Second Son: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

I do not usually write reviews unless I REALLY like or dislike a book. All I have to say for this book is that I could not put it down. I loved the detail. I loved the character development. I loved the length. After reading some other reviews, I would like to address some specific points. The book is detailed--historically, descriptively, and in character development. It is NOT a typical P&P variation or continuation. The original characters are here, but so are a lot of new characters. Many "original" characters are different in their behaviors and relationships. We see most of the characters through to the end of their lives, and that's all I'll say on that point. There are no "cliffhangers" or future installments coming to finish or "flesh-out" this story. As far as I'm concerned, the author did a great job and a wonderful service to the readers by giving us a rich, complete story. It is a LONG book. If you are a reader who likes only those P&P stories that can be read in what I consider a short timespan of 3-4 hours where ODC meet, greet, disagree, then find resolution and their HEA, you may not enjoy this book. Also, there are some spellings used that are not current 20th/21st century spellings. This really didn't bother me, but it might throw some readers off. Other than the different spellings, there were very few grammatical errors. The history appears to be well-researched and adds depth to the story and in some places, humor (just wait until you get to why Lizzy doesn't care about getting vouchers to Almacks!). I will read this book again. Thank you, Cherith Boardman.

It is a great story, however at some point you get the feeling of it being long and filled with irrelevant details.Spoilers!!!!This is NOT our Mr Darcy!Darcy’s story is fraught with pain and abuse. He grows from being introvert to being unable to communicate properly with anybody without emotional assistance of others, his uncles and Bingley. This problem and lack of loyalty created a situation where people started questioning his mental capabilities and stability. Throughout out his life this issue puts him at disadvantage with everyone, from his parents to his tenants. It was painful to read, therefore I believe the author was successful at made me feel and understand the despair he felt.Due to being a second son and the way he was brought up Pemberley is not to him what it means to our traditional Mr Darcy and I am OK with that. Pemberley represented everything he never wanted, very different from the JA P&P.Elizabeth is well traveled; the continent, Canada and US before she is even 18. That, I think, it was too far fetched. There was a war brewing with, what was then called, the Colonies (US) and she traveled with her Aunt and Uncle from Canada down to Florida? The War between US and the British Empire started in 1812 and peaked somewhere around 1814-15. Her descriptions of her travels and whereabouts were akin to someone who is almost an explorer?“I met hundreds of individuals worth everything, Miss Bingley: from the cabin boys, crew, and captains aboard each ship; to freemen and women opening businesses in New Orleans; officers and soldiers of the American and British armies at the forts; a band of alleged pirates in the bayous of Louisiana; Frenchmen in Montréal; belles on plantations along the Mississippi; the crème of Lisbon, New Orleans, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington societies; Moors of Barbary; natives of the islands; members of Indian tribes in the Americas...“Seriously???? Who is this girl?She is an accomplished horsewoman. She too is emotionally traumatized by events in her childhood, however, unlike Darcy she hides behind her charm and friendly manners. She is brilliant, witty and beautiful but not as tough as I expected.Bottom line, this is a good Regency story that borrowed some characters from P&P.The plethora of support characters overwhelm the story and makes it sometimes difficult to follow specially given the length of the novel.The nicknames! So many for just the same character, why? Fellow, Old Fellow, Jefferson, Darce, Darcy, Fitzwilliam, etc..... Sprite.... Miss Bennet? It is very well known that when Jane is not around Elizabeth is Miss Bennet, however in several instances Elizabeth is referred to as Miss Bennet even though Jane is in the room as well, that was confusing.At the end many of these characters are brought up to make Elizabeth prominent and well connected.Why two Phillips families in the neighborhood, so many characters and two families are given the same surname?This is a premise that has not been written, quite unique, but due to the number of characters and length it becomes tiresome.

I️ enjoyed this book and recommend it despite its flaws. I️ would have given five stars if not for the lack of editing. It is imaginatively plotted, exceptionally well researched, and, for the most part, well written. However, as with so many of this genre, there was not even a pretense to edit before publication. There are numerous grammatical errors, wrong words used, words omitted, and words left in that should have been struck when the author changed her mind about construction in mid-sentence. The errors become more numerous from the middle of the book onward as if she were rushing just to get it done. It is an insult to the intelligence of readers to bring a book to market in this sad shape.The author’s constant use of nicknames also became tiresome. “Sprite” used a few times might be endearing, but the term’s constant use was aggravating. The cast of characters was much too big for the author to adequately develop each one or for the reader to sort out all the connections. Despite it all, I️ did enjoy the book and just lament how good it might have been with a decent editor.

