Pride and Prejudice and Mice: (Illustrated) A faithful yet mouse-full adaptation of the classic Austen novel

by Kura Jane Carpenter

If you love Austen you will adore Pride and Prejudice and Mice.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single mouse with a good food supply, must be in want of a spouse..."
Join the Bennet mice family as they navigate love, life and marriage among the trees and fields of Longbourn farm.

"Jane Austen meets Beatrix Potter" in this faithful yet mouse-filled adaptation of a timeless classic.

Most definitely suitable for adults Pride and Prejudice and Mice has been lovingly, and expertly written, and this edition includes a selection of approx. 40 charming black and white illustrations all drawn by the award-winning author, Kura Carpenter.

If you have struggled to read the original due to the archaic language, this version is the solution! The plot faithfully follows most of the original classic. The delightful writing is readable and uses simplified, modern language, but it is not "modernized" - there is no slang or contemporary intrusions. Not only will this adaptation charm adults it is the perfect story to encourage independent reading in the younger generation. Please use the look inside feature to read a sample.

Pride and Prejudice and Mice is an ideal story to be shared between generations, to share and encourage the love of reading between parents or grandparents and children.

Buy your ebook copy today at this special introductory price and enter the tiny world you never knew existed, and won't ever want to leave...

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Cozy Mystery Author Kura Jane Carpenter won the 2019 Sir Julius Vogel award for Best New Talent and her debut was short-listed for Best Novel.

Kura Jane describes her Wyld Enchantment Woods mystery series as "Terry Pratchett meets Agatha Christie".

When not writing, Kura Jane can be found walking, or more likely, napping in the sunshine with her greyhound.

Reviews

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is Pride and Prejudice but everybody is a mouse. The plot is a fairly faithful rendering of the canonical story. But there are some fun surprises when things get mousified. They squeak instead of speaking and express feelings with their tails and whiskers. Pemberley is a mighty oak and Georgiana's dowry is thirty pounds of nuts. Mr. Bennet chews books in his library and Darcymouse's explanation was delivered by a talking bird. Wickham and Darcymouse quarreled about whether he had the right to reside as a churchmouse. Elizabeth travels on a farm dog. That sort of thing.

This could be an adorable way for an Austen lover to introduce their children to the story in a child-friendly manner. Although some of Austen's original language that has been preserved might be a little difficult for a small child to understand. Come prepared to explain what a hundred acorns per annum means. Why do the mice speak Latin?

Some things could have been mousified a little further. Like the way Collins is expecting to inherit Longbourn after Mr. Bennet's death - (it's en-tailed, don't you know?) I was a little surprised to see these mice following British legalities.

Or consider Lydia's elopement. Darcymouse saves her by making the marriage happen. But outside of the human context of Regency propriety rules and the dangers of sexual ruination, I don't know if it makes a lot of sense for everybody to be so upset about Wickham's unwillingness to marry her. Wickham is a food thief in debt, unsuitable for outdoor life, too aggressive to live as a churchmouse, and has wasted all of his acorns, so Lydia would seem to be far better off not marrying him.

The book is going to be illustrated and what little I've seen of the pictures on Instagram looks very cute, and hand-drawn. But the ARC I got doesn't contain the illustrations due to file size limitations so I don't know for sure.

I might up my rating once I see more of the art.

[Jen B · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You tease and talk riddles. I shall call you Mr. Bennet no more—you are Mr. Cat.”

This whole take just made me laugh and then laugh some more. And Darcymouse

was much admired—not to mention his wealth, rumoured to be ten thousand acorns a year!

Who knew that P&P could be adapted so successfully (and as promised fairly faithfully) to a mouse realm. This was an absolute delight. Even thought the author stated that the ARC was missing a great deal of the artwork because of size limitations, what was included was adorable and I am certain that the retail version is enhanced by the additions.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

4.75* for making me laugh so much. I needed that.

[Lemurkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying... I haven't read Pride & Prejudice. Terrible of me, I know. This book, however, does seem to follow the plot pretty faithfully, albeit in a more concise form, and with a decidedly furry twist. There's more squeaking, for example, and quite a lot of scampering. They also engage in such ladylike past-times as chewing books. Horses are replaced with dogs, manor houses by trees and chicken coops (or in some cases, churches and schools). Wealth is measured in acorns and food, but otherwise mouse society seems not dissimilar to that of Regency England: only males can inherit property, marriage is required to avoid ruination. Soldier mice are sent to war with stray cats. Despite the patriarchal nature of society, Mr. Bennet did seem to have his daughters' best wishes in mind, and for that I approve of him.

It's the beautifully rendered illustrations that steal the show, however. The cover alone is gorgeous, and these illustrations continue within, making this a gorgeous gift for people who love the original book - and have a fondness for small rodents.

Overall, it's really rather charming.

(Disclaimer: I received an e-arc from the author in exchange for a review.)

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Pride and Prejudice retelling takes a delightfully unusual turn by casting all main characters as mice—and surprisingly, it works incredibly well. The familiar storyline plays out in a fresh, whimsical way that made the experience both engaging and unexpectedly fun.

I received an ARC with only a limited selection of illustrations, so I unfortunately can’t fully comment on the artwork. The few images included were lovely—though quite tiny—but they did add to the charm of the story.

As for the narrative itself, it is of course familiar (as any P&P retelling will be), but the author managed to adapt it creatively to a mouse-sized world. I found it exciting, engaging, and genuinely enjoyable to read.

A wonderful and imaginative take on a beloved classic!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stefanie Verhelst · Rating 4 out of 5]

For everyone who knows Pride and Prejudice, this one is a must read.

It’s full of cuteness and it has some little surprises, as the world of mice is a little different as it is for us humans.

At this very moment, the author is still busy drawing the illustrations for this book. I’ve seen a little bit on instragram and it looks promising.

It’s a version that can be read over generations, Beatrix Potter meets Geronimo Stilton in a story wrapped in love and hope. It also has a bit of humor and lightness.

I’m looking forward to see the book, including all the art work, once it’s finished!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.