Book description
Joan Aiken picks up the pen of her forerunner, Jane Austen, in this
charming sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy have finally found matrimonial bliss,
and now our attention turns to Rosings Park, the estate of the
formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When an unfortunate carriage
accident means that siblings Ralph and Priscilla Delaval must reside
with Lady Catherine, the stage is set for a scandal. Life in the
sleepy Kent village is turned upside down by a series of unexpected
events, and dark family secrets are finally brought to light . . .
Featuring a cast of characters from Austen's classic, including Anne
de Bourgh, Elizabeth's friend Charlotte Collins (née Lucas), Colonel
Fitzwilliam and, of course, the redoubtable Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Joan Aiken was born in Sussex in 1924. She wrote over a hundred
books for young readers and adults and is recognized as one of the
classic authors of the twentieth century. Amanda Craig, writing in
The Times, said, 'She was a consummate
storyteller, one that each generation discovers anew.' Her best-known
books are those in the James III saga, of which The Wolves of
Willoughby Chase was the first title, published in 1962 and
awarded the Lewis Carroll prize. Both that and Black Hearts in
Battersea have been filmed. Her books are internationally
acclaimed and she received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in the United
States as well as the Guardian Award for Fiction in this country for
The Whispering Mountain.
Joan Aiken was decorated with an MBE for her services to children's
books. She died in 2004.
