Are you reading any books
for the Halloween season? I was happy to
recently read The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda
Taub. It combined two of my favorite
things – Halloween and Pride and Prejudice.
Lydia Bennet is the seventh
daughter of the seventh daughter. She
has powers that are not shared by the rest of her family, except for her Aunt
Phillips who is able to guide her as she grows into a young witch. This novel tells Lydia’s background and then
retells the story of Pride and Prejudice from her point of view.
I thought this novel was
very fun. I loved that it was told from
Lydia’s first-person narration through a manuscript she is writing to Lizzy to explain
everything. It is very funny and in character
for Lydia. I was delighted to find out that Kitty Bennet is actually a cat and George
Wickham, is literally a handsome devil or demon. To me, it seemed like the entire novel was
really about the love that Lydia had for her best friend and sister, Kitty, and
the sacrifices that Lydia made to ensure her happiness. Taub really captures Lydia’s voice. A few of my favorite quotes:
“I suppose if this were a
proper book, I’d begin it something like, ‘Miss Lydia Bennet, youngest of five
daughters to a father hopefully entailed, had few advantages in life, but not
too few to squander.’”
“La! Imagine what Lizzy would do if she knew I
made that spot on her chin pop back out whenever she vexed me.”
“This is the part, I suppose,
where the novel would wrap up with a tidy boring moral, so I will say this:
Love your best friends. Forgive your
worst friends. Remember, always, not to
judge people too hastily, for everyone is living out the story of their own,
and you only get to read the pages you appear on.”
I was delighted to find
out in the author’s note that she used real history, myths, and folklore for
the novel. I also loved that Miss Lamb
from Sanditon is a character in this novel.
I always find her an interesting character and love her addition to the
story.
I laughed out loud when I
read the first line of the acknowledgements, “Guys, I did so much damn research
for this book. I could write a 10-page
bibliography.”
Overall, I thought this
was an inventive, unique, and fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice perfect for reading
during the Halloween season.
Book Source: Review copy from Grand Central Publishing as
part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are
completely my own.
·
Title: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia
Bennet, Witch
·
Author: Melinda
Taub
·
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Austenesque Fiction
·
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
(October 3, 2023)
·
Length: (400) pages
· Format: Hardcover,
eBook, & Audiobook
· ISBN: 978-1538739204
·
Tour Dates: September 25 – October 9,
2023
BOOK DESCRIPTION
A
"wildly inventive and utterly addictive" (Julia Quinn) witchy
reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of
the troublesome and—according to her—much-maligned youngest Bennet sister,
Lydia.
In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice,
Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the
classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves,
Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an
estate that is entailed only to male heirs.
But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister
Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world
believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr.
Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that’s nothing compared to his feelings about
magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have
power . . .
Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous
Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength,
and romance of Pride and Prejudice—while offering a highly
unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.
PRAISE FOR THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA
BENNET, WITCH
- “Funny and fierce as Lydia Bennet
herself, this book mixes witchcraft lore with Austen’s story to make its
own unique magic. I’ll never look at Kitty the same way again…” ―Claudia
Gray, author of The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney
Mystery
- “Taub’s wit and creativity shines
through. . . A delight for both Austen lovers and fans of magical
adventure stories.” ―Kirkus Reviews
·
“Wildly inventive and utterly addictive. I
never thought I'd say this, but I'm now 100% Team Lydia.” ―Julia Quinn
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON | BARNES
& NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP
| BOOKBUB | GOODREADS
AUTHOR BIO
Melinda
Taub is an Emmy and Writers’ Guild Award-winning writer. The former head
writer and executive producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,
she is also the author of Still Star-Crossed, a young adult novel
which was adapted for television by Shondaland. (She also wrote that thing
about the Baroness in The Sound of Music that your
aunt likes.) She lives in Brooklyn.
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X
(formerly known as Twitter)
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