Anne de Bourgh Takes Charge (Take Charge Series)
Another good story from Shana Granderson. It was wonderful to read a story where Anne, although health issues caused her body to be weaken, her mind was sharp as a tack, and she was able to run Rosings Park and more importantly outsmart her insane mother. She takes over the running of Rosings Park when she turns five and twenty per her father’s will, but allows her mother to remain at the big house as long as she follows Anne’s dictates. If I wasn’t able to read fo yself, I wouldn’t have believed the difference between Charles Bingley in this book to Bingley in the last book. In the book, Bingley Takes Charge, he had a spine of steel; however in this Charge book, he had the spine of a jellyfish. Besides having no spine at all, his sisters were twins, both having the unfortunate characteristics of Caroline Bingley portrayed in most variations: delusional, vain, grasping, ladder climbing shrews. Anne befriends Elizabeth Bennet when she visits Charlotte and before her cousins arrive for their yearly visit, Anne has set Elizabeth’s feelings about Darcy on its head, and tells her what Wickham really is. When the Darcys and the colonel arrive, Anne tells the colonel where he is and the colonel travels to Meryton to have him thrown into prison. In this book it’s Kitty that is Mrs. Bennet’s favorite daughter who takes after her, whereas Lydia follows her elder sisters. After the Bingley twins commit social suicide in London by infringing on Georgiana and her aunts, Bingley writes to beg for forgiveness so they can re-enter society. He’s told to come alone, but the Terrible Twins know he’s not serious so they convince their spineless brother to take them with him. When they enter Rosings the entire Fitzwilliam family and Bennets are waiting for them. Caroline cannot keep her mouth shut, insults Elizabeth while Louisa tries to compromise Darcy in front of everyone. When Lord Matlock finishes with them, the three have committed complete societal suicide that they need to leave the shores of England. Bingley sells everything he had in England and sails to New York City. Shortly after their arrival, the Terrible Twins convince him to invest in diamond mines found in the western region of America and he loses his entire fortune except 10,000£ he’s hidden from them. He finally separates himself from his two grasping sisters opening a general store whereas they had to go into service to survive. Mrs. Bennet defies Bennet and walks to her sister’s house early in the morning and is run over by a swiftly moving carriage, Wickham languishes in debtor’s prison, Lady Catherine completely goes insane and is sent to Bedlam, and Collins’ has an apoplexy when he insults the entire Fitzwilliam family with his not so bright pearls of wisdom, and dies leaving Charlotte a not so grieving widow. As the three oldest Bennet daughters marry, Charlotte marries their father and gifts him with twin sons and a sixth daughter. Through Anne’s love of Mrs. Jenkinson, Jenki becomes a loving grandmother figure to all of her adopted Bennet daughter’s families. I can hardly wait to open the next book.