I wrote the longbourn letters primarily for myself and my own amusement and secondly, hoping that some others might come across it and enjoy it too. I really enjoyed longbourn, and devoured it pretty quickly. An irresistible retake on pride and prejudice alters the familiar perspective by foregrounding a different version of eventsthe servants. Its real achievement is to circumnavigate the world of austen knockoffs and return, like francis drake, with a hold full of treasure. Then i came across toni morrisons quote if there is a book that you want to read, but it hasnt been written yet, you must be the one to write it. Book club questions for longbourn by jo baker whsmith blog. Bennets secret life, and, of course, getting to know the family servants. It has been translated into twentyone languages, was shortlisted for the ibw book award and is due be made into a film, directed by sharon maguire. Her novel contains, for instance, the first ball, janes invitation to see the.
She started it nicely, but no climactic scene not even a little hot steamy kiss. Aug 15, 20 longbourn is the house in which jane austen set pride and prejudice. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Like austens pride and prejudice, the main plot of longbourn is set in the. The protagonist is the young, pretty, feisty, overworked housemaid sarah, an orphan who turns to books for escape from the menial daily duties which repel and exhaust her. You could fill a bookcase with prequels, sequels and other reworkings of jane austens novels. This bets on title, which is now available in paperback, is an evocative tale of two best friends whose bonds are both strengthened and tested over decades by forces beyond their control. Jo bakers retelling of pride and prejudice from the servants perspective will please austen fans and novices. Our goal is to help authors make their book the best it can be. The servants at longbourn estate, only glancingly mentioned in jane austens classic, take center stage in jo bakers lively, cunning new novel.
And sarah was, she knew, as she slipped along the servants corridor, and then up the stairs to the attic to hang her her new dress on the rail, just one of the many shadows that ebbed and tugged at the edges of the light. This study guide consists of approximately 121 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of longbourn. Our latest prize book is the island of sea women by lisa see. If you added unfinished works such as the watsons and sanditon that have been kitted out with. What was happening below stairs in pride and prejudice. Longbourn was published last year 20 and it is neither part of the canon of womens literature in english, nor a landmark novel like teaching it is an experiment in a good way. He was such a frustrating mixture of helpfulness, courtesy and incivility that she could indeed form no clear notion of him p. More information about longbourn is scattered throughout the book. Jan 02, 2014 longbourn is the house in which jane austen set pride and prejudice.
Longbourn by jo baker, the carriage house by louisa hall. New novel takes readers downstairs at longbourn the new. It gives an alternative view of the events in jane austens pride and prejudice, telling the story from the perspective of the servants at longbourn, the bennet family home. Longbourn is an estate located in hertfordshire, near the town of meryton. That is the premise of jo bakers engrossing novel longbourn, which takes jane austens famous work, turns it upside down, and shakes.
Longbourn jo baker december 16, 20 books books december 20 fiction historical fiction what a clever, almost mischievous book this is. Mar 20, 2012 more information about longbourn is scattered throughout the book. Dec 28, 2014 initially, thats what drew me to the book. Longbourn, by jo baker, is the tale of servants of longbourn house, the home of the bennet family from jane austens. December 24, 20 books books december 20 fiction historical fiction. Longbourn is a really special book, and not only because its author writes like an angel daily mail a mustread for fans of jane austen, this literary tribute also stands on its own as a captivating love story publishers weekly. Theres not much logic in how the plot of this book fits in with the abovestairs developments of pride and prejudice. Beloved books like pride and prejudice or gone with the wind, or books left.
Whats the story set against the backdrop of the napoleonic wars, a romance develops between the bennet familys new footman and their housemaid, who washes the cutlery and darns the hosiery. Longbourn was a book i had never heard of before which i liked delving into something completely unknown, apart from the fact that i adore and am wellread in austen. Published in february, 20, this book is available in kindle, nook, paperback, and audio. Jo bakers interesting novel focuses on the downstairs life at longbourn, the house where the bennets of.
Longbourn gives us a glimpse, with marvelous historical detail, of what life was like in regency england for the majority of the people who lived then. If you are like most readers, longbourns servants never crossed your mind. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of longbourn by jo baker. Bennet and it is where his wife and five daughters live. Jo baker writes utterly convincingly about the lives of servants labouring in the. Jo baker is a novelist with a gift for intimate and atmospheric storytelling. Aug 02, 20 longbourn creates a picture of the bennet family from below stairs produced to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first publication of pride and prejudice, jo bakers longbourn creates a. Its one mile from the village of meryton, in hertfordshire, where the militia are quartered for a while, and twenty four miles from london. Like you, there were hints i should have picked up on ie. Chapter 3 they returned therefore, in good spirits to longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants. As the main protagonist of the story, sarah is the older of the two housemaids who has been living under the care of. Bennets visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library.
