Amazing!!

This book is brilliant I can't recommend it enough :)
The characters are great and story keeps you :)
I love it!!

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2 people found this helpful

Nice 'side-quel'

I approached this book with trepidation. Big Austen fan and I love Pride and Prejudice. I was a bit weary of how the charachters that I love would be portrayed. The book is a sort of side novel that describes the lives and loves of the servants of Longbourn. I think the author did a great job, it was not just a Pride and Prejudice story through the eyes of the below stairs. It really was a total seperate story, albeit with some happenings above stairs influencing things.

The depection of the beloved charachters felt right, except in one case for me personally, but don't want to give away a plot point. The writing was really good and drew me in, the narrator also did a great job. A lovely novel!

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Beautiful story about the servants lives

It is brilliantly well put together story and obviously the first intrigue for getting this book is because it is the servants lives during P&P but very quickly that is not why I kept reading, Jo Baker has written this beautifully with so much detail about a small group of servants, in no way like a ‘downton abbey’ style house we truly under the grit and hardship and the feeling of being trapped in a life the servants felt. Telling the story mostly from the perspective of Hill and Sarah (one of the Housemaids).
It is so interesting hearing how different the servants opinions are of certain company that comes to stay at Longbourn.
And finally cannot end this with out mentioning Emma Fielding who reads this so well it makes the book even more of a pleasure. Her dulcet tones convey the joys and sadness from each character so stunningly - I would listen again!

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Kept me interested all the way, very enjoyable

I really enjoyed this book. Great detail of life below stairs and many interesting twists of perspective regarding the well known characters.

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Longbourn

This book is amazing. The characterisation is superb. Jo Baker is exemplary in building a picture of the world of Pride and Prejudice from the eyes of the servants. She is entirely credible in fleshing out what the actions of Austen's characters mean to those who have to wait on them, and in giving insights into the motivation of some of the characters, like Mr Bennet.

But the Bennets and the Darcys are merely incidental to this story of love and endurance.

Remarkable!

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5 people found this helpful

Excellent tale,superbly read.

Fancied something different after a run of detective/police procedural series. This was refreshing, absorbing and beautifully narrated.

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Magical

Well read, well written. Thought provoking, writing with sensitivity about issues of the day and of today. Calm, clear, slow and soothing narration. I loved this book and the concept and truly didn't want it to end.

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Longbourn

It took a while for me to get into this book, I fact I started it many weeks ago and then left it but that was a mistake, it is simple wonderful. The story takes a different view of P and P and turns it on it's head, the main characters are the 'downstairs' people who keep the house running whilst living their own lives as much as is possible. Fantastic narration too. I wish there was a follow up but wonder if it would be taking the sotry too far and to be honest the book ends as it should.

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Fascinating approach to a well loved story

This is a fascinating approach to Pride and Prejudice. The same story from 'below stairs' and it's effects on the lives of the servants, so often never considered by 'above stairs'. The servants are also human beings, often struggling with their duties and difficulties in their own lives. It contains a very interesting twist on the original story.

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Great book

Nice story, easy listening , great narrator. Will try both author and narrator again .

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