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The Road to Pemberley: An Anthology of New Pride and Prejudice Stories
A Romantic, Engaging and Witty Collection of New Short Stories that Feature Jane Austen Most Beloved Characters
Including over a dozen stories from both emerging and established Regency romance authors, this new anthology celebrates Jane Austen with a series of brilliant adaptations. Austen’s masterpiece has spawned an entire genre of literature, and The Road to Pemberley brings together the best of the best from published and new writers alike to create a cornucopia of intrigues starring familiar characters from Pride and Prejudice. England during the Regency Era, with its country estates, horse-drawn carriages, and formal balls, continues to captivate modern readers and The Road to Pemberley brings this fabled world to life in all its glory. Each author shows us another side of the Pride and Prejudice story as it would have continued, from Darcy and Elizabeth's first year at Pemberley to the personal tales of characters like George Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Darcy's personal valet. Join a cast of familiar and unfamiliar faces navigating a host of new social quandaries, old personal dilemmas, and exciting adventures.
Including over a dozen stories from both emerging and established Regency romance authors, this new anthology celebrates Jane Austen with a series of brilliant adaptations. Austen’s masterpiece has spawned an entire genre of literature, and The Road to Pemberley brings together the best of the best from published and new writers alike to create a cornucopia of intrigues starring familiar characters from Pride and Prejudice. England during the Regency Era, with its country estates, horse-drawn carriages, and formal balls, continues to captivate modern readers and The Road to Pemberley brings this fabled world to life in all its glory. Each author shows us another side of the Pride and Prejudice story as it would have continued, from Darcy and Elizabeth's first year at Pemberley to the personal tales of characters like George Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Darcy's personal valet. Join a cast of familiar and unfamiliar faces navigating a host of new social quandaries, old personal dilemmas, and exciting adventures.
488 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Marsha Altman
18 books134 followersMarsha Altman is an author and historian specializing in Rabbinic literature in late antiquity. She is also an expert on Jane Austen sequels, having read nearly all of them. She works in publishing and is writing a series continuing the story of the Darcys and Bingleys. She lives in New York City. She does not own any cats.
The order of the "Darcys and the Bingleys" series is:
1. The Darcys and the Bingleys
2. The plight of the Darcy Brothers
3. Mr. Darcy's Great Escape
4. The Ballad of Gregoire Darcy
(4b. Other Tales eBook)
5. The Knights of Derbyshire
6. Georgiana and the Wolf
7. Young Mr. Darcy in Love
8. The Chrysanthemum and the Rose
9. The Trials of George Wickham the Younger
10. The Last of the Wine
The order of the "Darcys and the Bingleys" series is:
1. The Darcys and the Bingleys
2. The plight of the Darcy Brothers
3. Mr. Darcy's Great Escape
4. The Ballad of Gregoire Darcy
(4b. Other Tales eBook)
5. The Knights of Derbyshire
6. Georgiana and the Wolf
7. Young Mr. Darcy in Love
8. The Chrysanthemum and the Rose
9. The Trials of George Wickham the Younger
10. The Last of the Wine
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 23, 2023
The title of this book is misleading because it sounds like these stories are brand new when actually they were posted in some form on various fan fiction sites around the Internet over the years. If you're an avid fan fiction reader and haven't read these stories before, then this book is worth the money. I'm not a big fan of fan fiction and though I don't like reading stories online on my computer, I feel as if this book was not worth buying. The stories are mediocre and don't really add anything important to my life. This is not one for the keeper shelf.
*********Review July 2023***********
Oops I accidentally bought this from the library book sale. I wasn't able to check to see if it was already read so I grabbed it. I remembered some of the stories perfectly and others not at ALL. I'm not a fan of fan fiction/paraliterature unless it's about another character something different. None of these stories really hit the mark for me.
"The Pemberley Ball" by Regina Jeffers is the first story in this collection. I didn't care for all the fighting Darcy and Elizabeth do after they're engaged. She's obstinate and headstrong but not unreasonable. It's realistic though. This is what would happen if I married Darcy and we'd kill each other in 5 minutes. All the misfortunes than happen are so completely ridiculous. I didn't really care for Lizzy or Darcy very much in this story. I didn't want realism, I wanted happily ever after. The one character I liked was Georgiana and her role in the story was fun.
"But He Turned Out Very Wild" by Sarah A. Hoyt is about... you guessed it... Mr. Wickham. The story is told from his point-of-view with a huge plot twist. It was strange and unlike anything Jane wrote or wanted to write. It's more like a soap opera on late 20th-century TV than Austenesque. Nevertheless, I actually kind of liked it. It was weird enough to be satisfying. I DID NOT like
"A Long Strange Trip" by Ellen Gelerman is a short, strange, trippy story in which the main characters accidentally ingest psychedelic mushrooms. Um ok. Definitely NOT Austen. It gets a little steamy at Netherfield!
"An Ink-Stained Year" by Valerie T. Jackson is an epistolary novella told through the correspondence of Col. Fitzwilliam to Darcy and Caroline Bingley to Louisa Hurst. As Col. F recovers from a war injury, his father puts him to work conducting business in London in summer when London is thin of company. Caroline, banished to an aunt's in London, is bored stiff. Her aunt hates her and never entertains and there's no one worth associating with, except for the charming Colonel. This is the most Austenesque story. It's a little slow in parts but it's worth reading because it's a different sort of story. Caroline Bingley and Col. Fitzwilliam? He's kind of cynical with a caustic wit here and she's a mean girl but one who truly cares for her sister. Can they work as a couple? I don't think so but I liked the story.
"The Potential of Kitty Bennet" by Jessica Keller is another not so Austenesque story. It is a traditional story but the love triangle is absurd. One party is so ridiculously transparent in his aims I think even Kitty can see it. The theme here is how Kitty wants to be seen. The second youngest of such a large family, she has had nothing to make her stand out. Everyone thinks she's silly and stupid and a bad influence on Georgiana. She doubts her own worth, until she meets a clergyman and one of Darcy's old schoolmates. I quite like the one Kitty chooses in the end. He's sweet and so lovely though kind of staid and boring.
Content warning::
*********Review July 2023***********
Oops I accidentally bought this from the library book sale. I wasn't able to check to see if it was already read so I grabbed it. I remembered some of the stories perfectly and others not at ALL. I'm not a fan of fan fiction/paraliterature unless it's about another character something different. None of these stories really hit the mark for me.
"The Pemberley Ball" by Regina Jeffers is the first story in this collection. I didn't care for all the fighting Darcy and Elizabeth do after they're engaged. She's obstinate and headstrong but not unreasonable. It's realistic though. This is what would happen if I married Darcy and we'd kill each other in 5 minutes. All the misfortunes than happen are so completely ridiculous. I didn't really care for Lizzy or Darcy very much in this story. I didn't want realism, I wanted happily ever after. The one character I liked was Georgiana and her role in the story was fun.
"But He Turned Out Very Wild" by Sarah A. Hoyt is about... you guessed it... Mr. Wickham. The story is told from his point-of-view with a huge plot twist. It was strange and unlike anything Jane wrote or wanted to write. It's more like a soap opera on late 20th-century TV than Austenesque. Nevertheless, I actually kind of liked it. It was weird enough to be satisfying. I DID NOT like
"A Long Strange Trip" by Ellen Gelerman is a short, strange, trippy story in which the main characters accidentally ingest psychedelic mushrooms. Um ok. Definitely NOT Austen. It gets a little steamy at Netherfield!
"An Ink-Stained Year" by Valerie T. Jackson is an epistolary novella told through the correspondence of Col. Fitzwilliam to Darcy and Caroline Bingley to Louisa Hurst. As Col. F recovers from a war injury, his father puts him to work conducting business in London in summer when London is thin of company. Caroline, banished to an aunt's in London, is bored stiff. Her aunt hates her and never entertains and there's no one worth associating with, except for the charming Colonel. This is the most Austenesque story. It's a little slow in parts but it's worth reading because it's a different sort of story. Caroline Bingley and Col. Fitzwilliam? He's kind of cynical with a caustic wit here and she's a mean girl but one who truly cares for her sister. Can they work as a couple? I don't think so but I liked the story.
"The Potential of Kitty Bennet" by Jessica Keller is another not so Austenesque story. It is a traditional story but the love triangle is absurd. One party is so ridiculously transparent in his aims I think even Kitty can see it. The theme here is how Kitty wants to be seen. The second youngest of such a large family, she has had nothing to make her stand out. Everyone thinks she's silly and stupid and a bad influence on Georgiana. She doubts her own worth, until she meets a clergyman and one of Darcy's old schoolmates. I quite like the one Kitty chooses in the end. He's sweet and so lovely though kind of staid and boring.