Oct 08, 20 an irresistible retake on pride and prejudice alters the familiar perspective by foregrounding a different version of eventsthe servants. The room was dull now, and meaningless, with the young ladies gone from it. Dec 24, 20 book club questions for longbourn by jo baker december 24, 20 books books december 20 fiction historical fiction what a clever, almost mischievous book this is. Jo bakers novel is the story of the servants who washed the bennet girls linen, soothed mrs bennet when she was distressed, indulged mr bennet when they were obliged to indulge him and all the time carried on with their own unregarded lives. Any novel written by a nonservant is apparently required by law to feature at least one passage in which a character who is a servant will ponder. The probable location of longbourn in jane austens pride and prejudice i s it possible to identifythe exact location of the village of longbourn, the residence of the bennet family, in jane austens pride and prejudice. It should be said at once that jo bakers longbourn is an exception. The action of longbourn doesnt consist of previously. Latest headlines supernatural star jared padalecki arrested, charged with assaulting employees at his bar in austin. As a jane austen spin off set from a servants point of view, longbourn attempts to tell the story of pride and prejudice from a completely new angle. Daring to reconfigure what many would regard as literary perfection, baker the undertow, 2012, etc. Return to longbourn shannon winslows jane austen says.
Seeing the evilness of wickham with more clarity, learning about mr. Longbourn is a book that stands alone as having its own story, characters and themeshow far has the author ensured her novel is not pastiche, that it is a novel with a separate identity. Oct 10, 20 questions for jo baker, author of longbourn jo bakers longbourn retells the events of pride and prejudice from the point of view of the servants. Find out if mary is destined to be a governess forever, or if she overcomes the misfortune of being plain to discover love and her own happy ending. Everything you need to know about longbourne movie announced.
What lies at the heart of sarahs confusion about james. She recently completed a book titled longbourn, named after the bennets home, which tells a parallel story of pride and prejudice the story downstairs. Who were the ghostly figures that kept both the storyline and the bennet household going behind the scenes. Questions for jo baker, author of longbourn jo bakers longbourn retells the events of pride and prejudice from the point of view of the servants. Pride and prejudice has been read and reread by enchanted readers since its publication in 18. Now, in return to longbourn, we learn what really makes her tick. Jo baker, retelling pride and prejudice from the servants perspective, has no interest in.
The first, longbourn by jo baker, is a reimagining of pride and prejudice from the point of view of the servants in the bennet household. In longbourn, the housemaid sarahs frustration with the laundry would have been shared by anyone who cleaned clothes during the early 19th century. I was so shocked by the hill and mr bennet revelation. Longbourn creates a picture of the bennet family from below stairs produced to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first publication of pride and prejudice, jo. T heres dirty laundry and chilblains on the first page of longbourn, sweat and blood on the second. Nytco contact us work with us advertise t brand studio your ad. The book trail the longbourn letters the book trail. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Most people would not consider this to be a romance novel it certainly doesnt seem to be intended as one because the ending is ambiguous. Im a huge jane austen fan, and have read several related books, although i refuse to read anything that mixes elizabeth bennet and zombies. Longbourn is the house in which jane austen set pride and prejudice. I think the book was well written and if you like austen you will appreciate it, but if you havent read austen, you probably wouldnt care too much about the characters.
Feb 07, 20 if you are like most readers, longbourns servants never crossed your mind. The novel offers a fresh but convincing view of familiar characters. Baker includes enough of the plot of pride and prejudice so that an austen novice will not get lost, and an. Oct 16, 20 i felt the same way when i read the book, especially when sarah first saw james. But jo baker, a british novelist, has been paying close attention.
I found the plot sequence involving sarah at the end of the book to be rushed and implausible. She recently completed a book titled longbourn, named after the bennets home, which tells a parallel story of pride and prejudice. The book contains the contents of a collection of letters found at longbourn, a dwelling dating from 1712 built on what was considered a moderate sized estate in the hertfordshire countryside. Oct 24, 20 you could fill a bookcase with prequels, sequels and other reworkings of jane austens novels. She wrote books such as the picture book and offcomer. Adult or young adult book jobprofessionstatus story yes lover is a criminal possibly. Were as keen as you are to make your book a success. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading longbourn. Though accurately mapped onto austens plot, longbourn makes flesh those ghostly.
If you are an austen purist, this book will give you a stroke and a heart attack and possibly cancer. Privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the bennet household. Baker includes enough of the plot of pride and prejudice so that an austen novice will not get lost, and an austen lover has the satisfaction of matching the. Unfortunately i found this to be a stuffy contemporary literary novel in historical clothing, with none of the brio of austens own style and little insight to contribute about the characters or story of pride and prejudice. English author jo bakers novel longbourn 20 is a retelling of jane austens 18 classic.
Book helpline works with independent authors and small publishers. The deadline for your entries is wednesday, april 8th at noon et. Apr, 2017 then i came across toni morrisons quote if there is a book that you want to read, but it hasnt been written yet, you must be the one to write it. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at longbourn as there is upstairs. Longbourn is a really special book, and not only because its author writes like an angel. Our modern process of sorting, dumping into a machine, pouring in soap, and pressing a button is an embarrasingly wonderful diminution of this once complicated and timeintensive process. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of vintage.
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