The Bennet Women

De: Eden Appiah-Kubi

Narrado por: L Morgan Lee

In this delightfully modern spin on Pride and Prejudice, love is a goal, marriage is a distant option, and self-discovery is a sure thing.

Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence - it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.

Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.

What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted - and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?

©2021 Salima Appiah-Duffell. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[L. Morgan] Lee perfectly hits each note of this loving tribute to Austen, while remaining firmly in the 21st century. Lee's portrayal of the friendship between EJ and Jamie is particularly strong, as each has multiple obstacles to overcome - EJ as a Black woman in the male-dominated engineering program and Jamie as a newly out trans woman who is embarking on a new relationship. Lee's portrayal of their affirming love and support is a balm.” (AudioFile Magazine)

“Rich with hope and romance, and readers will love it.” (Shondaland)

“Funny, poignant, and wickedly clever - I’ll be hunting for everything Eden Appiah-Kubi writes from here on out.” (Courtney Milan, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author)

“Appiah-Kubi’s unique retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice gives it a modern spin with surprising twists and empowering storylines.” (Library Journal)

“The cast of characters is diverse - EJ is Black, Jamie is a recently out trans woman, Tessa is Filipina, and Will has both Chinese and Korean heritage - and hearing EJ, Jamie, Tessa, and the other women who populate Longbourn discuss ambitious career goals, healthy sex lives, and more with unabashed frankness is refreshing.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Great story!

I loved this book! so nice to read a story that I can relate to as a black woman. relatable references and phrasing such a delight! looking forward to more from this author

It's ok

just was a cute story with lots of diversity. But it wasn't about an hour too long. The ending felt forced and drawn out. and at some points all the characters started to sound alike.

Modern Remake of Pride and Prejudice

This is a wonderful remake of Pride and Prejudice. The book is modern, meaning it's filled with many social issues being addressed today. I loved the setting of the story. The characters were very well crafted. This story was easy to listen to and fall in love with. I will definitely add this to my reading list again!

the Bennett women

Wonderful characters and great story. I feel like I have a new group of friends. excellent read

Did I miss that this is a YA book?

This all seemed like a YA book. And worse it seemed to throw in sex and foul talk at random times in an effort to claim that prize. While the story line was ok enough to finish the book the Narrator is what kept me listening through. I'm going to think twice about and fully look into any other books by this Author before I purchase them.

Enjoyable

I loved the narration. The story was great, however too long. I think each character should’ve had their own story that intertwined. It was hard keeping up with everyone together. Nonetheless, very progressive and based off my favorite book! I enjoyed it.

great remake but not my type

I am a sucker for a Pride and Prejudice Redo. Unfortunately this one was a little too to modern for my taste. It had nothing to do with races or sexes, but with the complete lack of Drama. I know that sounds dumb, but what's a good English period piece without some miscommunication, intrigue and relationship woes. This version is wonderful if I was giving advice to my daughter in the real world about how to think things through. But I was just looking for my traditional Elizabeth and Darcy. lol

Pride and Prejudice updated

Love how this follows the basics of Pride and Prejudice as well as modernizing it. Also love how the characters are just who they are and their race or queerness isn’t the point of the story! Love love

Fun P&P reimagining

This was a fun Pride & Prejudice modern reimagining. I’m not a purist on what makes something a “retelling” or “inspired by” or whatever delineations some folks like to make – for me it was if you’re familiar with Pride & Prejudice you’ll enjoy all the nods and references, but if you aren’t you won’t be thinking, “what on earth is this author doing”?

I loved the characters and just had a great time living this year with them. I specifically enjoyed that while EJ, Jamie, Dia, Tessa, Lee, etc. all had these distinct backgrounds and experiences, the tension & drama came more from launching into adult and post-college life than from any unnecessary spats between the characters. I appreciate that Appiah-Kubi acknowledges how trials/struggles have influenced who each person is without making the focus trauma. There’s an immense normality in their uniqueness and it was a great balance.

As with P & P, I felt the pacing lull in certain areas though I don’t know how much of that is just that I can’t connect as well with some aspects of the characters’ lives – being <<gasp>> two decades older. I imagine there’s probably a huge struggle with how to categorize this book: romance? women’s lit? LGBT fiction? NA? YA? etc. Which, I kind of think is awesome – because it really defies being singularly slotted. There is romance, but it’s no more important or detailed than the other major decisions EJ (and to a less extent others) is making in her life. Any sex scenes are closed door and in general sex isn’t the focus of the relationships. Jamie is transgender, but despite some understandable hesitancy regarding how others may initially respond to her, it’s mostly a non-issue. There’s some interesting dynamics around Lee & Will being famous.

Part of me would love another book that gives more on Jamie & Lee and some of the other characters – but I’m glad that they didn’t take over EJ’s story. There is an HEA and a path forward for EJ’s life that I enjoyed.

Note: This is solidly New Adult in terms of being set around graduating college for most of the characters. However, I think this would be a fantastic listen for high school age folks (I happen to have two!).

Narration:
L Morgan Lee was new to me and I really enjoyed her young, vibrant portrayal of the characters. She did a good job of differentiating male, female, young, old, etc. It really was just a fun listen.

Great novel

I really enjoyed this novel, and the reading of it suited the content perfectly. Congrats to the author on her first of many!