The Road to Pemberley

The Road to Pemberley
Marsha Altman, ed.
Ulysses Press, 2011

When I first learned about The Road to Pemberley there was no way I could turn this one down: an anthology of Pride & Prejudice-inspired short stories. Amazing. In the dozen stories selected for inclusion, there are adventures - and laughs - for all fans of Pride & Prejudice. Even minor characters get to have their day in the spotlight, and the end result is a lovely collection that lets readers further explore that beloved original novel in ways both fascinating and unexpected.

A couple of my favorites:

• "The Pemberley Ball" -- this is a fun look at what might have happened if Darcy had been less enamored with Elizabeth's spunk. I love it because it features a duel of sorts, and a beautiful ending.
• "The Potential of Kitty Bennet" -- A beautiful exploration of Kitty as an actual character and not just a shadow for Lydia. Love, intrigue, misadventure and dashing heroes. Yeah, this one's fun.
• "Father of the Bride" -- Have you ever wondered what Mr. Bennet thought of Lizzy & Darcy? Now you can find out what was going on in his mind.
• "Pride and Prejudice Abridged" -- I was cracking up laughing reading this one. Wonderfully amusing distillation of the story!

This is definitely an anthology worth adding to your collection of Austenia. Equally enjoyable to read straight through or to pick up and read an individual story when an Austen-fix is needed.

Book provided by publisher for review.