Netherfield Park Revisited

The Pemberley Chronicles #3

by Rebecca Ann Collins

The third book in the bestselling Pride and Prejudice sequel series from Australia.

Love, betrayal, and changing times for the Darcys and the Bingleys

Three generations of the Darcy and the Bingley families evolve against a backdrop of the political ideals and social reforms of the mid-Victorian era.

Jonathan Bingley, the handsome, distinguished son of Charles and Jane Bingley, takes center stage, returning to Hertfordshire as master of Netherfield Park. A deeply passionate and committed man, Jonathan is immersed in the joys and heartbreaks of his friends and family and his own challenging marriage. At the same time, he is swept up in the changes of the world around him.

Netherfield Park Revisited combines captivating details of life in mid-Victorian England with the ongoing saga of Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice characters.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Classics, Historical Romance, Historical, Regency

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Rebecca Ann Collins is the pen name of a lady in Australia who loves Jane Austen’s work so much that she has written a series of sequels to Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, following Austen’s beloved characters, introducing new ones and bringing the characters into a new historical era.

Reviews

[Ruthie Schmeichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing! Jonathan's troubles were so relatable (I'm not saying that I've experienced anything like that, but, I mean, it could theoretically happen), and his love for what will be his second wife (I'm not naming names) is so gradual and not rushed or artificial in any way.

Rebecca Ann Collins does it again!! I can't WAIT now to read the rest of the series!

[Jess Swann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alors, j'avoue que j'ai ouvert avec peu d'enthousiasme ce roman, attendu que j'avais été très échaudée par les deux premiers tomes... Du coup, j'ai été agréablement surprise par celui ci. Entendons nous bien : les personnages sont toujours autant delighted mais le fait que l'histoire soit centrée uniquement sur Jonathan Bingley (au lieu de partir dans tous les sens , comme dans les deux premiers tomes) m'a aidée à accrocher. De plus, les personnages originaux sont vraiment passés au second plan (même s'ils sont toujours aussi moralisateurs, ce qu'ils peuvent être ennuyeux et gnangnan !) exception faite des "méchants personnages" : et oui Caroline Bingley ne s'est jamais remise du double mariage (au bout de 40 ans.... sérieux il serait temps) quand à Lydia elle... reste Lydia (méchante Lydia). Donc Caroline fait tout pour détruire la vie et la réputation de la femme de son neveu ( pfff complétement hors personnage : jamais Caroline ne mettrait en péril la réputation de son nom, elle ne vit que par les apparences.) Bref, on suit donc les démélés conjugaux de Jonathan qui a épousé une vilaine fille ( Amelia Jane, la cadette de Charlotte Collins et la favorite de feu le révérend). Je ne spoile pas plus... mais sachez que tout s'arrange bien... (et on sent ce qui va se passer dès que la parfaite Anna, fille de Maria Lucas apparait dans le roman...)

Ce que j'aime : le fait que les personnages de P&P soient maintenant au second plan, le personnage de Jonathan, sa relation avec Anna

Ce que j'aime moins : le manichéisme des personnages qui tranche avec le message de Pride & Prejudice (où on apprenait à passer outre nos préjugés mais également que les gens pouvaient changer, au moins d'opinion). Ici on reste sur des méchants, toujours les mêmes .... à tel point que ça en devient ridicule. Idem pour le peu d'originalité de l'histoire... Ah et des personnages meurent aussi mais pas ceux dont on se dit que depuis le temps... (voir les Gardiner...). Les répétitions... et gnagnagna Jane est triste puis oh elle est delight.... Et le fait qu'ils ne se marient qu'entre eux... sérieux ils peuvent pas épouser quelqu'un qui n'est pas le cousin de la soeur du grand oncle ??? (vont finir complétement attardés ^^)

En bref : Un tome que j'ai préféré à ses prédécesseurs, surtout en raison du peu de présence de Darcy & co ... Une romance très attendue où les méchants sont punis et les gentils trouvent le bonheur, un peu gnangnan et sans trop de nuances mais j'ai tout de même apprécié

Ma note

5/10

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fairly long, convoluted, poorly thought out continuation of Pride and Prejudice. My only consolation being that if books like this can get published, there is hope for my own work.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something dangerous about an imaginary family being in the hands of someone like this author.  Woe be to you if you happen to be in an unhappy marriage in this particular series, as we see when we examine the sad fate of Amelia-Jane, foolish and unwise wife of Jonathan Bingley in this particular novel.  After reading enough of a novelist's works (and here it was only necessary to be in one's second novel), sometimes you can get a sense of how the novelist is going to operate, and that certainly was the case here.  Reading such heavy-handed writing as one finds here, if it is far more discreet in its portrayal of the integrity of others than that of other writers in this vein, but there are definitely some serious problems with the books, not least in the author's political worldview.  One of the benefits of Austen's writings was her relative restraint about politics, something that this particular book series does not have and something that detracts immensely from one's enjoyment of the books when one realizes that the author has a political worldview that is simply unpleasant and deeply mistaken and all too present in the workings of the novel.

