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Summer's End: A Reimagining of Pride and Prejudice
England in the long hot summer of 1939...A country house party gathers. Rich, privileged young people idle their time away without a care in the world, much to the disgust of one of their neighbours.Unlike the London socialites at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth Bennet is all too conscious of what is happening in the world beyond Meryton and has little time for people with such frivolous lives and certainly not for one rather haughty young man in particular. Fitzwilliam Darcy doesn't appear to be enjoying his stay in Meryton and he soon provokes Elizabeth's annoyance with his dismissive attitude towards her concerns.However, the storm clouds of war are gathering over Europe and as the summer ends, the lives of Elizabeth and Darcy will change forever. The summer of 1940 will bring the war very close to home and, pitched into a nation's desperate battle for survival, Elizabeth and Darcy will come to look at their lives and each other very differently.'Summer's End' is the first book in The Seasons of War Quartet, which will span the years from 1939 to 1945. The story continues in 'The Winter Moon'.
745 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2018
19 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 23, 2021
A World War II Saga
My rating 4.5* rounded up.
The first volume of a World War II saga of which there are to be four in total. At over 500 pages, the first is definitely long, with much detail and circumstances of the war. The storyline surrounding Elizabeth and Darcy and the other characters of Pride and Prejudice is very good. In many ways, it does follow canon, but in a manner cleverly woven into the WW II trope. The dialogue is good, the character portrayals definitely well depicted and appealing, and none of which are unbelievable. In fact, this variation relates a very believable story and setting.
I thought the writing was very good, I couldn’t quite manage five stars due to the many proofreading misses, and at times I felt the story a bit too drawn out. I will likely read the second book, The Winter Moon, which is now available.
If you enjoy a saga, this first volume is worth a read. Recommend.
My rating 4.5* rounded up.
The first volume of a World War II saga of which there are to be four in total. At over 500 pages, the first is definitely long, with much detail and circumstances of the war. The storyline surrounding Elizabeth and Darcy and the other characters of Pride and Prejudice is very good. In many ways, it does follow canon, but in a manner cleverly woven into the WW II trope. The dialogue is good, the character portrayals definitely well depicted and appealing, and none of which are unbelievable. In fact, this variation relates a very believable story and setting.
I thought the writing was very good, I couldn’t quite manage five stars due to the many proofreading misses, and at times I felt the story a bit too drawn out. I will likely read the second book, The Winter Moon, which is now available.
If you enjoy a saga, this first volume is worth a read. Recommend.
September 5, 2018
Excellent Jane Austen fanfiction set in World War II England. Darcy is an Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot, Elizabeth is with the Women's Auxilary Air Force (WAAF). I had originally read this story when it was posted online and loved it. I have now purchased a copy so I may have the pleasure of many re-readings.
February 24, 2021
Sequel!
February, 2021 update: Does anyone have any insight about what happened with this series? I have read and re-read this book and it’s probably the most compelling P&P modern-ish novel I’ve read. If anyone knows what ever happened with the rest of this series, I’d like to know. Hope the author is well!
February 2021 update, part two: I’ve heard - from the author- that she hopes to publish later this year... and that she is now thinking it will be four books instead of the original three she initially anticipated.
This is one of my all time favorite works of JAFF... and I’d love to keep reading. I’ve re-read it a few times, and each time I do I’m left wanting more. I love these characters, and the British home front during WWII carries a particular fascination for me.
To paraphrase Oliver Twist, “please, may I have some more?”
February, 2021 update: Does anyone have any insight about what happened with this series? I have read and re-read this book and it’s probably the most compelling P&P modern-ish novel I’ve read. If anyone knows what ever happened with the rest of this series, I’d like to know. Hope the author is well!
February 2021 update, part two: I’ve heard - from the author- that she hopes to publish later this year... and that she is now thinking it will be four books instead of the original three she initially anticipated.
This is one of my all time favorite works of JAFF... and I’d love to keep reading. I’ve re-read it a few times, and each time I do I’m left wanting more. I love these characters, and the British home front during WWII carries a particular fascination for me.
