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Eliza's Daughter
In the sequel to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Eliza's daughter, Liz, grows up as a charming, well-educated, irrepressible hoyden in the town of Byblow Bottom, until she is brought back to the Dashwood sisters' home. By the author of Jane Fairfax.
316 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
26 people are currently reading
757 people want to read
About the author
Joan Aiken
332 books602 followersJoan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
March 20, 2024
This is a sequel to Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility", but it stands alone as a good read. If you are overly attached to the original characterisations, however, you may feel that Joan Aiken takes a few liberties. They are all present, and the story is an interesting take on what might happen next, but I felt that my own perception of the various characters differed somewhat from Aiken's depiction. Having said that, I enjoyed this book a lot, and found myself rooting for the spunky main character.
January 5, 2010
Great read, but little to do with Sense and Sensibility
Have you ever read a totally unfavorable book review so full of acrimony that it left you wondering if you would have the same reaction? I have, and am often hooked into trying out a book to see if I agree. So when I read a collection of reviews gathered at the Austenfans website against Joan Aiken’s novel Eliza’s Daughter : A Sequel to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, I was intrigued. Here are a few of the zingers to set the mood. “It is the worst JA sequel I have ever read”, “I wonder why ANYONE would have bothered to write something like this!”, “I cannot recommend this book, except as an example of what NOT to do when writing a sequel to any great novel, especially Jane Austen.”, or the final insult, “How did it even get published?” Ouch! To add further to the mêlée, this website was created and is maintained by Sourcebooks, the current publisher of Eliza’s Daughter. Cleverly, only a publisher of this depth and confidence would have the strength and wisdom to assemble such a collection of scathing reviews and post them as publicity. A blunder - or a stroke of marketing savvy? We shall see.
Originally published in 1994, Eliza’s Daughter continues the story of a very minor character in Sense and Sensibility who receives scant mention in the original novel as the illegitimate child of Eliza Williams and her seducer John Willoughby. The infant, also named Eliza Williams is placed by her guardian Colonel Brandon in the care of a negligent foster mother in the village of Byblow Bottom, an infamous Regency era repository for the natural offspring of public persons who were reared away from their parents to avoid disclosure of their existence. Raised in this rural backwater Eliza learns to survive under difficult circumstance and scrape together a bit of education, all the while trying to unravel the mystery of her parentage. Clever and creative, she knows by age twelve that education is the key to her survival and seeks out Colonel Brandon’s attorney’s and asks for their assistance while he is abroad serving in the army. They send her on to the Rev. Edward Ferrars and his wife Elinor nee Dashwood at Delaford. The Ferrars are living in genteel poverty as a country vicar and his wife with one daughter away at school and Elinor’s mother the once elegant Mrs. Dashwood now suffering from mental illness. Their acquaintance is strained and they decide to pack her off to school in Bath where their daughter Nell attends and Elinor’s younger sister Margaret Dashwood is a teacher. She is not very welcome there either, but she endures and excels in music having a gifted voice which brings her some attention.
As the natural daughter of who knows whom, Eliza is definitely a social pariah and reminded of it with every connection and situation where she lives. The mystery of her parentage still lingers, but as the plot develops clues appear like bread crumbs along a trail bringing her closer to an answer by directing her to London and then on to Portugal. Ms. Aiken writes an engaging tale and knows how to keep our attention by a series of misadventures and recoveries by the heroine. We meet new characters as well who are interesting and authentic, but it is her treatment of Austen’s original characters that is troubling and forms the largest objection from all of the previous reviewers.
When Austen’s novel concluded we were left with the happy thought that both Marianne and Elinor were married, their mother Mrs. Dashwood and younger sister Margaret are in better financial circumstances and the adversarial characters such as Lucy Steele, John Willoughby, and Mrs. Ferrars were much the worse for their life choices. So, as we read Eliza’s Daughter and discover that the happily-ever-after does not really exist beyond the last page of the original novel it is more than a bit unsettling. Colonel and Marianne Brandon are childless and have departed for India and show little if no interest in Eliza’s well being. This seems odd, since the Colonel has in the past always shown great concern for Eliza’s grandmother, mother and his friends. Elinor and Edward live a penurious and Spartan life eeking out an exsistence at Delaford. Edward is now a bitter man more concerned for his parishioners than his family and Elinor faintly the strong and wise woman that we knew from the past. Their only surviving child Nell is a pill, negligent of her familiar duties and callous to others feelings. Mrs. Dashwood was always a bit unfocused on reality, but now she is insane? Margaret Dashwood is a spinster working as a teacher then a companion? As one reviewer stated, “I found it to be so totally mean spirited toward all the characters we have come to know and love so dearly”, and I have to agree. In defense of Ms. Aiken’s choice of plot and character development, if everything was sunshine and syllabub, there would be nothing to write about, so in making Austen’s good guys the bad guys, she makes her heroine Eliza more pitiable and plucky, but at what cost?
Reading the negative reviews in advance was really a gift leaving me with no expectation of liking this novel. In fact, I was strongly disposed to disapprobation myself, for what Janeite could condone such mistreatment of beloved characters? So I began with an entirely different objective in reading Eliza’s Daughter, not as an Austen sequel but as a Dickensian tale full of memorable characters, social corruption, sinister doings and a twisting plot - Eliza Williams has a Copperfieldish adventure - and as such, it became quite amusing. However, it could have been an even more enjoyable if Eliza had been allowed to have a few more positive friendships to support her along her journey as Mr. Dickens supplied David Copperfield with his endearing characters such as Peggoty, Mr. Barkis and Wilkins Micawber. Choosing to make Austen’s heroes and heroines the villains of this tale was a shocking and shallow choice. I may never forgive Ms. Aiken for striping away the tone and quality that Austen developed, but I will thank her for an inventive and engaging story that really had very little to do with what we experienced in Sense and Sensibility.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Have you ever read a totally unfavorable book review so full of acrimony that it left you wondering if you would have the same reaction? I have, and am often hooked into trying out a book to see if I agree. So when I read a collection of reviews gathered at the Austenfans website against Joan Aiken’s novel Eliza’s Daughter : A Sequel to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, I was intrigued. Here are a few of the zingers to set the mood. “It is the worst JA sequel I have ever read”, “I wonder why ANYONE would have bothered to write something like this!”, “I cannot recommend this book, except as an example of what NOT to do when writing a sequel to any great novel, especially Jane Austen.”, or the final insult, “How did it even get published?” Ouch! To add further to the mêlée, this website was created and is maintained by Sourcebooks, the current publisher of Eliza’s Daughter. Cleverly, only a publisher of this depth and confidence would have the strength and wisdom to assemble such a collection of scathing reviews and post them as publicity. A blunder - or a stroke of marketing savvy? We shall see.