Content warning::
September 6, 2021
A very fine anthology
I enjoyed all of the stories in this anthology. The various authors who contributed stories should be proud of their entries as they provided such a variety of plots and viewpoints. And, of course, there were no unhappy endings.
11
I enjoyed all of the stories in this anthology. The various authors who contributed stories should be proud of their entries as they provided such a variety of plots and viewpoints. And, of course, there were no unhappy endings.
11
August 14, 2011
This anthology of stories was terrific. None of the stories are written by Marsha Altman, but her collection of stories from her author friends were wonderful.
The first story from Regina Jeffers(who is a favorite author of mine)Highlights Lizzy and Darcy's antagonist conversations. Which lead to angst and misunderstanding. Though Regina does know how to bring thins together in the end.
The 2nd story by Sarah Hoyte was suprisingly wonderful and was not view I had ever read. This story is from Wickham's perspective and was truely enlightening. Loved it. thanks Sarah.
3rd story by Valerie Jackson is after Darcy and Lizzy's marriage. But the story is from Col F's and Caroline's perspective. And of course there is a happy ending. Even Caroline deserves one. Maybe!
4th story by Jessica Keller is also from a ansulary character Kitty and how she improves and her prospects. There is a villian and hero thrown in for good measure.
5th story by Tess Quinn was wonderfully funny. The story is with Darcy and Bingley stuck in Bingley's wine cellar and loose mouths happen once the wine is unleashed!!!
6th story by J. H. Thompson was the best story from Georgiana's perspective that I've read. Was really wonderful. Throughly enjoyed her voice.
7th story by Bill Friesema was about Darcy and Lizzy a few years later and an encounter with Wickham. This was wonderful in that Wickham is still a sceming scoundral and sends Darcy on a little mystery tour. It kept my attention and I thought I figured out the mystery but like a good story it suprises you in the end.
8th story by Nacy Mackey was frome Darcy's valet's perspective. Again it was wonderfully enlightening to see the perspective from behind the scenes.
9th story by Narilou Martineau was Darcy and Elizabeth at Pemberley and she is expecting her 1st child and Darcy tells her story of his childhood with his cousins. wonderfully done.
10th story by Lewis Welchel was my least favorite. It was a short story envolving Mr Bennet and I have to say he seems very out of character. I know the author was trying to use Mr Bennet's wit, but I felt it made him a little dark.
Well over all was a wonderfully delightful book with lots of wonderful stories that any JA addict would love!!!!
The first story from Regina Jeffers(who is a favorite author of mine)Highlights Lizzy and Darcy's antagonist conversations. Which lead to angst and misunderstanding. Though Regina does know how to bring thins together in the end.
The 2nd story by Sarah Hoyte was suprisingly wonderful and was not view I had ever read. This story is from Wickham's perspective and was truely enlightening. Loved it. thanks Sarah.
3rd story by Valerie Jackson is after Darcy and Lizzy's marriage. But the story is from Col F's and Caroline's perspective. And of course there is a happy ending. Even Caroline deserves one. Maybe!
4th story by Jessica Keller is also from a ansulary character Kitty and how she improves and her prospects. There is a villian and hero thrown in for good measure.
5th story by Tess Quinn was wonderfully funny. The story is with Darcy and Bingley stuck in Bingley's wine cellar and loose mouths happen once the wine is unleashed!!!
6th story by J. H. Thompson was the best story from Georgiana's perspective that I've read. Was really wonderful. Throughly enjoyed her voice.
7th story by Bill Friesema was about Darcy and Lizzy a few years later and an encounter with Wickham. This was wonderful in that Wickham is still a sceming scoundral and sends Darcy on a little mystery tour. It kept my attention and I thought I figured out the mystery but like a good story it suprises you in the end.
8th story by Nacy Mackey was frome Darcy's valet's perspective. Again it was wonderfully enlightening to see the perspective from behind the scenes.
9th story by Narilou Martineau was Darcy and Elizabeth at Pemberley and she is expecting her 1st child and Darcy tells her story of his childhood with his cousins. wonderfully done.
10th story by Lewis Welchel was my least favorite. It was a short story envolving Mr Bennet and I have to say he seems very out of character. I know the author was trying to use Mr Bennet's wit, but I felt it made him a little dark.
Well over all was a wonderfully delightful book with lots of wonderful stories that any JA addict would love!!!!
