More Letters from Pemberley: A novel of sisters, husbands, heirs

by Jane Dawkins

To the delight of the many readers who loved Letters from Pemberley, Jane Dawkins's popular continuation of Pride and Prejudice, More Letters from Pemberley continues the story of Elizabeth (Bennet) Darcy's married life, picking up in 1814 and following this most popular of Jane Austen characters for another six years to the twilight of the Regency period in 1819.

Writing to her beloved sister Jane, the irrepressible Lizzie describes life as mistress of Pemberley and her relationship with the dashing Fizwilliam Darcy. Highlights include a Darcy family Christmas, the inevitable conflicts that might arise even in such an illustrious family and the happiness of the birth of an heir.

Again incorporating Jane Austen's own words and characters from her other works (who appear here with different names, either associated with Austen's life, borrowed from another of her novels or a word-play on their original name), Jane Dawkins has created another satisfying and entertaining tale.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Classics, Chick Lit, Historical Romance

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weakness for books of letters. In general I find them more honest and less stuffy than a polite manners we associate with the Regency period. This book is a sequel and I didn't read the original book in the series.

In this book all of the letters are from Elizabeth Darcy and written to family and friends. And there is a fair amount of angst and drama shared.

It is a creative albeit sad tale of 5 years in the life of Mrs. Darcy.

[Carole (in Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad that Ms. Dawkins continued these letters. I found this one to be just as lovely as the first. These letters are not only addressed to Jane but Aunt Gardiner, Kitty and even Mrs. Bennet. You learned of who got married and to whom as well as births and though expected, tragedies. All in all a delightful read.

[Anna]

Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric

More Letters From Pemberley is the follow up to Letters From Pemberley, a Pride and Prejudice sequel comprised of letters from Elizabeth Darcy to her sister Jane Bingley during her first year of marriage in 1813. This time around, the letters span the years 1814 to 1819, and their recipients include Jane Bingley, Aunt Gardiner, various new friends (who are very similar to characters from other Jane Austen novels), and even Mr. Darcy himself.

Jane Dawkins does a great job telling a story through letters, showing all the work it takes to run an estate the size of Pemberley, giving readers a glimpse of Elizabeth and Darcy as proud parents, and portraying the arguments and tragedies that accompany an otherwise happy marriage. When tragedy struck, I was as heartbroken as Elizabeth, and I even questioned whether the book could have a happy ending, but thankfully, it wasn’t a complete downer.

There is more of a plot to this novel compared to its predecessor, and I was glad that the letters were written to other characters, rather than just Jane. While it was a pleasant reading experience, I enjoyed the first book more, maybe because this one felt like more of the same, but without the charm and the lightness of those carefree newlywed days. I wonder if including some letters to Elizabeth from some of the other characters would have broken up the monotony a bit?

Still, I would recommend More Letters From Pemberley to lovers of Austen-inspired novels, simply because the Darcys face trials and heartache. Of course, I’d like to think they live happily ever after, but I’ve grown tired of sequels that portray a marriage that is nothing but sunshine and roses. Dawkins shows that tragedy touches many people; the Darcys are not immune, no matter how much they love each other, and Elizabeth’s reaction was so honest and real. After turning the last page, it even made me miss writing letters and anticipating their arrival in the post. What a shame that letter writing will soon be a lost art!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book, minor flaws of grammar. Format naturally leaves gaps, but a brilliant probing into intense emotions in dealing with loss of child and husband's accident. Loved this and could not put it down. I love also the way Lizzy has friends resembling Ann Elliot as Elinor. she even marries a former lover who had gained wealth as a ship captain. Other Austen characters make appearances too under different names. The first Austen variation that I ever read was the first set of letters years ago and I only recently ran across this sequel which is better because of the depth of feeling. Highly recommend. I stayed up unable to put this down.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long a lover of epistaltory novels, I hated to have this book end.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book had more emotion than the first in the series, I found it more depressing (though it ended well). I loved the character developement of Elizabeth. Gone is the young Elizbeth Bennett and now we see her matured into Mrs Darcy, mistress of Pemberley. Life has taught her many things and she learns to help others in a way that is beautiful! (SPOILERS ALERT).. Although death touches all of us, do we really want to read about it? Do we want to hear the emotion and feel the pain? I found myself close to tears when reading this novel (which suggests it was well written I'm sure) but my heart was too raw to process death in its written form. Elizabeth's reflection and comfort offered in letters to others shows us the stages of dealing with grief - anger, resentment, withdrawal and finally acceptance replacing sad emotions with contented memories. Some may appreciate this in literature but I found this too sad.. hence my rating but if you love to read about the sad realities of life and see people rise above the hardships of life than you may enjoy this novel and have given it a higher rating than I did.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first Letters, I admit that I was a bit disappointed. The letters are still good, but it felt...rushed, I guess. It has similar number of pages as the first book, but it spans through five years and that has to take it's toll on the story's quality.

