Скандальні зізнання міс Лідії Беннет, відьми

by Melinda Taub, Альона Вітязь (Translator), Ксенія Степась (Illustrator)

Усім відомо, що Лідія Беннет — непутяща дівчина, яку спокусив гульвіса Джордж Вікгем, а містер Дарсі врятував від остаточного падіння, організувавши весілля, чим заслужив глибоку вдячність і приязнь її сестри Елізабет Беннет. А що, як усе було трохи не так? Що, як Лідія насправді відьма, і причини її втечі з Вікгемом геть інакші? Що криється за раптовим і — навіть для Лідії — занадто легковажним бажанням податися до Брайтона? І чи справді кицьки — створіння
магічні?
Насичений відьомством, інтригами та безмежною магією, роман «Скандальні зізнання міс Лідії Беннет, відьми» відтворює настрій, силу та романтику «Гордості і упередження» і водночас пропонує вкрай несподівану спокуту найбільш невгамовної сестри Беннет. Любий читачу, дозвольте запросити вас на бал.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Witches, Retellings, Historical, Romance

512 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Dab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf at 23%. The idea isn’t bad but this story doesn’t flow. At all! I’m exhausted.

There is plenty of self reflection like this:

“I really must return to the narrative I promised you. I’ve filled nearly two quires of paper, crossed front and back, and I’ve only covered the very beginning! Too many digressions, I suppose”

So it seems that “Lydia” realizes how boring she is, and yet she keeps torturing us with word vomit about nothing.

It’s a shame because the author clearly has potential and sense of humor. I loved her take on Kitty! In this story Kitty is an actual cat and Lydia’s familiar. She can turn into a human and everyone is under a spell believing her another Bennet sister. Since as we all know Kitty had no personality in the original book (no offense, Jane), this was truly brilliant.

Unfortunately a few astute jokes were not enough to keep me entertained for 400 pages. This book should be cut in half and checked by a good editor.

Thank you Quercus Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with a healthy dose of skepticism, protective instinct for Jane Austen, and, above all, curiosity about how on earth anyone could pull off “Lydia Bennet, witch.” And you know what? Melinda Taub absolutely delivered. She has written a book that works both as a fun companion to the original and as its own witchy regency tale. I’m impressed.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like unofficial sequels. A year or so ago I read a Pride & Prejudice sequel about one of the other sisters so bad that I won't even tell you what it was. It was just . . . so bad. My real problem is that too often I go in thinking, Surely if they wrote about about Pride & Prejudice/Little Women/Alice in Wonderland, it's because they love the story so much they want to add to it and make it even better! But alas, it seems like all too often these people really want to correct what they see as flaws, picking holes until they've ruined the fabric.

That is most definitely not the case here!

I picked this up because it casts Lydia (poor, foolish girl!) as a witch, which I thought was interesting and I'm reading a lot of witch books right now. But I was wary. Very wary. Then I happened to look at the author bio before I started, and realized that I know Taub's work and she is HILARIOUS. I started reading eagerly, and I was justly rewarded! This is someone who knows and loves not just P&P, but all of Austen's work. She brings Sanditon into it! SANDITON! I know, right? The way she plays with the characters of Lydia and Kitty, Georgiana Darcy, Wickham, and others beyond just Lizzy and Jane is marvelous! I really felt like this was something Lydia would write. And the plot wasn't just, while Lizzy was over here at the Meryton ball, I was over here doing this thing. It had a lot going on that was new and very creative.

In short: if you are looking for a straight up companion book for Pride & Prejudice, this is not for you. But if you like clever fantasy that has been lovingly braided into Austen's world, this is FABULOUS.

[J (Midnight Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 It is no longer October but this was, indeed, very fun!

If you like books with self deprecating, sarcastic, and kind of tangential narrators you’ll love this! I personally thought the narrative style was quite charming, depicting the youngest Bennet sister as mischievous and flawed, yet also very likable. I loved seeing the events of Pride and Prejudice through her eyes, with a dash (ok, more than a dash) of witchcraft. Was it a little strange? Yes. But I thought it worked.

I will say that I agree with many reviewers that this book was quite slow, and while I didn’t mind ambling along with the anecdotes of Lydia, I know for some readers this won’t be enough to stay hooked. Things never really picked up pace wise, with even the final conflict ending a little bit lackluster for what the buildup was. I would also love to hear BIPOC (and especially Black) reviewers’ thoughts on the portrayal of Maria Lambe’s character and arc!

Overall I thought this was a really fun take on a classic with an entertaining narrative style, if a bit slow.

