Aunt Felicity

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

De: Shana Granderson A Lady

Narrado por: Karen Cass

What is one to do when a father arranges a marriage for them, one they find abhorrent, and will not listen to their opinions or desires?

Felicity is the daughter of Henry and Beth Bennet, and for his own reasons, her father decides to arrange a marriage for his daughter, who is seventeen, to the son of Augustus Collins, Clem. His reasoning is that he is not confident his son Thomas will ever marry, and if he does, he doubts the son's ability to produce a son. Given the entail to heirs male on Longbourn and that if there is no son of Bennet blood, the Collins line will inherit, Henry sees this as the only way to secure the future of Longbourn after he is called home to God. As a woman, the only recourse Felicity has is to refuse to say her vows, which her father has threatened will leave her banished from Longbourn with her dowry stripped from her.

At the same time, Lord Dryden Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock, is determined that his second son, Reginald, will marry Lady Elaine Winston, the virago daughter of the Duke of Hertfordshire, as he craves an alliance with the powerful and extremely wealthy Duke. Her father had settled for a second son because none other would have her. Matlock wants another connection, as he had made when he married his older son, Jefferson, Viscount Hilldale, to the daughter of an earl he needed to be associated with.

Unlike Felicity Bennet, as a male, Reggie Fitzwilliam (who hates the hypocrisy of the Ton), being that he is well past his majority, cannot be forced to marry against his will as the settlement requires his own signature. He is training to be a barrister with the most prestigious firm in London when he is sent to Meryton to work with a solicitor who needs the services of a barrister. The solicitor is one Elias Gardiner.

The two whose fathers are attempting to bend them to their will, as far as matrimony goes, meet and end up eloping.

This tale tells of their early years together and their respective fathers' and families' reactions to their marriage. At some point, we arrive in 1811 with the leasing of Netherfield Park by Charles Bingley. A Darcy similar to canon is with his friend, and he behaves as we expect when he first meets the Bennets. He has, of course, no idea that his Aunt Felicity is also aunt to the Bennet sisters.

At the same time, the said sisters are not aware that they have another aunt, as, for his own reasons, their father has never mentioned her existence.

Not long after the infamous assembly, William Darcy writes a letter to his cousin and closest friend in the world, Richard Fitzwilliam, in which he shares his thoughts and reactions, including the slight at the assembly, with his slightly older cousin. Amused at his cousin's pride, Richard allows his mother to read the letter.

Felicity Fitzwilliam is not amused, and she decides it is time she met her nieces.

©2024 Shana Granderson A Lady (P)2025 Podium Audio

An Austenesque Family Saga

Loved Aunt Felicity's storyline more than ODC in this retelling of P&P. Some protagonists have exaggerated traits ( read off canon) but i chuckled and had heightened emotional reactions throughout. Jane/Bingley are again just too bland as a couple and i would have loved a twist to liven them up.
All in all, very enjoyable!

( It took me a while to get use to the narrator, but eventually it worked out well!)

A Prequel of Sorts

I appreciate this author’s knack for creating premises that often draw my interest, and her stories are, more often than not, enjoyable, including this novel. One thing I particularly love is the narrator she consistently chooses for her audiobooks. Karen Cass has such a lovely tone and cadence that she’s on my automatic purchase list when it comes to Pride and Prejudice variations.

Aunt Felicity introduces us to Thomas Bennet’s younger sister, who, rather than allowing her father to force her into marriage with Clem Collins, bravely elopes with Reginald Fitzwilliam, the second son of the Earl of Matlock.

I really enjoyed the pre-Pride and Prejudice years that lead up to Mr Bingley leasing Netherfield and the courtships of Colonel Fitzwilliam, Bingley, and Darcy. The story of the Fitzwilliams—their marriage and their sons—was engaging, and I appreciated the inclusion of Darcy’s parents in the narrative. It is Darcy’s infamous insult that leads Felicity to make herself known again to her Bennet relations after years of estrangement. As is often the case in her novels, everyone finds a happy ending.

The storytelling is good, but there are persistent flaws that appear in each book I wish the author would address. Granderson’s writing has improved over the years, but there is still a fair amount of unnecessary repetition. If a point is made once, the listener or reader can be trusted to remember it. I’d also like to see the author give more attention to dialogue—her style leans heavily on narrative, with too much telling and not enough conversation to bring the scenes to life and move the story forward naturally. And I do wish she would avoid the predictably extreme comeuppances for the villains; more often than not, Caroline and/or Lady Catherine end up in some sort of asylum. Oh, and never slap a child—even if it’s Lydia.

I find her books work better in audiobook format, so now I wait for them rather than read the book first.

Aunt Felicity is as determined as her brother Thomas is indolent!

I loved the back story of Felicity and Reggie and their life together! The Bennet father tries to force a marriage on his daughter as does Lord Matlock on his second son. Years later and happily married, with an investigation the Bennet's done. Their nephew's insult at the assembly, brings Felicity, now a Countess back to Longbourn. Off canon characters, yes. Still Jane and Bingley (despite some improvement) are not especially interesting. I enjoyed the story and the villains getting their due, it seldom happens in real life, so that's why I enjoy fiction!