July 19, 2011
Loved this book because it was a collection of various stories based on Pride & Prejudice. A few were not about Darcy and Elizabeth although you still learned about the two of them.. There was one about Caroline.. One about Georgiana, P&P through Darcy's valets eyes and my favorite based on the courtship of Lizzy and Darcy was the first one I read in the book by Regina Jeffers (who writes many Darcy & Lizzy books) called The Pemberley Ball - emotional but great in the end!! If you like clean regency era romance stories based on Darcy & Lizzy or their family or friends, you'll love this!
April 29, 2015
An Uplifting Anthology
Multiple P&P perspectives and stories are shared in this anthology... These can be devoted as one long read or independent of each other... I love the one about Darcy's childhood...such a sweet glimpse into the young master's childhood...
Multiple P&P perspectives and stories are shared in this anthology... These can be devoted as one long read or independent of each other... I love the one about Darcy's childhood...such a sweet glimpse into the young master's childhood...
October 6, 2011
An interesting anthology of Pride & Prejudice-related short stories. When I saw this, I was immediately interested, as I'm always interested in new stories for that amazing book.
Ultimately, I liked some stories more than others. The one focusing on George Wickham and how he was framed for many of the bad things that were attributed to him in the original novel was a great one, for instance. It's a rare thing to see George Wickham come down on the side of good, and I actually liked him very much in that story.
My favorite of the stories, though, was "Georgiana's Voice". Ms. Altman called this one of the best attempts to bring Georgiana Darcy to life, and I agree. You see the innate shyness that is shown in Jane Austen's original novel, but this story fleshes out her character, giving the reader a more complete look at the sister of the famous Mr. Darcy. I've always had a soft spot for Georgiana Darcy, and this short story just added to it.
That being said, there were some stories that I didn't like, or just found to be too outlandish. "The Potential of Kitty Bennet" was one. I don't see Darcy ever being in a bad enough situation to fall under the thumb of someone like the antagonist of the story, nor do I see him letting him near one of his wife's sisters. It seems out of character for him to send Georgiana away, but to allow Kitty to stay near such a rake. As a result, I was disappointed in one of the stories I was most looking forward to seeing, since Kitty Bennet is one of the Bennet sisters that I find the most interesting.
Overall, a decent collection, though the quality of the stories varied.
Ultimately, I liked some stories more than others. The one focusing on George Wickham and how he was framed for many of the bad things that were attributed to him in the original novel was a great one, for instance. It's a rare thing to see George Wickham come down on the side of good, and I actually liked him very much in that story.
My favorite of the stories, though, was "Georgiana's Voice". Ms. Altman called this one of the best attempts to bring Georgiana Darcy to life, and I agree. You see the innate shyness that is shown in Jane Austen's original novel, but this story fleshes out her character, giving the reader a more complete look at the sister of the famous Mr. Darcy. I've always had a soft spot for Georgiana Darcy, and this short story just added to it.
That being said, there were some stories that I didn't like, or just found to be too outlandish. "The Potential of Kitty Bennet" was one. I don't see Darcy ever being in a bad enough situation to fall under the thumb of someone like the antagonist of the story, nor do I see him letting him near one of his wife's sisters. It seems out of character for him to send Georgiana away, but to allow Kitty to stay near such a rake. As a result, I was disappointed in one of the stories I was most looking forward to seeing, since Kitty Bennet is one of the Bennet sisters that I find the most interesting.
Overall, a decent collection, though the quality of the stories varied.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
This is a stand out selection of short stories. Really fabulous.
January 13, 2012
my good friend Jessica Keller has a short story in this anthology - I highly recommend this if you enjoy Jane Austen! It will be published this summer.
October 6, 2011
Absolutely loved this! I have been waiting to read this for a while now. All the short stories were amazing! I especially loved the abridged version by Ms. Altman. It was absolutely hilarious!
September 5, 2012
For me, this book opens up a whole new genre of fan based Austen inspired writing.
June 26, 2019
I really liked this anthology, especially the stories about Mr. Wickham and Miss Darcy. Overall, the stories were interesting and amusing and made me think about quite a few different aspects of the P&P world that aren't usually mentioned or thought about.
February 21, 2017
I'm a huge Jane Austen fan, but this is lacking the same writing style. The first short story is before Darcy and Lizzy get married (the engagement stage). I guess one way to describe this story, I'll compare it to Death Comes To Pemberly by P.D. James and the miniseries that went with it.
In a flashback, Lizzy is remembering the first ball at Pemberly as Mrs. Darcy. People are talking about her and her family and how Darcy made a terrible mistake in marrying her. However Lizzy and Darcy are meant to be together period!