Cw: misogyny, murder, death
—————————————
This sounds like a perfect October read. Thank you Grand Central for the ARC!

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I have a deep and abiding love for P & P variations, I will admit to avoiding those that place either Mary or Lydia in the spotlight. I don't like them, I don't want them to be humanized, and I may even disproportionately enjoy disliking them. Well friends, I've been quite wrong. This is clever and charming and, no, let's go all the way with it and say - enchanting.

[Zoë · Rating 1 out of 5]

this sounds like a pre-teen trying to have her main character moment and writing out an insane plot for attention

[ancientreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been re-reading Austen lately; like any longtime reader and writer of fanfic, I'm always curious about the secondary characters and the stories that the original creator didn't tell. What, then, was a novelist going to do with Lydia Bennet, that foolish little flibbertigibbet, and the dreadful George Wickham?

Well! Melinda Taub did quite a lot, as it turns out. I hesitate to say anything about the plot, because reading without advance notice of any developments got me surprise after pleased surprise, but it's not giving away more than a hint to say that Kitty Bennet is, literally, a kitty, and that George Wickham is literally-not-figuratively a handsome devil. Also, readers of Austen may be reassured to know that Taub is good at period idiom -- I spotted scarcely any missteps -- and at reconciling Lydia Bennet the witch with Lydia Bennet the blithering idiot ("La! Imagine what Lizzy would do if she knew I made that spot on her chin pop back out whenever she vexed me"). Lydia grows and changes, of course, and a good thing too, because who could stand a couple of hundred pages of squealing about hair ribbons and handsome officers?

What they ought to do is tell us what the really big mistakes are — the ones that will end life as we know it.
Lord, maybe they did tell me. I probably wasn’t paying attention.

Scandalous Confessions often made me smile, snort, laugh outright:

[Georgiana Darcy's] version of mathematics contains almost no numbers at all, just a series of letters of different sizes that she calls variables. Some of them are Greek, which seems excessive.

And, on how well Mr. Collins and Mary Bennet would be suited:

They liked all the same things. They could live out their days quite happily, quoting sermons to each other and abstaining from reading novels.

I picked up callouts to Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Sanditon, and no doubt I missed some. But isn't it nice when a writer makes her readers feel clever?

If I have an objection, it's that aspects of the resolution could be read as setting aside bonds with women in favor of a bond with a man. There are reasons to resist that reading, but to lay them out would entail far too many spoilers, so I'll ding an invisible quarter of a star and close by saying I enjoyed the devil out of Lydia's confessions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

[Lisa Burgos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creative twist and a burst of life given to an old tale. (The retelling of Pride & Prejudice from witch Lydia Bennett's point of view.

[ali (hiatus) garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was really fun! a bit long and goofy at times but overall a cute lil retelling from the “crazy” bennet sister

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy were stumbling around in their awkward courtship, it seems there was another story playing out in the background - that of Lydia Bennet, witch, her familiar/sister Kitty, and the literal demon Mr. Wickham.

Reader, I love Pride and Prejudice. It was one of the first classic books that I read in its original form, and I've reread it numerous times over the years since. But I've usually avoided Pride and Prejudice retellings, doubtful of how they might add their own spin to them. But a title like  The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch promises quite a different take on the well-trod story.

The book takes an epistolary format, told through a long confessional document from Lydia as well as a section consisting of letters between various characters. We alternate between the past - Lydia's childhood and the events of the original Pride and Prejudice - and her present situation, in which she is called upon to help the Darcys with some thorny problems and perhaps redeem herself in the eyes of society.

Lydia Bennet, Witch does a great job as both a Pride and Prejudice remix and as a fantasy in its own right. I loved that the author stuck meticulously to canon even in its little details, and Lydia isn't so much re-characterized as shown with other facets. It's a lot of fun to see Austen's choices reinterpreted in this new light - Kitty not colorless but instead a cat familiar willed into a girl-shape, Lydia's yen for Brighton not purely frivolous but part of a vital magical quest, Wickham's sinister entanglement with the Bennets part of a larger scheme.

But there's lots to love even outside that well-known framework. The magic system, simple yet exacting, was an enjoyable mix of old folk magic and Taub's own invention that felt at place in the setting. I enjoyed the various relationships explored - of course there's romance, but friendship and familial relationships end up carrying more weight. I especially loved the character of Maria Lambe (from Austen's unfinished Sanditon, though developed as an original character here), how tartly she encourages Lydia to dig deep for her potential, and how she brought the broader context of the time to bear in the story.

