The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh

The author's debut The Clergyman's Wife was a profoundly beautiful book that made me sob for almost half of it, so I was very much anticipating this sophomore novel of hers. And as someone who loves any books set in the extended Pride and Prejudice universe, I was very excited to know the story of Anne de Bourgh.

The writing style in this book felt very familiar because I hadn't forgotten my experience of the previous one. It was beautiful and evocative, the descriptions of Rosings Park and the nature surrounding it as well as a newcomer's experience of London very lush. The author also makes us really feel the depth of emotions that the characters feel and that's why I again found it very easy to get lost within the words of this book. This is also definitely a character focused slice of life kinda story, so there wasn't much plot, and it probably wouldn't satisfy someone looking for a fast paced story, but I nevertheless really enjoyed following along.

Anne is a really sympathetic character, not only because she is never given the opportunity to overcome her childhood sickness and grow up, she is also very intimidated into submission by her strong willed mother. But due to the influence of other women who come into her life unexpectedly, she decides to finally take her life into her own hands and I loved her slow transformation. She really comes into her own, understands her desires better, and ultimately makes resolute decisions despite any criticisms. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the turn of events, but I thought the author did a wonderful job making us believe that Anne was capable of carving out a successful independent identity for herself and be a worthy mistress of her estate.

The side characters don't always get enough page time but many of them like Miss Hall, Miss Amherst, Harriet and cousin John play significant roles in Anne's character development and I came to like each of them for their varied influences. Lady Catherine was as always a force of nature who I don't think can be liked much, but I could empathize with her towards the end because she seemed genuine in her affection even if not in her manners.

In the end, this was a very quiet, emotional and interesting look into the life of Anne, who is always on the periphery when we read Austen's P&P. This is a quiet sort of story that grips you right away and slowly sucks you in. I would definitely recommend this to any readers who love reading spin-offs of Austen's works because this is a worthy addition to the world. And I can't wait to see if the author writes more in this universe.

This was a lovely story. I grew to like Anne and really root for her to realize her potential. I thought I had some notion of where her life would lead, but I was happily surprised by some turns I never expected!

This was inspired by Pride and Prejudice, and it stays faithful to the facts of that story as far as it goes, though it touches only lightly on Darcy and Elizabeth. This is Anne's story through and through.

Like P&P, this story also involves romance and love, but I'd say it's much more a bildungsroman than a pure romance. The tone is also completely different from Austen's work - there's no sly and witty narrator pointing out people's foibles, and there are few examples of people acting like hilariously preposterous asses. (Yes, Lady Catherine is part of this story, but she's not laughed at much - I even felt sympathy for her more than once!)

I admit I missed the spark and verve of Austen's storytelling - this tale could have used a bit of leavening in that direction. However, the early chapters' languid feel were perfectly evocative of Anne's state of mind, and if later chapters weren't actually humorous, they did have brightness and joy that made a nice contrast.

This also has some beautiful language about nature, home, and connection, and I felt the ending wove every theme together perfectly.