I picked this up for a project on my YouTube channel. I’m glad I did. While I do like Pride and Prejudice and Austen, I’m not big on literary fiction which is how I would classify this.
This doesn’t have the same tone or whit of the original. It’s actually kind of a downer. Instead of “copying” Austen, Ms. Baker made her own story. The original story and characters are the background while this focuses on the downstairs of Longbourn. That’s one of the things I love most about retellings-putting a spin on the source material.
Sarah, one of the maids, is probably the main character, but it definitely isn’t just about her. You get to spend time with all the servants including a new footman to the household. The characters are well-developed and complex. I like them, but also felt frustrated by them at times-like real people.
Ms. Baker also shows the reality of the servant class. She showcases things like the hard physical labor, mistreatment by superiors, and servant politics. Sometimes it felt like things were repeated too many times. But it also felt like I was living the painful and repetitive drudgery of their lives.
I’m sure some people won’t like some of the creative choices Ms. Baker makes with the characters from the original. That didn’t bother me. The writing style wasn't my favorite thought. Is this 3rd person omniscient? Whatever it is I Wasn't a fan. My main issue was that she would switch which character she was talking about and I’d be confused because it wasn’t a clear distinction.
Like I said, this has a kind of sad and real-life vibe. But it also has hope and happiness.
Thanks for reading!
Holly