It's just a fun book! And definitely one I plan to add to my shelves, and recommend to my Austen-loving friends.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore P and P variations and this one is totally fresh, farcical, fantastical, and fierce. Wild sister Lydia is really a witch, who spins a slightly different story about her family, wicked Wickham, and even opinionated Mr. Darcy, unspooling a tale no Janeite should miss. Magical!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a niche read and I love it.

So this book was a little more scandalous than I was expecting (I know I know it's literally in the title but apparently I am a naïve optimist when it comes to Lydia Bennet) but anyway I have been waiting for another book from Melinda Taub for years and it did not disappoint!

As ever, Melinda Taub has the writing style down perfectly. This book is witty, wild, and wholly entertaining. As others have said I was justifiably skeptical about a story centered around Lydia but I tempered that with my trust in the author and I was rewarded. Lydia was a relatable, sympathetic, human character (dare I say even likeable?) while not losing the essential vivacity and at times frivolous nature that characterize Austen's original Lydia.

Bonus points for this book having elements of the paranormal and still managing to engage me, as that is unequivocally my least favorite genre. But in this case, it worked. Imagining the world of Pride and Prejudice with the addition of magic, it's delightful to observe Darcy's begrudging acceptance of and distaste for this fact, and did I mention Kitty is actually a cat? and Wickham an actual demon? It's too perfect.

This has been the most rambling review I've ever written but the bottom line is that I really, really enjoyed this book. Also I'm a little bit (a lot) in love with George Wickham which feels wrong and like a fundamental law of the universe has been broken. Oh well. He really is a handsome devil.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this P&P retelling very much despite not being at all a fan of Lydia Bennet going in. Historically accurate? Not entirely (I mean, there are witches and all), but it could still run circles around Bridgerton.

Lydia is the seventh daughter (hang on a minute!) of a seventh daughter, so of course she’s a witch. You thought the Bennets only had five daughters? Ah, but three died at birth, and Kitty is a literal cat and familiar that Lydia transformed into a sister. So unbeknownst to her very proper sisters Jane and Elizabeth, Lydia embarks on her own journey of witchcraft, peril, and self discovery.

A lot of the fun is seeing familiar events from Lydia’s perspective. She’s a bit frivolous, certainly, but that attempt to get Mr Collins to fall in love with Mary, the only Bennet sister who wants his attentions - well, it’s fueled by the best of intentions. Mrs Forster is present, too, as Lydia’s mentor in witchcraft and Brighton society. And of course, Mr Wickham is here, as dashing and wicked (an actual demon, in fact) as you might expect.

Jane Austen might well be rolling in her grave at this version of Lydia, but I find I don’t care. I thoroughly enjoyed the redemption of the youngest Bennet sister and the shenanigans she gets herself into and out of. I’ve enjoyed only a handful of Pride and Prejudice plus magic retellings (the other one that comes to mind is Naomi Novik’s short story with Elizabeth Bennet, dragon rider), but this one I loved.

[Chrystopher Robin’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone is living their own story, and you only get to read the part that you’ve been given.

In this utterly perfect remix of Pride and Prejudice, Taub gives us the story of Lydia, as we’ve never seen her before. Witch Lydia bounces through the narrative with irrepressible spirits, tangles in supernatural shenanigans, and displays a depth of emotion and intelligence and complexity that forever seals this novel’s place in the extended Austen universe.

I have to be honest, I picked this book up not expecting much. I’ve read and watched Austen-takes that were bad, and some that were just fine but I read anyway because they were comforting. A few others were good, actually. And then there’s this one. Every time, every single time, I spotted an overused trope, Taub flipped it on its head. Every time I was uneasy about the direction the story was going, I found myself zipping up a completely different path.

A rollercoaster, a waltz, a love letter to literature’s powerful women. Simply delightful.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When one considers the power and repercussions of magic, is it any wonder that the last woman in the world people want possessing it is the youngest, most irrepressible and irresponsible of the Bennet sisters from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice? But, indeed this is Lydia Bennet’s chronicle of what happens when fate’s twist makes her a witch of power. Lydia fumble-bumble’s her way through coming of age in this magical variation set in Jane Austen’s world told in a clever journal-style first person narrative.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch reads like a teenage girl’s diary. Fair enough, Lydia was just that when she puts pen to paper to share with an unknown reader how her life ended up the way it did starting from the first moment she understood she possessed magic. Melinda Taub does a fabulous job inviting the reader into the mind of Lydia and it feels completely authentic. So authentic, I wanted off the ride not long after starting and this feeling didn’t change for well over half the book. Lydia leaps from one thought to the next like a pinball shot into the game. First she’s in her present time, then she’s back in the past, then she’s off chasing a squirrel, back to the past, a stop in the present, and so on. There were times I wondered what the point in including some parts was.