I liked that Dawkins didn't make Elizabeth's life only love and roses, but also pain and sorrow, because that's life and writing it otherwise would be unrealistic. I also liked that Lizzy obviously matures through the years and that Dawkins managed to continue other Bennet sisters storylines as well, that it wasn't just Lizzy, Jane and occasionally Lydia, who were mentioned in the letters.

On the other hand, there were few moments when it seemed that Dawkins wanted to write something, but forgot it and continued differently, which was confusing. Also, because of the five years time-line, she had to skip weeks in between the letters and as I said, that makes it a bit rushed.

Overall, I still like this book and will probably reread it after some time, but after the nice and warm feeling the first book left me with, this one was a little disappointing.

[Delle Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Letters from Pemberley follows Letters from Pemberley, naturally, and is a telling of the lives of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy following their marriage. From the viewpoint of Elizabeth Darcy, these books are a series of letters written to family and friends, showing through Elizabeth's inner heart the life they are living and the love and romance that continues to bloom and struggle.

Letters takes Elizabeth through some of the great joys of her life, and some of its most painful tragedies and near tragedies. There's no plot, really- more a series of events that subtly pull together to make a life, in the way only a series of letters can do. And for a plot-oriented reader like me, that was at first bothersome. But I think it was the only way this story could have been successfully told. Almost completely without my conscious awareness, I got pulled into the intimacy of Elizabeth's deepest thoughts and most private emotions and was hooked.

There are so many Jane Austen spin-offs these days. In a way I'm surprised I picked this one up, but it was well worth the read.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty boring, but actually not as bad as the first one.

[Zoe Ngan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This contains a wider variety of letters from Elizabeth to other people (as opposed to just Jane in the first book). It’s more interesting in that it contains a series of trials, like Darcy’s riding accident for example, instead of being a picture of tranquil domesticity. It doesn’t contain the slow burn romance that you might expect, but leans more towards sweet observances of a couple drawing closer as they live life together.

Like the first book, there are a lot of characters outside the immediate family to keep track of. In my opinion, these characters don’t contribute much to the plot but exist to provide variety to the Darcys’ social circle, albeit in a way that is distracting and unnecessary.

[Emily Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book read in 2021 🥳

And it’s closing line: “As the old year comes to a close, let us raise our glasses in gratitude for the many blessings bestowed upon us, and for those yet to come.”

Better even than it’s predecessor, More Letters from Pemberly impressed me with its dealings on death and that admirable attitude bent on pursuing new life.

Definitely recommend.

[Sheila Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book. Ironically, I have not read its prequel (Letters to Pemberley) as I did not find it among our books, but jumping right into this one and hearing of so many years is wonderful. I would love to read Letters to Pemberley as well.

[loriinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love this story!

Reading Elizabeth's own words gives you insight into her heart (and allows her to run on in the wild manner she is suffered to do at home).

[Mikasta Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

More interesting than the first book.

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! Letters from Elizabeth Darcy to her family and friends. Some parts were achingly sorrowful, but it ended well. Pleasant read overall.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. The story picks up where the previous one left off, in 1814 and follows Elizabeth and Darcy for another 6 years. The letters are written by Elizabeth to her sister Jane, her Aunt Gardiner, and Charlotte Lucas, among others. In this story, Elizabeth has matured and grown in her roles as wife, mother and mistress of Pemberley.

