The Longbourn Letters is an epistolary novel consisting of the correspondence between two characters in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet (Jane and Elizabeth’s sardonic father) and Mr. Collins (Mr. Bennet’s heir, the pompous clergyman who married Charlotte Lucas after Elizabeth turned his proposal down). Unlike much Austen-inspired fiction, this book is not a romance. The unmarried Bennet sisters and Lady Catherine’s daughter, Anne de Bourgh, are, in time, married off, and various children do arrive as the years go on, but the focus of the story is on the relationship between the two men. Despite Mr. Bennet’s sarcasm and Mr. Collins’ occasionally ridiculous behavior, they do eventually, and rather delightfully, form a genuine relationship, with shared interests (their children and grandchildren, gardening, news of their relatives and neighbors), conflicts, sympathy and advice, and ultimately a close and meaningful friendship. Occasionally quite funny (a description of Mr. Collins under the influence of cognac did make me laugh), and surprisingly touching (Mr. Bennet’s sincere worry when Mr. Collins’ firstborn was ill with smallpox was sweetly done), fans of Pride and Prejudice should definitely investigate this unlikely story of meaning, redemption, and human connection.

HOW TO PURCHASE: Amazon

NOVEL: The Longbourn Letters

AUTHOR: Rose Servitova

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2017

IMAGE: Book cover, Wooster Publishing