But, I did a big hang in there and made it past the first half of the book. This is when the reader can look back into the earlier pages of Lydia’s thoughts and begin to see where those loose thoughts that meander on the long route of the plot start to show some ‘ooh, ah-hah‘ moments.

In the first half, Lydia is learning just enough about magic from her sketchy Aunt Phillips to be dangerous and yep she lands into some deep trouble soon enough. But, her outlook is sanguine no matter how terrible the situation, the betrayals that stun her, and the unexpected support she receives along the way. It was hilarious getting her thoughts on her sisters, her parents, and all the other people and events that Jane Austen lovers are familiar with from other points of view. Lydia has her faults, but she’s rather clear-eyed about some people her pretty and smart older sisters are not. She knows they think little of her, but loves her family anyway.

I don’t want to spoiler, but there are some clever character decisions that give familiar characters a new role or even a slightly different storyline that would still fall within the perimeters of the original Pride & Prejudice plot trotting along in the distance while Lydia’s side of things is told. I will share one since it occurs in the first chapter. We all thought there were five Bennet sisters, right? Well, we would be wrong. In fact, Kitty is a true kitty- she’s Lydia’s familiar hidden behind an illusion spell.

That second half ratchets up the suspense and has some good action sequences, a few plot twists, and lead to a satisfying finish. I love what Melissa Taub did with her magical worldbuilding. I appreciated that she made magical power require sacrifice so that its no small thing to draw on it for a spell and there are consequences that must be considered when dealing with other magic users who often are not sweet, nice people.

All in all, I am glad to have picked this historical fantasy set in Austen’s world up and appreciate the author giving a fresh face to one- or rather, some- of Austen’s more colorful secondary characters. Whether a reader is new to Austen or not will not matter so do not hesitate if your looking for something a little creative and different for your fall spooky reading.

I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a finished print copy via NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Austenprose to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at That's What I'm Talking About on Sept 28th.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember how I stumbled across The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, but I am so glad I did, and I really hope Melinda Taub writes more books like this! There are a bunch of genres meshed together in this novel as well as it being a retelling of sorts for some of Jane Austen's characters. I loved every single minute of it, including the moments where there wasn't as much excitement as the rest of the book. This is exactly the type of funny witchy tale that I love, and there are plenty of things going on to keep the reader engaged and interested. Even though I haven't read any novels by Austen, I could still appreciate this story just fine, and it did reinforce the fact that I really do need to read her books.

Not only did I fall in love with this book as a whole, but I also fell in love with the audiobook which is narrated by Amy Hoggart. She did such a smashing job bringing words from the page to real life and through her voice and Taub's imagery, I could picture every scene and every character. This is on the longer side and the audio is almost 14 hours which made things difficult with me trying to listen during the holidays. If I could have stuck to it and not put it down, I could have easily turned this into a 1-2 sitting read though because it was just that good. If you are a fan of Austen or even just witches, whimsy, and magic, I would highly recommend picking up The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch. Even on audio, it was easy to understand, and I was never confused at all.

[Mai H.]

Halloween TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, with added witches, in Melinda Taub’s The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch. In this re-envisioning of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, we see the events of Pride and Prejudice – and more – through the eyes of the youngest Bennet sister, whose magical abilities offer intriguing new explanations for familiar events. But as Lydia’s story unfolds, the truth of her high spirits, troublesome behaviour and relationship with the devilish Wickham proves to be unexpectedly dark, and her story filled with wild magic and terrible dangers (not all of which are her own fault).

Inevitably this sort of story works best when the reader is at least fairly familiar with the source material, but here Taub delivers a brilliant, fun and often genuinely funny story in its own right, more than capable of entertaining readers regardless of how well they know Pride and Prejudice. For fantasy fans who know Austen’s classic though, and enjoy seeing the magic that lies beneath the surface of Regency England, it offers both a great story and a fiendishly clever new angle from which to appreciate an absolute classic.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2023/08/...

[Brittany McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the magic angle of this one, and I think that Melinda Taub did a great job of sticking to the feel of the time period of the original Pride and Prejudice.

Unfortunately, the self-absorbed Bennet narration grated on my nerves too much.