The plot of this book is pretty pedestrian, it must be admitted.  About 300 pages in length and divided into two parts, the author shows as her lead character one Jonathan Bingley, son of Charles and James, and a fairly easy going person who has some political ambitions to help the radical Whigs (of course) and also to become a landowner of himself, a chance he takes when he buys Netherfield House for his own after it happens to come up for sale by its unnamed previous owner.  While he is attempting to find a more exciting and worthwhile life for himself than being the manager of Lady Catherine's Rosings Park, he is also dealing with marriage problems, as his wife has made some very bad friends in Miss Bingley, her sister, and the mysterious Mrs. Arabella Watkins.  Given the pull that Jonathan has for the lovely Anne Faulkner, it is clear that his estranged wife is not long for this world and she is felled by an opportune carriage mishap in a thunderstorm.  The loss and grief over this nevertheless frees Bingley from a bad marriage and leads him and his eldest daughter Anne-Marie to become closer to each other and the family of course blesses his wish to marry Anne, which happens in a proper fashion after their public engagement is forced open thanks to some shenanigans from Lydia Wickham.

In reading this sort of novel one becomes aware of a very heavy-handed author.  The author tips her hand way too early about the desirability of a marriage between Jonathan and Anne.  Their mutual partiality is early obvious to those around them, all of whom think that since Jonathan is such a swell guy™ that he is of course not doing anything untoward, and of course he is not.  Nevertheless, Anne's desire to be private threatens his reputation, and so they have to thrash out what they are about.  The romantic plot itself is nothing special, but the way it is done is extremely awkward.  It appears that this author is like many in that she appreciates the plot of Jane Austen's novels but simply does not have the same sure touch and the same restraint and evenhandedness when it comes to handling a plot without making the characters seem like puppets of the author's own worldview.  And here the author's worldview is so obvious and so unpleasant that it actively detracts from the enjoyment of what is a perfectly passable if unspectacular romance novel.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book at a library sale when I was thinking of dipping back into the Austen retelling/reimagining/-inspired novel pool. Having read a few of that type of novel previously and having come away unimpressed, I thought that maybe I'd have better luck with a book of this type, that takes on the next generation(Jane/Bingley's and Elizabeth/Darcy's children), rather than messing with the source material itself. In the time between picking this book up and actually reading it, I've actually read several other Austen-inspired books(Austenland, Midnight in Austenland, and The Unexpected Miss Bennet). Having enjoyed all of those, to a greater or lesser degree, I'm glad I did read those before Netherfield Park Revisited, as I'm not sure I'd have gone on to read the former if I'd read the latter first.

The writing style is good, and the language is suitable to the time period, I think. The characters, by and large, are interesting and fleshed out. The familiar faces of Jane, Bingley, Elizabeth, Darcy, and others are involved as well, but not central to the plot, which is good. When they are present, their characterizations seem perfectly fine, now in the role of concerned parents/aunts/uncles.

When I began the novel I was a little overwhelmed by the large cast of characters, which is partly my own fault for jumping into the third book in a series. It helped that the author included a list at the back of the book detailing the familial relationships of all the characters, presumably for anyone like me that hadn't read the first two books.

Johnathan Bingley(son of Jane and Bingley), the main character, is very involved in politics, and a lot of the text is Johnathan doing or discussing political things. This made it hard for the book to keep my interest, particularly during the beginning and the closing sections. I'm only interested in politics in very specific ways, and in the midst of a novel I expect to be more about characters and families is not where I really wanted to see it.

However, once I more or less got the cast of characters and their relationships sorted out, and pushed through the political discussions, I began to be engrossed in the story: Johnathan and his wife Amelia-Jane tragically lost their two young sons, and since this loss, Amelia-Jane has been in a deep depression. This is compounded by her slowly growing feelings that Johnathan is away in London for political reasons far too much for her liking, and their twenty year marriage is starting to feel the strain. Meanwhile, Johnathan has made the acquaintance of a lovely, accomplished young woman that he begins to feel some attraction to(though he doesn't admit that he feels anything more than friendly). He has no desire to leave his wife or have an affair, though his growing affection for Miss Anna Faulkner is obvious to anyone that sees them together.

