Member Reviews
Some floofy YA fun for fans of Jane Austen and mysteries!
In this book, Lizzie Bennet is reimagined as an aspiring solicitor (caught in a murder mystery case!) and is relocated to an urban London setting (during the same time period, though). It's not so much a retelling of Pride and Prejudice; it's more of an ode to the work and to the spirit of Lizzie Bennet. Because it is primarily a Young Adult mystery novel, the characters are also younger than P&P. There are quotes from P&P throughout the book... though at times they feel a bit forced.
Still, I enjoyed this little romp... better than Death Comes to Pemberley!
Oh my goodness, this book was amazing. I stayed up all night reading this book. This is a very well written & unique pride and prejudice retelling. I cannot wait for the second book in this series.
Elizabeth Bennet wants to be a lawyer, just like her father, and she is going to prove her abilities to him. When a murder has a society man as the possible culprit, Lizzy decides that it is just the case she should solve to persuade her father. She runs into many difficulties along the way, but the largest of them is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. He is a friend of Mr. Bingley and the lawyer hired for the defense. Lizzie believes that authorities have charged the wrong man and will stop at nothing to find the real killer. Will Lizzie be able to prove Mr. Bingley’s innocence? Will she be able to untangle the complicated knot Darcy seems to be causing her emotions to make?
Pride and Premeditation is the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series. Let me start by saying I LOVE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE! I watch every version that is made into film and read all the adaptations that come out. Some are great and many are useless, but this book was perfect. I loved how all the characters I love (and hate) are there in their proper place, but we also have a heroine who isn’t afraid to rock the normal role of women in her time. It doesn’t matter if you like Pride and Prejudice or just a good mystery, this series is going to be addictive. My only disappointment is I have to wait for the next installment.
This book is a fun mystery with a feminist slant, perfects for Janeites. Half of the fun is the anticipation of learning how Austen’s characters will surface.
Fun, light little book. A little ridiculous, but something that is needed by all these days. Very obvious if you are at all familiar with Pride and Prejudice.
Price did an amazing job capturing the essence of Austen's characters and making them her own. Instead of Bingley's purchase of Netherfield as the impetus for the story, it's his being accused of murdering his brother-in-law. Well-read, quick witted, and resourceful Elizabeth Bennet is eager to prove her worth as a solicitor in her father's barrister office and takes on the case to the prideful Darcy's chagrin. Collins' character is just as cringy, Wickham is a Bow Street Runner, charmingly helping Elizabeth on her case. Her sister Jane is just as warm and wise and her best friend Charlotte just as no-nonsense and smart.
I thought Pride and Premeditation very cleverly paid homage to Austen with an engaging cast and at the same time wove an Agatha Christie worthy twisty-turny murder mystery.
This book surprised me. I love pride and prejudice retellings which is what originally drew me to this story but the criminal case and law that was used was a whole new take. Lizzie wanting and needing to prove herself gave her the drive and kept the story moving forward. I loved the use of lines from the original story as well. I thought the twist and turns of the villain reveal was a clever and unique way to distract and yet bring the crime/crimes full circle. While it does take some liberties with the usual Victorian values it does still respect them for the most part. I would recommend this book to anyone who not only loves a good mystery but to anyone who has a love for pride and prejudice.
This was such an interesting spin on the beloved classic Pride and Prejudice! I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect and look forward to more in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a fun ride! I enjoyed the mystery, romance, and family drama that was present throughout the book. However, I do believe that the first half of the book felt way slower than the second half. The second half of the book I finished in one day, while the other half took me a while longer. I also would have hoped the romance would have been a little bit stronger. With the intricate mystery and other plots all happening at once, the romance felt like a quick second thought that only started to happen 60% of the way into the book. All of that being said, congratulations to Tirzah Price for writing a book that make me gasp out loud and made me shocked! I hope there is a sequel!
When I was a teen I loved to read biographies. I would read about anyone, even if I didn't really know who they were. After a few years of that I realized that reading biographies about people I liked was a bad idea because I inevitably ended up liking them a lot less after learning who they truly were. I think that same principle is applicable when it comes to books based on Pride and Prejudice. I so love the original P&P that I am drawn to the all the take-offs of it but I have also - so far - been disappointed in those versions. This book seemed like a great fit with not just P&P but also a mystery which is another favorite of mine. Unfortunately, I wasn't enthralled. While I appreciate that Elizabeth is no shrinking violet and goes after what she wants, I had a hard time working with her feminist viewpoint in the timeframe. I also struggled with just how bad both Collins and Wickham were. In the original book they are dull and dastardly respectively, but they both took a turn toward true evil in this version which made them less delicious as characters. I'm afraid the entire thing was a miss for me and perhaps will help me remember that I ought to avoid the books patterned on P&P and make time for a reread of the original instead.
