Pride and Premeditation

January 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Lizzie Bennet would be the best solicitor in her father's law firm, and she knows it-but the restrictions of Regency-era England stand in her way. When the young Mr. Bingley is arrested for murder, Lizzie sees an opportunity to prove her worth by proving his innocence, even if he's already chosen the infuriating Fitzwilliam Darcy to help him. As Lizzie searches London for clues and a culprit with only days to spare, she and Darcy unwittingly find themselves in the sights of a killer. Price's knowledge of Austen's original novel shines through in this delightful, fast-paced reinterpretation, balancing the intentionally loosened historical accuracy. While the plot is of its own design, Austen's characters are recognizable by both their names and actions, with Charlotte Lucas a notable exception to the almost all-white cast (her father is white, her mother from the West Indies). However, while the story addresses the social implications of her background, Charlotte shoulders the burden of teaching and there is little reflection on it by Lizzie. VERDICT Price's YA debut is a clever, twisting murder mystery adaptation that will keep both Austen fans and newcomers on their toes. This first book in the series will intrigue readers of Brittany Cavallaro's A Study in Charlotte and Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper.-Madeline Newquist, Center for Fiction, Brooklyn, NY

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January 15, 2021
A young woman intent on a position in her father's law firm plays sleuth in this mystery reworking of Pride and Prejudice. When Charles Bingley, head of a local shipping firm, is accused of the murder of his brother-in-law, George Hurst, Lizzie Bennet inserts herself in the case in an effort to prove her worth beyond her potential success in securing a respectable marriage. Mr. Darcy, Wickham, Mr. Collins, Jane, Charlotte, and the extensive cast of source characters all appear here, altered and with different roles though generally retaining their personalities and idiosyncrasies. Readers familiar with Jane Austen's work will get the most from this novel, but even for those who aren't, the book stands on its own as a solid, if at times plodding, whodunit. Though not a modernization, there are modern sensibilities at play, discussed by Price in an author's note and expressed in passages about class and sex roles that are much more expository than the original. This style of telling rather than showing extends across Lizzy's relationships with both Wickham and Darcy, though descriptions of the former are also happily peppered with dryly witty dialogue. Most characters are White; Charlotte is biracial, with a White father and Black mother from the West Indies. A slow-building tale of deception and struggle against societal bounds. (Mystery. 12-18)

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March 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 In this reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, 17-year-old Lizzie Bennett yearns to break out of Georgian England's societal norms for women and become a lawyer like her father. After a prominent citizen, Mr. Bingley, is accused of murder, Lizzie's father offers her an opportunity to work for him, and she leaps into action, trying to solve the case. However, she runs into many obstacles--mainly young, up-and-coming lawyer Mr. Darcy--that try to thwart her efforts and stifle her opinions. As she gets closer to the truth, the danger becomes more apparent, leading her and Mr. Darcy to start working together more closely. Price's lively debut adds some feminist twists, with Lizzie's desire to work and the story's focus being more on the murder-mystery plot than on the budding romance with Darcy. Readers will recognize many of Austen's famous characters, though they may have to adjust a bit to understand the English legal system. Nonetheless, fans of mystery and the regency period will find this a suspenseful and distinctive read.

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