The moments of magic were the highlights of the book. I do wish a bit more had been done with it; I wanted it to be bigger, but I guess that's what happens in a retelling.

I would LOVE to read an original witchy tale from the author that gave more freedom in the world for magic to be a higher focus.

3 Stars

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok I should preface by saying I'm not like the BIGGEST Austen girlie, and I know there are tons of Austen retellings/pastiches/etc and I certainly have not read all or most of them. I'm mentioning bc I have seen reviews that are like "ummm why is Georgiana Darcy in NEWCASTLE?!" and I'm like "huh I don't know where else she was supposed to be". Like just some lil details like that that are apparently very upsetting to some serious Austen fans that I simply did not notice.

But I was intrigued by this title and premise and you know what? I thought it was fun as hell.

A couple era-typical?-ish notes on racism and ableism: I saw one review that was like "the book turns its only character of color into a ROCK" and like yes technically true but it's a very powerful rock? And like...she gets better? Lol like when your story is starting with the Bennets idk I wasn't expecting a paragon of diversity and inclusivity here but I thought the side plot about the sugar plantations was actually relatively sensitive overall... and then also the ableism about the mental illness in the Darcy family like...imo for the era having her be like "yeah I'd rather keep my 'sanity' and turn into an owl than not have my 'sanity'" like...yeah.

Like is it a perfect book no but I stayed up too late to finish it so that's worth something!

[Bookish Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is an interesting and imaginative retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Lydia Bennet's perspective.  Taub's writing style and humor are fun and engaging, and I enjoyed Lydia's musings more than I thought I would. The story is a little long-winded at times, but I think readers will enjoy this fresh spin on Pride and Prejudice characters.

Thank you to Melinda Taub, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witchy retelling of Pride & Prejudice that's clever, funny, and perfectly on point. Such a great October read!

[vi.isreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Mary did not marry Mr. Collins, we might lose our home. And if Mr. Collins did not wed Mary, probably no one ever would.

Was I expecting a Pride and Prejudice retelling to make me cry? No. Was I expecting to ever feel anything but absolute disgust for Wickham? Also no. This book proved to me that anything is possible with a little demonic possession. Maybe it’s because we’re reading the words of a witch, but everything about this book felt intentional. There were no wasted words here. Everything we learned added to the plot, to Lydia’s character development, to the narrative.

I thought this was going to be some silly romantic retelling with witches. Kind of meta that this book ended up being as complex as it did. This was a discussion of the impact of family ties, while also talking about the price of magic, while also being a story about a little girl growing up. Please don't make the same mistake I did. If you are, at ANY level, a Pride and Prejudice fan (book, movies, zombies, anything) read this book.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of the rambunctious Lydia Bennet as she grows up in Meryton juggling her family life and her life as a witch. Disclosed to us in an assortment of letters, diary entries, and manuscript excerpts, this is the exposé we all deserved after reading the original. Told in a quick and clever voice, Lydia is equal parts cheeky and competent and so much fun to read. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I kicked my feet. Lydia is such a compelling narrator and Taub is such a smart writer.

The romance was the aspect of the novel I was expecting to like the least and ended up loving. Taub did not run from Wickham’s predatory actions in the original story. It’s the condemnation that we all wanted in the original story, a literal demon enthusiastically replacing Wickham’s soul. And he broke my heart? Wickham managed the perfect balance of beauty and misery, my favorite type of rake. His only letter to Lydia? I will likely never recover.

This felt like a mix of Divine Rivals and Sugar Apple Fairy Tail, told by El from A Deadly Education. I won't be explaining. Read this.

[Cara (Wilde Book Garden) · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC on my channel!

*Disclaimer: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Blood, violence, blood magic/sacrifice, attempted murder, grief, adultery, references to slavery

***

I can’t believe the author of one of my favorite books in the world FINALLY has another book coming out after 9 years 😭😭😭

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO ME 😭❤️😭❤️😭❤️

[kristyn ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

lydia's entire personality is that she's not like other girls

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I finally read this! It was so amazing!

[Lady Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: meh / 5

I will admit a dissonance between reality and expectation for this one, but that wasn't what turned me off it.

No, that distinction goes to the overly-pretentious writing style.

Ugh.

Next.

[Kathleen Flynn]

I'm gun-shy of Pride and Prejudice retellings at this stage in my life. There are so many! What could there possibly be new to try? The idea of Lydia Bennet as a witch certainly seemed original, though. And magic in Napoleonic-era England features in one of my all-time favorite novels, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, so that was promising.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch gave me a lot to think about. Overall, I loved it.