Originally published in 1994, Eliza’s Daughter continues the story of a very minor character in Sense and Sensibility who receives scant mention in the original novel as the illegitimate child of Eliza Williams and her seducer John Willoughby. The infant, also named Eliza Williams is placed by her guardian Colonel Brandon in the care of a negligent foster mother in the village of Byblow Bottom, an infamous Regency era repository for the natural offspring of public persons who were reared away from their parents to avoid disclosure of their existence. Raised in this rural backwater Eliza learns to survive under difficult circumstance and scrape together a bit of education, all the while trying to unravel the mystery of her parentage. Clever and creative, she knows by age twelve that education is the key to her survival and seeks out Colonel Brandon’s attorney’s and asks for their assistance while he is abroad serving in the army. They send her on to the Rev. Edward Ferrars and his wife Elinor nee Dashwood at Delaford. The Ferrars are living in genteel poverty as a country vicar and his wife with one daughter away at school and Elinor’s mother the once elegant Mrs. Dashwood now suffering from mental illness. Their acquaintance is strained and they decide to pack her off to school in Bath where their daughter Nell attends and Elinor’s younger sister Margaret Dashwood is a teacher. She is not very welcome there either, but she endures and excels in music having a gifted voice which brings her some attention.
As the natural daughter of who knows whom, Eliza is definitely a social pariah and reminded of it with every connection and situation where she lives. The mystery of her parentage still lingers, but as the plot develops clues appear like bread crumbs along a trail bringing her closer to an answer by directing her to London and then on to Portugal. Ms. Aiken writes an engaging tale and knows how to keep our attention by a series of misadventures and recoveries by the heroine. We meet new characters as well who are interesting and authentic, but it is her treatment of Austen’s original characters that is troubling and forms the largest objection from all of the previous reviewers.
When Austen’s novel concluded we were left with the happy thought that both Marianne and Elinor were married, their mother Mrs. Dashwood and younger sister Margaret are in better financial circumstances and the adversarial characters such as Lucy Steele, John Willoughby, and Mrs. Ferrars were much the worse for their life choices. So, as we read Eliza’s Daughter and discover that the happily-ever-after does not really exist beyond the last page of the original novel it is more than a bit unsettling. Colonel and Marianne Brandon are childless and have departed for India and show little if no interest in Eliza’s well being. This seems odd, since the Colonel has in the past always shown great concern for Eliza’s grandmother, mother and his friends. Elinor and Edward live a penurious and Spartan life eeking out an exsistence at Delaford. Edward is now a bitter man more concerned for his parishioners than his family and Elinor faintly the strong and wise woman that we knew from the past. Their only surviving child Nell is a pill, negligent of her familiar duties and callous to others feelings. Mrs. Dashwood was always a bit unfocused on reality, but now she is insane? Margaret Dashwood is a spinster working as a teacher then a companion? As one reviewer stated, “I found it to be so totally mean spirited toward all the characters we have come to know and love so dearly”, and I have to agree. In defense of Ms. Aiken’s choice of plot and character development, if everything was sunshine and syllabub, there would be nothing to write about, so in making Austen’s good guys the bad guys, she makes her heroine Eliza more pitiable and plucky, but at what cost?
Reading the negative reviews in advance was really a gift leaving me with no expectation of liking this novel. In fact, I was strongly disposed to disapprobation myself, for what Janeite could condone such mistreatment of beloved characters? So I began with an entirely different objective in reading Eliza’s Daughter, not as an Austen sequel but as a Dickensian tale full of memorable characters, social corruption, sinister doings and a twisting plot - Eliza Williams has a Copperfieldish adventure - and as such, it became quite amusing. However, it could have been an even more enjoyable if Eliza had been allowed to have a few more positive friendships to support her along her journey as Mr. Dickens supplied David Copperfield with his endearing characters such as Peggoty, Mr. Barkis and Wilkins Micawber. Choosing to make Austen’s heroes and heroines the villains of this tale was a shocking and shallow choice. I may never forgive Ms. Aiken for striping away the tone and quality that Austen developed, but I will thank her for an inventive and engaging story that really had very little to do with what we experienced in Sense and Sensibility.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
May 2, 2016
Even though I loved Sense and Sensibility, I loved that this book did not romanticize the privileged world portrayed within it or the characters. It is a respectful book (far more than most Jane Austen fan fics and sequels) in that it treats Sense and Sensibility as a sensible novel, not as a mere romance. And allows for no happily ever afters even for the protagonists.
But you might be wondering "Eliza's daughter"? Because S and S was about Marianne and Eleanor after all! But Eliza was an off-stage bit part, the ward of Colonel Brandon and seduced by Willoughby. Yes that Eliza, left pregnant by the blackguard. She (also named Eliza) shows us a less privileged side of the Austen world, a world of neglected bastard children in farmhouses, abusive alcoholic clergy and unhappy wives with brutish husbands. A world of servants and trades-people and yes even prostitutes (though tastefully the book allows a lot of things to happen off stage and be inferred or at times simply referred to).
People who like Austen as romance (as I am sure she never meant to be) should avoid this book. It is not romantic. It is in some ways critical and focuses on agency and social mobility. I think in some ways the conclusion ends up being overly optimistic...but I think that is just idealism and the desire to leave the reader feeling there is some reward for following Eliza through bleakness and disrepute (mind you she never allows it to be completely bleak).
This is one of the most strongly feminist books I have read. In many ways I love the ending and I also love the ways that things did NOT fall into place for the characters. It explores the complex nature of love in a way that is realistic albeit at times maybe heavily individualistic (proving it was penned in the 80s). I accept the ways the book troubles me because it is so good to see an Austen sequel that does something more than waffle romantically, and to see the underside of Austen's world. I feel that anything that happened to the people of Aiken's novel would have been things Austen would have been oblivious of, or would not have thought much about but that perhaps if someone had gived her such a novel and allowed her to read it she might have been interested and respectful.
Anyway for once in my life I enjoyed how someone responded to an Austen novel!!
But you might be wondering "Eliza's daughter"? Because S and S was about Marianne and Eleanor after all! But Eliza was an off-stage bit part, the ward of Colonel Brandon and seduced by Willoughby. Yes that Eliza, left pregnant by the blackguard. She (also named Eliza) shows us a less privileged side of the Austen world, a world of neglected bastard children in farmhouses, abusive alcoholic clergy and unhappy wives with brutish husbands. A world of servants and trades-people and yes even prostitutes (though tastefully the book allows a lot of things to happen off stage and be inferred or at times simply referred to).
