Anne de Bourgh's Best Friend

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

De: Shana Granderson A Lady

Narrado por: Karen Cass

This is a story of friendship that defies all odds and survives and flourishes regardless of the impediments that arise.

The friendship is born out of an almost tragedy and extreme bravery by one Elizabeth Bennet. In saving the lives of those in peril, she thwarts the designs of one of the villains of this tale and makes an enemy of the person.

As in canon, our Anne is sickly. In this variation, it is because she had suffered a bad case of childhood scarlet fever. For the purposes of this story, the disease has seriously weakened her cardiovascular system. It is not a secret her life will not be a long one. We see how our Lizzy, aided by her sisters and others, improves Anne's quality of life and gives her friendship and happiness she never thought she would find.

All of the principal characters from canon are present, as well as some of my own inventions, including two rather large (and I dare say popular) footmen-guards.

Through Sir Lewis and Anne de Bourgh, the Bennets (very different from those in canon) meet the Fitzwilliams and most of the Darcys. Do the connections they make change the initial meeting typically depicted between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy? How do Lady Catherine, George Wickham, Mrs. Younge, and the Bingleys factor into this story?

The above questions and many more will be answered as you listen to my tale.

©2024 Shana Granderson (P)2024 Podium Audio

Good story

This is an enjoyable, long story that starts out with 10 year old Elizabeth saving the lives of Anne and Louis de Bourgh. The tale continues through their lives and becomes quite sad as Anne’s poor health declines. Needed tissues!

Anne and Elizabeth’s friendship unite the families

This story begins when Lizzy and Anne are just ten years old. It’s quite an emotional journey. The Bennet’s are much better behaved in this variation. And Lady Catherine truly evil. Very different from cannon. Darcy and Elizabeth don’t actually meet till about halfway through. But they do know of each other through the Fitzwilliam family. I was very invested while listening and really enjoyed it very much.
Karen Cass did a very good job narrating this story.

Amazing story!

Great story, fabulous characters & wonderfully narrated! I will read & listen to this book many additional times. I just love it!!!

Tear jerker

Lovely story featuring Anne and Lewis deBourgh. Their story was wonderful and it made the book. Remind me never to piss off Ms Granderson, her villains do not fare well. Love her extensive epilogues.

Although the narrator does not make extensive use of differing voices for the characters, I was always able to follow the story. She is very expressive.

Lovingly off canon.

I liked everything about this book, it grabbed me from the beginning. It is full of heart, both the warmest kind and the most heartbreaking kind. It’s not just a sugary sweet path variation alongside Pride and Prejudice but there is much of that too as our well loved characters have been changed for the better in some cases. The story is full of very over the top villains, also well known characters.

The best part of the story for me was the friendship between Elizabeth and Anne de Bourgh. Lewis de Bourgh purchases an estate not far from Longbourn and becomes friends with the Bennets. The beginning of the story has Elizabeth rescuing Anne and her father from a carriage accident saving their lives. This act is reported to the entire Fitzwilliam abd Darcy families. And that creates a close bond between them all. Two Bennet daughters wed two Fitzwilliam brothers.

Darcy and Elizabeth don’t meet until a long time into the plot as both are much younger at the beginning of the story and thoroughly involved with their own family happenings. Friendships, romances, dealings with evil, and deaths.

Even though Our Dear Couple meet later in the story, as Darcy says to Elizabeth after she teases him about ‘breaking his leg to avoid meeting her,’ ‘We met at the exact right time.’ Their romance made up for the wait.

Highly recommended for variation fans.