Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudiceby Jennifer Becton
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(From back cover)
When Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, she believed herself to be fortunate indeed. Her nuptials gained her a comfortable home and financial security. If she acquired these things at the expense of true love, it did not matter one whit. To Charlotte, love in marriage was nothing more than a pleasant coincidence.
As the years of her marriage dragged by, Charlotte began to question her idea of love as she suffered continual embarrassment at her husband's simpering and fawning manners. When Mr. Collins dies, finally relieving everyone of his tedious conversations, she must work feverishly to secure her income and home. She gives no further thought to the prospect of love until her flighty sister Maria begs her to act as her chaperone in place of their ailing parents. Hoping to prevent Maria from also entering an unhappy union, Charlotte agrees, and they are quickly thrust into a world of country dances, dinner parties, and marriageable gentlemen.
But when an unprincipled gentleman compromises Charlotte's reputation, her romantic thoughts disappear at the prospect of losing her independence. As she struggles to extricate herself from her slander, her situation reveals both the nature of the gentleman of her acquaintance and of true love.
I give this book: 5 Stars
My thoughts
I recently discovered "Charlotte Collins: A Continuation Of Jane Austen". This is the first book that I have seen that was focused on Charlotte and I knew that this was a book that I had to read. Charlotte is one of the characters from Pride & Prejudice that I always wanted to know more about. And after finishing the novel, I am delighted to say that I absolutely enjoyed reading Charlotte Collins much more than I even thought I would. Jennifer Becton brought Charlotte to life for me, by making her personality show through more . I saw a more caring, feeling & lovable side to Charlotte (Lucas) Collins that I personally never saw before. I feel like I know Charlotte so much better now. I loved this book from start to finish and I think that this author is an excellent story-teller. I am looking forward to reading Jennifer Becton's next novel Caroline Bingley, which should be available soon. Also I would love to read even more about Charlotte & Maria in future books, even if it is just a small part in the book giving an update on their lives.
Author's website
http://bectonliterary.com/
Jennifer Becton is on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/JenniferBecton
A short sequel
Maria Lucas: A Short Story in the Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection [Kindle Edition]
Thank you so much for your review, Megan! I am so excited to know that I helped Charlotte come alive for you. I loved writing her. She deserved a happy ending!
ReplyDeleteJennifer