Once nearly ruined by the smooth-talking and unscrupulous Wickham, Georgiana is now a handsome but quiet young woman in her 20s.

Not about the ball itself, but about Darcy’s sister, Georgiana. When the novel opens, it is the day before Lady Anne’s ball, the great yearly celebration honoring the memory of Darcy’s mother, and Elizabeth is worried. Having quickly won over the servants and the local people, the new mistress of Pemberley has brought a springlike vitality to the household and grown to love her new life. Bennet regularly visits his favorite daughter, usually spending most of his time happily ensconced in the library. The two families often meet for dinner, and old Mr. In nearby Highmarten reside Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, and their three children. They have two healthy sons, ages 5 and 2. Darcy to Miss Bennet, the couple are happily settled at Pemberley. Fitzwilliam Darcy (the latter nee Elizabeth Bennet) find themselves caught up in a murder case, one complicated by romance, a family curse, ghostly apparitions, dark doings and, not least, the reappearance of their old nemesis, Mr. James, or ideally of both, one may safely surmise that “ Death Comes to Pemberley” will be the must-have present of the holiday season. Should that reader, moreover, happen to be a devotee of “ Pride and Prejudice” or an admirer of the detective stories of Baroness James of Holland Park, more commonly known as P.D.

James.It is a truth universally acknowledged that a restless reader in possession of a quiet evening must be in want of a mystery. But given that the story is set in the early 19 th century, I’m prepared to compliment rather than censure P.D. Normally, I’d encourage writers to use the more common word, curse. Here is the sentence: “He was quieter no but still sobbing as they reached the last step, he wrestled himself free and, glaring down at Darcy, hurled his final imprecations.”Īn imprecation is a spoken curse and the word dates back to the 15 th century, from the Latin imprecationem. And she even gave me my word for the week: imprecations. Really, it’s almost enough to make me wish for a playbill.īut I’m impressed by the way that James (an amazing 92 years old) is able to mimic the Austen style. It’s been 20 years since I read the Austen novel and seven since I saw the movie so I confess I find the long list of characters a bit confusing from time to time. James’ latest mystery, Death Comes to Pemberley, features stroppy Elizabeth Bennet, handsome and brooding Darcy and….a dead body. Determined to reach people like me, she has borrowed her most recent set and characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Not much of a fan of murder mysteries, I’ve never before read anything by the formidable P.D.

Pd james pemberley