Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley: Book Review

Rating: ★★★★/★★★★★

Initially I was drawn to read this novel because of the beautiful illustration on the front cover painted by Jane Odiwe, one of my favourite Austenesque novelist. For anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice, they will recognise that the title of this book refers to Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley who are both secondary characters in Jane Austen's best loved oeuvre. This novel can be classified as a retelling based on events in Austen's original tale of mistaken presumptions, class prejudices and moral upbringing but with expanded and added scenes to move the story along. Pride and Prejudice is basically a story told from Elizabeth Bennet's point-of-view. That is why I find this book refreshing because I would love to know Jane and Mr Bingley's thoughts and reaction during their lengthy separation from each other until they meet again nearly a year later. This is also the perfect opportunity to compare the similarities and differences between these two novel after reviewing Pride and Prejudice not too long ago.

The book begins with the arrival of Mr Bingley's sisters, Caroline and Louisa, Louisa's husband, Mr Hurst and his friend, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy to his rented manor, Netherfield Park. From there on, there are many new scenes invented by the author, Fenella-Jane Miller. Some are quite good and relevant to the story as she included numerous interactions between Jane and Charles. These include their friendly conversations during the Netherfield ball hosted by Charles Bingley and several other parties in the Meryton neighbourhood. I fondly recall the funny moment which they shared during the Netherfield supper where the groom dressed in livery costume piled one of each type of food available onto a plate without thinking properly. How I chuckled at the inappropriateness of the situation where Caroline just grab any available male servant and decked them in fine clothes just to pass him off as a footman. Moments like this are what I love to read besides their innermost thoughts and opinions that they voice out during a time of reflection. It is just as delightful to hear their hopes and fears express in confidence to their best friend, Elizabeth and Darcy.

You may well be aware that Jane Austen never wrote a scene without a lady present for she only wrote what she knew during a time of limited opportunities for women. This novel have many new scenes especially created for the purpose of expanding the role of Mr Bingley. One of most memorable depiction is the duel scene between Mr Darcy and Lord Winterton who has sullied the good name of the Darcy family after both Charles and Darcy overheard the insulting remark on Darcy's sister, Georgiana, at White's, a gentleman club in London. Charles acted as Mr Darcy's second at the event and fortunately they both escaped from being caught by the constables who are in hot pursuit of them as it is illegal to fight a duel. This clearly adds a new dimension to Charles's character without undermining his established qualities and inherent good nature. We are also privy to his insights on Mr Darcy's apparent admiration for Elizabeth during his stay in Netherfield Park. We also got to know how Charles tried to reconcile with Jane during his stay in London when he wrote her a letter but it was never posted due to Caroline's interference. He also secretly travelled to Netherfield in order to see Jane regarding his letter but unknown to him, Jane was already in London. Ms Miller's work is definitely filled with missed opportunities and misunderstandings that kept the couple from coming together earlier that I cannot help but root for both of them.

On the other hand, I dearly love to read Jane's growing love for Bingley how Jane spend her time in London, staying with her aunt and uncle's family, Mr and Mrs Gardiner. It was a joy to learn how she enjoyed teaching and playing with her four little cousins. She was also reacquainted with her former admirer, Mr Bertram Fox when a skating accident brought them together. Mr Fox had written her poetry some years ago and this incident was briefly mentioned by Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. The friendship with him made her think less about her lost love for Charles. Unfortunately, he proved to be a cad and it was lucky that nothing untoward had happened to her. However this distinct event was not mentioned to Elizabeth which seems inconsistent with her character to keep anything secret from her dear sister. Apart from this, her view of Elizabeth and Darcy's unfolding relationship was revealed through her eyes. This novel goes beyond Austen's original story and by including Bingley's sweet proposal to Jane, visits to London in preparation for the double wedding celebration and the actual ceremony. It then proceeds to a satisfying conclusion with married life in Netherfield and events that prompt Charles to purchase an estate on his own near Mr Darcy's estate, Pemberley.

However I must admit that some of the scenes were unnecessary because it diminished the effect in Pride and Prejudice. I refer to the dinner invitation of the Netherfield party at Longbourn as it never occurred until after Bingley's return some months later. That is why Mrs Bennet is forever lamenting that Mr Bingley had not yet returned her hospitality by attending her dinner party. I also notice the timeline of the story are slightly shifted to suit Ms Miller's version. The noticeable differences are Lady Catherine's unexpected visit to Longbourn before the official engagement between Jane and Charles and Mr Darcy's proposal to Elizabeth Bennet which was cut short to only one day of strolling around the neighbourhood. These scenes sometimes cause a little confusion and impede my enjoyment of the novel. I would prefer not to read this book on the heels of Pride and Prejudice but allow sufficient time to pass before attempting it.

My major quibble is there are many grammatical errors and scattered throughout the novel. Let me give you a background of myself so that you could understand where I am coming from. As a daughter of an English teacher, my father has instill in me the rules of English grammar. I find myself particularly fond of correcting other people's mistake. While reading this book, I find quite a number of errors which I can easily correct them. In my opinion, I think Ms Miller will greatly benefit from hiring a proofreader to check for major mistakes before publishing it. I apologise in advance for I do not mean to discourage anyone from reading this novel in the first place.

Overall, it was an amazing and charming to be able to feel the emotional roller-coaster ride as Jane and Charles journey to experience the love for each other. If you can overlook the mistakes which I mentioned, I highly recommend to give it a try. It is well worth your time to dwell into Austen's characters once more just like I did.

This is my fourteenth book review for The Book Buff's Jane Austen is My Homegirl Reading Challenge.