School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Everyone knows Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth Bennet's story. Sister Lydia wants to change that. Farrant's enticing book, written to evoke Austen's style without attempting to replicate it, gives readers "the rest of the story." Lydia might have been portrayed as a flibbertigibbet in the source material, memorable for eloping with the charming scoundrel Mr. Wickham, but here she presents her take. Readers are introduced to the youngest Bennet's wonderfully snarky personality as she, naively at times, lays open English society in 1811. The 15-year-old may be flighty and immature, but her diary entries illustrate that societal structure and mores can be held responsible. Women had well-defined roles, and society did not look kindly on those who defied them. Adventurous Lydia longs to ride fast, learn to shoot, and see the world beyond Hertfordshire. Instead, she is viewed as a marriage commodity by a mother desperate to ensure her family's financial security. Lydia is aware that she was denied an education because her family considers her looks and disposition her chief assets. When she sneaks into a library in search of reading material to impress a young man, readers sense that although her motives are shallow, this encounter with literature may not be her last. In the despicable Wickham, Lydia finds a kindred spirit, someone who has the potential to open worlds to her. VERDICT A delight to read. A familiarity with Pride and Prejudice will enhance enjoyment but is not necessary, and those who haven't read Austen will be sent in search of her work.-Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor School District, Lancaster, PA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Farrant faithfully--but creatively--retells Austen's Pride & Prejudice from the youngest Bennet sister's point of view. This time, Lydia is wise to Wickham's faults, only marrying him after a failed affair with a count in Brighton. Her droll diary presents a relatable heroine obsessed with fashion, dancing, and enjoying life, yet who isn't as shallow or self-absorbed as Austen's character. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
As any ardent Austen fan knows, Lydia, the flirtatious baby Bennet sister of Pride and Prejudice fame, scandalously runs off with notorious Lieutenant George Wickham. Here Farrant offers a firsthand account of the spunky 15-year-old's plight, using a secret journal to document the fated duo's first encounter, flourishing friendship (complete with horseback-riding lessons), and momentous jaunt from quaint Longbourn to the Brighton seaside. Thoroughly mindful of her predecessor's plot, time line, and character arcs (including an initially chilly, later compassionate Darcy), Farrant, like Lydia, takes some exciting liberties at Brighton. One of them, the arrival of enigmatic French siblings Alaric and Theodorine (also known as the Comte and Comtesse de Fombelle), lobs Lydia into an enchanting world of literature, fashion, and potential economic mobility allowing her, if only temporarily, to avert her gaze from the ever-scheming Wickham. While a hopelessly practical conclusion may disappoint the more sentimental romantics, Farrant's spirited romp through Regency-era England, flecked with humor, memorable characters, and a healthy dose of realism, is nevertheless as Lydia would say monstrous fun.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2016 Booklist