I've already forgotten how the magical parts of this plot resolved because they didn't make that much sense to me. I got confused by the big, dramatic magical confrontations, while the way Lydia is often casting small spells to get over daily inconveniences struck me as more "Bewitched" than "Jonathan Strange."

I couldn't help wishing this story had had a little less magic. What if Lydia had merely thought she could do magic? The way teenage girls, full of more feeling than they can handle, have been known to move furniture, succumb to mass hysteria, etc. What if Lydia THOUGHT she could do magic and the reader was never quite sure? She has prophetic dreams, sees shapes in the clouds, mutters spells under her breath that sometimes seem to make things happen.... It would have been a much quieter plot, but that would have been fine with me.

Because this felt like the most emotionally authentic Pride and Prejudice retelling I can ever recall reading, and the most unexpected. By relegating Jane and Elizabeth to the background, it achieves an unusual effect. These are recognizably Austen's characters, but we are now seeing them in a new light. The silliness of Lydia and Kitty, so effectively satirized by Austen, suddenly looks different -- you are a teenage girl, stuck in a boring town, and flirting and clothes are your only recourse. Your father is mean and sarcastic, his wit barely veiling his contempt. Your oldest sister is sweet but a bit dim, your second oldest bossy and self-important. And most strikingly, Mary! Through Lydia's eyes we see her vulnerability, her pathos, in a way that Austen, filtering the story through Elizabeth's consciousness, never lets the reader fully grasp, or linger on.

I was also intrigued by Taub's choice to bring Miss Lambe from Sanditon into the story as a way to address what has come to be seen as problematic in the world of Austen: its veiled colonialism, the blood and suffering offstage that makes the gracious life of the English gentry possible. Giving Miss Lambe a full and complicated back story was a master stroke. She seemed convincingly black in this white world, a creation that is full of pitfalls for a white author. She also manages to fulfill an important plot function without becoming Lydia's Magical Negro sidekick. Though on the other hand, she does turn into a large purple rock partway through the story and must be ... rescued? Which might annoy some readers.

A strange and enjoyable novel. Without a lot of laugh-out-loud moments it nonetheless manages to be very funny. And who doesn't need a laugh these days?

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

It’s been almost four months since I read this, and I already remember very little of what I thought about it. I admit that might be more of a reflection on my state of mind since early October, than a judgement on the book itself, but it does make this a short review!

My main gripe with this was the structure: epistolary and relating the past and present simultaneously, to the extent that it’s almost dual timelines. There is a huge amount of plot packed into this book, but the way it jumps around somehow makes it feel SO slow at the same time, and it took me a long time to get into the story because of that. Plus, there’s a certain reveal towards the end that makes the reason for the flashbacks seem so pointless that I felt retroactively even more annoyed at having had to struggle through it!

That said, I did really enjoy the overall story. Melinda Taub’s care for Austen’s work and her attention to detail are so evident, and I really appreciated her retelling choices. Lydia is still flighty and immature, but softened by kindness and a willingness to admit her mistakes, and aside from getting a little frustrated with her epistolary voice, I did enjoy following her as a heroine. The addition of witchcraft also felt really natural, and I had a lot of fun with Taub’s takes on Kitty Bennet and Wickham!

So all in all, even though I would have enjoyed this more as a linear narrative, I did still have a good time, and am even more keen to get hold of Melinda Taub’s first book now too!

Thank you to Quercus Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC
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8/10/23: RTC, but high level summary is that I loved nearly everything, except the narrative structure, and I can’t quite figure out how much that deserves to lower my rating by.

CW: attempted murder, blood magic, adultery, discussions of the slave trade

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a niche find and I am so glad I stumbled upon it! A delightful blending of Austen's ladies, witchiness, and magic. These pages are wrought with the clever snark and mischievous designs those who love Austen will hope to find, and it envelops an exploration of witch's, their magic, and questions where that power to create comes from. I loved that we were given a reimagining of Lydia, whom we only know on the surface in Pride and Prejudice, and a devilish spin on George Wickham. I was pleasantly surprised how authentic the characters felt while still allowing them to be authentic to this magic filled world.
The narrative style uses the journal entries of Lydia and does bounce back and forth between her past and present. I would say if you find yourself frustrated with some of those bounces remember the state of mind of the narrator. Ultimately if you love a good self-deprecating narrator who's love language is sarcasm and enjoy laughing out loud while wanting to sip tea with a cat this book is for you!