At the same time, Amelia-Jane has been taken under the wing of Miss Caroline Bingley and a most scandalous widow, Mrs. Watkins, both of whom encourage her that Johnathan is a terrible husband for being away so much, and telling Amelia-Jane that she should put her foot down, refusing to leave the home of her choosing, and leaving her husband(and three daughters) all together, if necessary.

All of this is really interesting! Family drama, romantic tension, all good stuff, and less than a third of the way through the novel. I thought for sure I could see where this was going: it was setting up for what seemed to be an exploration of the difficulties of a crumbling marriage, the reputation-tarnishing scandal of divorce in the late 1850s, the struggle of overcoming that scandal and finding love again with this beautiful, kind, young Miss Anna Faulkner. That sounded great!

But that's not what happened. I'll be spoiler tagging most of the rest of the review, as it all hinges on a major plot point that happens a little over a third of the way through the book, and colors my opinion of the book.

All the intrigue is spoiled when the author decides to take the easy, extremely convenient way out. Amelia-Jane, rather than agreeing to move to Netherfield and away from the society she's accustomed to, decides to leave her family and accordingly makes her escape with the scandalous Mrs. Watkins in a carriage in the middle of a thunderstorm. Yep, naturally there's an accident and Amelia-Jane dies, conveniently removing the only obstacle that was providing tension and conflict to the plot, and clearing the field for Johnathan to woo Anna Faulkner.

Now, I have never thrown a book against a wall, and even now I just growled a bit. I didn't even put the book down, but that's more because I wanted to make sure that this didn't take an even weirder direction, like maybe Amelia-Jane set this up, and the bodies would be so disfigured that identity would have to be assumed rather than confirmed, and Amelia-Jane would actually be alive and well somewhere, now without the worry that her husband would track her down, only for her to get wind of Johnathan's engagement to Miss Faulkner, whereupon Amelia-Jane would swoop back in and cause shenanigans. Luckily, this didn't happen. However, I think I can be forgiven for worrying that something that ridiculous could happen, since you have to remember that there was still two-thirds of this book left at this point! Instead, we're left with a simple, easy romance plot with insertions of political blather that has no conflict, no uncertainty, no nothing except plodding on to the expected happy ending. The author tries to throw in a bit of tension by having some gossip start about Johnathan and Anna before they announce their engagement, but the potential there is miniscule, and is resolved nigh-immediately.

For something that had so much interesting potential only to fall into a supremely convenient rut was really, really disappointing. Probably because of that disappointment, other things in the narrative annoyed me more than they might have otherwise. The fact that Caroline Bingley, now an old maid, is still so bitter about Elizabeth marrying Darcy and Jane marrying Bingley, she becomes a mastermind of manipulation, trying to sabotage the marriage of Jane's son Johnathan. This is a little ridiculous. Not to mention that the snobby, status-conscious Caroline of P&P would never make friends with some no name gossipy widow. Then there's the perfect Miss Anna Faulkner, who is beautiful, kind, artistic, and a brilliant teacher of Art and Music. That's fine, if bordering on a little too perfect. But oh wait, then Johnathan's oldest daughter(a trained and competent nurse herself) is dreadfully ill, and Anna suddenly also knows how to nurse her back to health! What. Why not one of the other trained nurses from the hospital that Johnathan's daughter worked in? Yes, her one nurse friend is pregnant and unable to help, but are you telling me that's all there was? Just the two of them? Especially when Johnathan's daughter has spent half the book away from that hospital with no apparent consequences? Anna and Johnathan are already engaged and very much in love by this point, why does she have to be the one to step in here? Ugh.

So, overall, this book gets a low two star rating from me, because it had such great potential, but fell very flat despite the overall likeability of the characters and plot. It's the latter that saves it from being a one star.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if I didn't enjoy this book, because I have not read the first 2 volumes of this series or if I simply didn't take to it. I couldn't handle any more after p 41.

If the author relies on the reader having read the previous books, she repeats too much of what should be known. On the other hand, if the author looks at this as a stand-alone book, then she should have included family trees and associated names of places. It is all so overly and unnecessarily complicated.

