Prideful and Persuaded by Bethany Delleman

“If I’m going to be compromised, I would prefer to choose for myself,”

The idea of a crossover novel is always interesting especially when it has many of Jane Austen’s memorable characters involved as they all converge on Bath. Similarly, I was always intrigued by the idea of a narrative where Caroline Bingley is sensitively represented. Delleman does a good job of imitating Austen’s memorable writing style, and this makes the book all the more vivid especially with descriptions of world facets such as outfits and food.

Even though I haven’t read Mansfield Park or Persuasion, I still felt the characters involved in those books were interwoven and distinct and I could still tell what was happening within the story without feeling lost.

There was some LGBTQ representation in this book, which I found to be impressive although the particular character’s story arc showed how performative societal roles are and how this character could never truly be themselves.

Other characters from the original Pride and Prejudice novel make an appearance, such as Mr Bingley and Jane, but also Darcy and Elizabeth too. Even Lady Catherine de Bourgh gets a mention ! I really felt like the writing style of this book got better, as if the author had hit her stride as the story progressed.

That being said, there were aspects of this book that didn’t sit right with me and although this doesn’t have a resounding effect on my perception of the story over all, there are still some aspects that I want to mention.

Once or twice, there were a few editing mistakes within the story that could have been avoided with one more round of proofreading. I also felt like the later near poisoning plot of Caroline came out of nowhere and was wrapped up within a few pages. Furthermore, I felt like the inclusion of the edited chapter near the end was unneeded as, truth be told, it didn’t really add anything to the story unless perhaps you wanted more evidence of the dynamic between the Bingley sisters. I didn’t, so perhaps that made a difference.

The essay at the end felt needless, too, as if Delleman felt she had to justify herself to the readers as to why she wanted to write a story that made Caroline look sympathetic when the idea of it was interesting enough and required no justification. If you are looking for a fast paced novel, this book probably isn’t for you as it is quite a slow burning type of read.

Ultimately, despite the slow pacing of this book, it did a good job of telling the story. Delleman clearly has a passion for writing, and that itself is commendable. This book was a good effort for a debut novelist.

MY RATING: **** / *****