People who like Austen as romance (as I am sure she never meant to be) should avoid this book. It is not romantic. It is in some ways critical and focuses on agency and social mobility. I think in some ways the conclusion ends up being overly optimistic...but I think that is just idealism and the desire to leave the reader feeling there is some reward for following Eliza through bleakness and disrepute (mind you she never allows it to be completely bleak).
This is one of the most strongly feminist books I have read. In many ways I love the ending and I also love the ways that things did NOT fall into place for the characters. It explores the complex nature of love in a way that is realistic albeit at times maybe heavily individualistic (proving it was penned in the 80s). I accept the ways the book troubles me because it is so good to see an Austen sequel that does something more than waffle romantically, and to see the underside of Austen's world. I feel that anything that happened to the people of Aiken's novel would have been things Austen would have been oblivious of, or would not have thought much about but that perhaps if someone had gived her such a novel and allowed her to read it she might have been interested and respectful.
Anyway for once in my life I enjoyed how someone responded to an Austen novel!!
March 5, 2009
Recipe for a Rip-off
Take 2 cups of Jane Austen, push back a few years.
Add 1 cup Georgette Heyer
Add 1 cup womyn's history
Dash clerical pedophilia
Dash class consciousness
Stir well, bake until almost burned.
Take 2 cups of Jane Austen, push back a few years.
Add 1 cup Georgette Heyer
Add 1 cup womyn's history
Dash clerical pedophilia
Dash class consciousness
Stir well, bake until almost burned.
January 6, 2009
This book was not at all what I expected. First, the events in this book occur after the end of Sense and Sensibility. The Eliza of this book is the daughter of Little Eliza and Willoughby. The future painted in this book for the Sense and Sensibility heroines is possible, but I really didn't feel it was probable considering how S&S left the characters.
The author gives the heroes and heroines of S&S rather dismal futures and makes them into petty, weak, spiteful, jealous people. Not to mention that several of these characters where given physical characteristics (like a deformity) not mentioned in S&S.
So I ignored that this book was supposed to be a sequel to S&S. In that case, the writing is good, though the pacing was slow for the first 30 pages. The author obviously thoroughly researched the time period, and the vivid details immersed me into the characters' world.
The characters were all interesting and varied. However, Eliza, our heroine, seemed determined to rush head-long into ruin by continually making poor decisions. Though she makes a show of staying respectable, she seems to feel like she's fated to end up like her mother (pregnant, unmarried, and alone). This really isn't a romance book.
There are no explicit sex scenes, but some readers might not be interested in reading this book because [spoiler] Eliza does end up pregnant, unwed, and satisfied with that state of things [end spoiler].
The author gives the heroes and heroines of S&S rather dismal futures and makes them into petty, weak, spiteful, jealous people. Not to mention that several of these characters where given physical characteristics (like a deformity) not mentioned in S&S.
So I ignored that this book was supposed to be a sequel to S&S. In that case, the writing is good, though the pacing was slow for the first 30 pages. The author obviously thoroughly researched the time period, and the vivid details immersed me into the characters' world.
The characters were all interesting and varied. However, Eliza, our heroine, seemed determined to rush head-long into ruin by continually making poor decisions. Though she makes a show of staying respectable, she seems to feel like she's fated to end up like her mother (pregnant, unmarried, and alone). This really isn't a romance book.
There are no explicit sex scenes, but some readers might not be interested in reading this book because [spoiler] Eliza does end up pregnant, unwed, and satisfied with that state of things [end spoiler].
November 2, 2018
Being a great admirer of Joan Aiken's children's fiction, I quite naturally turned to her adult literature when I had run my course through all of Jane Austen's classic novels, and was looking for something more. Sadly, I did not find Eliza's Daughter at all successful as an Austen sequel, and my great disappointment prevented me from appreciating any other merits it might have had.
Based upon the marvelous Sense and Sensibility , this work takes up the story of young Liz Williams, illegitimate daughter of Eliza, Colonel Brandon's ward in the original novel. Raised in the town of Byblow Bottom (readers familiar with Aiken will no doubt recognize her penchant for idiosyncratic - and highly apt - place-names), Liz eventually finds herself in the home of Elinor Ferrers (nee Dashwood) before her adventures take her to school in Bath, and then on to London and the continent.
Like many other readers, I was dismayed at the changes wrought in Austen's characters, all the more so as Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Austen novel, and I am quite attached to the Dashwood sisters. It was distressing to witness the transformation of open, loving Marianne into a vindictive, mean-spirited woman. Even worse was the portrait painted of Elinor and Edward's loveless marriage, and their evident envy of the Brandons' wealth and position.
Joan Aiken was a talented author, with a strong and very distinct narrative voice that, in other venues, has delighted me. But it is not a voice, I must conclude, that is suitable to be associated with any project that bears the name Jane Austen. I may love Dido Twite, but she doesn't belong in Austen's world...
Based upon the marvelous Sense and Sensibility , this work takes up the story of young Liz Williams, illegitimate daughter of Eliza, Colonel Brandon's ward in the original novel. Raised in the town of Byblow Bottom (readers familiar with Aiken will no doubt recognize her penchant for idiosyncratic - and highly apt - place-names), Liz eventually finds herself in the home of Elinor Ferrers (nee Dashwood) before her adventures take her to school in Bath, and then on to London and the continent.
Like many other readers, I was dismayed at the changes wrought in Austen's characters, all the more so as Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Austen novel, and I am quite attached to the Dashwood sisters. It was distressing to witness the transformation of open, loving Marianne into a vindictive, mean-spirited woman. Even worse was the portrait painted of Elinor and Edward's loveless marriage, and their evident envy of the Brandons' wealth and position.
Joan Aiken was a talented author, with a strong and very distinct narrative voice that, in other venues, has delighted me. But it is not a voice, I must conclude, that is suitable to be associated with any project that bears the name Jane Austen. I may love Dido Twite, but she doesn't belong in Austen's world...
January 15, 2011
If you are looking for Jane Austen's writing, you are going to be disappointed. If you are looking for any semblance of Jane Austen's original characters in their brief appearances, you are going to be disappointed. If you are looking for any hint of romance, you are going to be disappointed.
After reading this book, I've come to the conclusion that not only does Joan Aiken hate the Dashwood sisters, but she also hates men. Really, the only way I can express the main message of this book is to say that all men are bastards, every single last one of them.
Eliza's Daughter isn't an uninteresting read, and as long as you don't mind reading a book that seems to want to be horribly depressing for no apparent reason, it isn't a bad read, but it certainly isn't a great read either. I was okay with it up until the end when the author totally ticked me off. What the hell!?!