During the short story it's a back and forth with our love birds. It really got ridiculous and I didn't finish it.
I gave it two stars strictly on the basis that it's a homage to Jane Austen.
In a flashback, Lizzy is remembering the first ball at Pemberly as Mrs. Darcy. People are talking about her and her family and how Darcy made a terrible mistake in marrying her. However Lizzy and Darcy are meant to be together period!
During the short story it's a back and forth with our love birds. It really got ridiculous and I didn't finish it.
I gave it two stars strictly on the basis that it's a homage to Jane Austen.
May 21, 2019
This was a fun collection of P&P fan fic. I loved some of the stories more than others, but overall really appreciated the range of expansions to the universe.
October 22, 2024
My favorite story was An Ink Stained Year.
April 16, 2015
The Road to Pemberley
This book is an anthology of new story variations of various Pride and Prejudice authors. Some were quite good; others not so much. The "Pemberley Ball" was an excellent twist of love and misunderstandings between Darcy and Elizabeth. "He Turned Out Wild" was a very interesting twist of the story between Darcy and Wickham. Didn't see the ending coming at all until I was upon it. "The Potential of Kitty Bennet" was great, because after all her foolishness following Lydia's unfortunate behavior, she learns that she wants true love herself like Elizabeth has. One character in this story is as bad as Wickham. Didn't care for "An Ink Stained Year" mainly because it was mostly about Caroline Bingley and was written in letter from. I won't give any more away. Caroline was never one of my favorite characters, except favorite character to hate. Several other stories are in this book besides the few I remarked about.
This book is an anthology of new story variations of various Pride and Prejudice authors. Some were quite good; others not so much. The "Pemberley Ball" was an excellent twist of love and misunderstandings between Darcy and Elizabeth. "He Turned Out Wild" was a very interesting twist of the story between Darcy and Wickham. Didn't see the ending coming at all until I was upon it. "The Potential of Kitty Bennet" was great, because after all her foolishness following Lydia's unfortunate behavior, she learns that she wants true love herself like Elizabeth has. One character in this story is as bad as Wickham. Didn't care for "An Ink Stained Year" mainly because it was mostly about Caroline Bingley and was written in letter from. I won't give any more away. Caroline was never one of my favorite characters, except favorite character to hate. Several other stories are in this book besides the few I remarked about.
April 28, 2013
I'm usually exasperated by P&P sequels, but I really truly enjoyed this short story anthology. What made it work for me was that so many of the stories in this book centered on minor characters of P&P. We got to see Caroline Bingley, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Kitty Bennet find true love. We get to see some rather bizarre variations, including one that made an attempt to take the villain mantle off of Wickham. There were a couple clunker stories in here but most managed to not only be imaginative but also to cover new ground.
I think that this is one sequel that should be near the top of every Austen Fan Fiction list.
I think that this is one sequel that should be near the top of every Austen Fan Fiction list.
April 17, 2013
JAFF fiction does not set well with me. I realize I am in the minority in this matter, but I like my Austen characters to do "normal" Regency era things. That is not always true in this book. Ms. Altman, who is the editor of the anthology, is known for her more bizarre version of Austen's tales. I did enjoy Jeffers's "The Pemberley Ball," although at first I thought even she had crossed over to the dark side.
August 17, 2013
Checked out this book online when I was browsing. Not the best but not the worst, either. This is a collection of short stories by various authors about the characters in Pride and Prejudice--some quite entertaining and some jarring (Wickham as a completely duped good guy who ends up marrying Georgina? Heavens) or another amusing story where it turns out Wickham is the illegitimate son of Lady Catherine deBourgh's husband which was amusing. Amusing, but only for die hard Austen fans.
May 4, 2013
I was very impressed with this collection of short stories! All of them were entertaining and were varied enough in subject to not make the collection repetitive. It was fun to read over the course of several days, since you could read a whole short story and not have to put the book down during a cliffhanger, etc.
Very enjoyable!
Very enjoyable!
October 8, 2015
A collection of short stories all relating or related to Pride and Prejudice.
May 17, 2013
Contains a particularly good one where Wickham isn't the total evildoer we've all come to revile. A good mix overall.
July 4, 2013
Fun for super fans of the books.
February 7, 2014
A fun anthology. Some stories were quite strange and some didn't live up to my vision of Pride and Prejudice but most were delightful.
March 10, 2015
An anthology of short stories inspired by Pride & Prejudice. Some were excellent, some good, and only the last was a bit of a waste of time.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews