Death Comes to Pemberley: A Novel
Written by P. D. James
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
3/5
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About this audiobook
A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.
Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth's disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.
Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.
P. D. James
P. D. James (1920–2014) was born in Oxford in 1920. She worked in the National Health Service and the Home Office From 1949 to 1968, in both the Police Department and Criminal Policy Department. All that experience was used in her novels. She won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy, and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award and the National Arts Club Medal of Honour for Literature. She received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983 and was created a life peer in 1991.
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Reviews for Death Comes to Pemberley
1,256 ratings201 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5”It was generally agreed by the female residents of Meryton that Mr and Mrs Bennett of Longbourn had been fortunate in the disposal in marriage of four of their five daughters.” p 1This murder mystery is a sequel taking place several years after Pride and Prejudice ends. The day before a great ball at Pemberley an univited guest showed up – Lydia Bennet Wickham, who not only did not have an invitation to the ball, neither she nor her husband were ever received socially by the Darcy's. She arrived in a coach tearing along the drive like the hounds of hell were after it. Lydia told a story of her husband George Wickham and another man rushing off into the woods and hearing shots fired.There is a murder, and the never-do-well George Wickham is the chief suspect. The story wasn't bad, but it could have been so much better. There was a lot of telling, instead of showing. The visual of the pages was gray due to the very long paragraphs – sometimes more than a page long. I missed Jane Austen's light and sparkling wit, although it did have its funny moments and the characters felt authentic. The mystery was good enough – I didn't have it figured out. But that is what well known mystery author P. D. James was best at.Recommended for fans of Pride and Prejudice who would enjoy a bit more, or fans of P. D. James.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When it comes to re-writings or new versions of classical novels and classical characters, I am the least open-minded person imaginable, especially when we are talking about Pride and Prejudice. However, I really enjoyed P.D.James' treatment of Elizabeth, Darcy and Georgiana, because it is clear that she respected Jane Austen's creations and tried to breathe new life unto them, presenting their lives after their marriage. I liked the descriptions of the trials that took place, having the chance to see how justice was conducted at the time, something that I haven't come across in any other book I have read in such detail.
The mystery itself was nothing special, but it was enjoyable and ccomplex enough to keep my interest, and not have me roll my eyes every five minutes. The characters of Elizabeth and Darcy are well-written, and it wasn't difficult for me to picture them as if they'd sprung out of Jane Austen's book. I still would like to see more of Elizabeth's input, and less of the rumblings of her sister and Georgiana's lovesickness, but this is just me. Overall, it was a very good effort with respect to the original material, and for me, that is what mattered the most. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I think PD James did a reasonable job in using Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice to create this mystery tale, although she went a bit overboard in my opinion in terms of almost quoting bits and pieces of P&P (was it to give this book credibility? For me, it was too distracting a reminder that it certainly *wasn't* P&P). I also confess I enjoyed the few 'cameos' she snuck in.But as far as mystery tales go...well, this one was mediocre at best. I'd recommend it only if you are curious, can keep your expectations down, and if you can borrow it from the library.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Lovely writing, lovely narration, but a very weak story. The author clearly loves the characters and the setting. I wish equal care had been taken to craft the plot.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I decided to give this a read as I began watching the Masterpiece Mystery dramatisation on PBS. It's not unusual for me to do this, what I've experienced as a first was that upon finishing the book, I'd absolutely no desire to continue with the PBS series. I abandoned the television version because I simply didn't want to be bothered with this story any longer. I am disappointed. Lizzie and Darcy aren't my favorite Austen couple anyway (Anne & Captain Wentworth, for me please) so I'm not so beholden to the original material to be aggravated like this is some travesty against literature. With that said, I was a bit bored and it felt like this had very little life as reads go. I was excited for the mystery but once the reveal was done, there was still a bit to go to tie it all up and I didn't feel all that was warranted. Admittedly, it's a short book but I still think it was over long. I don't know that I'd recommend this as I believe most people do have other things they could be reading than a book that's a little less than okay and more middling than anything else.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Slow, very slow!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Loving all things Pemberley, I was intrigued to read a slightly different take on the topic. I am not generally a reader of mystery, and this proved only slightly less difficult for me. Getting through the Inquest and Trial sections was slow going and did not engage me much. There seemed to be too much repetition of the same information that did little to move the narrative forward. However, the beginning and the tying together of the loose ends was very satisfying.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5So much exposition! And the characters have an annoying tendency to speak in speeches. Still, all in all, it's a good read. I liked the plot of the book more then that of the tv mini series.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5For PD. James, this is bad. I really disliked her Elizabeth and Darcy, and the mystery is to faked up and arbitrary to justify the involvement of such a weighty cast.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I will begin by saying that I am not of the giant Jane Austen/P&P fan club, mainly composed of women, though I do appreciate the book's success as a literary classic. Nor have I ever read a PD James novel. I couldn't make it through this one: the jumps in narrative style, the obviousness of the murderer, and fan fiction that I couldn't bear to read. Though I love historical mystery, I hope to skip all other fan fiction murder mystery, particularly if it is based on Jane Austen.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Just OK, it seemed a bit of an unsuccessful mix of Austen and PD James.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Easy read, not much to it.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Is she crazy?
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not bad. I was glad to see the book didn't have the stupid scene from the mini-series of Elizabeth running to the gallows at the very last minutes. We got a better explanation of the story of the sister.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not terrible, but not great either. Certainly not what I expected of James. The "mystery" was so convoluted as to be almost indecipherable, even with the extended explanations at the end. It was a good imitation of Austen's writing style, just not a great story. 2.5 stars.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hmmm. Probably the best "sequel" to P&P since it's written by PD James, but I think I've learned my lesson: one should not fuck with the real thing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoyed this book and rated it highly. However my rating doesn't reflect the "mystery" but the extension of Elizabeth and Darcy's story. Loved that! James wove details from the book with other recollections and comments that complimented the original novel. The mystery itself was good but it was the characters by Austen and brought to life again by James that I loved.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5If we needed proof that Jane Austen's characters are entirely subordinate to the mordant social observations she uses them to make, this unexpected venture into the realm of fan fiction by the august Baroness James would serve nicely. James's recreation of Austen's tone and style is nearly pitch-perfect, but she has nothing really to say with the characters, who in and of themselves are as lifeless and lacking in depth as a set of historically accurate paper dolls. The attempt in passing to link up characters from various Austen novels in one narrative is terribly clever, but again serves no purpose other than to afford those readers in the know a moment of or two of self-congratulatory recognition ("Look! It's Harriet Smith from Emma!"). P.D. James is too accomplished a writer to produce a truly bad novel, but this was something of a disappointment. She's given us lots of reading pleasure over the years, though, so perhaps she's entitled to a little late-career indulgence.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5an intriguing mystery set in the Austen world. I think P.D. James must have had fun writing something unlike her Marsden mysteries.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Badly Done, Ms James, Badly DoneI was all anticipation when I bought this, assuming incorrectly that it would be at least a decent murder mystery, if not a skilled Pride and Prejudice take-off. Unfortunately it was neither.The murder mystery part is badly done; Darcy is betrayed as a wimp; the writing is drab and un-Austen-like, - and over all it is just plain boring.The dawdling style is more reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle - Victorian rather than Empire. Where is the wit, the sharpness, the humor that one has come to expect from Austen take-offs?If I were smart enough, I'd think of something witty and Austen to say in conclusion. As I am not I will just say, "don't bother".
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Think of a continuation of Pride and Prejudice with a murder thrown in for good measure. That's what this book is like. It's written in the style of Austen's book and is thoroughly enjoyable.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Lacks all of the sprightliness and charm of Jane Austen's storytelling. Elizabeth and Darcy are weak shadows of themselves, fearful and boring. No astute social commentary, just unfunny cattiness.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I should have just left this one. I don't usually like mystery novels but I love pride and prejudice so I just thought... but nope. The Regency language seemed about right but I felt it crippled the story. It all just happened so slowly. Every last point of the plot was endlessly discussed. The old cast was there but they just seemed like elements of the scenery as the main drama of the plot concerned others. Eh. Just eh.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is not my favorite P&P retelling. It is a good story and well-written, but it is much more focused on the mystery than on continued character development of those we know and love (or hate), and that is really what brings people to the retellings. Also, this is possibly the only retelling that makes Col. Fitzwilliam out to be a jerk. Who does that??
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5PD James almost made me believe that Jane Austen herself wrote it. All the English manners were there as well as a complex unfolding of the crime, a la British mystery series such as Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed this book, and returning to these characters, but I did have a few quibbles with it. I felt it went on far too looooooong, and I wasn't truly satisfied with the resolution of the mystery. I think, also, that any reader not familiar with P.D. James and her style might not make it through the entire thing. However, it was fun to see the characters again (if they didn't seem *quite* right at times) and visit this world.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Novel use of Pride and Prejudice characters and relationships to weave a story of murder and events following the end of the original story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I think P.D. James spent a lot of time wondering what happened to all the characters in Pride and Prejudice and wanted to share her conclusions with us. The book lacks the clever comments of Jane Austen, but we learn a bit of what life was like in 1803, the pace is quick, and I did not guess whodunit.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I like the premise, but the execution was somewhat more formulaic than I expected. Also, the narrative bounced about a lot from one character to the next. It made it difficult to find a character with whom to sympathize.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I don't remember being too terribly impressed with the crafting of this story: a bit over-done, but a good mystery. Miniseries looks really good though...