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Death Comes To Pemberley by P D James


vodkafan

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I know there was a thread somewhere for mash-up novels but I could not find it so mods please feel free to merge...I read this morning that someone is writing a murder mystery involving Jane Austen's P &P characters Darcy and Elizabeth; it is set in 1803 six years after their marriage ..it is out in November.

I know I for one will not be able to resist reading it, I had to read the zombie one when that came out..who else will read this?

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Although this book hasn't been published yet (it's due out in November), and is the latest in a long line of books revisiting classic literature, this is one I'm definitely on the look out for. I've seen a couple of news articles about it, and basically, crime author PD James has written her own sequel to Pride and Prejudice, set six years after the original book ended, but she's added a murder mystery element to it when Lydia arrives (uninvited) at Pemberley with the news that her husband has been murdered. I'm not a fan of the crime genre in general and I've never read a PD James novel, but I do like something a bit different, and this one sounds like it fits the bill. I'm really intrigued to find out how James handles it.

 

If anyone is interested, there is an article on the BBC News website and a blog post on the Guardian

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OOps sorry Chesil I just started another thread on the same topic in General Book Discussions... yes I am looking forward to this too.

 

Haha everybody knew Lydia's husband would come to a bad end....

Edited by vodkafan
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I think we both posted at the same time! I haven't read any of the other mash-ups/prequels/sequels, although I've seen a few that interest me, but this one will be top of my list, despite the fact I don't read much crime generally.

 

Yes I have never read a PD James (or any crime) either! I read P&P and Zombies, which was amusing.

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I tried a P D James book years ago - Devices and Desires - but I couldn't get into it. I think there was a TV series (I'm picturing Roy Marsden?) of her books several years ago.

 

I don't generally read sequels written by other people (in fact, I can only think of one, which was a real disappointment, which was the official sequel to Peter Pan) but I do quite like the idea of finding out what Lydia's been up to! I think I will see what people think of it first though!

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  • 6 months later...
  • 1 year later...

forced myself to finish it!Not good though, plodding would best describe it. I am a great Austen fan so really wanted to read it, but having once read a P D James mystery [plodding, and very old fashioned] did have some reservations about buying it. Got it for my Kindle, and as we were having a holiday staying in a Georgian house in Devon, thought it would be a good idea to sit in the window seat and read this book.It was 'leaden' I wasn't expecting Austen......... but even so!

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  • 1 month later...

I have got it on my Kindle but have not started it yet.  Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books and I hope I'm not disappointed when I get to read this one.  I'll give it a try and post my thoughts when I've finished. it.

I hope you enjoy it more than some of us did :) Looking forward to your thoughts on it!

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Did any of you who have read this watch the BBC adaptation over Christmas, and if so, what did you think?  I haven't read it so I don't know how they compare.

 

Book and TV series spoiler under tag...

 

 

 

I note that in the blurb of the book, it says that Lydia "stumbles out [of the chaise] screaming that her husband has been murdered".  However, in the TV adaptation it is Wickham who is accused of the murder of Denny!  Were there many other changes?

 

I couldn't see the lead characters as Darcy and Lizzie (why did Lizzie doubt Darcy's love for her so much - that didn't ring true for a start) at all, but I thought the actress who played Lydia was spot on (like Lydia from the 1995 BBC adaptation of P&P) and once I'd managed to distance this from being anything at all to do with Pride and Prejudice I quite enjoyed it as a Georgian murder mystery!

 

 

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I finished reading the book on Christmas Eve, so it was very fresh in my mind when I watched the television adaptation.

 

Lydia does scream that her husband has been murdered, but only because she hears the gun shots and doesn't know what's happened, and Denny was the one in the soldiers uniform so assumes that Denny has murdered Wickham, but it is still that Wickham is accused of Denny's murder in the book too.

 

Interestingly, while I wasn't a particular fan of the book, the one thing was that Darcy just wants to be at home with Lizzie a lot of the time and their love for each other still seems as constant as you imagine it to be at the end of P&P.

 

The biggest changes I had a problem with was how they made Lizzie the "detective" who solves the crime, for example, she sees the Bidwell girl (can't remember her name) feeding the baby, whereas in the book, the revelation that the baby is Wickham's doesn't come until after he's been found guilty of the murder, and it's only that the clergyman and the doctor (I think) who have taken the deathbed confession and get the last minute pardon.  I think the crime, the motive and the resolution were the same, but there were lots of little changes of when clues were revealed and by whom.

 

From a character point of view, they've not only changed Lizzie to be centre stage with Darcy in the television version, but Mrs Bennet isn't even in the book, and Mr Bennet only turns up towards the end.  Jane and Bingley are much more present, especially as Lydia refuses to talk to Elizabeth, and is taken to Jane's nearby home to stay.  Despite not liking the book, I did think the characterisation of Darcy and Lizzie was much closer to the characters we knew in P&P than the television.

Edited by chesilbeach
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I finished reading the book on Christmas Eve, so it was very fresh in my mind when I watched the television adaptation.

 

Lydia does scream that her husband has been murdered, but only because she hears the gun shots and doesn't know what's happened, and Denny was the one in the soldiers uniform so assumes that Denny has murdered Wickham, but it is still that Wickham is accused of Denny's murder in the book too.

Ah, thanks, Claire.  :)  I did wonder whether they hadn't changed it, but rather that the 'blurb' was misleading. 

 

I was thinking about trying the book but as I decided I wouldn't manage to finish it before Christmas I decided not to bother and just try the TV programme instead.

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Did any of you who have read this watch the BBC adaptation over Christmas, and if so, what did you think?  I haven't read it so I don't know how they compare.

 

 

I've got it on my Sky+ to watch over the next few days. I havent yet read the book but I want to one day :)

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I agree with the general feelings about the book being "slow" - but did like the touches about Wickham actually turning out to have a decent bone in his body after all, and Lydia actually caring truly for him - and vice versa.

All good baddies have something better about them, too :smile:

 

Regarding the film - did it annoy anyone else (a lot!) that despite Elizabeth being the wife of a wealthy man now, she wore that one dress over and over and ... :doh:

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I have just finished reading this.  I enjoyed the beginning as it had many of my favourite quotes and was quite Jane Austinish.  

 

I also enjoy PD James but for me the combination did not work.  

 

I would not go so far as to say that I wished I had not bothered but it will not be a book I will read again (like I do with my real favourites)

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Would anyone recommend this book? ive red P &P but havent heard of the book mentioned. 

 

It's worth a read. Interesting how the characters have developed from the original story. Wickham shows up finally in a better light  - and even Lydia is displaying signs of growing up (but not till nearly THE END)   :smile:

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  • 2 years later...

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