Netherfield Park Revisited (The Pemberley Chronicles, Book 3)
It’s hard to keep track of all the various Jane Austen knockoffs and sequels. This one is part 3 of the Pemberley Chronicles, which follow the Bennet sisters post–Pride and Prejudice. The focus here is on Jane’s son Jonathan, now 42 years old and married to Amanda-Jane, daughter of Elizabeth’s old friend Charlotte Collins. Jonathan wants to pursue a career in politics, but Amanda-Jane feels neglected, and matters are made worse when she objects to his purchase of Netherfield Park, the house that brought Misters Bingley and Darcy into the Bennet sisters’ orbit so many years ago. Meanwhile, Jonathan finds himself drawn to the artistic and attractive Anna Faulkner. Readers looking for the sparkle of Pride and Prejudice will find instead a Victorian earnestness, but Collins deserves credit for not straying too far from the original characters and story. Buy for readers who love the Austen continuation subgenre. --Mary Ellen Quinn