After reading this book, I've come to the conclusion that not only does Joan Aiken hate the Dashwood sisters, but she also hates men. Really, the only way I can express the main message of this book is to say that all men are bastards, every single last one of them.
Eliza's Daughter isn't an uninteresting read, and as long as you don't mind reading a book that seems to want to be horribly depressing for no apparent reason, it isn't a bad read, but it certainly isn't a great read either. I was okay with it up until the end when the author totally ticked me off. What the hell!?!
May 13, 2022
Good grief! 1.5!
June 3, 2009
TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!TERRIBLE!!
This book is a real piece of shit!! I finished reading it over a month ago and I still cringe at how horrible it was. Our heorine is the daugher of Brandon's ward from Sense and Sensibility. She is a stuck up bitch who while telling her story seems to think it an honor to have us hear her life story. She states at times that there are some things she won't tell because she has chosen not to and we should be honored to be able to read what she is gracing us with.
Let's see this is a novel for no one who ever read Sense and Sensibility or for those who read it and hated it. She PISSED over all of Jane Austen's characters in this book. Mrs. Dashwood (Eilnor and Marianne's mother) is SENILE!! Elinor and Edward seem to live is squalor while their daughter is an uncaring snob and bully. There is no way a child of two such kind and gentle people would end up this way.
Elinor is so timid she won't do anything that Edward wouldn't approve of. Edward is shown in this book as a prudish skinflint and a bully who is not loved by any of his parishoners and apparently can't stand Coronel Brandon because he has always been in love with Marianne and is jealous!! Wow I always thought that Elinor was the only woman he loved!!!
Worst of all when our bitch comes to Delaford to see Brandon it appears he and Marianne are abroad at war.Seemingly it appears that Marianne is a thoughtless careless shrew that is so jealous of our bitch she refuses to let Brandon visit her ever and still pines over Willoughby. Even worse it turns out Brandon is so hounded by her that he thrusts himself into battle ending with him dying in battle just to get away from her. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!! Marianne felt nothing but sympathy for the girl Willoughby seduced and abandoned and gave him up when she found out what he truly was. She also truly loved Brandon and allowed herself to be guided by him.
There is a lot of other SHIT in this book but it would make me too angry to list them. Just quickley though she indirectly is responsible for 2 elderly people's death who could apparently not live without her that she feels no guilt about. Our bitch is knocked up at the end of the book and of course we are not worthy to know who knocked her up.
WHO GIVES A SHIT!!!! DON'T READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU HATE JANE AUSTEN!!!
This book is a real piece of shit!! I finished reading it over a month ago and I still cringe at how horrible it was. Our heorine is the daugher of Brandon's ward from Sense and Sensibility. She is a stuck up bitch who while telling her story seems to think it an honor to have us hear her life story. She states at times that there are some things she won't tell because she has chosen not to and we should be honored to be able to read what she is gracing us with.
Let's see this is a novel for no one who ever read Sense and Sensibility or for those who read it and hated it. She PISSED over all of Jane Austen's characters in this book. Mrs. Dashwood (Eilnor and Marianne's mother) is SENILE!! Elinor and Edward seem to live is squalor while their daughter is an uncaring snob and bully. There is no way a child of two such kind and gentle people would end up this way.
Elinor is so timid she won't do anything that Edward wouldn't approve of. Edward is shown in this book as a prudish skinflint and a bully who is not loved by any of his parishoners and apparently can't stand Coronel Brandon because he has always been in love with Marianne and is jealous!! Wow I always thought that Elinor was the only woman he loved!!!
Worst of all when our bitch comes to Delaford to see Brandon it appears he and Marianne are abroad at war.Seemingly it appears that Marianne is a thoughtless careless shrew that is so jealous of our bitch she refuses to let Brandon visit her ever and still pines over Willoughby. Even worse it turns out Brandon is so hounded by her that he thrusts himself into battle ending with him dying in battle just to get away from her. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!! Marianne felt nothing but sympathy for the girl Willoughby seduced and abandoned and gave him up when she found out what he truly was. She also truly loved Brandon and allowed herself to be guided by him.
There is a lot of other SHIT in this book but it would make me too angry to list them. Just quickley though she indirectly is responsible for 2 elderly people's death who could apparently not live without her that she feels no guilt about. Our bitch is knocked up at the end of the book and of course we are not worthy to know who knocked her up.
WHO GIVES A SHIT!!!! DON'T READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU HATE JANE AUSTEN!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2015
Well, that was odd.
I'm not terribly impressed by "follow-ons" of classic novels, written many years after the author of the original is dead (and therefore defenceless). I have read one or two that weren't bad, some that were obvious wish-fulfillment, and a few that descend into fanfic type pastiche. This one was...just odd. Unlike most Austen emulators, Aiken doesn't seem to like her characters much. She certainly doesn't think much of the original cast of Austen's Sense and Sensibility! Of course, these are Aiken's interpretations of them: Edward Ferrars is a dull, tightfisted hypocrite while Elinor is passive and spineless, and their daughter a spoiled brat. Marianne is demanding and embittered, and doesn't seem to think much of the (also apparently spineless) Colonel--did she marry him for his estate only, then? Mrs Dashwood appears to be totally gaga, and Margaret--well, what IS Margaret's problem, anyway? Much is hinted at, though little is revealed.
And that's a recurring problem in this rather long book; Aiken takes refuge in the "I'm going to tell you some of it but not nearly all" coyness of the faux-memoir to cover the gaps she can't be bothered to fill in. We are given far too much detail of events for about half the book, which are never satisfactorily resolved. What was the point of dragging "Bill" (Wordsworth) and "Mr Sam" (Coleridge) into this rambling, disjointed tale? Let alone the various deformities of several of the female characters? Said deformities seem to have no real purpose, and don't appear to be symbolic of anything, really, except the author's desire to--what, exactly? Get her own back at an author who's been dead for nearly 200 years? Even the "friendly" characters are ignorant, unpleasant, or somehow simply lacking. Aiken doesn't even really seem to have bothered with the Regency idiom, beyond some of the stereotypical spouting of the Duke and other hard-drinking gents, and the maunderings of the servant Pullet. (And what was the deal with the auras? Another pointless plot thread--and they are many-- that came loose and was never cut.)
There are a couple of things I take issue with in the story itself. How could tying an otherwise relatively young and healthy woman to a loom for 12 hours on one single day leave her twisted and bent for life? Unless you're trying to be all "symbolic" about the trauma of it all--which given the effects on her daughter seems rather unnecessary, if you're going for symbols. By the time I had read this long, rambling tale and got to Aiken's idea of an ending, which could be best expressed by saying, "Neener-neener, I won't tell!", I had an overwhelming urge to slap her.
