the one representing Bingley. From the start Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship is tumultuous but eventually they learn to work together. I would have never suspected the person who ended up being the murderer. Anyone who is a Pride and Prejudice fan will love this book.
Are you an Austen fan? Then you’ll love this light-hearted, murder mystery take on her classic novel.
Pacing and plot is fun while still remaining mostly true to the time period. I am particularly fond of Mr. Bennett as a reclusive lawyer.
All of your favorite characters are there and with Bingley as the prime murder suspect, P & M has you invested from the start.
While the romance is still present, it definitely is secondary to Lizzie as a regency super sleuth.
A quick, easy read for any Austen enthusiast.
A silly fun take on the Pride and Prejudice universe. Price has our Lizzie working for her father who is a barrister. She desperately wants to work as a Solicitor in his firm, but being a woman has been a barrier. All of your usual suspects are in place: Charlotte is their secretary; Collins is a backstabbing co-worker who takes credit for her work, Wickham is a smooth-talking Runner for the police. Bingley has been accused of killing his brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst and Darcy is representing him in court. Lizzie is determined to solve the mystery and exonerate Bingley in order to impress her father with her legal skills, despite Darcy's objections.
Anyone familiar with P&P won't be surprised by the plot twists, but should still enjoy the journey.
I love both Jane Austen's novels and cozy mysteries, so I was very happy that this book is so well done! It is an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but unlike many adaptations that simply change the year or location, this is it's own story, which made it interesting to read. I felt the author really channeled the essence of Austen's characters (and their wit!), which is imperative in any Austen adaptation. I greatly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the other Austen adaptations that Price has planned!
I was not sure I was going to like this book or not but I actually really enjoyed it! It was a very different take on the story I know but I really liked what the author did. There was a lot of twists and turns where I didn't know what was going to happen next. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends.
I had high hopes when I saw this was a murder mystery crossed with Pride and Prejudice. I'm happy to say that my expectations were met, as this book is so good. I adore this version of Lizzie and Darcy and the progression of their relationship felt realistic. The mystery was well done and there were some good plot twist. I'm happy that two sequels have already been confirmed because I can't wait to read them.
I'm a SUCKER for a Pride & Prejudice re-imaging and this one didn't disappoint. Your favorite P&P characters, a twisty mystery and a feminist POV - what's not to love?
The story starts out with poor Mr. Bingley being accused of murdering his brother-in-law and Lizzie, a barrister's daughter trying to break into a man's profession, decides she's going to solve the case to prove to her father she can be a lawyer. Of course, Mr. Bingley has hired his old friend from a competing firm - Mr. Darcy, and.... the two butt heads.
The pacing is swift, you'll be compelled to read on to the next Lizzie/Darcy scene and then read it again. Yes, there's adventure, danger, an uppity woman rising above her station and a promise of two more books in the series to bring in other beloved Austen characters.
"Sense and Second-Degree Murder" and "Manslaughter Park" (which just from the titles, both sound amazing!) have already been announced. However, whether these books will be a continuation of this mystery or have whole different plots unto themselves, remains to be seen. It could certainly go either way. I would've liked a tie-in with "Persuasion" and Capt. Wentworth at the end of this or as a sequel, but you'll get NO SPOILERS from me!!
It's certainly a fun, fast read and a chance to revisit some old friends on a new adventure. I'm ALL IN for the rest of the series.