The story has more drama in it, but birth and death are a part of life and, for the most part, I felt the situations created here were plausible. Darcy's accident was a bit overly dramatic, but not distracting. No one can replace Jane Austen, and no one can recreate the voice of Elizabeth Bennet. However, this is a charming book and very easy read. I think it might have been richer, if we could have read the responses to Elizabeth's letters.

My only complaint is the same one I had with the first book. Jane Dawkins thought it would be interesting to incorporate some of Austen's other characters into both novels. All have different names and I found it confusing and distracting. With some, it was obvious as who they were supposed to be, but with others is was more annoying. Again, a cute idea that fell flat.

Overall, an easy enjoyable read.

[Carol Perrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Letters from Pemberley

The happenings at Pemberley were again told through letters written by Elizabeth Darcy. Heartbreaking events that happened causes our loving couple inconsolable grief, but Lizzy being not one to languish in sorrow for long brings them back to life. While Darcy is laid up, Lizzy learns just how many people's lives depend on him and the success of Pemberley. Amazed by this revelation, Elizabeth comes up with a plan to help elevate the sorrow of those less fortunate than she. Plans are made to open a free school for children up to 11 years old, and a lending library in Lambton. Another couple, the Daleys, friends with the Darcys, plan to open a soup kitchen for those needing meals and delivery of food. Darcy, after meeting Kitty's intended, offers him the living at Boxwood Magna one of Pemberley's holdings. Good story, but again throughout the book "More Letters from Pemberley," and 1814 - 1819 appear on the pages right in the middle of sentences. Some editing would have caught these errors in both books.

[Sumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this sequel to 'Letters From Pemberley". The events were for the most part plausible. I thought perhaps Darcy's riding accident was more for dramatic effect.

The problem with the letter writing format for me is that I don't get as engaged in the events, sometimes I feel as though I'm just reading a synopsis of the events that are taking place. It was hard to 'feel' the anguish Lizzy must have been feeling at points.

I think that author had the characterizations of Mrs. Bennet and Lydia well-figured out, but then, those two aren't terribly complex.

As before the other non-Pride and Prejudice characters were for the most part just thinly disguised renditions of the characters from other Jane Austen novels. Some people might like figuring out who's who, others might find it irritating.

[Samantha McNulty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read More Letters from Pemberley almost two years after reading Dawkins other book Letters from Pemberley: The First Year. Though still impressed with how Dawkins maintained the Regency style of writing throughout, the sequel did not impress me as much as her first book of letters did.

However, I did enjoy how Dawkins evolved the lives of Darcy and Lizzy, giving them children and nephews and nieces to carry on the Darcy name. I also throughly enjoyed the fact that she allowed them to have sorrows in their lives - I have come across only a handful of authors that allow for this in their writing, and for that, I am thankful.

Overall, I rather liked this book and it is good if (like me) you enjoy HF or you are just looking for something to pass the time until your next anticipated read lands on your doorstep!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent continuation of Dawkins' previous book, Letters from Pemberley. I like the portrayal of Elizabeth, seeing how she grows over the years covering in the book, and especially liked her comment at the end that she would scarcely recognize Elizabeth Bennet any more.

I did notice one thing -- at one point, Elizabeth mentions Kitty taking an extended trip to Derbyshire, staying alternately with Jane or Elizabeth, and saying something about Kitty being with Elizabeth during her lying-in in February. However, there is no further mention of the pregnancy, be it a miscarriage or live birth. It just kind of sits there, something that got missed in editing perhaps?

Otherwise, a decent book. Dawkins really tried to portray an early nineteenth century life, with all the joys and tragedies that came with it, and did a pretty good job.

