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Long Lost Letters: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
***
Please Note
: For Kindle and KU readers a free copy of the Discarded Daughter will be included with the new tale. ***
We begin with a multi part prologue which shows how the characters of some of the principal protagonists and antagonists are formed to help us understand the people they become later in the book.
After the extended prologue, there is a time jump to Rosings Park and Hunsford which the reader can assume that the events in Jane Austen’s brilliant Pride & Prejudice have occurred as they did in canon with all of the attendant pride and prejudice intact. Yes, Darcy makes his horrendous proposal and Lizzy rejects him soundly with the attendant tongue-lashing.
That is where the tale deviates from canon. Yes, Darcy writes and delivers his letter, but there are some differences from the original.
Lady Catherine has genuine concerns for Anne de Bourgh as she is not long for the world, but more worrying is the entail on Rosings Park (not to heirs male) which does not allow one who has no de Bourgh blood to own it. Our mistress of Rosings Park faces an uncertain future because as far as she knows there are no de Bourghs of her late husband’s line left in the world.
Elizabeth still thinks that Mr Darcy is a proud arrogant man who hurt her most beloved sister, but she at least knows he is honourable and did not do any of the things George Wickham accused him of. The question is what will she do with the information?
After being unequivocally rejected, Darcy requests that his Fitzwilliam aunt and uncle keep Georgiana with them and makes for the one place in the world he feels most at Pemberley.
Try as he may, he cannot expel Miss Elizabeth Bennet from his head or heart. One day he is in the study and wishing that his parents were still alive to advise him about how he had gone so wrong in his life. In his frustration he hits the panelling on one wall in the study. From the title and the cover you know what he discovers.
Who are the missives from?
What do they tell him?
How does he react to information which shocks him?
To answer all of these questions, and many more, read on dear reader.
We begin with a multi part prologue which shows how the characters of some of the principal protagonists and antagonists are formed to help us understand the people they become later in the book.
After the extended prologue, there is a time jump to Rosings Park and Hunsford which the reader can assume that the events in Jane Austen’s brilliant Pride & Prejudice have occurred as they did in canon with all of the attendant pride and prejudice intact. Yes, Darcy makes his horrendous proposal and Lizzy rejects him soundly with the attendant tongue-lashing.
That is where the tale deviates from canon. Yes, Darcy writes and delivers his letter, but there are some differences from the original.
Lady Catherine has genuine concerns for Anne de Bourgh as she is not long for the world, but more worrying is the entail on Rosings Park (not to heirs male) which does not allow one who has no de Bourgh blood to own it. Our mistress of Rosings Park faces an uncertain future because as far as she knows there are no de Bourghs of her late husband’s line left in the world.
Elizabeth still thinks that Mr Darcy is a proud arrogant man who hurt her most beloved sister, but she at least knows he is honourable and did not do any of the things George Wickham accused him of. The question is what will she do with the information?
After being unequivocally rejected, Darcy requests that his Fitzwilliam aunt and uncle keep Georgiana with them and makes for the one place in the world he feels most at Pemberley.
Try as he may, he cannot expel Miss Elizabeth Bennet from his head or heart. One day he is in the study and wishing that his parents were still alive to advise him about how he had gone so wrong in his life. In his frustration he hits the panelling on one wall in the study. From the title and the cover you know what he discovers.
Who are the missives from?
What do they tell him?
How does he react to information which shocks him?
To answer all of these questions, and many more, read on dear reader.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2026
About the author
Shana Granderson
70 books70 followersI have three children and after a disastrous first marriage I found my soul mate who I thought that was lost to me over 25 years ago. I recently married the love of my life. I live with my soul mate in Australasia and have three pets, two cats, Darcy and Bingley and a golden lab, Honey.
Like many high school students, Pride and Prejudice was assigned to me in an English literature class. It was not my favourite book, but I read it as I had to. I forgot about the book until in my 30’s when I saw and fell in love with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice version made for TV in England, and purchased a copy of the DVD that is now much played.
The tipping point was the 2005 big screen adaption of P&P. Not long after seeing it I found and read the complete works of Jane Austen on Amazon, starting with Pride and Prejudice. The latter book is by far my favourite. After I read it three of four times over, I wistfully said to myself: ‘it is a great pity that Miss Austen never wrote a sequel to her seminal novel.' One day I was searching Kindle books and for the fun of it I entered “Pride and Prejudice Sequel’ into the search not expecting any results.