I've had this book for a while and finally decided it was time to check it out. Oh my. I couldn't put it down. The detail and emotion in this book just grabs the reader and holds you for hours. Darcy's childhood is "not the best" to say the least and it takes a sprite of a girl to bring warmth to his cold life. I loved the believeable characters, their strengths and their flaws. They were so real and it felt almost like a movie. I could see the location, the people and the conflicts. I felt cold and damp when reading about the cave but then warm and free as Lizzy rode the stallions from her father's stable. The story does not end with weddings but takes the reader through future generations. As with life, there is the good and then the ugly. But the strong carry on and learn to live again. If the reader likes stories with many characters of depth that they can become friends with and cheer for through the trials of life, then this is your book. If the reader is looking for a short jaunt from Longborn/Netherfield to Pemberly with a few bumps in between...this is not your book. This book will grab your heart and possibly make you shed a tear or two. It is like a movie of the lives of our favorite characters of P&P and lots more. The research for this epic was fascinating. Great job, Cherith!

I read the preview of this tome and was moved to tears by the childhood of Fitzwilliam. As Mrs Bennet once said of someone quite different, "Thank goodness he has some friends...". The story is a good concept, is long and detailed and gets slightly bogged down with additional relations who keep appearing from the woodwork. It also falls into two halves; the first half being much better written and more interesting. From the betrothal onwards, I felt the author was sometimes just trying to fill the pages, particularly the final couple of chapters.I found the ending completely overdone and too muddled, with yet more characters to contend with. It seemed so out of keeping that a country-lover and Master of such a huge estate would have a life after marriage as was created.I also have to take issue with the fact that it is supposedly written in Georgian English and style. There are many, many Americanisms, grammatical errors and malapropisms. With a very good edit, this would have been a much improved read.

This is one of the best P&P variations I have read. Yes it is quite long compared to most others, I believe it says about 20 hours. I loved everything about this book, the story of Fitzwilliam's life from birth, how he was treated as a second son by parents who didn't care for him. Spiteful older brother and cousin who bullied him. Elizabeth also has her hurt that she hides. Her family is very different from canon as is much of the story. A lot of extra characters in this book which make for a great read. It can be a bit difficult trying to keep track of how everyone is related but the author does their best to explain it all. My only regret is that this appears to be the only book from this author. I really hope they find the time to pen another though perhaps it would be difficult to better this one.

This is my second reading of this story, 15 months after the first and there is so much story here. Like most good books I find that there's always something new to find on rereading and I loved that the Bennetts appeared to be as per original but had more 'backstory' - I'd forgotten that part. Lady C. Wickham and Collins only got bit parts and Caroline's ultimate setdown was beautifuly done. Some humour, some sorrow and lots of romance. Beautifully done, and I look forward to the next.After reading again I enjoyed it for third time but was amused to find the probable result of spellcheck/replace. Marwilled, Field Marwill and Willow I eventually realised had had “shall” replaced by “will”. Therefore “marshalled” Field Marshall” and “shallow”, it was only after I read willow for the third time the penny dropped. This doesn’t at all detract from my enjoyment of this lovely book.

I have just finished this story. It is long, but very well written, punctuation very good and grammatically very good. I read it over several days, cried a few tears but generally enjoyed it. Ms Bingley was horrible as were Fitzwilliam’s parents and sister. I loved this Fitzwilliam and did shed a lot of tears with him. It is a very long story and will take a while to read. I would recommend it. I am now going back to catch up on the stories I have been neglecting.

I've probably read in excess of 200 P&P variations/continuations & this is at the top there with the best of them, in fact, this is probably the best one I have read. It has a prequel element to it which I found fascinating. There is so much information, especially about Darcy, that you actually feel like you get to know & understand his character completely. Loved it, a "must read" for any P&P fan!