The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet (Lizzie Bennet Diaries)

by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

"Pure genius… a sharp, clever re-imagining… if Austen was writing now, she might have created something like this." The Guardian on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries may have started as a school project for Lizzie, but it grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. People watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr'd, and suddenly Lizzie was YouTube sensation. But not everything happened on-screen. Lizzie kept a secret diary. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet is everything you didn't see in her videos - and more. This is Pride and Prejudiceas you've never experienced it before! Read The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet,watch the YouTube videos at lizziebennetdiaries.com and check her out on Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter - become part of the sensation that's captured the imagination of millions of fans!

• ISBN10: 1471123227
• ISBN13: 9781471123221
• Publish Date: 3 July 2014 (first published 24 June 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Fond of:
I thought The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet was a nice, modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Even though I know it was based off of The Secret Diaries of Lizzie Bennet YouTube series it was still a little reminiscent of Disney's Lizzie Maguire. I also liked how the author incorporated places into this retelling. i.e. Pemberley and Grace Church Street both becoming Communications Businesses. Charlotte who is a dependent creature in Austen's novel becomes a strong independent woman who doesn't fall into romance with Mr. Collins, ewww.

Not Fond of:
For me, the wording between this novel and Pride and Prejudice was too similar. I felt like George Wickham had been plucked from Austen's novel and was parading around in a speedo. By this I mean that I didn't feel there was much originality to the characters other than modern garb and a sex tape.

Final Thoughts:
One must put aside her Jane Austen purestness and state that overall, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet was a fun read, for Austen fans and those who are just looking for an enjoyable book.

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

I desperately wanted to read this after binge-watching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries vlog series on YouTube in one sitting, and it did NOT disappoint! The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet is a refreshing and wonderful addition to the vlog, and a fantastic read.

For those of you who may be concerned that this book is simply a re-hash of the vlog, fear not! It gives greater details of Lizzie's life and conveys incidents and feelings in more detail than what could be portrayed in video format. It also adds plenty of extra material to make the read even more worthwhile. It is a fantastic companion to the vlog, however I would read the book after watching the vlog because you'll probably get more out of it that way. I know, I know - I usually jump up and down about watching an adaptation before reading the book! But in this case, the book came second so it's perfectly justifiable :) In fact, if you haven't already done so, you should read Pride and Prejudice, then watch the vlog and then read The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, in that order. Off you go!

Check out the rest of my review here!