Tag Archives: Longbourn’s Songbird

Longbourn’s Songbird: A Novel, by Beau North – A Review

Posted in Austenesque, Book Reviews, Contemporary Fiction by

Longbourns Songbird Beau North 2015 x 200From the desk of Kimberly Denny Ryder:

Much of the Jane Austen Fan Fiction that I read usually falls into two categories: works that take place during the Regency Period and works that take place during contemporary times. Works that take place during times of war are fairly rare (Darcy Goes to War by Mary Lydon Simonsen being a notable exception) and works that take place in the South (Mary Jane Hathaway’s Jane Austen Takes the South series being the only other example I’ve read) are also unfamiliar to me. Enter Longbourn’s Songbird by debut author Beau North, a re-imagined version of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice taking place in 1940’s South Carolina.

It’s 1948, only three short years since the end of the Second World War. The setting is the small, sleepy town of Meryton, South Carolina in the American south. Will Darcy has come to visit Charles Bingley and conclude some business in the acquisition of Longbourn Farms. While there, he comes across Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who despite the painful events of her past finds that she can’t stop thinking about Mr. Darcy, who engages and challenges her enough to bring her out of the vanilla monotony that she has settled in to as of late to protect her emotionally. Not only do we get to experience the charged and engaging dynamic between Lizzie and Darcy, but we also have a host of other interactions that play out, including an interesting relationship between Bingley and Jane Bennet. Jane is terrified when she realizes that Charles fancies her and has recently purchased Netherfield Plantation because she is afflicted by diabetes, which she knows will limit her lifespan and may make Bingley rethink his choice. Continue reading →

Preview of Longbourn’s Songbird, by Beau North

Posted in Austenesque, Blog Tours, Book Previews, Contemporary Fiction by

Longbourns Songbird Beau North 2015 x 200Just released this week is a new Jane Austen-inspired novel, Longbourn’s Songbird. Based on Austen’s iconic novel, Pride and Prejudice, author Beau North has transported the action to post WWII South Carolina.

While Pride and Prejudice has spawned the largest number of sequels in print, most of those are set during the same time period, the early nineteenth-century. Fewer still are set during contemporary times. Faithfully transferring the themes and social conflicts from a novel set in Regency times to modern times is a challenge that few authors have attempted, however some of my favorites have been: Pride and Prejudice and the Perfect Match, by Marilyn Brant, Unleashing Mr. Darcy, by Teri Wilson and Mr. Darcy Came to Dinner, by Jack Caldwell.

Readers of Jane Austen-inspired fiction can never have too many Pride and Prejudice-inspired stories, especially those focusing on their favorite iconic hero and heroine, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I am always pleased to see a new contemporary re-telling arrive on the scene. Longbourn’s Songbird is an intriguing new option for Janeites. Debut author Beau North may have transported Austen’s characters and plot across the ocean to the American south and one hundred and thirty five years into the future, but the lyrical transfer is creative and engaging. Continue reading →