Jane Austen: love her, hate her, ignore her. But leave her alone. This book simply confirms my previous idea that some (most?) follow-on writers are too lazy to write their own stuff. Tying a book like this to Austen's dresstail is simply insulting, to both Miss Austen and the reader.
January 8, 2009
As a sequel to Jane Austin, this is poor. Aiken totally massacres my favorite characters. Who wants to read about Elinor living in practical squalor for her whole life? Or Marianne browbeating Brandon until he runs back into the army to get away from her?
If this book had been about characters I wasn't already attached to, I would have enjoyed about the first 3/4 of the book. The last bit of the book gets a bit fantastical for me. And the ending is just disappointing.
If this book had been about characters I wasn't already attached to, I would have enjoyed about the first 3/4 of the book. The last bit of the book gets a bit fantastical for me. And the ending is just disappointing.
August 14, 2020
This novel combines the characters of Sense & Sensibility, the tone of Jane Eyre, the society foibles of Georgette Heyer, and a remarkably feminist heroine with a clear-eyed sense of justice. 4/5 stars.
February 16, 2011
Well...... being a diehard Austin fan, naturally I'm hesitant to want anyone else to "pick up" where Jane left off - it's presumptuous to say the least. Also, being a writer myself I take somewhat of an issue with writers using famed/esteemed authors names in their book titles or jacket blurbs and using that same esteemed author's characters to take on as their own in their prequel/sequel novels....it's like Leonardo completing 99% of the master strokes on "Mona Lisa" and then I pick up a brush and lay some dark pigment at the edge of the canvas - and then think I can stand in his good company. Make up your own stories, develop your own characters...don't tailgate on someone famous to further your own inability to cultivate brilliance on your own. Sorry.... I digress. The book in question..... you can no doubt be aware of my initial feelings before I even read the first sentence; however just as the author (and I know she has passed) hoped, that I would be so longing to have additional information on the beloved sisters Elinor and Marianne - not to mention gorgeous Willoughby, and sweet sweet Col. Brandon, that I would overlook my obvious objections and read on. Naturally, I couldn't be anything but disappointed in the end of the book - I actually tossed it on the floor! No only did I have to wait until 95% of the book was read to find the revelation I sought...but her last paragraph was so utterly ridiculous and indulgent - it ticked me off to no end. She established her lead character to be a "certain kind" of person all throughout the story, only to end with a scenario utterly opposite of what character she built. She being so bent on the furtherance of pilfering Jane Austen's premise, characters not to mention her name. I will not take the bait next time; I will leave the classics as they are and remember them thus. There are some things in this world that should just be left as they were meant no matter how much we miss them.
May 27, 2011
Shockingly good for a Jane Austen spin-off! In fact, while most 'sequels' and so on to Jane Austen novels are pretty awful and mainly seem to pander to those who just want to imagine married life with Mr Darcy, this is actually a good book in its own right. Joan Aiken is a very competent and imaginative writer, which helps, but more importantly Eliza's Daughter wasn't overly reliant on the characterizations and events created by Austen and didn't slavishly preserve all the main characters from Sense and Sensibility as perfect and faultless people (for example, the middle-aged Mr Ferrars isn't all that nice and Elinor is kind of downtrodden and gloomy). Aiken's story is also deliciously gothic and has more than a tinge of Jane Eyre about it. Throw in the less-than-genteel scenery of 'Byblow Bottom' and a trip to Portugal and you've got something a lot more exciting than the usual attempts at expanding Jane Austen's world.
March 19, 2011
Ms. Aiken has made a mess of Sense and Sensibility. There was a very long-suffering, endearing heroine, but why couldn't she be nice to everyone else? I was hopeful for her other books, but maybe I'll skip them. She may make Lizzie into a prostitute and Fanny Price into the Prime Minister.
May 3, 2012
Why write a "sequel," if you so clearly disliked the original book and all its characters? This one was so ridiculous, it was offensive. I agree with the reviews suggesting the author also has a low opinion of men in general.
April 2, 2014
Great, clever, engaging story. I was with her til the end and then on the very last page she utterly and completely pissed me off. Has the end of a book ever made you angry that you let yourself get invested in it? It's like the bitter end of what was once a fabulous love affair...ugh.
August 20, 2022
Die Story allein ist (wenn auch unglaubwürdig und seltsam) nicht allzu schlecht. Das Verstand und Gefühl Setting macht es hingegen fast unlesbar. Jede Figur aus Verstand und Gefühl wird ins Unkenntliche verzehrt.
February 1, 2022
Hmm, this is a tricky one.
I can't fully make up my mind as to if I actually LIKED this or not. I'd call it a mixed bag, but it's not really that; a mixed bag implies mixed quality in storytelling in writing as well as in elements I enjoyed or think worked, and whatever else I think of this I can't deny Joan Aiken is a phenomenal writer and this was consistently high quality and engaging on the same level pretty much all the way through.
That said, there IS a lot about this book I objectively did not like, quality writing or not. The narrator may be well developed, even sympathetic, but she's also a very bleak and unpleasant person. This is possibly intentional, and I don't think enough other reviewers who condemned this as unfaithful to Austen's Sense and Sensibility consider the "unreliable narrator" angle; still it's difficult to warm to a manic pixie bastard with what comes across as a bad case of "main character syndrome". I've never been the biggest fan of female characters who bitch about how oppressed they (and every other woman, apparently, hear them roar) are while opportunity after opportunity falls like freaking plums into their lap.
And Eliza was like that; everytime something went wrong someone was always waiting in the wings to rescue her or at least make it easier for her to rescue herself, and (a few moments aside) she was very pessimistic to the point of being unthankful. Yet, Aiken also wrote Eliza with a strong sense of loyalty and unexpected resourcefulness; she may have been unbelievably lucky (unrealistically at times; like how likely is it Colonel Brandon who she, and we, never meet in the book would leave her his property), but grudgingly I have to admit she went out of her way for old loyalties in a way her character type usually doesn't.
Yet...
The whole book has this bleak, depressing overtone. It seems to ask you to believe (at least in Eliza's biased narrative) everyone from Sense and Sensibility lived a horrible, miserable life and were never happy.
Also, why is Edward Ferrars such a horrible human being in this book? He wasn't a soul-crushing monster in the original, and I find it very hard to believe he would neglect Elinor to the point where she nearly died after a natural disaster (only rescued by Eliza) or that he would raise a child as nasty and unlikable as Nell. It was just jarring and I couldn't tell if this was Aiken's way of saying SHE didn't like Edward in the original s&s, or if it was just Eliza's bias.
