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Longbourn – Jo Baker
Book on CD narrated by Emma Fielding
4****

We are all familiar with what happens in the Bennet, Darcy and Bingley households in Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice . Now, Jo Baker takes us downstairs to focus on the servants and their lives at Longbourn and Netherfield.

I really enjoyed this follow-up version. Yes, the major events from P&P are all present – the ball at Netherfield, Bingley’s leaving for London, Lizzie’s visit with Charlotte & Mr Collins, Lydia’s scandal, and the HEA endings – but Baker gives us a rich background to the servants that are mostly invisible in Austen’s classic.

Hill (or Mrs Hill as she’s known here) is the only servant we hear about in Austen’s original work. Here she is joined by her husband, and the house butler, Mr Hill, and two housemaids, Sarah and Polly. Sarah is a central character, having come to the house as a young orphan and grown up under the tutelage and care of Mrs Hill, she is in her early twenties as the novel opens. Polly is still a child; not sure of her age, but she guesses she is about twelve, and has not yet reached puberty. Sarah tries to shield her from the hardest labor, and forgives Polly for her lack of work ethic, while worrying about her innocence and vulnerability. And then there is James Smith, a strapping young man who appears one day and becomes the footman, groom, stable hand, and all around great guy to have around.

Meanwhile, Bingley also has his manservant-footman-valet, Ptolemy. A former slave from the family’s holdings in Jamaica, he is an educated man with ambitions to start a business of his own.

The push/pull of attraction between Sarah and these two very different men is the central plot of this novel.

Regency England had many rules and restrictions that governed proper behavior, whether for the ladies and gentlemen of the upper class, or the servants, farmers and tradespeople in the towns. And this adds an additional layer of suspense in the slow-burn romance between Sarah and her paramour. There is a bit of backstory intrigue involving Mrs Hill. And the reader gets a different view of Mr Bennet’s character than the simple benevolent, indulgent father of Austen’s work.

Emma Fielding does an admirable job of performing the audio version. There are many characters to deal with and her skill as a voice artist is up to the task .


LINK to my review

Having recently read the book myself, I love your review, Tessa. It's perfect.

Well, I read P&P and this one back-to-back! Though I rated both 4****, I do prefer the original.