The rest is history. I discovered the JAFF community and books. I became a veracious reader of JAFF books and once I had devoured all of the sequels and continuations that I could find, I read my first variation. I had been resisting variations wrongly thinking that I would not enjoy them as much as the sequels. Boy, was I ever wrong! Today I am the proud owner of well over 1,000 JAFF novels that I have purchased on Amazon. 'A Change of Fortunes' is my first book that I wrote. There are a number of others on the way.
Like many high school students, Pride and Prejudice was assigned to me in an English literature class. It was not my favourite book, but I read it as I had to. I forgot about the book until in my 30’s when I saw and fell in love with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice version made for TV in England, and purchased a copy of the DVD that is now much played.
The tipping point was the 2005 big screen adaption of P&P. Not long after seeing it I found and read the complete works of Jane Austen on Amazon, starting with Pride and Prejudice. The latter book is by far my favourite. After I read it three of four times over, I wistfully said to myself: ‘it is a great pity that Miss Austen never wrote a sequel to her seminal novel.' One day I was searching Kindle books and for the fun of it I entered “Pride and Prejudice Sequel’ into the search not expecting any results.
The rest is history. I discovered the JAFF community and books. I became a veracious reader of JAFF books and once I had devoured all of the sequels and continuations that I could find, I read my first variation. I had been resisting variations wrongly thinking that I would not enjoy them as much as the sequels. Boy, was I ever wrong! Today I am the proud owner of well over 1,000 JAFF novels that I have purchased on Amazon. 'A Change of Fortunes' is my first book that I wrote. There are a number of others on the way.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2026
Beginning a generation in the past, a son's heritage is love along with the wealth and connections that his late parents bequeathed him. But, will it be too late when he finds the long lost letters that speak of the love. And, a fierce young lady who is blind to her fault of determining a person's character based on first impressions and holding grudges has a big comeuppance coming that hopefully will open her eyes to love before its too late. Shana Granderson's latest P&P variation was one I anticipated and was not disappointed.
Beginning at the point when the older generation of Darcys, de Bourghs, and Fitzwilliams start families and train up their children. Young Darcy's mother knows she is dying and leaves him and the little baby she is carrying letters for pivotal times in their lives. Later, his father carries on the letters from himself. Darcy has a loving family, but there is a fly in the ointment because the steward's son, George Wickham is taught to be entitled by his avaricious mother and to expect anything he wants for nothing and to have what the Darcy's have.
Later, the more current part of the story begins when Jane Bennet gets a sharp wake-up call that the man she thought she loved left her behind without a backward glance and his sisters were never really her friends. Oh, she's well aware that his great friend Darcy and his sisters influenced him, but what sort of lover lets others talk him out of love? Jane arrives at the healthy place of knowing now what she wants even while her sister refuses to give Jane's assurance that she's over Bingley any thought and blithely marches on believing Wickham's lies and blaming Darcy for everything from Jane's unhappiness to hangnails. She doubles down and delivers a flaming refusal to his marriage proposal. Then, she gets his side of the story through a letter. And, then she gets Jane's admonition about ignoring Jane's sensible take on the Bingleys and Darcy along with a scold for holding herself as a supreme character sketcher.
Lizzy and Darcy have a different path to happiness as do Jane and other characters in the story. Just like some get the comeuppance they deserve and others get a chance to change. I have read several of the author's books and found this latest to have all the complexities with out the extremes. There is strong character growth and good romantic development for Darcy and Lizzy. I loved how his parents' letters played a pivotal role for him and loved that they were part of the early story. It was also sweet how changes in the Bennet situation that come later allowed for that family to change and grow, too.
All and all, a satisfying read.
There is a bonus story and, when I read it, I will add in the review here.
Beginning at the point when the older generation of Darcys, de Bourghs, and Fitzwilliams start families and train up their children. Young Darcy's mother knows she is dying and leaves him and the little baby she is carrying letters for pivotal times in their lives. Later, his father carries on the letters from himself. Darcy has a loving family, but there is a fly in the ointment because the steward's son, George Wickham is taught to be entitled by his avaricious mother and to expect anything he wants for nothing and to have what the Darcy's have.
Later, the more current part of the story begins when Jane Bennet gets a sharp wake-up call that the man she thought she loved left her behind without a backward glance and his sisters were never really her friends. Oh, she's well aware that his great friend Darcy and his sisters influenced him, but what sort of lover lets others talk him out of love? Jane arrives at the healthy place of knowing now what she wants even while her sister refuses to give Jane's assurance that she's over Bingley any thought and blithely marches on believing Wickham's lies and blaming Darcy for everything from Jane's unhappiness to hangnails. She doubles down and delivers a flaming refusal to his marriage proposal. Then, she gets his side of the story through a letter. And, then she gets Jane's admonition about ignoring Jane's sensible take on the Bingleys and Darcy along with a scold for holding herself as a supreme character sketcher.