[hayls 🐴 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5. It seems to be a habit of authors of Austen sequels to make reference to Austen's novels within the story, which is.. weird and unnecessary. Like Sherlock referring to Arthur Conan Doyle (although sometimes that fits into the mysteriousness of Sherlock stories anyway). They also have a habit of filling the preface with apologies to Jane Austen and her fans which is also tiring. You've taken liberties and put in a few headcanons, we get it! If you're feeling guilty then maybe writing fan-fiction isn't for you.
But this was a nice read anyhow, I did enjoy it (2.5 stars is still a positive rating from me, btw!). Letter-writing format is an appropriate way to detail a story of this period, even though long periods of time between letters give a sense of skimming the story which can leave you feeling a bit short-changed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A second novel that is a nice continuation of Pride and Prejudice in the form of letters from Elizabeth Darcy to various people, not just to her sister, Jane Bingley, as in Dawkins's first novel. In this book Dawkins put in some realistic life problems that tended to not occur in Austen's work. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy loose their 1 year old daughter to an unknown illness. I did enjoy the part where the Bingleys and the Darcys come up with an excellent idea on dealing with the Wickhams and the Wickham's propensity for financial problems. I thought Dawkins portrayal of Mrs. Bennet to be a bit unfair.

It is my understanding that sequels to Pride and Prejudice tend to be written as modern romance novels... This book is not a Romance Novel.

[Soňa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading, what it definitely does it that I have bigger mood for writting letters or reviews and my use of words is slightly different.... and I think I like it :-)

It's interesting account of what could happen to Lizzy Bennet now Mrs. Darcy at Pemberley and I like that author chose the style of letters to her loved ones. Would prefer more story as sometimes gaps between letters were big on other hand it added to autenticity that in those days post wasn't that quick.
Very enjoyable account of several years at the end of Regency era and I'm glad I read it. Except fun of learning more about Darcys' got better glimpse into world in those years.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most books that try to tell us what happened to Jane Austen's characters after the end of her books fall way short. They bring in conversation and incidents that Austen would not have written, such as explicit sex. This book gave a plausible story to what might have happened to the Darcy's and their friends and family. The writer admits that she wrote about some incidents such as death and illness that Austen would not have written about. But I think she got the "feeling of Austen". I enjoyed the story very much

[Rhonda D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book imagines the continuation of the Darcy/Bennett story from Letters from Pemberly. Elizabeth writes letters to Jane about the people she meets in the neighborhood as well as the events that go on after the wedding. The events are plausible and in keeping with the original story, but for the most part, not very interesting. The author places other Austen characters in the neighborhood under other names. This felt contrived (and who would imagine Emma Woodhouse friends with Elizabeth Bennett). I think I should stick with the original (and the BBC).

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was slightly more interesting than the first volume, in part because Dawkins creates more story for Elizabeth and spends less time with the characters she borrowed from other Austen novels. There is, however, too much drama--I can understand Elizabeth losing a child, but Darcy's accident is just too much, especially because nothing much seems to happen to any other members of her family.

[Arlis Groves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of letters was perfect to pick up when I had only five or ten minutes to devote to reading, which is most of the time. Since I have read Pride and Prejudice, it was good to see what the Darcys et al might be doing post "happily ever after." A nice contrast to some of my recent reading, which has either required great attention on my part in order to understand the content, or has been depressing.

[Anotheramanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book when I borrowed it from the library that I picked up the sequel the next day.

While I liked this book, I did not enjoy it as much as the original. I felt that the Elizabeth character was more forced in her writing and not as "true" to Jane Austen's vision for Elizabeth Bennet.

Any Austen fan will find this a fun way to spend the afternoon.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally speaking, I am a sucker for a P&P "sequel", of sorts. This was a disappointment--Austen's Lizzie has a richer, stronger character and exudes confidence. Some of these letters simply aren't Lizzie. For example, she is much too straightforward to not confide her concerns about fitting in at Netherfield to her beloved Darcy. And the inconsistencies go on from there.

[Julie (ID) · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the things that I love about Pride and Prejudice is the banter between the characters, especially Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. In the book she had spunk which I really appreciate. This was obviously a collection of letters and I thought it was boring and didn't capture the spirit of Elizabeth's personality.