• Return to Longbourn

  • The Next Chapter in the Continuing Story of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
  • By: Shannon Winslow
  • Narrated by: Marian Hussey
  • Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (388 ratings)

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Return to Longbourn  By  cover art

Return to Longbourn

By: Shannon Winslow
Narrated by: Marian Hussey
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Publisher's summary

What will happen to the Bennet females now that Mr. Bennet has died? With Mr. Tristan Collins on his way from America to claim his property, Mrs. Bennet hatches her plan. The new heir to Longbourn simply must marry one of her daughters. Nothing else will do. Will it be Mary or Kitty singled out for this dubious honor? When the gentleman in question turns out to be quite a catch after all, the contest between the sisters is on. Which one will be the next mistress of Longbourn? Or will a dark horse step in to muddy the picture? Darcy, Elizabeth, and the rest of the Pride and Prejudice cast are back as the socially awkward Mary emerges from the shadows to take center stage in Shannon Winslow's long-awaited sequel to her best-selling novel, The Darcys of Pemberley.

Many Austen fans have a soft spot in their hearts for Mary and wonder if she might have the hidden makings of a heroine. Now, in Return to Longbourn, we learn what really makes her tick. Is she destined to be a governess forever, or will she overcome the misfortune of being 'plain' to find love and her own happy ending?

©2013 Shannon Winslow (P)2013 Shannon Winslow

What listeners say about Return to Longbourn

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Decent but not fabulous Jane Austen knock-off

Any additional comments?

This is an amusing and well narrated story based on Jane Austen characters. The writing is mostly fine, but there are some lamentable lapses in diction, for example, a character says: "The thing of it is..." I find these stylistic lapses inexcusable. Even a single read-through of Jane Austen's novels should be enough that the author would know to write "The plain fact is" instead of "The thing of it is..."

That said, lovers of Jane Austen will probably enjoy this lively story that features many of the familiar faces of Pride and Prejudice.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful continuation to Pride and Prejudice

What made the experience of listening to Return to Longbourn the most enjoyable?

Just a wonderful story about the characters I fell in love with in Pride and Prejudice. It was wonderful to find that all the Bennett women find love and adventure in their lives.

What did you like best about this story?

Mary falling in love with Mr. Farnsworth, especially when it look like she would never find someone.

Which scene was your favorite?

I love the scene when Mr. Farnsworth tries to fluster Mary, but instead she puts him in his place without even raising her voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Love for everyone.

Any additional comments?

This was a great conclusion to the many questions I had after reading Pride and Prejudice. I can't think of anything else I would want to know.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • SJ
  • 08-20-18

Better than the other books in this series but not great

The authors use of Jane Austen’s dialog from Pride and Prejudice is irritating. She once again adds a scene of a possible rape, which does not belong in this genre.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mary takes center stage.

very nice to have a story with the main characters as a backdrop. they really don't play that large a part (Elizabeth and Darcy) but rather Mary is the lead in this story and the story line around her is very creative and plausible and satisfying. great job.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not Quite Mary

An overlooked character in the original story, Mary becomes the centre of the new story, and in the process, the reader gets to see other aspects of her personality. It all seems quite fine premises to have a new story on, except that this Mary isn’t quite the Mary of Pride and Prejudice. That Mary was foolish, shallow and given to much self-importance and pomposity. It is hard to believe that in a few years’ time, she would become a stoic, sensible lady respected for her wisdom and learning. Time may change the amount of one’s knowledge, but would it add so much to one’s intelligence and strength of character?

It also appears that plot had to make several logical leaps, and these decreased its plausibility. Still, it is satisfying to arrive at a happy ending, even if it comes across as contrived. By the way, as the story focuses on Mary’s plight and adventures, fans of the other characters, like Elizabeth, would find that they have been reduced to bland, functional roles who merely keep the story going.

Hussey's performance helped to lift the story out of its mediocrity though. It was a delight to hear how her rich, warm voice conveyed all the different moods and emotions of the various scenes.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Austen fans might enjoy

When one reads alll Jane Austen and know there aren’t any more left, one looks for fan fiction. Enjoyable read.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Continuation to Pride and Prejudice

I feel this continuation would make Jane Austen proud. I loved that all the sisters' lives ended so well. The story is complete for me. The narrator did an excellent performance and was very persuasive with all the voices of each character. I would love more books by Shannon Winslow!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like it

Would you try another book from Shannon Winslow and/or Marian Hussey?

The material was just not well written. The writing felt very "tried" and was copy paste directly from Jane. The author tries to claim the copy/paste to be intentional to show admiration for Jane, but the affect falls far too short. The reviews give away the story, so it's really about the journey and this was a bit of a rough ride.

Has Return to Longbourn turned you off from other books in this genre?

The reader was excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyed!

I thoroughly enjoyed this continuation of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. It was well written and performed. If you liked Pride and Prejudice, I highly recommend it!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great continuation!

Ms Winslow has made the storyline seamless between the original Pride and Prejudice! I throughly enjoyed both books!!!

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