The Houseguest

A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

By: Elizabeth Adams

Narrated by: Brigid Lohrey

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Georgiana Darcy comes to Netherfield to visit her brother, she becomes friends with a neighbor, Elizabeth Bennet. After Miss Darcy has returned to London, she invites her new friend to stay with her at the Darcy home in town, unbeknownst to Mr. Darcy.

Will this change in circumstances lead to a change in affections?

©2013 Elizabeth Adams (P)2016 Elizabeth Adams

Maidens and Matrons

The story was very sweet, if much more long winded than necessary. I understand that the author wanted to recreate the series of misunderstandings that were the original, but every thing seemed drawn out. That being said there were some great scenes. I loved Lizzy's worries over being rude.
My major gripe is the voices of the "matrons." Mrs Bennett, lady Catherine, and Lady Matlock. they are way too nasal and read way to fast.
Am I glad I bought this? Yes

Good Story, but....

I read the book first and liked this variation when I found I could purchase the Audible version at a discount. Rarely have I been as disappointed in a purchase than I've been with this one. The narration all but ruins the story. She cannot do multiple voices well at all. Her vocal portrayal of Lord and Lady Matlock were pathetic, Lady Catherine, Mr. Bennett were poorly done as well. It will be a long time, if ever, before I listen to this again and I will never purchase another book narrated by her.

Excellent!

I've listened to it three times. It is so well done and satisfied all my revenge issues with the original book. Thank you! Keep writing. You have a gift. Maybe you will consider a Sense and Sensibility adventure. Please, please! xoxo

Nice Idea, but Not Worth Purchase

What disappointed you about The Houseguest?

I found this on a list of books to read if you love Jane Austen novels, but was pretty disappointed. The idea behind the retelling is great, but it's poorly executed. The characters do not seem to be true to the original, and it doesn't seem to follow Jane Austen's voice at all. Mr. Darcy's narratives seem to be the worst. Overall, it seemed too silly for me to finish.

Love a good P&P story

Highly recommend this to anyone looking for some fanfiction. The narrator is good and the story line is well thought out.

Wonderful book! Wonderful performance.

This has been one of my favorite Kindle books for a long time now. The story is excellent, and I find myself going back to it again and again. It was a real treat to get to listen to The Houseguest. The Audible version is extremely well done with different voices for each character. The reading was smooth and flawless! You won’t be disappointed by this one!

It started with promise - fell short in the end

This variation had an excellent start and storyline. Darcy in love, Elizabeth attempting to sketch his character. It includes all the miscommunications and misunderstandings that separate them. The problem is the ending. The romance was always a spark and never a flame. Not a satisfying HEA for ODC.

Great story, narration needs work

Elizabeth Adams is a talented writer. I enjoy her characterizations of a dedicated Darcy with a forward ness that thrills me to my toes. The narration took away from this because she made him sound creepy and lewd. Read the book!

Outstanding Narrator

Great story by a favourite author, Elizabeth Adams, comes to life with Brigid Lohrey’s brilliant performance of the various characters in this book. I could not stop listening until I finished. Highly recommend.

Excellent - couldn't stop listening

I truly enjoyed this Pride and Prejudice variation. It sort of followed the original P&P but with some changes that were really interesting. All the original characters are present, and a couple of new ones are introduced. This takes place after the Netherfield Ball. Elizabeth meets Georgiana Darcy at Netherfield and goes to visit Georgiana in London. Elizabeth believes that Mr. Darcy will not be there for the duration of her visit, but he came on the same day that she arrived. There are many events that occur as Darcy and Elizabeth interact in London. The pace was not too fast and it gave the listener time to really enjoy the development of the relationship. The ending is most satisfying and I really loved the Epilog. It is about thirty minutes long and I found out what happened to all the major characters, which was very interesting. This is really a great listen - I highly recommend it.

delightful

Very enjoyable variation. Narrator was okay, some characters voices grated on me and had to haughty a tone which was perfect for Lady Catherine but felt it unfriendly in others.

Another enjoyable story by EA

BL's narration is good and works well with this gentle tale. Unlike many P&P variations, there's no danger due to an evil/insane character and misunderstandings aren't dragged out until you want to bash their heads together!

The focus is very much on Elizabeth: it's all about her changing perception of Darcy and her attempts to reconcile the man in Hertfordshire with the one she sees in London and, later, the one who separated Jane and Bingley. That's not to say that Darcy is neglected, but he accepts that he wants to marry her early in the story, only to be tripped up by his own actions.

Personalities are generally faithful to the original story (although Lady C's motivation is almost certainly darker than JA would have made it, if she'd seen fit to give one).

The story could have done with editing, as it's really longer than necessary and cuts could have been made without detracting from the story. Her later books are much better in this regard and I highly recommend them.

I know some people don't like steamy variations, so I'll just finish by saying that this is a clean story that doesn't go any further than one scene of passionate kissing.

One of the best

I really enjoyed both the story and the narration. I felt the atmosphere of period and language was done beautifully, and the whole left me with a smile on my face.
I will look out for Elizabeth Adams's next vagary.

A delicious experience

What made the experience of listening to The Houseguest the most enjoyable?

The reader's voice was varied, interesting and gave a delicious sense of confiding secrets about the characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Darcy, as he was as infuriating as ever!

What does Brigid Lohrey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The voices of all the different characters were wonderfully conveyed.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed, or more accurately, smiled often,but also became involved in the love story again.

Any additional comments?

A thoroughly enjoyable reading and I will try others by Brigid Lohrey.