To paraphrase Oliver Twist, “please, may I have some more?”
September 20, 2020
Brilliant.
Brilliant, could not put it down.
One of the best variations I have read and will read it again serval times
Brilliant, could not put it down.
One of the best variations I have read and will read it again serval times
April 15, 2019
Second world war story
The historical setting of the story presented a total mashup of the P&P premise, moving it to a time when I imagine the societal norms were far different than the original. Not having lived in the era of WW 2, I can't judge if the attitudes about social classes was still so strong and exclusionary. We have to trust that the author did her homework . The book is cleverly written, using the characters from the original, still mostly endowed with their original personalities, but thrown into a time of war that requires each character to choose their part in it. Being the 1930's, the female characters have a much more active role, not only in education and every day life, but in the business of war, having the options of joining military service for women.
The presence of war, and all the fear and tragedy that goes with it, makes this a necessarily dark story. Gone is the light hearted flirtation and carefree lives of idleness. In its place is struggle, near constant danger, rationing, and blackout conditions. However, even in times of war there is still the building of relationships, both friendly and romantic, and there's plenty of that in this story. Though the circumstances are vastly different, the story stays true to the original P&P couplings.
I was unsure about Lady Catherine still wanting Darcy to marry his cousin Anne. Did they still do that in this period? Guess I'm not sure, but I figured that practice may have gone out of fashion in more modern times. The book is well written and cleverly done. One concern I have is the dark feeling that permeates the story, since everyone is living with uncertainty and death, air raids and shortages. You have to be in the mood for something this heavy hearted. Also, there is a lot of repetition of thoughts and explanations, and rehashing of circumstances that becomes tiresome. The book could have been shorter by leaving out some of these redundancies. Still, I recommend it it you don't mind a story that's kind of depressing.
The historical setting of the story presented a total mashup of the P&P premise, moving it to a time when I imagine the societal norms were far different than the original. Not having lived in the era of WW 2, I can't judge if the attitudes about social classes was still so strong and exclusionary. We have to trust that the author did her homework . The book is cleverly written, using the characters from the original, still mostly endowed with their original personalities, but thrown into a time of war that requires each character to choose their part in it. Being the 1930's, the female characters have a much more active role, not only in education and every day life, but in the business of war, having the options of joining military service for women.
The presence of war, and all the fear and tragedy that goes with it, makes this a necessarily dark story. Gone is the light hearted flirtation and carefree lives of idleness. In its place is struggle, near constant danger, rationing, and blackout conditions. However, even in times of war there is still the building of relationships, both friendly and romantic, and there's plenty of that in this story. Though the circumstances are vastly different, the story stays true to the original P&P couplings.
I was unsure about Lady Catherine still wanting Darcy to marry his cousin Anne. Did they still do that in this period? Guess I'm not sure, but I figured that practice may have gone out of fashion in more modern times. The book is well written and cleverly done. One concern I have is the dark feeling that permeates the story, since everyone is living with uncertainty and death, air raids and shortages. You have to be in the mood for something this heavy hearted. Also, there is a lot of repetition of thoughts and explanations, and rehashing of circumstances that becomes tiresome. The book could have been shorter by leaving out some of these redundancies. Still, I recommend it it you don't mind a story that's kind of depressing.
September 19, 2018
This book had a great story. It's full of interesting WWII history, romance, and drama. However, it's in need of a good editor. The are some typos and grammatical mistakes, but the main issue is length and excess content. It could stand to lose about 30% of the character introspection and many scenes that do not move the plot forward. I do think this author has great potential and I look forward to her next book.
April 9, 2019
Was an interesting story with our characters in the middle of a war the Great World War. Germans bombing the UK. Elizabeth in the Army Air Corps. Darcy a pilot. Caroline a rich bored socialite. Lady Catherine still a B.
December 18, 2023
Muy buena adaptación a la WWII
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews