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Longbourn

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About this listen

If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah thought, she would be more careful not to trudge through muddy fields.

It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and bleeding. Domestic life below stairs, ruled tenderly and forcefully by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman smelling of the sea, and bearing secrets.

For in Georgian England, there is a world the young ladies in the drawing room will never know, a world of poverty, love, and brutal war.

 Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

A reimagining of Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants . . . A joy
A genuinely fresh perspective on the tale of the Bennet household . . . Baker confronts the darker elements of eighteenth century life . . . The result is engrossing - and a lot of fun
A really special book, and not only because its author writes like an angel
Delightfully audacious . . . a work that's both original and charming, even gripping
Intoxicating . . . A joy in its own right, a novel that contrives both to provoke the intellect and, ultimately, to stop the heart
To twist something so familiar into something quite fresh is impressive . . . Baker takes ownership of this world without mimicking Austen's style, asserting instead her own distinctive voice . . . An engrossing tale we neither know nor expect
An Austen lover has the satisfaction of matching the novel chapter for chapter
Just enough Darcy to delight, as well as being a fascinating insight into the harsh working conditions of life in a grand house two hundred years ago
Jo Baker takes the reader on a journey back to a version of Regency England that is as much about poverty and war as social comedy and romance
This clever glimpse of Austen's universe clouded by washday steam is so compelling it leaves you wanting to read the next chapter in the lives below stairs
All stars
Most relevant
Normally I would shy clear of a fan fiction novel but this is done with such elegant prose and heart felt characters that it leads you every step yearning to know how the people fare.
The narrator is superb.

Fantastic embellishment of a much loved story

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If you could sum up Longbourn in three words, what would they be?

Very interesting read.

What other book might you compare Longbourn to, and why?

Obviously Pride and Prejudice, Pemberley by Emma Tennant and Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D.James. With such a well known story you think you know it all and its great to hear how different writers see the story and how their take on it goes. This sees the well known story through a completely new set of characters and I think we learn a lot about ones we thought we already knew!

Which character – as performed by Emma Fielding – was your favourite?

The automatic choice is the storyteller, the maid who eyes we see the story unfold by but, HIll, or to give her her proper name is Mrs. Hill is revealed as quite a different character to which we had previously known her.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The hardships endured by downstairs servants is very well portrayed in this book and throughout you really can emphasis with almost all of them. The situations they endured to hold down a job are hard to understand in modern times but this what exactly happened.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed this story all over again and will certainly listen to it again in the future. Emma Fielding gives a very sympathic slant to all the characters.

What a great twist!

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I love the prose, the rich style with which Baker makes the early 19th century tactile with all its reality and hardships as well as joys. She says all the things Austen doesn’t say because, presumably, she took them all for granted. For us in our protected world of flushing lavatories, tampons and Hoovers, these things do need saying and they are magnificently achieved. The story is so clever that it convinces, casting Mr Bennett, Elizabeth and Hill particularly into such new roles that it will be difficult to shake them out of my head when I go back to the original.

I’ve read many Jane Austen follow-Ons, but this is far and away the best.

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And by unexpected, I mean, because it’s a very brave move to mess with the most classic of classics. Its balanced beautifully and focussed, as it said it would, on the lives of the servants, with snippets and constant references to the P&P narrative. It’s very believable and the unintended unkindness and inequality from the Bennett’s towards their staff feels really accurate to how life would have really been. It actually makes Lizzie Bennett a much more well rounded heroine. Excellent job from jo baker, I expect I’ll listen again 👍🏻

Unexpectedly great read

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An exceptional book, written with such skill. The descriptions of people, landscapes and relationships are SO WELL DONE! Iwished I was more eloquent to be able to do the author justice with my description. All I can say is that the story line has a very unexpected part in it (I mean John's time in Spain) and I loved how Jo has given such depth to the main characters. It is such an enjoyable book, please treat yourself.

An exceptionally enjoyable book

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