I think Jane Austen's message is getting totally lost. Pride and Prejudice! So much superior in language, plot (how odd is it that all seem to dislike Jonathan's wife! How convenient her death later in the book (I did read here and there in the book before I gave up) and message.

If you are into 'Pride and Prejudice' spin-offs, try Kara Louise. Her writing grabs you straight away.



There is no depth to the characters. Everything about Jonathan is positive and understandable. He can do no wrong in the eyes of everyone. Everything about his wife is negative and beyond comprehension. She's a bad, bad woman.
There are no nuances. Just one-dimensional characters. Jonothan

The writer did some research on the politics and social reforms of the time and tried to incorporate that, but it doesn't flow. It is rather stiff and deliberately put in.

Just another book or in this case another series that cashes in on the regency fad.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have generally found, in reading multi-generational family sagas, that the author usually fails to keep my interest once he/she has strayed from the original characters, setting, or generation. Not so with Ms. Rebecca Ann Collins. She seems to have an instinctual "feel" for the Bennet, Darcy, Collins, and Gardiner families first introduced in Pride and Prejudice, and knows where the storylines should go in succeeding generations. She also manages to let the reader know what is happening in the political background of 19th-Century England. This is a series that all devotees of P&P should read.

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very slow read and a bit tedious at times. The plot did not provide enough variation of incident or building of climax in story; rather, every event seemed like just another dot along the plot line in a basic family history. The effort for tension was lacking, and it felt like the author was trying too hard to write in an Austen language style. And missed the beauty of Austen’s storytelling and observations. Austen could bring tension and dimension of plot in her writing that this author could not mimic. It wasn’t an awful read, but it was not what I’d consider a memorable or recommendable one. I’ve read better from other Austen-inspired authors.

[Della Tingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness! I knew at the beginning of the book, that the forty-something, MARRIED, father of SIX, Jonathan Bingley would end up with the young, twenty-something, 17 YEARS his junior, Anna Faulkner. I thought to myself, well, Collins will have to kill off his wife. Guess what?!?! She did just that! Oh, how nice and neat! Jonathan fell in love with a younger woman, and BAM! His wife dies in a tragic accident paving the way for all his future happiness. 😵‍💫

“Love each other as truly and as passionately as you know how, much, much more than you could ever love yourself. Then, look within your hearts and find some love to spare for your fellow man, for it is from love and service that lasting pleasure comes” (275).

[Alethea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had taken an extended break from this series, and the resulting loss of familiarity with some of the characters may account for my liking this installment a little less than its predecessors. Jonathan Bingley, son of Jane, is married to a woman who has ceased to love him. She, very conveniently, dies in a carriage accident while leaving him; the rest of the novel is an incredibly drawn-out story of courtship between Jonathan and Anna, with a conclusion you could see coming almost from the first page. This installment is not a good emulator of Austen's wit and character development.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, a delightful story though with some heart-breaking events.
It's good to read about the real life politicians and events of the time and certainly puts 21st century life in perspective. For older readers this is set around the time our great-grandparents were being born, or only a decade or two earlier. Many changes mostly good but some not so good.
Overall it's a story of love, duty, responsibility and the wonderful people who helped forge the world we live in today.

[Ruthie S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing! Jonathan's troubles were so relatable (I'm not saying that I've experienced anything like that, but, I mean, it could theoretically happen), and his love for what will be his second wife (I'm not naming names) is so gradual and not rushed or artificial in any way.

Rebecca Ann Collins does it again!! I can't WAIT now to read the rest of the series!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo 3 of series is best one so far. The 23 year marriage of Jonathan Bingley, oldest son of Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet, and Amelia-Jane Collins, pretty, but not so bright, spoilt youngest daughter of Charlotte and deceased Mr Collins, is faltering as he decides to cease tending Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estate and finances and return to politics. He meets modest, talented, just returned from several years abroad and in Paris, Anna Faulkner, a 27 year old spinster, daughter of Charlotte's younger sister Maria and Dr John Faulkner, after the double wedding of Pemberlet heir Julian Darcy and writer Josie Tate and Jonathan's sister Louisa to Dr. Matthew Ward. Coming through rough times and a sister, The extended family members notice a developing friendship between them. This is the best crafted of the series so far. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third in the series, Netherfield Park Revisited focuses on Jonathan Bingley, son of Jane and Charles Bingley. Jonathan finds himself in an unhappy marriage. His wife Amelia Jane, nee Collins, recently lost two young sons and her husband is busy with his political career. Finding herself alone for a great part of the time, she becomes chummy with Caroline Bingley, Jonathan's aunt, and Miss Bingley's friend of questionable character, Arabella Watkins. Both these ladies fan the flames of Amelia Jane's discontent. They even encourage her to tell her husband she will not live at Netherfield Park if he chooses to purchase the Estate. It is interesting to speculate how Jane and Lizzie's children cope with the ups and downs of life and the author does a good job of relating the history and the social graces of the time just as Jane Austen did in her writings.

[bookyeti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Collins has done it again, writing yet another fine companion novel to Pride and Prejudice, third in her series. Having read both The Pemberley Chronicles, and The Women of Pemberley (respectively), it was a thrill to delve yet again into the lives of our beloved characters and their families, as the continuing story unravels in Netherfield Park Revisited.

Collins has given Pride and Prejudice lovers a chance to learn what has happened to their favorite characters after the famous Austen ending. Just as enjoyable is the story-telling involving the "next generation" of characters - as the author brings their experiences tto life.

The existence of Jonathan Bingley is one of change, that will keep you reading until you're finished.

[Charlene Vickers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is cowardly. The writer is afraid to show conflict, so she uses ridiculous machinations to keep her characters apart so they can't be in conflict. She's afraid to show real life, so her characters die and get sick and love and make speeches and work elsewhere.

Unfortunately, she's not afraid of dialogue. Her characters especially love to tell each other things they all already know, over and over again, mainly for the benefit of the reader.

She also doesn't like to kill off characters - unless they do something to displease her. And she doesn't seem to understand that sixty was relatively old in Victorian times; Lady Catherine de Bourgh apparently makes it to 110, as does Mr. Gardiner.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still like this series of books, especially as a light tour through British history, which I think I really need to study a little better. Ms. Collins' wording and writing style imitate period literature well, and she is a good writer. I like the main characters, except the women are just a bit more modern than I find totally believable. I keep waiting for something to come about with Lydia, but it's not here. I'll still keep reading the series because it's entertaining and well written, but keep in mind that we are well past Elizabeth and Darcy.

[Samantha McNulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Bingley, son of Charles and Jane Bingley, takes up the purchase of Netherfield Park.

Fourty-two years old, Johnathan Bingley is just as amiable, charming and loving as his father. However, with the polictical changes coming thick and fast, and his marriage crumbling around him, his married life is not as happy as his parents.

I throughly enjoyed the third sequel in the Pemberley Chronicles, though it took me a little longer to read it than I would have liked. I can't wait until I purchase the next novels in the series.

[Teacatweaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual I start the series in the middle. Although the setting is Jane Austen, some of the plot reminds me more of Charles Dickens. He always has someone dying off, or leaping into a lucky break. It gets into a lot of the historical events of the era, if you find that interesting. But it does captivate my attention. I am about 3/4 through the book. I certainly would like to see the re-modeled Netherfield!

All's well that ends well. Have to get the next book in the series, as the saga continues.....

[Bettielee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it to 5% on the kindle version. It's not the quickest I've put down a book but I was so bored. It was all about politics, not something I want to read when I pick up a "Regency Romance" - ok, technically, this isn't a regency, but still. Nor do I want to read about an unhappy marriage. Call me crazy.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fan fiction and my first experience reading any. I liked it though there was some political discussion that I wasn't really into. By the middle I really like the characters and wanted to read to the end...I wasn't so sure at the beginning.

[Samantha Garlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now finished #3. It does fall back on the ol'standard of if you do not like where it is going kill 'em off. On it's own it is a good book I am not sorry by any means that I have read it. And I will probably continue with the series.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another lovely bit of work from Ms. Collins. I absolutely loved it and I am so happy that I found this series. Only downside is that it's very to lose myself in the pages of this book and forget about other things that need taken care of...such as laundry and dinner! ha ha

[Becki]

I enjoyed immersing myself back into the Pride & Prejudice era. Although it is especially clear in this book that Jane and Elizabeth have gone by the wayside. They are only mentioned here and there.\n\nI still have trouble remembering how everyone is connected.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this whole series!

[Carla]

This is such a fun series of books, and written in a very believable Austin style!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice "Austen" type book. Continuation of the story of P & P and it is okay.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it utterly boring, the first 2 books in this series was the best, unsure if I will continue, really could of slapped Jane in this one she has become so annoying

[Polivanova Yuliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book its great continue the Pride and Prejudice or other Novels of Jane
Austen