This was fun and I really like the concept but the mystery was just okay and it was sort of heavy handed at times.
Elizabeth Bennet, who was 17 y/0 works inconspicuously at their legal service firm, Longbourn. As with the original, Mr Collins, a solicitor, is the heir of the firm and the head is Mr Bennet, a barrister. Since this was in the 19th century, a lot oif restrictions were placed on females and lots of propriety standards were followed. As with the original, Lizzy doesn't want to conform. She wants to be part of the legal team officially. His father gave her a challenge.To win this challenge, she found case to solve. This was a murder case involving the Bingley's and Mr. Darcy. There were other characters in the story that played significant roles as she tries to uncover the truth.
This was a very well written mystery , with good show of some tactics/strategies. Enjoyed the banter between Mr Darcy and Lizzy. Though there is a happy ending, there was not much romance. (I wonder if there is a sequel to this book, esp ODC are young and are just starting). i would really like to have sequels to this.
I highly recommend this book.
I was given an advance readers copy and am leaving a voluntary review.
3.5/5 - Pride and Premeditation really won me over by the end of the book. I love a good Pride and Prejudice retelling and I tend to always enjoy them. And like most P&P retellings, I had issues with Lizzy when the book started out. Retellings tend to make Lizzy a slightly more extreme version of original Lizzy. Since Lizzy is one of my all-time favorite characters in books I feel like she needs to win me over. And by the end of Pride and Premeditation, this Lizzy had won me over.
I really loved Lizzy's ambition in this retelling. I believe the time-period is around the same time-period as the original book and this Lizzy really just wants to be an attorney and is trying to prove herself to her father so he will hire her for a job at his firm (and of course Collins is there and is just as sucky as every version of him I've ever encountered). She's not afraid to go the extra mile to uncover evidence and to prove that her client is innocent. Lizzy is such a smart strong-willed character, I love it.
This is geared toward a more YA audience and I can imagine that audience really really loving this book (and eventual series) so much. I know I'm going to be looking forward to book two in this series.
*Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for the eARC of Pride and Premeditation in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the pace of this novel and the twists of the mystery. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, and this re-telling delivered on most of the Jane Austen elements I expected. I also appreciated that Elizabeth Bennett was not just idly waiting for her future husband to arrive -- she has an occupation and purpose, which is beneficial for the YA audience of today to be exposed to. While I enjoyed the fast pace and refreshing take on an old classic, I wish the ending gave me what I have come to love and expect from Jane Austen novels. It didn't take the romance far enough, and the social class element so present in Pride & Prejudice was almost pushed to the side in this retelling. All-in-all, it is worth a read and I will be letting my upper level students know about this option as a future read.
Loved. loved, loved this book. I am a huge fan of Jane Austen and this was a delightful spin on her Pride and Prejudice story. The story moved along and there was twists and turns a plenty. Can't wait till the next book in this fantastic book. It's written for the young adult crowd, but this lady truly enjoyed reading it.
I am an absolute sucker for Pride & Prejudice retellings! Even better when the author can capture the original dynamic between her Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy characters- the slow burn, the banter, the push and pull/give and take, the conflictions, it is there in all its glory and then mix that in with a murder mystery (another absolute fav of mine) and Pride & Premeditation had me giddy as a school girl! I can not wait to read more from this series!
A tightly plotted, very satisfying reimagining of Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as a Regency-era murder mystery. Delightful.
Not just for Janeites! If you've never read P&P, that's ok. And if you're afraid to read about Jane as a detective, do not worry! The source material is merely a jumping off point for a mystery: who killed William Hurst? It couldn't possibly have been that nice Mr. Bingley, right? And Lizzie wants, more than anything, to become a solicitor (better yet, a barrister) in her father's firm, Longbourne & Sons. Obviously, events you'll recognize from P&P aren't going to be there - no long walks to Netherfield or trips to Pemberley, no elopement - but the structure of the book is good grounding for the mystery.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
As a huge Jane Austen fan, was excited to read this one, but it's a bit heavy and a mystery, more than a Jane Austen novel. But still captures the spirit of Jane Austen, even as details are changed. Mystery fans will love this version of P&P.
Despite suspecting certain things (based upon knowledge of Austen's characters), I was still uncertain what was going to happen. Worth the read nd recommend it to Austen-enthusiasts as well as mystery fans. Very enjoyable; devoured in a day.