Publication
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.
Collection
Call number
Fiction B
Physical description
331 p.; 25 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML: �?� Pride and Prejudice was only half the story �?� If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she�??d most likely be a sight more careful with them. In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants�?? hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen�??s classic�??into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily p… (more)
Media reviews
Like Austen, Baker has written an intoxicating love story but, also like Austen, the pleasure of her novel lies in its wit and fierce intelligence. Longbourn is a profound exploration of injustice, of poverty and dependence, of loyalty and the price of principle; running through the quiet beauty of
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much of Baker's writing is the unmistakable glint of anger. Show Less
Jo Baker’s interesting novel focuses on the downstairs life at Longbourn, the house where the Bennets of “Pride and Prejudice” live. The author makes no attempt to imitate Austen’s style, and pays relatively little attention to Austen’s major characters...Jo Baker’s thoroughly
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researched description of the servants’ toil expands the tiny piece of ivory that Jane Austen worked on by showing how the lives of the middle and upper classes depended on work that’s now hard to imagine...Certainly, of the many literary rethinkings of Austen’s work, “Longbourn” is one of the most engaging and rewarding
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Baker deploys them to good effect not only for their intrinsic interest but as a moral corrective. She has also fashioned an absorbing and moving story about the servants at Longbourn...If part of Baker’s inspiration could have come from Charlotte Brontë, there’s also an aside straight out of
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“Les Misérables... But to mention these classics is not to condemn as pastiche a work that’s both original and charming, even gripping, in its own right. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member jnwelch
What happens when you combine a great idea with graceful writing? The great idea in Longbourn is to tell the complementary story to Pride and Prejudice, much of it from the perspective of the servants who took care of the Bennets, the Bingleys and others of the upper middle class. In carrying out
When reading about Lizzie's famous penchant for walking, did we ever think about who would clean the mud from her dress? "Sarah leaned over the washboard, rubbing at a stained hem. The petticoat had been three inches deep in mud when she'd retrieved it from the girls' bedroom floor and had had a night's soaking in lye already; the soap was not shifting the mark, but it was biting into her hands, already cracked and chapped and chilblained, making them sting. If Elizabeth had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she'd most likely be a sight more careful with them." Elizabeth at least is quite kind to Sarah, as is Jane. The sisters simply live on a different plane, and descend occasionally from it, perhaps to loan Sarah a book, or give her an outdated dress. Sarah is even more affected by this disparity when Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliams appear:
"A blur of rich colors - one green velvet coat, one blue - and the soft creak of good leather, and a scent off them like pine sap and fine candlewax and wool. She watched their glossy boots scatter her tea leaves across the floor. The two gentlemen were so smooth, and so big, and of such substance: it was as though they belonged to a different order of creation entirely, and moved in a separate element, and were as different as angels."
She dreams of what it would be like to live "life as a country dance, where everything is lovely and graceful and ordered." But those angels need Sarah and others to handle the grosser, unseen essentials, whether it be chamberpots, or mucking the stables and grooming the horses, or such things as making soap from pig fat. As we learn how soap was made, Sarah observes, "It had never failed to astonish her, down the years of helping Mrs. Hill {the housekeeper and cook}, how soap that made things clean was such a foul thing in its own making. She stripped the pale dried lavender, and dropped the buds into the curdling porridge."
Baker explains in an Afterword that "the events of this novel are mapped directly into Jane Austen's. When a meal is served in Pride and Prejudice, it has been prepared in Longbourn." She has given names to the butler, footman and second housemaid, and their stories, along with Sarah's and Mrs. Hill's, end up being as mesmerizing as the glimpses we get of other, familiar characters from the original novel. As you can tell, much of the book is from Sarah's perspective, and her romantic ordeals contrast strikingly with those of Lizzie and Jane, including a critical decision involving Pemberley. The portrayal of the P & P characters is insightful throughout, including a servants-eye examination of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's relationship. "The mistress had no understanding of her husband; she persisted in tackling him head-on when, as everybody else already knew, you were better off taking a more circuitous path and weaving around the obstacles." An established servant at one point has the bravery to point out to Mr. Bennet that some of the fault lies with him, and we learn more of what led to this clever man holing up in the library with his treasured books.
All our favorite P & P characters make appearances. Mr. Collins is as ridiculous as ever, and Baker shows us that Mary may have been the best Bennet match for him. Wickham is even more repugnant than we thought, as we see him trying to seduce an innocent servant girl and otherwise conniving. It was a great risk to bring the new servant characters to the story, but Baker makes it work wonderfully well. We come to know Sarah, and James the footman, veteran of the Spanish war, and the oddly-paired Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and other well-drawn characters, including a memorable ex-slave servant of Bingley. We also learn some of the surprising secrets of the Bennet household. Among the many "meh" or worse novels that have built on Jane Austen's world over the years, this one is the exception, and it is an exceptional success.
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that great idea, author Jo Baker also manages to make sly comments on P & P, open the story up to the wider world, and work a nice contrast between romantic stories of those serving and those served. A common criticism of Jane Austen's books, for example, is that they are set during the Napoleonic wars, but a reader would hardly know it. That likely, of course, contributes to the stories' timelessness. Nonetheless, here that omission is rectified, as one of the new characters experiences the sordid dregs of the Spanish war and is forever changed by them.When reading about Lizzie's famous penchant for walking, did we ever think about who would clean the mud from her dress? "Sarah leaned over the washboard, rubbing at a stained hem. The petticoat had been three inches deep in mud when she'd retrieved it from the girls' bedroom floor and had had a night's soaking in lye already; the soap was not shifting the mark, but it was biting into her hands, already cracked and chapped and chilblained, making them sting. If Elizabeth had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she'd most likely be a sight more careful with them." Elizabeth at least is quite kind to Sarah, as is Jane. The sisters simply live on a different plane, and descend occasionally from it, perhaps to loan Sarah a book, or give her an outdated dress. Sarah is even more affected by this disparity when Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliams appear:
"A blur of rich colors - one green velvet coat, one blue - and the soft creak of good leather, and a scent off them like pine sap and fine candlewax and wool. She watched their glossy boots scatter her tea leaves across the floor. The two gentlemen were so smooth, and so big, and of such substance: it was as though they belonged to a different order of creation entirely, and moved in a separate element, and were as different as angels."
She dreams of what it would be like to live "life as a country dance, where everything is lovely and graceful and ordered." But those angels need Sarah and others to handle the grosser, unseen essentials, whether it be chamberpots, or mucking the stables and grooming the horses, or such things as making soap from pig fat. As we learn how soap was made, Sarah observes, "It had never failed to astonish her, down the years of helping Mrs. Hill {the housekeeper and cook}, how soap that made things clean was such a foul thing in its own making. She stripped the pale dried lavender, and dropped the buds into the curdling porridge."
Baker explains in an Afterword that "the events of this novel are mapped directly into Jane Austen's. When a meal is served in Pride and Prejudice, it has been prepared in Longbourn." She has given names to the butler, footman and second housemaid, and their stories, along with Sarah's and Mrs. Hill's, end up being as mesmerizing as the glimpses we get of other, familiar characters from the original novel. As you can tell, much of the book is from Sarah's perspective, and her romantic ordeals contrast strikingly with those of Lizzie and Jane, including a critical decision involving Pemberley. The portrayal of the P & P characters is insightful throughout, including a servants-eye examination of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's relationship. "The mistress had no understanding of her husband; she persisted in tackling him head-on when, as everybody else already knew, you were better off taking a more circuitous path and weaving around the obstacles." An established servant at one point has the bravery to point out to Mr. Bennet that some of the fault lies with him, and we learn more of what led to this clever man holing up in the library with his treasured books.
All our favorite P & P characters make appearances. Mr. Collins is as ridiculous as ever, and Baker shows us that Mary may have been the best Bennet match for him. Wickham is even more repugnant than we thought, as we see him trying to seduce an innocent servant girl and otherwise conniving. It was a great risk to bring the new servant characters to the story, but Baker makes it work wonderfully well. We come to know Sarah, and James the footman, veteran of the Spanish war, and the oddly-paired Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and other well-drawn characters, including a memorable ex-slave servant of Bingley. We also learn some of the surprising secrets of the Bennet household. Among the many "meh" or worse novels that have built on Jane Austen's world over the years, this one is the exception, and it is an exceptional success.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Longbourn by Jo Baker was one of those books that wrapped around me and swept me up in it’s story. I thought this was a wonderful homage to Pride and Prejudice, in that it followed the time line of the original book but introduced new characters, and new storylines. It honoured the book and even
Being a servant to the gentry was a difficult job, from the arduous and tedious day to day chores, to how they were expected to look and act, their way of life was as carefully spelled out for them as it was for the upper classes. The author obviously did meticulous research and fills the book with casual observations on their day to day life. One often sees pictures of well-dressed, handsome Regency women and men, well, this book gives us a bird’s eye view of the work that went into getting them so beautifully turned out. Longbourn is however much more than a listing of the rules and regulations of the day, the characters that people these pages are fully fleshed individuals and their story is filled with romance and suspense. I fell in love with housemaid Sarah, and felt she was every bit as interesting a heroine as any of Jane Austen’s fans would require.
Well thought out and imagined, Jo Baker makes Longbourn come alive. This was a great historical fiction read whether or not you are a fan of Pride of Prejudice and I highly recommend it.
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gave me a new insight into some of the original characters, but it all meshed with the original beautifully. Longbourn is the name of the house that the Bennett family live in, and the story is told from the servants viewpoint. It is an absorbing look at England during the Regency period through the eyes of people who were from the working class. Being a servant to the gentry was a difficult job, from the arduous and tedious day to day chores, to how they were expected to look and act, their way of life was as carefully spelled out for them as it was for the upper classes. The author obviously did meticulous research and fills the book with casual observations on their day to day life. One often sees pictures of well-dressed, handsome Regency women and men, well, this book gives us a bird’s eye view of the work that went into getting them so beautifully turned out. Longbourn is however much more than a listing of the rules and regulations of the day, the characters that people these pages are fully fleshed individuals and their story is filled with romance and suspense. I fell in love with housemaid Sarah, and felt she was every bit as interesting a heroine as any of Jane Austen’s fans would require.
Well thought out and imagined, Jo Baker makes Longbourn come alive. This was a great historical fiction read whether or not you are a fan of Pride of Prejudice and I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Longbourn is the family home in Pride and Prejudice as well as the title of Jo Baker's novel. It's set in the Bennet home, during and after the events described in Pride and Prejudice, but it's about the lives of the servants, with the Bennet family in the background. Sarah came to Longbourn when
Looking from the servants' perspective gives the reader a different way to see the Bennets, but this is not a book about them. Darcy is barely noticed by the servants, but Mr. Collins, to whom Longbourn is entailed, is very important to their futures and his visit is treated accordingly. This isn't Austen's genteel society; here pigs must be slaughtered, chamber pots emptied and if the weather won't allow the Bennet girls to go to Meryton to buy new roses to decorate their dancing slippers, a proxy must be sent. This isn't about the officers in their fine red coats, but about the grittier life of the enlisted man.
I enjoyed this book enormously. I've felt compelled, over the years, to read many books based on [Pride and Prejudice] and, for the most part, they are not good. This, on the other hand, is a fantastically rich and interesting book, and not a dull copy hoping to hang on those famous shirttails. Sure, Baker's version shows the characters differently than I imagine them (Wickham, especially) but that's part of the fun. The downside of this novel is that I will certainly read more terrible books based on Jane Austen's novels in the hope of finding another Longbourn.
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she was six, the only surviving member of her family. Taken in by the kind-hearted housekeeper and cook, Mrs. Hill, she grows up in the house. The same age as Lizzie Bennet, she is leading a different life that her mistress, rising early and going to bed after the family does, as she performs the many tasks that allow the Bennets the lifestyle they take for granted. Looking from the servants' perspective gives the reader a different way to see the Bennets, but this is not a book about them. Darcy is barely noticed by the servants, but Mr. Collins, to whom Longbourn is entailed, is very important to their futures and his visit is treated accordingly. This isn't Austen's genteel society; here pigs must be slaughtered, chamber pots emptied and if the weather won't allow the Bennet girls to go to Meryton to buy new roses to decorate their dancing slippers, a proxy must be sent. This isn't about the officers in their fine red coats, but about the grittier life of the enlisted man.
I enjoyed this book enormously. I've felt compelled, over the years, to read many books based on [Pride and Prejudice] and, for the most part, they are not good. This, on the other hand, is a fantastically rich and interesting book, and not a dull copy hoping to hang on those famous shirttails. Sure, Baker's version shows the characters differently than I imagine them (Wickham, especially) but that's part of the fun. The downside of this novel is that I will certainly read more terrible books based on Jane Austen's novels in the hope of finding another Longbourn.
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LibraryThing member michigantrumpet
When I was a little girl, I had a reversible coat – pink on one side, a riot of colors and flowers on the other. I loved that coat – the way the same coat could look so completely different depending upon which side you were seeing it. In much the same way Longbourn was a complete delight. Jane
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Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well familiar to and much loved by many, the subject of many a television series and motion picture. In Jo Baker’s telling we see the story in a completely different light – from the ‘downstairs’ view of the household staff -- butler, housekeeper, maids, stable boy. Not only are their richly imagined lives colorful as flowered cloth, but this version informs and gives new perspective to the well known story. The book seems well researched, but wears the research lightly. No sense of “Hey, look at how much time I’ve spent in the stacks learning how to make soap in Olde England!” At the center is a charming love story. I was hooked from the start. In a sense, this book brings to mind “Ahab’s Wife” about the ship captain’s spouse left behind to wait for him or even “Rosencrantz and Gilderstern are Dead”. Show Less
LibraryThing member danaenicole
I did not like this book. Sorry.
