Presumption and Partiality (Vintage Jane Austen, #5)

by Rebekah Jones

[phyllish]

Presumption and Partiality by Rebekah Jones

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single author in possession of a good plot, must be in want of imitators."

Phyllis Helton

Please forgive my silliness in that jumbled quote from the book. It is in no way intended as an insult to those who love to retell Jane Austen’s stories. I have read many retellings of Pride and Prejudice, one of my favorite stories of all time. Some are blatant copies where they change the time and place in an attempt to make the story sound just like the original. Some hint at the original story in a way that is so subtle you don’t even realize it is a retelling until you are almost done. Some have been good and some have been awful.

Presumption and Partiality takes this well-loved classic and adds enough of a twist to make it unique while yet sticking fairly closely to the original. The Arizona setting during the Great Depression that the author used for her story was intriguing.

Reading this version brought to mind the occasional visits to Phoenix to visit cousins, and vacations through Northern Arizona my family made when I was growing up. I was fascinated to learn about the cotton growing done in the valley there and to see the beauty of the Northern part of the state through the eyes of the characters.

I loved the way this story focused on Christian character and themes. It added an interesting dimension. The Bailey girls, though they were not rich themselves, had a lifestyle of visiting the sick and those who were poor to fulfill Matthew 25:40. That was very touching.

Placing the story at the beginning of the Depression, making Sidney Dennison (Mr. Darcy) a Navajo Indian, changing the soldiers to actors, were some very clever creative touches that made for interesting reading.

Authors who attempt to retell a story like this face greater challenges, I think, than when they write a completely original story. Changing enough details to avoid plagiarism, yet not changing things that people who love the classic will be disappointed to miss are just a few that come to mind. In this regard, I would say that the author did a fair job, but not great. In my opinion, the story would have been better if she had not tried to stick as closely to some of the elements of the original, as some scenes are just not quite the same without Jane Austen’s dry wit.

I will most likely read other books by Rebekah Jones. Her deep love for the Lord and the natural way she shares Biblical truths in the narrative, the creative details that shone through in this story and her style of writing are interesting enough that I would like to read more.


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads


I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.