I never realized just how awfully some JAFF writers treated Edward until recently, and honestly it makes me feel protective of his character; I want to defend him as I would defend Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram, and Anne de Bourgh. Also, am I crazy or is the "awful prig" in all these jaff books always the quiet and/or religious type versus the outspoken brash characters who are rebels playing by their own rules? Me thinks an unfair, childish prejudice is showing...
Note: we can't ALL be Elizabeth and Darcy from P&P, there ARE other good kinds of people in the world; build a bridge and get over it.
I didn't like Marianne in this, either. I think it was very unfaithful to her character development in S&S; the idea that she was this bitter snit who carried a torch for Willoughby all her life is more than disappointing; it's actually outright disgusting.
Ironically, Willoughby, who makes a brief appearance at the end really does seem just the way I'd imagine he'd end up after the original. His reaction to Eliza was sad but in character. What an odd single character to get right!
Then there were a couple of things I'm just not sure what to make of. Like the surprise pregnancy at the end? But literally who are even the candidates for who the father is? Were we even given enough clues to guess or was the twist purely for shock value? And the weird anti-Portuguese sentiment? Was this an actual thing in regency times? I've literally never heard of this being a thing.
So do I recommend this?
Maybe.
I didn't love it like I did Jane Fairfax, I wouldn't call it a must read, but the writing is good.
I can't fully make up my mind as to if I actually LIKED this or not. I'd call it a mixed bag, but it's not really that; a mixed bag implies mixed quality in storytelling in writing as well as in elements I enjoyed or think worked, and whatever else I think of this I can't deny Joan Aiken is a phenomenal writer and this was consistently high quality and engaging on the same level pretty much all the way through.
That said, there IS a lot about this book I objectively did not like, quality writing or not. The narrator may be well developed, even sympathetic, but she's also a very bleak and unpleasant person. This is possibly intentional, and I don't think enough other reviewers who condemned this as unfaithful to Austen's Sense and Sensibility consider the "unreliable narrator" angle; still it's difficult to warm to a manic pixie bastard with what comes across as a bad case of "main character syndrome". I've never been the biggest fan of female characters who bitch about how oppressed they (and every other woman, apparently, hear them roar) are while opportunity after opportunity falls like freaking plums into their lap.
And Eliza was like that; everytime something went wrong someone was always waiting in the wings to rescue her or at least make it easier for her to rescue herself, and (a few moments aside) she was very pessimistic to the point of being unthankful. Yet, Aiken also wrote Eliza with a strong sense of loyalty and unexpected resourcefulness; she may have been unbelievably lucky (unrealistically at times; like how likely is it Colonel Brandon who she, and we, never meet in the book would leave her his property), but grudgingly I have to admit she went out of her way for old loyalties in a way her character type usually doesn't.
Yet...
The whole book has this bleak, depressing overtone. It seems to ask you to believe (at least in Eliza's biased narrative) everyone from Sense and Sensibility lived a horrible, miserable life and were never happy.
Also, why is Edward Ferrars such a horrible human being in this book? He wasn't a soul-crushing monster in the original, and I find it very hard to believe he would neglect Elinor to the point where she nearly died after a natural disaster (only rescued by Eliza) or that he would raise a child as nasty and unlikable as Nell. It was just jarring and I couldn't tell if this was Aiken's way of saying SHE didn't like Edward in the original s&s, or if it was just Eliza's bias.
I never realized just how awfully some JAFF writers treated Edward until recently, and honestly it makes me feel protective of his character; I want to defend him as I would defend Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram, and Anne de Bourgh. Also, am I crazy or is the "awful prig" in all these jaff books always the quiet and/or religious type versus the outspoken brash characters who are rebels playing by their own rules? Me thinks an unfair, childish prejudice is showing...
Note: we can't ALL be Elizabeth and Darcy from P&P, there ARE other good kinds of people in the world; build a bridge and get over it.
I didn't like Marianne in this, either. I think it was very unfaithful to her character development in S&S; the idea that she was this bitter snit who carried a torch for Willoughby all her life is more than disappointing; it's actually outright disgusting.
Ironically, Willoughby, who makes a brief appearance at the end really does seem just the way I'd imagine he'd end up after the original. His reaction to Eliza was sad but in character. What an odd single character to get right!
Then there were a couple of things I'm just not sure what to make of. Like the surprise pregnancy at the end? But literally who are even the candidates for who the father is? Were we even given enough clues to guess or was the twist purely for shock value? And the weird anti-Portuguese sentiment? Was this an actual thing in regency times? I've literally never heard of this being a thing.
So do I recommend this?
Maybe.
I didn't love it like I did Jane Fairfax, I wouldn't call it a must read, but the writing is good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
I've read Joan Aiken's Jane Fairfax, which is Jane Austen's Emma from a different point of view, that of economically strapped Jane Fairfax. That was very Austenian in style. Eliza's Daughter is different.
Eliza's Daughter is the story of the illegitimate daughter of Willoughby and Eliza from Sense and Sensibility. She is also named Eliza. She's Colonel Brandon's ward, but she has been placed in the town of Byblow Bottom, where the illegitimate children of the well-to-do are dumped. They are raised by people who are less than scrupulous.
This novel certainly has far more rogues, not of the charming sort, than anything in Jane Austen. It shows how badly bastards are treated. Eliza is plucky and resourceful, but she meets obstacle after obstacle.
Elinor and Marianne are secondary characters in this book, and they don't come off well. I wondered whether their fates would "really" have been so bad.
But Eliza's Daughter is well written and engaging. It's quite a departure from Austen, but I think many readers will enjoy it. It is very feminist and more skeptical of men than Austen's books are.
Eliza's Daughter is the story of the illegitimate daughter of Willoughby and Eliza from Sense and Sensibility. She is also named Eliza. She's Colonel Brandon's ward, but she has been placed in the town of Byblow Bottom, where the illegitimate children of the well-to-do are dumped. They are raised by people who are less than scrupulous.
This novel certainly has far more rogues, not of the charming sort, than anything in Jane Austen. It shows how badly bastards are treated. Eliza is plucky and resourceful, but she meets obstacle after obstacle.
Elinor and Marianne are secondary characters in this book, and they don't come off well. I wondered whether their fates would "really" have been so bad.
But Eliza's Daughter is well written and engaging. It's quite a departure from Austen, but I think many readers will enjoy it. It is very feminist and more skeptical of men than Austen's books are.
August 6, 2016
I'm a huge fan of Joan Aiken's children's literature. As a young person, I remember finding her books absolutely magical. Therefore, I was really excited to see this book, and had high hopes for it. And it did start out promisingly, but once Eliza left Byblow Bottom it really faded for me. I gave it two stars instead of one just because Aiken is a competent writer, no matter how much she may have failed in the execution here. The reasons why I gave it only two stars include, but are not limited to, the following:
--I absolutely hated what Aiken did with the characters that she borrowed from Sense and Sensibility. There is not the slightest justification in the original book for turning Edward into a bitter, selfish, prideful man who allows Elinor to starve and suffer alone from a life-threatening illness. Everything in S & S indicates that his love for Elinor and general kindness toward everyone are his primary characteristics. I suppose Aiken justified what she did based on how seriously he took his commitment to Lucy Steele, interpreting it as inflexibility. However, given the mores of the era, what he did was the only thing a man of conscience could have done without turning into the villain of the story! His behavior is the perfect foil to Willoughby's actions. A good man simply didn't break an engagement, or even toy with a lady's affections. Edward's greatest source of shame was that he didn't realize how deeply Elinor returned his feelings until it was too late. As far as the portrayal of Elinor goes, I think Aiken robs her of the qualities that made her lovable in S & S while ferociously retaining her desire to suffer in silence. Where Colonel Brandon is concerned, you would never convince me that he would rejoin his regiment, taking Marianne off to India. He is too much of a caretaker personality for that, both where Marianne is concerned and also where it relates to his tenants. And, while I'm sure Edward and Elinor wouldn't have been living in the lap of luxury, I have no doubt that Brandon would have provided a sufficient income for them to put food on the table and keep the house warm in the winter! Finally, Marianne's character is definitely the least predictable, but I have always chosen to believe that she truly did feel affection for Colonel Brandon and would have done her best to be a good wife to him.
--Many other reviewers have also mentioned that the plot of the story lacks cohesion. There are threads left unwoven everywhere. As someone else mentioned, there are a lot of convenient deaths. And there's the obvious bombshell at the end, the most egregious cheat I think I've ever seen in a book that wasn't self-published, where Eliza challenges us to guess her secret without ever giving us the needed information with which to make the attempt.
--Eliza hurts people in this book without repairing anything, and it makes her an unattractive character.
I could go on, but I think this is enough. What a disappointment!
--I absolutely hated what Aiken did with the characters that she borrowed from Sense and Sensibility. There is not the slightest justification in the original book for turning Edward into a bitter, selfish, prideful man who allows Elinor to starve and suffer alone from a life-threatening illness. Everything in S & S indicates that his love for Elinor and general kindness toward everyone are his primary characteristics. I suppose Aiken justified what she did based on how seriously he took his commitment to Lucy Steele, interpreting it as inflexibility. However, given the mores of the era, what he did was the only thing a man of conscience could have done without turning into the villain of the story! His behavior is the perfect foil to Willoughby's actions. A good man simply didn't break an engagement, or even toy with a lady's affections. Edward's greatest source of shame was that he didn't realize how deeply Elinor returned his feelings until it was too late. As far as the portrayal of Elinor goes, I think Aiken robs her of the qualities that made her lovable in S & S while ferociously retaining her desire to suffer in silence. Where Colonel Brandon is concerned, you would never convince me that he would rejoin his regiment, taking Marianne off to India. He is too much of a caretaker personality for that, both where Marianne is concerned and also where it relates to his tenants. And, while I'm sure Edward and Elinor wouldn't have been living in the lap of luxury, I have no doubt that Brandon would have provided a sufficient income for them to put food on the table and keep the house warm in the winter! Finally, Marianne's character is definitely the least predictable, but I have always chosen to believe that she truly did feel affection for Colonel Brandon and would have done her best to be a good wife to him.
--Many other reviewers have also mentioned that the plot of the story lacks cohesion. There are threads left unwoven everywhere. As someone else mentioned, there are a lot of convenient deaths. And there's the obvious bombshell at the end, the most egregious cheat I think I've ever seen in a book that wasn't self-published, where Eliza challenges us to guess her secret without ever giving us the needed information with which to make the attempt.
--Eliza hurts people in this book without repairing anything, and it makes her an unattractive character.
I could go on, but I think this is enough. What a disappointment!
December 29, 2010
I read "Eliza's Daughter" by Joan Aiken while hot on a streak of Jane Austen sequels and otherwise inspired novels. Having been disappointed with most other modern writer's efforts in this genre, I found Joan Aiken's books to be much better than most. She never takes the reader behind bedroom doors, but skillfully alludes to such subjects in a way that I found classy, not at all prudish. This talent is seen the most in this particular novel. How could it not? It's about the love child of Willoughby and poor Eliza, ward of that darling Colonel Brandon I love to love in Sense and Sensibility. We hear her story from her lips and she lets us know almost all of it, only hinting at the awfull bits. Thank you for that, Ms Aiken. One does not need to know the gory details of how badly women can be treated by men, especially when caught in the middle of war. Knowing what happened is awfull enough, and all the story needs. We also learn of all the major characters of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, though light hearted readers of fluffy happy sunshiney novels will not like how the Dashwood females end up in this book. This is a very realistic novel, almost brutal at times, but never more than I could take. I suspect some readers will be turned off by how sad things get before they improve. Improve they do! Be patient, gentle reader, and you'll have your happy ending. There are also a few of those wonderful surprises I love Ms Aiken for that keep the pages turning but are never ridiculous. I like how she again, skillfully, gives me that happy ending I'm hoping for without spoiling the story with ridiculous miracles. All her characters pay a price for their happiness. If I had to sum up my feeling on this novel, I would say "bittersweet". And the most important statement of this reviewer: I would read it again. In fact, I'm piling up the Aiken books lately and plan on reading them all again. I have very little room in this house for more books, so now have an iPad to fill up. I'll be clearing out alot of old books but won't consider parting with any Joan Aiken books ever.
July 30, 2013
I come at this book from an interesting place because I have yet to read Sense and Sensibility (although it's now on my list!). So Eliza's story was fresh for me, although I think being reacquainted with old friends in the book might have made me enjoy it more.
As other readers have stated, this book follows little Eliza Williams, the bastard child growing up in a village full of bastard children. The description was incredible and the story galloped apace, so I certainly sped through the book. I had two main problems with the story.
One was the distinct lack of Austen style. It claims to be a sequel and then has a Duke (carefully portrayed as traditional in garb and demeanor) discussing erectile disfunction at the dinner table! Jane never would have gotten close to that. This book also tried for Austen's lovely mix of detail and vagueness that allows for imagination to run free in her books, but Eliza's Daughter succeeds only in frustrating the reader with important details left out.
