{"id":8477,"date":"2022-12-14T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=8477"},"modified":"2025-06-18T18:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T22:23:38","slug":"review-longbourn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-longbourn\/","title":{"rendered":"Review – Longbourn"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Longbourn<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Jo Baker<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Genres:<\/strong> Historical Fiction, Regency Fiction
Release Date:<\/strong> October 8, 2013
Pages:<\/strong> 354
Purchase from:<\/strong> Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Rating:<\/b> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606<\/p>

View ratings overview<\/i><\/div>\r\n

\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606 – Did not finish
\u2605\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606 – Hated it
\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\u2606 – Disliked it
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606 – Okay
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606 – Liked it
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 – Loved it
Read the full explanation<\/a> of my book rating system.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters fuss over balls and husbands, Sarah, their orphaned housemaid, is beginning to chafe against the boundaries of her class. When a new footman arrives at Longbourn under mysterious circumstances, the carefully choreographed world she has known all her life threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. Mentioned only fleetingly in Jane Austen\u2019s classic, here Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Regency England and, in doing so, uncovers the real world of the novel that has captivated readers\u2019 hearts around the world for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Review<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I read Longbourn <\/em>once before, back when it was first released. With fond, though sparse memories of it, when I had no idea what to read, I decided to give it another go. It took me 2 months to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While, according to Amazon, only 354 pages long, at times it seemed interminable in its misery and solemnity. I came within a hair’s breadth of setting it aside without finishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I forced myself through it in the last week of read time, and it seemed to pick up a bit. What I’d forgotten about were the explicit horrors of James’ time at war and the full, disgusting proclivities of Wickham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is another book that has minimal \u2014 virtual none, really, \u2014 payoff for the misery of the journey. James, Sarah, and Polly eventually get happy\/satisfactory endings, but we get only the briefest mention of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a reader, I feel robbed of the joy a happy ending should bring. Perhaps because, in Longbourn<\/em>, it’s not so much a happy ending as a final scene that tells you things turn out OK. At the very least, Ms. Baker could have given us Mrs. Hill’s reunion with James and Sarah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jo Baker is the author of six novels, most recently Longbourn and A Country Road, A Tree. She has also written for BBC Radio 4, and her short stories have been included in a number of anthologies. She lives in Lancaster, England, with her husband, the playwright and screenwriter Daragh Carville, and their two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author links: Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Goodreads<\/a> | Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

NOTE: This review is based on an eBook I purchased from Barnes and Noble in November 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to subscribe to my blog<\/a> or follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“At times it seemed interminable in its misery and solemnity.” Check out my review of *Longbourn* by Jo Baker.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingReview – Longbourn<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[90,105,71,39,146,171,159],"class_list":["post-8477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-3star","tag-adult","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-literary-fiction","tag-pride-and-prejudice","tag-regency","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BookReviewGeneric-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-2cJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8542,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-darcy-longbourn\/","url_meta":{"origin":8477,"position":0},"title":"Review – Mr. Darcy of Longbourn","author":"Rachel","date":"January 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I was left with a lot of questions, especially in the second half of the book.\" Check out my review of *Mr. Darcy of Longbourn* by April Floyd.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BookReviewGeneric-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4602,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-elizabeth-bennet-heiress\/","url_meta":{"origin":8477,"position":1},"title":"Review – Elizabeth Bennet: Heiress","author":"Rachel","date":"May 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I really wanted to love this book because the idea that one event could change so much is fascinating.\"\u00a0Check out my review of *Elizabeth Bennet: Heiress* by Don H. 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