Review: The Legacy of Pemberley

The Legacy of Pemberley (Pemberley Chronicles - Book 10) by Rebecca Ann Collins

Publication Date: November 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Format: Paperback, 352 pp
Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN-13: 9781402224522
ISBN: 1402224524

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders

(Received for review from Sourcebooks)

Synopsis (Book Blurb):

It has been fifty years since Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth Bennet as his bride, and through half a century of both true happiness and difficult trials, their love has never faltered. When Charles Bingley's declining health forces Darcy and Elizabeth to travel with their dear friends to Europe, it will fall to the next generation to continue the legacy of love and family their parents have spent a life time establishing.

Reunions of old friends go hand in hand with the introduction of new adversaries, and long hidden secrets come to light. But as this chronicle comes to a close, the sadness in parting is tempered not only by splendid memories, but the knowledge that the legacy of Pemberley will live far beyond the written page...

Thoughts:

I have recently become a big fan of Jane Austen Fiction, sequels, variations, you name it, I probably like it. The characters that Jane Austen created more than 200 years ago still resonate with readers today. Author, Rebecca Ann Collins brings to life families that Jane Austen originally wrote about, the Darcy's, the Bingley's, the Gardiner's, the Collins' and many others along with new and diverse characters from her own imagination.

The Legacy of Pemberley is the last volume in the 10 book series, The Pemberley Chronicles tracing fifty years of family history. I was a little skeptical at first because I had not had the opportunity to read the first nine books of the series and felt that I may not be a good judge when it comes to this one. But, after I got past the initial stage of figuring out who was who and how they were related to everyone else, the book settled into a comfortable rhythm for me and I enjoyed it very much.

Like Jane Austen, Rebbecca Ann Collins has a way of engaging the reader with her characters. She makes us care about them and weaves a story that holds our interest and makes us want to read more, to know more about these people. Elizabeth and Darcy are beloved by many readers the world over, the trick for Collins was making us love the new characters in her books, just as much. She pulls it off with eloquence, detailed research and a great passion for the characters she has created.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. One of the most interesting parts of the book dealt with Georgiana, Mr. Darcy's younger sister whom we previously met in Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Georgina has been married to Mr. Grantley but who is now widowed. She and her daughter Virgina move back to Pemberley until they can recover from their tragic loss. In the process of time Virginia, becomes acquainted with a distant cousin, Rachel Fitzwilliam, daughter of Colonel Fitzwilliam from Pride and Prejudice. They become involved with two gentleman from a colony in Victoria, Australia and find that one of them isn't what he appears to be. This was a very interesting part of the narrative and I found myself wanting to read more about Virginia and Rachel both.

Now that I've read the 10th book, it's time to go back and read the rest and see how we got to this point. This book is a good stand alone, but it helps if you've read Austen before and are somewhat familiar with the back stories of the relatives of the next generation. The book has a good pace and doesn't end with the story all trussed up and finished. It gives the reader a sense that even though the series is ending, these characters will go on and continue to carry on the traditions of Pemberley. It is a rare book that makes the reader feel satisfied even though there is more to tell.

The Legacy of Pemberley is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




Please take time to read my interview with Rebecca Ann Collins here, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of two copies of The Legacy of Pemberley.