The second problem I had with this book was the sheer improbability of it. Romance, illness, death, all seemed like convenient tools to move Eliza on to where she needed to be next instead of being the necessary thing to happen in the story. Also, this book did a great job at carelessly killing off characters, which upset me on numerous occasions. And the final reveal of the story left me more in a fit of frustration with the implausibility than raptures over the happy ending.
As other readers have stated, this book follows little Eliza Williams, the bastard child growing up in a village full of bastard children. The description was incredible and the story galloped apace, so I certainly sped through the book. I had two main problems with the story.
One was the distinct lack of Austen style. It claims to be a sequel and then has a Duke (carefully portrayed as traditional in garb and demeanor) discussing erectile disfunction at the dinner table! Jane never would have gotten close to that. This book also tried for Austen's lovely mix of detail and vagueness that allows for imagination to run free in her books, but Eliza's Daughter succeeds only in frustrating the reader with important details left out.
The second problem I had with this book was the sheer improbability of it. Romance, illness, death, all seemed like convenient tools to move Eliza on to where she needed to be next instead of being the necessary thing to happen in the story. Also, this book did a great job at carelessly killing off characters, which upset me on numerous occasions. And the final reveal of the story left me more in a fit of frustration with the implausibility than raptures over the happy ending.
January 24, 2010
Joan Aiken is undoubtedly the most accomplished writer in the Austen "continuation" genre. This book continues the story begun in Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Liza, the daughter of Willoughby and Colonel Brandon's ward Eliza, grows up in Byblow Bottom, a town filled with the "byblows" of nearby aristocrats. Her desire to find her parents take her on a series of varied adventures. Austen lovers might be a bit disturbed at the characterizations of some of their favorite S & S characters. Elinor Dashwood is portrayed as a faded martyr to her prig of a husband and Marianne is a selfish and demanding wife. Some might argue that this is only a continuation of Austen's portrayal in S & S. It's a useful slap in the face to the overly romanticized film versions, that's for sure.
November 3, 2025
Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken is the story of the illegitimate daughter of Eliza Williams, (also named Eliza) who was a former of lover Mr. Willoughby, the love interest of Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Eliza is raised in a rural backwater town with little nurturance or supervision. Her curiosity is limitless however, and her sole goal is to find out what became of her parents, who they are and how she wound up without them. Along the way she meets many unusual characters some of whom are reprobates who either help or detour her in the quest. Eliza's gift is her musical ability which serves as a means for some education and financial sustenance. Her travels toward her goal take years, with many twists and turns. As the story moves to a conclusion there are poignant moments, disappointing moments and heroic ones that speak to the resilience of the adventurous spirit. This is a deeply satisfying read the brings the characters from Sense and Sensibility to life with both realistic and imagined results.
July 6, 2018
I found this book a pleasant, relaxing read, and a nice change from my usual fare of science fiction and fantasy. There are lots of negative reviews, mostly because readers found the style un-Austenlike, but that didn't bother me. The heroine was quite plucky, loyal, cagey and likeable.
July 18, 2021
This book gets low ratings from readers who want a fluffy, happy story, but it’s the tale of an illegitimate child neglected by her guardian so it is not sunny. Eliza is an engaging character, clear-eyed, hardworking, and decent.
Eliza overcomes many obstacles, but she can’t be accepted as a respectable woman. Elinor and Marianne Dashwood do not have the perfect happily-ever-afterward that was suggested by the end of S&S, but their outcomes are realistic.
Eliza overcomes many obstacles, but she can’t be accepted as a respectable woman. Elinor and Marianne Dashwood do not have the perfect happily-ever-afterward that was suggested by the end of S&S, but their outcomes are realistic.
July 29, 2016
I do not recommend this book for Jane Austen fans; it is in an entirely different style, although it makes use of some of the characters from "Sense and Sensibility". It seems to be more of an anti-Austen book: no one gets married, the war with France is frequently mentioned, nearly everyone of any significance dies, and the Austen characters have almost all suffered dismal fates. There is considerable emphasis on the sorry lot of women at the time, as well as some excursions into parapsychology (auras and fortune telling). The whole thing is told in memoir mode, by an unreliable narrator. I was very disappointed in this book; I had previously read "Jane Fairfax", by the same author, and it was very good. Perhaps the difference is that this book occurs after the end of Austen's story, so the author had to invent everything, while "Jane Fairfax" occurs simultaneously with "Emma".
The dust jacket summary was clearly not written by someone who had read the book; it overstates the relationship with the Austen characters and gets the sequence of events wrong.
The dust jacket summary was clearly not written by someone who had read the book; it overstates the relationship with the Austen characters and gets the sequence of events wrong.
April 26, 2016
Yes, I see this book has annoyed many Austen fans. The feminist messages have been particularly annoying and the lack of starry-eyed romance (and wet shirts) has really given them the pip.
I'm a big Austen fan, but having read all of her work, including the unfinished fragments, I think her issues are nearly all feminist. It was her main issue. Aiken has just taken a more warts-and-all modern approach to the topic, and set it in the same time frame. Sense & Sensibility was just a kicking off point for her own story. And a ripper it is.
Aiken has not imitated Austen's writing style. Hers is nothing like. What a fabulous heroine. I loved her to bits. Instead of simpering or bowing her head, she is not above kicking someone in the shins, (although she she may regret it later). And a fine pair of boots she sports in the later quarter of the book too.
Now I'm off to google people's ideas about the mystery at the end of the book... hmmm.
I'm a big Austen fan, but having read all of her work, including the unfinished fragments, I think her issues are nearly all feminist. It was her main issue. Aiken has just taken a more warts-and-all modern approach to the topic, and set it in the same time frame. Sense & Sensibility was just a kicking off point for her own story. And a ripper it is.
Aiken has not imitated Austen's writing style. Hers is nothing like. What a fabulous heroine. I loved her to bits. Instead of simpering or bowing her head, she is not above kicking someone in the shins, (although she she may regret it later). And a fine pair of boots she sports in the later quarter of the book too.
Now I'm off to google people's ideas about the mystery at the end of the book... hmmm.
June 23, 2009
I wish I could have liked this book more. I was thoroughly disappointed to see how the author characterized the Dashwood sisters. I truly didn't like the thought of Elinor being so much under the thumb of a miserly and stodgy Edward and I hated the thought of Marianne being so vindictive all these years later. I really can't see the characters that Jane Austen in the way they were in Eliza's Daughter.
I honestly didn't like much about this story. Ms. Aiken's other Austen sequels are much better. Such a disappointment!
I honestly didn't like much about this story. Ms. Aiken's other Austen sequels are much better. Such a disappointment!
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