Lizzy and Darcy have a different path to happiness as do Jane and other characters in the story. Just like some get the comeuppance they deserve and others get a chance to change. I have read several of the author's books and found this latest to have all the complexities with out the extremes. There is strong character growth and good romantic development for Darcy and Lizzy. I loved how his parents' letters played a pivotal role for him and loved that they were part of the early story. It was also sweet how changes in the Bennet situation that come later allowed for that family to change and grow, too.
All and all, a satisfying read.
There is a bonus story and, when I read it, I will add in the review here.
June 27, 2026
Enjoyable
Darcy delivers his awful proposal at Hunsford parsonage, and Elizabeth refuses him in no uncertain terms. After receiving his letter, they go their separate ways. Elizabeth uses the information given in the letter regarding Wickham to good use. Darcy goes to Pemberly to come to terms with his new perception of himself. Meanwhile, Jane is in London heartbroken about Bingley's abandonment, but after a pep talk with aunt Gardiner, Jane grows a backbone, and eventually is being courted by a much better man. Elizabeth is also coming to terms with her own excessive pride and her prejudices, and resolves to improve.
This is another enjoyable book from Ms Granderson with many of the accessory characters that populate all of her creations. I like her treatment of Jane, and that she actually takes Elizabeth to task for her shortcomings. I also liked the relationship of Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, who is allowed to be a bit more human. There's not really much that's new here, just the long lost letters of the title that give Darcy the final nudge that he seems to require in order to lose his "preservation of rank" attitude. I deducted a couple of stars because the story is a bit bland and formulaic. However, the book is well written and well edited. I recommend it.
Darcy delivers his awful proposal at Hunsford parsonage, and Elizabeth refuses him in no uncertain terms. After receiving his letter, they go their separate ways. Elizabeth uses the information given in the letter regarding Wickham to good use. Darcy goes to Pemberly to come to terms with his new perception of himself. Meanwhile, Jane is in London heartbroken about Bingley's abandonment, but after a pep talk with aunt Gardiner, Jane grows a backbone, and eventually is being courted by a much better man. Elizabeth is also coming to terms with her own excessive pride and her prejudices, and resolves to improve.
This is another enjoyable book from Ms Granderson with many of the accessory characters that populate all of her creations. I like her treatment of Jane, and that she actually takes Elizabeth to task for her shortcomings. I also liked the relationship of Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, who is allowed to be a bit more human. There's not really much that's new here, just the long lost letters of the title that give Darcy the final nudge that he seems to require in order to lose his "preservation of rank" attitude. I deducted a couple of stars because the story is a bit bland and formulaic. However, the book is well written and well edited. I recommend it.
June 29, 2026
If you are a Granderson fan, this is a book like much of her others. Darcy, following his initial failure with Elizabeth, stumbles upon some lost letters from his parents at Pemberley. The letters not only share wisdom about making good choices when choosing his life’s partner, but also shed some light on the mystery of who will inherit Rosings Park following Anne’s untimely death. This information changes lives in unexpected ways.
Bingley learns a well-needed lesson about becoming a man and his sister learns how unimportant she is. Jane is able to find someone better.
Standard Shana Granderson, as I said. Entertaining and fairly low angst.
Bingley learns a well-needed lesson about becoming a man and his sister learns how unimportant she is. Jane is able to find someone better.
Standard Shana Granderson, as I said. Entertaining and fairly low angst.
June 18, 2026
Same old, same old.....
Lots of details. Not the worst JAFF, not the best. The Bennets seem to always end up very rich and well connected in this authors books. Read one and you read them all, pretty much. I wish the author wouldn't use the word 'cogitate' for 'think' every time; it's annoying. That's just one example of her using a 'fancy' word when a 'normal' one would sound better.
Lots of details. Not the worst JAFF, not the best. The Bennets seem to always end up very rich and well connected in this authors books. Read one and you read them all, pretty much. I wish the author wouldn't use the word 'cogitate' for 'think' every time; it's annoying. That's just one example of her using a 'fancy' word when a 'normal' one would sound better.
June 25, 2026
improper pride
Not bad. Not bad. Much is as in canon to the original. There is prologue that sets up the “lost letters”. I did enjoy the variation the letters brought to our characters.
Not bad. Not bad. Much is as in canon to the original. There is prologue that sets up the “lost letters”. I did enjoy the variation the letters brought to our characters.
June 21, 2026
~3.5
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews