Overall disappointed, but a pleasant light read with some nice bits [***]
I've got a confession to make. Well, two. I've never read any PD James (or even watched the television adaptation of her Dalgliesh novels starring Martin Shaw) and I have never seen the famous 1990s BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth.
Don't get me wrong, I intend to correct the former by reading some PD James soon. I should also add that I have read all Jane Austen's novels, loved them in my teens, and although costume drama versions of her novels are two a penny, retain a real fondness for Sense and Sensibility (starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet et al.) I've heard good things about the film version of Pride and Prejudice (starring Kiera Knightley) too. (Much to my surprise, as not a Kiera Knightley fan).
But I digress... I bought this book originally because I saw an advert on the Tube (if you live in London, as I do, these adverts seem to get under your skin). I saw the cover art and loved it and was immediately intrigued by the concept. The combination of PD James and Jane Austen - a real 'murder with a twist' was bound to be good.
(Thanks to the internet for this picture of the paperback release)
I was also quickly convinced by some positive reviews. However I didn't get round to buying it until I struck upon it when searching for a novel to give my father.
*Before you all think I'm a terrible daughter, I didn't originally buy with the intention of reading it myself, and in fairness my father and I share an love of detective novels so this isn't as bad as it sounds*
He read it first and expressed some disappointment in it, but I initially assumed that this was because he wasn't an Austen fan. Then I spoke to a friend who had read it (and loves Jane Austen) and she was also disappointed.
Still, I was sure that PD James couldn't let me down.
There are no spoilers in what follows!
I found the style quite affected, but probably generally quite suited to the colour she was aiming for. She obviously researched it very thoroughly, and this is a good thing, but it seems at times her research made her go off piste, as when she has quite a long digression into some specifics of nineteenth century legal reform which have no bearing on the plot. As for the characters, they are wooden. That was one of the main disappointments, because if one already has the characters provided by a famous writer, surely it wouldn't be too difficult to flesh them out a bit? As a result my sympathy was not drawn to any of the characters. There is no detective or even really a main protagonist, and I think that is a real failing.
There are some other idiosyncrasies, perhaps usual for PD James. She repeats some details unnecessarily often. The plot? Readable, but thin on the ground. Also, (and here I again promise no spoilers) I was disappointed by the ending too. It had the worst of both worlds - some element of being predictable, with some elements of a deus ex machina in it as though she had a last minute panic. Not satisfying at all. I also felt she had slightly missed an important principle in writing good crime. You can't figure out who done it and why because important information is not revealed until the last minute. I had a shrewd suspicion who had done it, but didn't have the motive - which she keeps back until the unveiling right at the end. Also, no one 'detects' and finds the culprit, they just emerge suddenly.
You might like this if you really love Jane Austen, but if you purely love detective novels you can do much better. So overall, I was disappointed. Having said that it was an easy enough read and if you are interested in early nineteenth century legal procedure and legal reform you might enjoy it! If anyone wants to borrow it, let me know!
For my next blog, something completely different ...