First of all, several people describe it as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice and i think that's really misleading. This book has little to do with P&P and that was disappointing to me. Just as the servants were in the background of P&P, P&P was in the background of
I did like simply thinking about the servants and all they had to go through to allow the wealthy to live their lives of luxury. The line on the inside cover was probably my favorite in the whole book: "If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she'd most likely be a sight more careful with them."
However, they seemed to have very modern attitudes, which is a fault that many TV shows, movies and books contain these days. For example, it seemed unlikely that the servants would dwell so much on the dirty tasks they had to do. If that was your job and life, thinking about how much you hate it all the time would only make your life miserable. I just think more of them would have accepted that that's the way things were.
I didn't really care about any of the characters. Especially not James, despite so much of the book being spent trying to convince me that i desperately needed to know what happened in his past. When he disappeared, i really couldn't have cared less whether he was dead or alive, happy or miserable.
Baker definitely added some grit to the story. Plenty of details about human waste as well as mentions of masturbation, homosexuality and adultery. I wasn't a fan of all that. And the Bennets (except Mary) are portrayed so negatively. Even Jane. Sweet Jane. It's like we're supposed to scorn the Bennet family for employing servants period.
[SPOILERS BELOW]
I didn't appreciate the secret illegitimate son added to Mr. Bennet's backstory. I did, however, approve of the addition of Mrs. Bennet's miscarriage. That's definitely something that could easily have happened before the events of P&P. I also think it realistic that Wickham would have taken advantage of the maids, so i didn't mind that addition.
[END SPOILERS]
I did like the research that went into Longbourn and that Baker was careful to make sure the timeline lined up. I just think that the whole thing fell short of what it could have been. It was a good idea, but poorly executed.
*Review written on June 8, 2015.*
First of all, several people describe it as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice and i think that's really misleading. This book has little to do with P&P and that was disappointing to me. Just as the servants were in the background of P&P, P&P was in the background of
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Longbourn. That makes sense with P&P, but is problematic in the case of Longbourn because its huge draw is the fact that it is a "retelling of P&P".I did like simply thinking about the servants and all they had to go through to allow the wealthy to live their lives of luxury. The line on the inside cover was probably my favorite in the whole book: "If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she'd most likely be a sight more careful with them."
However, they seemed to have very modern attitudes, which is a fault that many TV shows, movies and books contain these days. For example, it seemed unlikely that the servants would dwell so much on the dirty tasks they had to do. If that was your job and life, thinking about how much you hate it all the time would only make your life miserable. I just think more of them would have accepted that that's the way things were.
I didn't really care about any of the characters. Especially not James, despite so much of the book being spent trying to convince me that i desperately needed to know what happened in his past. When he disappeared, i really couldn't have cared less whether he was dead or alive, happy or miserable.
Baker definitely added some grit to the story. Plenty of details about human waste as well as mentions of masturbation, homosexuality and adultery. I wasn't a fan of all that. And the Bennets (except Mary) are portrayed so negatively. Even Jane. Sweet Jane. It's like we're supposed to scorn the Bennet family for employing servants period.
[SPOILERS BELOW]
I didn't appreciate the secret illegitimate son added to Mr. Bennet's backstory. I did, however, approve of the addition of Mrs. Bennet's miscarriage. That's definitely something that could easily have happened before the events of P&P. I also think it realistic that Wickham would have taken advantage of the maids, so i didn't mind that addition.
[END SPOILERS]
I did like the research that went into Longbourn and that Baker was careful to make sure the timeline lined up. I just think that the whole thing fell short of what it could have been. It was a good idea, but poorly executed.
*Review written on June 8, 2015.*
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LibraryThing member japaul22
I thought this retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants point of view was a lot of fun. It was a great way to relive one of my favorite books without someone other than Austen intruding on my sense of the characters. There is definitely a different spin on the characters from P&P than I
I liked how the book pointed out all the work that would have gone on behind the scenes and how understaffed the Bennets were for the face they tried to present to the world. The contrast with the servant life at the Netherfield and then at Pemberly was interesting.
One of the most eye-opening ideas was the idea of freedom. At the beginning, you feel how confined the servants are. They rarely leave their estates, working long days with no to little opportunity to meet others in their class. At an estate as small as Longbourn, there are few to no choices for love or friends. When the Bingleys come to Netherfield, it opens up society not only for the ladies of Longbourn, but also for the servants. But as confined and isolated as the servants are, by the end of the book you see that in some ways they do have more choices than their employers, who are utterly bound by tradition and customs.Sara, the main character, is able to strike out on her own to find love of her choosing. It's arguable that although some of the ladies in P&P do end up in happy marriages, it is less of their choosing than most people consider.
I also thought it was interesting that she brought up how important it was for the servants to impress Mr. Collins when he came to visit. They would hope to be kept on when he came into the property of Longbourn, and hoped to impress upon him how well things were run already so he wouldn't replace them all with servants of his own choosing.
Mr. Bennett does not come off very well in this book, and Wickham is even more evil than Austen portrayed. Mrs. Bennett is cut a little slack and I kind of liked this reversal of her and Mr. Bennett, even if I don't know that I really believe it. It sort of tempered my view of both of them.
I really liked this P&P spin off. I haven't read many, because I just love the original too much but this worked for me because of the different angle. I'd recommend it to fans of Pride and Prejudice.
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think Austen intended, but because the book stays focused mainly on the servants, it didn't bother me. And I think it is probable that servants would get a different view of their "masters" than would be presented in P&P. I liked how the book pointed out all the work that would have gone on behind the scenes and how understaffed the Bennets were for the face they tried to present to the world. The contrast with the servant life at the Netherfield and then at Pemberly was interesting.
One of the most eye-opening ideas was the idea of freedom. At the beginning, you feel how confined the servants are. They rarely leave their estates, working long days with no to little opportunity to meet others in their class. At an estate as small as Longbourn, there are few to no choices for love or friends. When the Bingleys come to Netherfield, it opens up society not only for the ladies of Longbourn, but also for the servants. But as confined and isolated as the servants are, by the end of the book you see that in some ways they do have more choices than their employers, who are utterly bound by tradition and customs.
I also thought it was interesting that she brought up how important it was for the servants to impress Mr. Collins when he came to visit. They would hope to be kept on when he came into the property of Longbourn, and hoped to impress upon him how well things were run already so he wouldn't replace them all with servants of his own choosing.
Mr. Bennett does not come off very well in this book, and Wickham is even more evil than Austen portrayed. Mrs. Bennett is cut a little slack and I kind of liked this reversal of her and Mr. Bennett, even if I don't know that I really believe it. It sort of tempered my view of both of them.
I really liked this P&P spin off. I haven't read many, because I just love the original too much but this worked for me because of the different angle. I'd recommend it to fans of Pride and Prejudice.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
2013, Random House Audio, Read by Emma Fielding
Longourn is Austen’s Pride and Prejudice told from downstairs, from the point of view of the house staff. It is an respectable read, if somewhat dull, but truthfully I was far more interested in trying to determine what was going on upstairs, at any
Longourn is Austen’s Pride and Prejudice told from downstairs, from the point of view of the house staff. It is an respectable read, if somewhat dull, but truthfully I was far more interested in trying to determine what was going on upstairs, at any
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particular point in the novel. Emma Fielding, narrator, did a superb job; I will look for more of her work. Show Less
LibraryThing member Goldengrove
This is a behind-the-scene novel, that shows the servants' lives, and I suspect you have to be familiar with Pride and Prejudice to appreciate it fully, but even if you are not it would still be a good read. Each chapter is headed with a quote from Austen, so you can keep note of 'where you are' in
The thing that struck me most was just how removed from the family's experience this story is. Here they all are, living in the same house, in the same time frame, and the events that cause such emotion for the Bennets are merely background. I like that, it feels real. Jo Baker has done a great deal of research to understand just what the servants of a house like Longbourn would have been doing, and, as with all good historical novels, the research is a foundation for the story, but never an intrusion.
The story of Longbourn is another love story, just as twisty and difficult as that of Elizabeth and Darcy, but invisible, untold. Unlike Austen's novels, this one faces the reality of the Napoleonic Wars, a nasty, brutish (and often short) reality for the ordinary soldiers who left their homes to fight it. The characters are engaging and it's a good story, although it seems to be trying to become another sort of book at the end and this doesn't really work.
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P&P which is rather fun. The thing that struck me most was just how removed from the family's experience this story is. Here they all are, living in the same house, in the same time frame, and the events that cause such emotion for the Bennets are merely background. I like that, it feels real. Jo Baker has done a great deal of research to understand just what the servants of a house like Longbourn would have been doing, and, as with all good historical novels, the research is a foundation for the story, but never an intrusion.
The story of Longbourn is another love story, just as twisty and difficult as that of Elizabeth and Darcy, but invisible, untold. Unlike Austen's novels, this one faces the reality of the Napoleonic Wars, a nasty, brutish (and often short) reality for the ordinary soldiers who left their homes to fight it. The characters are engaging and it's a good story, although it seems to be trying to become another sort of book at the end and this doesn't really work.
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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
Jo Baker's novel professes to be 'the servants' story' of Pride and Prejudice, but once again what we really have here is a 'corrective' historical novel written by an author with issues. Don't mistake me, Jo Baker has a powerful way with words, and for those modern readers who burn with the social
What Jo Baker actually delivers is a woefully unsatisfying Upstairs, Downstairs retelling of Austen's original novel, switching Elizabeth, Darcy and Wickham for Sarah the maid, James the footman, and Ptolemy the Bingley's black footman (of course), while the 'surprise' revelation of the third volume is telegraphed very early on in one of the first chapters. There is a random deviation into Sharpe territory with James' backstory, too, but I didn't actually care. About any of them. Perhaps this is why Austen left the servants to their downstairs drudgery and focused on the drama upstairs? Could be.
Being hit over the head with Jo Baker's 'corrective history' didn't exactly fire my enthusiasm either. 'The ladies could like the shoe roses or they could lump them', Sarah moans. 'And all of them with the same old freckles and wrinkles and bad breath and smallpox scars and limping gout', she later sneers at the guests attending one of the Bennet's dinners. 'If this was her duty, then she wanted someone else's'. And of course we have the - ultimately ironic - speech about how Sarah don't need no man to live her life: 'Not to hitch a lift with the first fellow who looked as though he knew where he was going, but just to go'. I'm sure those in domestic service did loathe their 'duties', and Baker describes in vivid, raw-skinned detail just what they would have objected to, but Sarah's sudden lofty aspirations make absolutely no sense - she isn't even inspired to glory by the more worldly James, she just decides, after being rescued from the workhouse and raised with affection by the Longbourn housekeeper for all of her young years, that she's fed up of being bossed around. Well, tough! That's your lot.
Nor did I like how Baker kept corrupting Austen's characters to suit her purpose - Mr Bennet is an old rogue, Mrs Bennet a worn out baby factory with a taste for special 'tinctures', and Elizabeth a naïve princess, while Mary waits for her chance to shine and Mr Collins is simply misunderstood. Perhaps if Baker's own characters had half the life and originality of those she twists and mocks, I wouldn't have minded so much, but Sarah the Mary Sue and James the Tortured Soul don't really leap off the page in comparison.
For fans of Downton Abbey, Jo Baker has crafted a sure-fire success (and I wasn't surprised to read in the afterword that a film adaptation is already on the cards). Loaded with anguished introspection, coarse language, and flowery prose about birds and nature, Longbourn is obviously supposed to be a modern reality check for the romantic readers of Pride and Prejudice, but both the characters and the retelling left me cold.
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injustice of stories set in Austen's time, whether written by Austen herself or not, this is a worthy response. BUT - I am tired of reading novels in which the class/gender/political imbalances of the past are clumsily redressed by twenty-first century authors, usually with the aid of a complete Mary-Sue heroine, like we have here. I know there were servants at Longbourn, picking up after Lizzie and her sisters, and I know 'they were people too', but the fact is that Austen wasn't writing a social critique, she was writing a novel about the conflicts of the head and the heart. Which, by the way, is still in print - and still inspiring spin-off fiction - two hundred years later.What Jo Baker actually delivers is a woefully unsatisfying Upstairs, Downstairs retelling of Austen's original novel, switching Elizabeth, Darcy and Wickham for Sarah the maid, James the footman, and Ptolemy the Bingley's black footman (of course), while the 'surprise' revelation of the third volume is telegraphed very early on in one of the first chapters. There is a random deviation into Sharpe territory with James' backstory, too, but I didn't actually care. About any of them. Perhaps this is why Austen left the servants to their downstairs drudgery and focused on the drama upstairs? Could be.
Being hit over the head with Jo Baker's 'corrective history' didn't exactly fire my enthusiasm either. 'The ladies could like the shoe roses or they could lump them', Sarah moans. 'And all of them with the same old freckles and wrinkles and bad breath and smallpox scars and limping gout', she later sneers at the guests attending one of the Bennet's dinners. 'If this was her duty, then she wanted someone else's'. And of course we have the - ultimately ironic - speech about how Sarah don't need no man to live her life: 'Not to hitch a lift with the first fellow who looked as though he knew where he was going, but just to go'. I'm sure those in domestic service did loathe their 'duties', and Baker describes in vivid, raw-skinned detail just what they would have objected to, but Sarah's sudden lofty aspirations make absolutely no sense - she isn't even inspired to glory by the more worldly James, she just decides, after being rescued from the workhouse and raised with affection by the Longbourn housekeeper for all of her young years, that she's fed up of being bossed around. Well, tough! That's your lot.
Nor did I like how Baker kept corrupting Austen's characters to suit her purpose - Mr Bennet is an old rogue, Mrs Bennet a worn out baby factory with a taste for special 'tinctures', and Elizabeth a naïve princess, while Mary waits for her chance to shine and Mr Collins is simply misunderstood. Perhaps if Baker's own characters had half the life and originality of those she twists and mocks, I wouldn't have minded so much, but Sarah the Mary Sue and James the Tortured Soul don't really leap off the page in comparison.
For fans of Downton Abbey, Jo Baker has crafted a sure-fire success (and I wasn't surprised to read in the afterword that a film adaptation is already on the cards). Loaded with anguished introspection, coarse language, and flowery prose about birds and nature, Longbourn is obviously supposed to be a modern reality check for the romantic readers of Pride and Prejudice, but both the characters and the retelling left me cold.
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LibraryThing member KirkLowery
This novel is highly dependent on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. And that is its appeal. Also, its drawback. If you've never read Austen's most beloved novel (or at least seen the A&E dramatization of it), then most of Baker's narrative won't make much sense.
Since I am very familiar with the
Jo Baker writes with modern morals and sensibilities, even political correctness. It did not detract from my enjoyment of her work and it's her clear intent to narrate the life of the servant class in Regency England. This is not fan fiction; it is historical fiction in the truest sense.
If you are an Austen fan, then put this book on your bucket list.
Since I am very familiar with the
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book and its plot, I found it to be very engrossing. It is its own tale, with the antics of the Bennett family in the background. There are a lot of plot twists, most of which are plausible and some of which are inevitable. Jo Baker writes with modern morals and sensibilities, even political correctness. It did not detract from my enjoyment of her work and it's her clear intent to narrate the life of the servant class in Regency England. This is not fan fiction; it is historical fiction in the truest sense.
If you are an Austen fan, then put this book on your bucket list.
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LibraryThing member elizabethcfelt
Longbourn is the story of the servants who work for the Bennet family of Pride and Prejudice including the housekeeper, Mrs. Hill; her husband, Mr. Hill; the child servant, Polly; the mysterious footman, James; and our heroine, the maid Sarah. Sarah is a wonderful character: innocent, intelligent,
A reader might admire Elizabeth for ignoring the mud and trudging the three miles to be with her sister, but the maid who must clean her petticoats does not. The servants are glad that Jane falls ill elsewhere, for they won't have to clean up after her. When Sarah gets sick, her fellow servants do not have the time to take care of her, and the Bennets do not have the inclination even to worry about her. 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.
A fan of Pride and Prejudice, I loved Longbourn. Seeing the evilness of Wickham with more clarity, learning about Mr. Bennet's secret life, and, of course, getting to know the family servants, has given my favorite Austen story a brand-new depth. Longbourn could have been dark and bitter, profiling, as it does, the difficult lives of the lower classes, but Baker makes clear that love and hope exist; that dreams, if kept practical, can come true. Highly recommended.
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kind, a hard-worker who longs for something more than servitude. Pride and Prejudice's story is a vague shadow against the engaging plot of Longbourn. Sarah's double love interests (James the footman and Bingley's footman Ptolemy) mirror, very slightly, the double love interests of Elizabeth Bennet (Darcy and Wickham). The near tragedy that strikes Lydia works as a foil to the devastating events of James' life. A reader might admire Elizabeth for ignoring the mud and trudging the three miles to be with her sister, but the maid who must clean her petticoats does not. The servants are glad that Jane falls ill elsewhere, for they won't have to clean up after her. When Sarah gets sick, her fellow servants do not have the time to take care of her, and the Bennets do not have the inclination even to worry about her. 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.
A fan of Pride and Prejudice, I loved Longbourn. Seeing the evilness of Wickham with more clarity, learning about Mr. Bennet's secret life, and, of course, getting to know the family servants, has given my favorite Austen story a brand-new depth. Longbourn could have been dark and bitter, profiling, as it does, the difficult lives of the lower classes, but Baker makes clear that love and hope exist; that dreams, if kept practical, can come true. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Austen fans looking to gain more insight into Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s or Jane and Mr. Bingley’s relationships will be disappointed, as Ms. Baker makes it obvious from the very beginning that this is not a retelling of Ms. Austen’s story. All of the major action that happens in the original
Longbourn is also a much darker novel. Besides the obvious class differences and the sheer magnitude of work Sarah and the rest of her service family must perform for the Bennets, there are scenes of war, of abject poverty, of flogging, of rape, and of slavery. There are discussions of bodily fluids, wounds, illnesses, and other very human ailments. In addition, the language mirrors the darkness. Gone is the prettily-dressed satire and dainty turns of phrase. It is a working man’s language to match the working men and women at the heart of the novel. Even the love triangle is less idealized and more down to earth. Both James and Tol are intriguing men in their own right, but the feelings they evoke within Sarah, the choices she must make regarding either man, and the worries she faces as a consequence of her actions are not as delicate as those mentioned in Ms. Austen’s original.
Yet, specifically because of its differences, Longbourn is an intelligent, detailed glimpse into the life of a servant. While some recent novels and television shows tend to glorify the life in service and the pride the servants have in the families they serve, Ms. Baker shows the true slog that such a life entails. The bone-weary exhaustion that never fades, the blistered hands, the worn fingers, lack of a proper rest, lack of privacy, everything done for the sake of others – nothing about this life is glamorous. Sarah is a wonderful heroine, strong and capable and yet innocent and fragile, and readers cannot help but hope that she will find her own Prince Charming, someone who will help make her life a little easier and her burden a little lighter. That she realizes – and helps the reader understand – that sometimes happily ever after means going through life with a loved one and does not mean becoming a well-to-do princess is made all the sweeter by the journey she attends in order to come to this realization.
Jo Baker’s Longbourn follows Jane Austen’s original chapter for chapter, making it delight for Austen fans, but the two books are so distinctly different in their scope that they might as well be about completely new characters. Whereas Ms. Austen pokes gentle fun at the Bennet girls and their marriage-obsessed mother, Ms. Baker treats the Bennet girls as aggravations, their delicate manners belying the not-so-delicate work that must be done by others. The topics are weightier and more serious as well, with mentions of war, slavery, flogging, starvation, and other human depravities. In addition, Ms. Baker’s version of Longbourn does not hide behind pretty decorations. Instead, she reveals all of the miserable, gory details that come with being alive, something the Bennets definitely do not acknowledge. With some unexpected plot twists and character connections, Longbourn becomes an excellent novel in its own right, showcasing the acute difference between the classes and introducing Austen fans to an entirely new family bond.
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is mentioned in passing and treated with amusement or derision, as the case may warrant, by the Bennet servants. For, they have more important things to do than worry about love affairs or other trivialities, something Ms. Baker drives home in her close attention to detail.Longbourn is also a much darker novel. Besides the obvious class differences and the sheer magnitude of work Sarah and the rest of her service family must perform for the Bennets, there are scenes of war, of abject poverty, of flogging, of rape, and of slavery. There are discussions of bodily fluids, wounds, illnesses, and other very human ailments. In addition, the language mirrors the darkness. Gone is the prettily-dressed satire and dainty turns of phrase. It is a working man’s language to match the working men and women at the heart of the novel. Even the love triangle is less idealized and more down to earth. Both James and Tol are intriguing men in their own right, but the feelings they evoke within Sarah, the choices she must make regarding either man, and the worries she faces as a consequence of her actions are not as delicate as those mentioned in Ms. Austen’s original.
Yet, specifically because of its differences, Longbourn is an intelligent, detailed glimpse into the life of a servant. While some recent novels and television shows tend to glorify the life in service and the pride the servants have in the families they serve, Ms. Baker shows the true slog that such a life entails. The bone-weary exhaustion that never fades, the blistered hands, the worn fingers, lack of a proper rest, lack of privacy, everything done for the sake of others – nothing about this life is glamorous. Sarah is a wonderful heroine, strong and capable and yet innocent and fragile, and readers cannot help but hope that she will find her own Prince Charming, someone who will help make her life a little easier and her burden a little lighter. That she realizes – and helps the reader understand – that sometimes happily ever after means going through life with a loved one and does not mean becoming a well-to-do princess is made all the sweeter by the journey she attends in order to come to this realization.
Jo Baker’s Longbourn follows Jane Austen’s original chapter for chapter, making it delight for Austen fans, but the two books are so distinctly different in their scope that they might as well be about completely new characters. Whereas Ms. Austen pokes gentle fun at the Bennet girls and their marriage-obsessed mother, Ms. Baker treats the Bennet girls as aggravations, their delicate manners belying the not-so-delicate work that must be done by others. The topics are weightier and more serious as well, with mentions of war, slavery, flogging, starvation, and other human depravities. In addition, Ms. Baker’s version of Longbourn does not hide behind pretty decorations. Instead, she reveals all of the miserable, gory details that come with being alive, something the Bennets definitely do not acknowledge. With some unexpected plot twists and character connections, Longbourn becomes an excellent novel in its own right, showcasing the acute difference between the classes and introducing Austen fans to an entirely new family bond.
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LibraryThing member Sheila1957
This gives us the servant's point of view of Longbourn and the Bennet family. While everything focuses on making advantageous marriages in Pride and Prejudice, Longbourn focuses on the servants who make that possible by taking care of the house, kitchen, and laundry. I liked the people who served
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but would have liked to have smacked the Bennet's at times. I found it interesting what had to be done and give the servants all the credit in the world for doing these jobs. It was hard work. I would have never made it. I liked that the story was written in modern English and not in the cadence of Pride and Prejudice. I liked Sarah and her decision to go after what she wanted. I'm glad I read it and got a different perspective of those times. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
What an utter and unexpected delight this was. I’m so wary of any books that latch on to Jane Austen’s success, trying to spin their own best seller out of her characters, but this one is a great novel on its own merit. Yes, the story is set in the Bennet household, made famous in the pages of
A housemaid, Sarah, has spent most of her life employed at the Bennet home. When a new footman named James appears, their small staff is thrown off balance. Soon everyone’s pasts and futures come into question as the story unfolds.
I love Austen’s novels and I know many people had problems with this book because they didn’t love the light it cast on their beloved characters. For me that wasn’t an issue. I didn’t think that the book changed them in significant ways. Wickham is still a cad; Mr. Collins is insufferable, etc. I think the key is to remember that this is not Pride and Prejudice; it should be treated as a completely different book.
I did feel like the story came undone a bit at the end of the novel. When James leaves Longbourn I lost interest a little and felt like the book never quite found its footing again. The tone of the novel changed dramatically and didn’t seem to synch with the rest of the story. It lost the close knit feel that the world of Longbourn radiates.
I did love reading about the practical side of that time period. Baker did a great job describing the inane duties that any maid would have in a house full of so many women. I also like the way Mary’s quiet role is expanded. Her role in Pride and Prejudice is a small one, but she’d given more depth in this story.
BOTTOM LINE: A great piece of historical fiction. As long as you go into the book remembering that this is NOT an Austen novel, I think you’ll enjoy it. Treat it as a completely separate story instead of as retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
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Pride and Prejudice. We do see the ever-recognizable characters we’ve grown to love, but Baker achieves something unique with this book. She’s created new characters that we care about while at the same time giving an added depth to the ones we already knew.A housemaid, Sarah, has spent most of her life employed at the Bennet home. When a new footman named James appears, their small staff is thrown off balance. Soon everyone’s pasts and futures come into question as the story unfolds.
I love Austen’s novels and I know many people had problems with this book because they didn’t love the light it cast on their beloved characters. For me that wasn’t an issue. I didn’t think that the book changed them in significant ways. Wickham is still a cad; Mr. Collins is insufferable, etc. I think the key is to remember that this is not Pride and Prejudice; it should be treated as a completely different book.
I did feel like the story came undone a bit at the end of the novel. When James leaves Longbourn I lost interest a little and felt like the book never quite found its footing again. The tone of the novel changed dramatically and didn’t seem to synch with the rest of the story. It lost the close knit feel that the world of Longbourn radiates.
I did love reading about the practical side of that time period. Baker did a great job describing the inane duties that any maid would have in a house full of so many women. I also like the way Mary’s quiet role is expanded. Her role in Pride and Prejudice is a small one, but she’d given more depth in this story.
BOTTOM LINE: A great piece of historical fiction. As long as you go into the book remembering that this is NOT an Austen novel, I think you’ll enjoy it. Treat it as a completely separate story instead of as retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
The family at the Longbourn estate are all a-tizzy because of a wealthy young bachelor who moved nearby, while the servants on staff are also adjusting to the new addition of a mysterious footman to their ranks.
This is yet another re-telling/spin-off of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and
For starters, this book is decidedly not Austen. Yes, that was kind of the point in showing the downstairs life but when the book opened with multiple references to the fecal contents of chamber pots and period-stained undergarments, I was already turned off. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I feel like one turns to Jane Austen for humor and happy endings; nothing about dealing with the drudgery of bodily functions seems appealing to that target audience.
The main story itself seems to boil down to the romantic relationships of the young maid Sarah. There is nothing worth writing home here about; it is obvious who she will end up with from nearly the very beginning, and then this pairing comes together fairly early on anyway. Even the stereotypical period of separation seems too forced. Really, there are no surprises to this book from the author's original pieces, and the bits that come from Austen herself will be known already to most likely readers.
The narrative voice bops around from servant to servant with no particular rhyme or reason, other than attempts to obfuscate the all-too-obvious plot lines. Baker's style is dully serious, although there are occasional wonderful glimpses of a wit that seems in line with Austen's, but these are too few and too far in between. I did appreciate sometimes seeing an event directly from Pride and Prejudice with the new light of the servants' perspectives, like Mrs. Hill also worrying about the entail because of what it might mean for their job security or Sarah having to stay up late to wait on the girls returning home from the Netherfield ball. But again, these were shockingly sparse, despite my expectation that much of the book would consistent of this.
For the audio reader, Emma Fielding was not a particular good narrator. I felt she made little if any vocal distinction between the myriad of characters and her very placid tone made an already dull book that much duller.
It appears that a lot of folks liked this book, but my expectations were for a much more interesting book than the one I got.
