The Making of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

De: Paige Badgett

Narrado por: Claire Storey

LADY CATHERINE'S SWOON-WORTHY VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY

RIGID TO A FAULT, Lady Catherine Fitzwilliam has her future all planned and is eager to begin her new life as a married woman. One short week changes everything, including the betrayal of one close to her. Being sensible, expertly behaved, and managing her exacting expectations has gotten her nowhere. She is ready to determine her own future—perhaps even acting against the caution that has guided her throughout life.

A MATCH BORNE FROM IGNORANCE threatens to bring scandal upon Catherine, and one reckless act binds her to a prospect she could never have predicted. Will Catherine save her reputation and still find herself a husband?

HALF VILLAIN-ORIGIN STORY, HALF COMING OF AGE, this tale transports listeners to a consequential precipice in Catherine’s life. One where she discovers her voice and begins to understand the needs of her own heart—and how fragile that heart may be—transforming her into the antagonist listeners know and loathe in Jane Austen’s cherished Pride and Prejudice.

©2025 Paige Badgett (P)2025 Paige Badgett

Beautifully written!

In this prequel, you find of why Lady Catherine is the way she is. Your heart breaks just as her heart breaks. The author does such a fantastic job with the story. In the end, you wish Lady Catherine had more years with Sir Lewis. She would of been someone completely different (if she just had the chance).

Claire Storey did a great job with the narration. Hopefully, she does more JAFF.

A Stand Out Austen Variation

Claire Story is a new-to-me narrator. I thought her performance captured Lady Catherine’s vulnerability and strength, and gave the right nuance to the supporting cast. She brought this story to life beautifully, and I will certainly be watching for more of her work in the Austen-inspired genre.

Among the many Austen variations that echo familiar themes time and again, this is one of those rare stories that breaks the mold and lingers in the mind. Paige Badgett took one of Austen’s most imperious figures and gave her a heart, a history, and a very human voice—and we listeners do love a human voice, do we not? (wink, wink) The Making of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a prequel reimagining a life before Pride and Prejudice, and it makes for a very compelling and poignant listen. It is a thoughtful look at how one young woman’s heartbreak and hope shaped the formidable and typically villainous figure we all recognize.

We meet Lady Catherine Fitzwilliam at a time when her future seems secure. She knows her duty, she trusts her family, and she believes she is stepping into the life that has long been planned for her. Within days of expecting a marriage proposal, however, her world falls apart. Betrayal and humiliation come from the very place she trusted most, and for the first time Lady Catherine must decide whether to take her own path. Seeing her transform from obedient daughter to a young woman taking control of her own future is both emotional and bittersweet.

I especially loved the portrayal of Sir Lewis de Bourgh. In Austen’s novel, and in most variations, he is little more than a name. Here, though, he stands out as the kind of romantic hero Regency readers appreciate: honourable, attentive, and deeply devoted.

Even though I knew from the outset that Catherine’s tale could not end in lasting happiness, I became so absorbed in her life with Sir Lewis that I almost forgot what awaited them. When the reminder came, it struck all the harder for how much I had hoped otherwise. I never thought I would cry for Lady Catherine, but I did. I wished they’d had more time.

The writing itself deserves praise too. Paige Badgett’s plot really drew me in, made me love the main characters, and I felt it was believable throughout.

For readers and listeners who love Austen-inspired fiction, this is a memorable story that provides one very plausible perspective to our usual understanding of a character usually dismissed as a caricature of arrogance. In this book, she becomes flesh and blood: flawed, ambitious, wounded, and resilient, and after hearing her story, I may never view the imperious Lady Catherine of Pride and Prejudice in quite the same light again. I think it’s a must listen—or read.

Highly recommended.

I received a free code for this audiobook, but I own the ebook. I am voluntarily leaving a review.