This is yet another re-telling/spin-off of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and
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Prejudice. I've come to expect that these aren't very good, but this particular title came with such high recommendations that I hoped otherwise. I was disappointed. For starters, this book is decidedly not Austen. Yes, that was kind of the point in showing the downstairs life but when the book opened with multiple references to the fecal contents of chamber pots and period-stained undergarments, I was already turned off. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I feel like one turns to Jane Austen for humor and happy endings; nothing about dealing with the drudgery of bodily functions seems appealing to that target audience.
The main story itself seems to boil down to the romantic relationships of the young maid Sarah. There is nothing worth writing home here about; it is obvious who she will end up with from nearly the very beginning, and then this pairing comes together fairly early on anyway. Even the stereotypical period of separation seems too forced. Really, there are no surprises to this book from the author's original pieces, and the bits that come from Austen herself will be known already to most likely readers.
The narrative voice bops around from servant to servant with no particular rhyme or reason, other than attempts to obfuscate the all-too-obvious plot lines. Baker's style is dully serious, although there are occasional wonderful glimpses of a wit that seems in line with Austen's, but these are too few and too far in between. I did appreciate sometimes seeing an event directly from Pride and Prejudice with the new light of the servants' perspectives, like Mrs. Hill also worrying about the entail because of what it might mean for their job security or Sarah having to stay up late to wait on the girls returning home from the Netherfield ball. But again, these were shockingly sparse, despite my expectation that much of the book would consistent of this.
For the audio reader, Emma Fielding was not a particular good narrator. I felt she made little if any vocal distinction between the myriad of characters and her very placid tone made an already dull book that much duller.
It appears that a lot of folks liked this book, but my expectations were for a much more interesting book than the one I got.
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LibraryThing member micahmom2002
Follows the story line of Pride and Predjidice but with the servants as the main characters. Most closely follows the story of Sarah, a coming of age servant in the household and the 2 men that capture her attention. Should she pursue the life of the unknown with the adventurous business minded
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young mullato or find happiness where she is now with James a fellow servant but where they will both be provided with all the comforts they need but subjected to a life of putting others needs and wants before their own. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Narrated by Emma Fielding. A quiet, understated performance befitting the nature of being a servant and adhering to society's mores. There is also a sense of yearning and regret as Sarah and Mrs. Hill go about their routine lives and duties in service to the Bennett family.
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
I am not sure what Jane Austen’s reaction to Jo Baker’s Longbourn would be — amazed, appalled or approving. I think perhaps all three. Using the framework of Pride and Prejudice, the novel takes a look at the other side of Regency manners and morals. A perfect novel for fans of Jane Austen or
All of your favorite and not so favorite characters from P&P are featured in Longbourn, but these major characters become supporting actors alongside the servants who work below stairs. It is housemaid Sarah along with footman James who are at the center of the action. Mrs. Hill is another player that has a major hand in the outcome of the story. A dirtier and grittier perspective is shared, as well as new insights into Austen’s own creation. Characters such as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet are more sympathetic. Mr. Bennet is even weaker in his dealing with the household. Mr. Wickham, already villainous in P&P, is even more so in Longbourn. And the young ladies of the house are pretty much inconsequential, except for all the work they create for Sarah, Polly, and Mr. and Mrs. Hill.
I really liked this fresh approach to a retelling of such a beloved classic. Longbourn will make you think about real life in Regency England. It really was a time of strict class distinctions and differences. The war that dominated the time, but rarely mentioned in Austen’s works, is also explored. I read some negative reviews of this book that found the gritty descriptions and earthy subject matter objectionable. There is some profanity and sexual content; this is NOT a Christian novel. But I could overlook those things, because the book seems so real and honest.
I believe this is a must read (or listen in my case) for any fan of Jane Austen. The audiobook version is excellent. Emma Fielding does a wonderful job at narration. All in all a recommended read from me.
Recommended.
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Downton Abbey, Longbourn is a great addition to this Austenphile’s library.All of your favorite and not so favorite characters from P&P are featured in Longbourn, but these major characters become supporting actors alongside the servants who work below stairs. It is housemaid Sarah along with footman James who are at the center of the action. Mrs. Hill is another player that has a major hand in the outcome of the story. A dirtier and grittier perspective is shared, as well as new insights into Austen’s own creation. Characters such as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet are more sympathetic. Mr. Bennet is even weaker in his dealing with the household. Mr. Wickham, already villainous in P&P, is even more so in Longbourn. And the young ladies of the house are pretty much inconsequential, except for all the work they create for Sarah, Polly, and Mr. and Mrs. Hill.
I really liked this fresh approach to a retelling of such a beloved classic. Longbourn will make you think about real life in Regency England. It really was a time of strict class distinctions and differences. The war that dominated the time, but rarely mentioned in Austen’s works, is also explored. I read some negative reviews of this book that found the gritty descriptions and earthy subject matter objectionable. There is some profanity and sexual content; this is NOT a Christian novel. But I could overlook those things, because the book seems so real and honest.
I believe this is a must read (or listen in my case) for any fan of Jane Austen. The audiobook version is excellent. Emma Fielding does a wonderful job at narration. All in all a recommended read from me.
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Remember the servants in Pride and Prejudice? You'd be forgiven if you didn't, because they're barely mentioned. Longbourn takes the story and re-imagines what the servants' lives were like, giving us the tale of the housemaid, Sarah, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Hill; the footman James; and another
Author Jo Baker clearly loves Pride and Prejudice, and her story both made me want to revisit the original and marvel at how she was able to say something new about it. This book is so well done as to seem almost effortless; everything from mapping elements of the original story to what the servants are doing to the ways in which the Bennets, Wickham, and other characters interact with the new ones. Shifting the perspective to Sarah gives a true homage and new spin on the tale without trying and failing to mimic Austen's narrative style. I loved the way in which this story could mention things that weren't or couldn't be in Pride and Prejudice - like the grossness of emptying the chamber pots and the Napoleonic Wars. Each of the servants are wonderfully fleshed out, realistic and memorable characters. Though there were a few plot points I thought rather too neat, I truly enjoyed and highly recommend this story.
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housemaid, Polly.Author Jo Baker clearly loves Pride and Prejudice, and her story both made me want to revisit the original and marvel at how she was able to say something new about it. This book is so well done as to seem almost effortless; everything from mapping elements of the original story to what the servants are doing to the ways in which the Bennets, Wickham, and other characters interact with the new ones. Shifting the perspective to Sarah gives a true homage and new spin on the tale without trying and failing to mimic Austen's narrative style. I loved the way in which this story could mention things that weren't or couldn't be in Pride and Prejudice - like the grossness of emptying the chamber pots and the Napoleonic Wars. Each of the servants are wonderfully fleshed out, realistic and memorable characters. Though there were a few plot points I thought rather too neat, I truly enjoyed and highly recommend this story.
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LibraryThing member jcelrod
I usually don't enjoy "spin-off" novels but absolutely loved this one. I liked the way that the familiar plot of Pride and Prejudice served merely as the backdrop for this entirely original story of the servants at Longbourn. While some familiar characters in P & P were given a more rounded
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depiction, the focus remained on the lives of the servants themselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member missizicks
It was okay. A little bit too pleased with itself at times, the author showing off all the research she had done a little clumsily so that it interrupted the sense of the story. A little bit miserable. I maybe shouldn't have read it straight after the best book in the world, because it showed up
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the paucity of language. But a decent yarn, at the end of it. Show Less
LibraryThing member JoStARs
Billed as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the below-stairs point of view, Longbourn by Jo Baker is so much more. The story of orphaned maid, Sarah, and mysterious, new footman, James, captivates the reader, while at the same time shines a light on the class differences in Regency England.
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Sarah, James, and the other characters are well developed, and the reader is truly interested in them. Longbourn is a story I loved reading and didn’t want to end. I highly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
A look at the lives of the servants behind the story of Pride and Prejudice, particularly concentrating on one servant, Sarah and her involvement with some of the other servants around and with the people of the story. It does reflect how the servants weren't really taken into account by the upper
It's still an interesting story, woven into the behind-the-scenes events of Pride and Prejudice. A different slant on the story, but one with a little too much modern takes on things, many servants would have a certain amount of pride in sending their mistresses out looking well and sometimes that would be their way of coping with being a servant. It's not all about being oppressed, it's about having a job and taking a pride in it. Some people would have resented being servants but there would have been others who found a quiet pride in the work and being able to support themselves with their labour. We take a different view of work today, and there will always be tasks that we have issues with, tasks of varying degrees of tedium but we reward ourselves as well with sometimes small things that make the tedioum easier to bear, whether it's a book, a flower, some hidden embroidery, whatever. I'm sure the lives of servants were no different and knowing where Simnel cake comes from I'm sure leftover lace made it's way to undergarments.
Somehow it just didn't ring as true as it might have, interesting but not breathtaking.
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classes, how negligent they were of the feelings and needs of the servants, though it's hard to believe that they would allow servants to read and not take into account their feelings and the fact that they too might want to have lives.It's still an interesting story, woven into the behind-the-scenes events of Pride and Prejudice. A different slant on the story, but one with a little too much modern takes on things, many servants would have a certain amount of pride in sending their mistresses out looking well and sometimes that would be their way of coping with being a servant. It's not all about being oppressed, it's about having a job and taking a pride in it. Some people would have resented being servants but there would have been others who found a quiet pride in the work and being able to support themselves with their labour. We take a different view of work today, and there will always be tasks that we have issues with, tasks of varying degrees of tedium but we reward ourselves as well with sometimes small things that make the tedioum easier to bear, whether it's a book, a flower, some hidden embroidery, whatever. I'm sure the lives of servants were no different and knowing where Simnel cake comes from I'm sure leftover lace made it's way to undergarments.
Somehow it just didn't ring as true as it might have, interesting but not breathtaking.
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LibraryThing member rhussey174
I’ve never read any Jane Austen-inspired fiction before, although I notice it all the time and wonder if there’s any chance I’d like it. Generally, the answer is probably not. But I’d heard enough people talking excitedly about Jo Baker’s Longbourn that it started to sound appealing. It
The book, if you’re not familiar with it, is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants’ perspective. One of the most interesting things about the novel is the different perspective we get on Austen’s plot and characters. We can see the events of P & P going on, but that action is very much in the background. The “upstairs” characters come and go, and we hear brief mentions of, for example, Jane’s stay at Netherfield or Mr. Collins’s visit and rejected marriage proposal, but the center of the action is downstairs, particularly around Sarah, one of the housemaids. She is a smart, thoughtful woman who enjoys reading when she can — Elizabeth lends her books — but whose body is slowly being worn down by the hard labor required of her. She watches after Polly, the young second housemaid, and observes with interest the new footman whom Mr. Bennett unexpectedly and rather mysteriously hires. In the meantime, it’s amusing to see that Elizabeth stands out not so much because of her wit and charm, but because her habit of tramping across the fields means the servants spend more time cleaning the mud off her boots and clothing. The worries and the priorities of this novel are different than Austen’s: it doesn’t matter so much that Mrs. Bennett is an embarrassment to her more well-bred older daughters or that Lydia’s misbehavior might keep Jane from a promising marriage prospect. What matters is that Mr. Collins, the future owner of Longbourn, find a wife who will keep the current set of servants so they won’t lose their jobs. Jane is the sister most admired among the five, not Elizabeth, because Jane is neat and mild-mannered and good at keeping the peace.
I think it’s possible to enjoy this novel without being familiar with Pride and Prejudice, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. The story is interesting in and of itself, but playing the two novels against each other as you read adds another, very satisfying, layer to the reading experience.
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turns out that the book is pretty good. There were some parts I didn’t like (an extended period that takes us to the Napoleonic wars in Europe) and sometimes I didn’t like the treatment of point of view. A few bumpy spots early on made me wonder whether I really wanted to be reading the book or not. But before too long I got fully caught up in the book and my doubts were gone.The book, if you’re not familiar with it, is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants’ perspective. One of the most interesting things about the novel is the different perspective we get on Austen’s plot and characters. We can see the events of P & P going on, but that action is very much in the background. The “upstairs” characters come and go, and we hear brief mentions of, for example, Jane’s stay at Netherfield or Mr. Collins’s visit and rejected marriage proposal, but the center of the action is downstairs, particularly around Sarah, one of the housemaids. She is a smart, thoughtful woman who enjoys reading when she can — Elizabeth lends her books — but whose body is slowly being worn down by the hard labor required of her. She watches after Polly, the young second housemaid, and observes with interest the new footman whom Mr. Bennett unexpectedly and rather mysteriously hires. In the meantime, it’s amusing to see that Elizabeth stands out not so much because of her wit and charm, but because her habit of tramping across the fields means the servants spend more time cleaning the mud off her boots and clothing. The worries and the priorities of this novel are different than Austen’s: it doesn’t matter so much that Mrs. Bennett is an embarrassment to her more well-bred older daughters or that Lydia’s misbehavior might keep Jane from a promising marriage prospect. What matters is that Mr. Collins, the future owner of Longbourn, find a wife who will keep the current set of servants so they won’t lose their jobs. Jane is the sister most admired among the five, not Elizabeth, because Jane is neat and mild-mannered and good at keeping the peace.
I think it’s possible to enjoy this novel without being familiar with Pride and Prejudice, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. The story is interesting in and of itself, but playing the two novels against each other as you read adds another, very satisfying, layer to the reading experience.
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LibraryThing member sarahlouise
This book was lovely. I'm not a huge P&P fan, but am a big Austen fan, so I put this book on hold at the library. I was in another world for a few days...in the "downstairs" of Longbourn house. You really got a sense of daily life, which is how I learn history.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Great writing,
I would consider owning this book and reading it again.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Great writing,
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too.) I loved the sentences and would have been underlining this book like crazy except (see above) it was a library copy. I would consider owning this book and reading it again.
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Awards
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Historical Fiction — 2014)
Independent Booksellers' Book Prize (Shortlist — Adult — 2014)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (General Fiction — 2013)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — October 2013)
Language
Original publication date
2013-08-15
ISBN
9780385351232