Introducing, the final novel of the beloved Pemberley series...
~ Note from the Author
Rebecca Ann Collins writes-Perhaps the literati will heave a sigh of relief, but it is hard indeed for a writer to say farewell to her characters and mine have been with me for the better part of ten years...
During that time, I have told their stories for the entertainment of many readers, who have come to love them almost as much as I do. Their letters and messages have left me in no doubt of that and they have my gratitude for the generosity of their comments. When I began this journey, I never dreamed that it would take so long, nor that the Pemberley stories would please so many readers literally from Alaska to New Zealand!
The Pemberley characters, of whom the first were borrowed from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and others joined us as we travelled through the years, have become a part of my family. I shared their joys and sorrows, their laughter and tears and like many of my readers, always wanting to know more about them. Like a mother who can never quite let her children go, it was hard to make the decision that it was time to bring this narrative to an appropriate conclusion.
Yet, having spanned a period of fifty years, one of the most dynamic and interesting in English history, it was surely time to leave the rest to the imagination of my readers.
So, reluctantly, but with the hope that they will continue to bring you pleasure, I must say goodbye and thank you for the most delightful decade of my life.
To my family and friends, my readers and most particularly to Miss Jane Austen, my sincere thanks. If the Shades of Pemberley live on, it is only because Pride and Prejudice is unforgettable.
To be invited to write a foreword to a book is usually both an honour and a pleasure, as it was when I was asked to do so for the fifth book in the Pemberley series by Rebecca Ann Collins - Mr Darcy's Daughter.This time, however, while it is still an honour, I am sad indeed that with The Legacy of Pemberley, the author proposes to "bring to a chronological conclusion", this charming and remarkable series of novels.
While we cannot quarrel with the logic of her decision, for as Ms. Collins points out, the series spans a period of some 50 years, which is a solid block of time in the life of a family and a community, her readers will surely grieve over it.
Since the first volume- The Pemberley Chronicles came into my hands, I have been absorbed, entertained and continually surprised by the creativity and credibility of the author. It has been demonstrated in every following novel, in which she not only continues the lives of Jane Austen's characters with impressive authenticity, but also creates characters of her own, who fit seamlessly into Miss Austen's world. So much so that occasionally, one has to stop and remind oneself that Cassandra Darcy and Jonathan Bingley are indeed not part of the original cast of Pride and Prejudice.
Even more importantly, Ms. Collins maintains the social and historical context of the period so well, consistently preserving the ambience and manners of 19th Century England to an extraordinary degree, creating for her readers not just another tale of Regency romance, but a very rich and rewarding experience.
All these remain true in this final episode of the series, in which we are brought full circle, to understand the true legacy of Pemberley. As with Miss Austen herself, Ms. Collins shows that it lies not in broad acres and stately homes, material wealth or political power, but in the deeply held values and conduct of the men and women, whose stories she tells with honesty, affection and humour.
Averil Rose
London, June 2005Top of the Page
~ Previews of The Legacy of Pemberley
Preview from BOOK NEWS, 2005When in the Summer of 1997, Rebecca Ann Collins' self-published novel, The Pemberley Chronicles, appeared, one could have been forgiven for thinking that this author had expended a great deal of money and effort on a labour of love with little prospect of producing a saleable book. After ten charming novels, her creative energy, skill and popularity are not in any doubt.
A life long fan of Jane Austen, Ms. Collins admitted to being inspired by the BBC's excellent production of Pride and Prejudice and sufficiently infuriated by a clutch of poor quality "sequels" to that beloved novel, into her own attempt to chronicle the passage of the Pemberley characters through the turbulent landscape of nineteenth century England.
Wisely evading the trap of trying to imitate Miss Austen's inimitable style, Ms. Collins chose to evoke the authentic historical context and the ambience of dalliance and decorum, through careful research, lively dialogue and unpretentious narrative, taking the characters she had borrowed from Jane Austen through a series of thoroughly credible plotlines.
Romance and intrigue were de rigeur of course, but the events and characters remained essentially true to Jane Austen's originals. Other characters were created to flesh out the stories and extend the timespan, but all of them slid smoothly into the now familiar post Austen social world of Victorian England into which the series moved effortlessly.
As she told their stories, with honesty and humour, Ms. Collins explored and often exploded some of the myths of nineteenth century society, cleverly using her characters in much the same way that Jane Austen did, placing them in familiar circumstances while confronting them with plausible crises.
Clearly, her readers, themselves Jane Austen enthusiasts, enjoyed the experience, while Ms. Collins undoubtedly enjoyed telling her stories. Now, with The Legacy of Pemberley, her tenth novel, she has decided to bring the Pemberley series to "an appropriate conclusion".
Using an unusual three part structure, she draws together some of the main characters and themes of the series, as she weaves a colourful collection of tales. While it would not do to reveal the storylines, it can be confidently said that they will engage and entertain her readers, who will surely regret that this is to be the last of the Pemberley novels.
In closing, Ms. Collins acknowledges and celebrates also the true legacy of Jane Austen.A preview by Dr. Ellen Fleming:
The literati and the J.A. specialists may well heave a sigh of relief, many of them object to anybody writing a sequel to Pride and Prejudice; but readers of the Pemberley novels of Rebecca Ann Collins will surely grieve when they learn that The Legacy of Pemberley concludes this popular series. I was delighted to receive a preview copy and am happy to provide the following comments for the author's website.
Structured, as many novels in Jane Austen's era were, in three separate but related parts, The Legacy of Pemberley is both similar and yet different to the rest of the Pemberley series.
The familiarity lies in her many well loved characters, who are part of a rich tapestry woven by the author and the skill with which she combines the manners and mores of the period with significant social issues in inventive but thoroughly believable stories.
We have the elegance and intelligence of Elizabeth and Darcy, the warmth of their daughter Cassandra, the singleminded determination of Caroline Fitzwilliam, together with glimpses of others like Georgiana Grantley and her wilful daughter Virginia and the enigmatic William Courtney, adding interest to a cast of well drawn characters.
The difference is in the sharper, more astute observations, the clever internal ironies and an almost whimsical note especially in the final part - "The Inheritance". It is as though Ms. CCollins is saying farewell with an impulsive lightness of touch that urges the reader not to take life too seriously. There is a welcome echo of Austen, who absolutely refused to to be too solemn about life.
The usual ingredients of Victorian literature - romance, conspiracy and intrigue are used with restraint and humour, to engage the intelligence as well as the feelings of the reader. The tales are told with careful attention to detail of character, period and place making them both interesting and credible in the way that many sequels are not.
Never self-indulgent or presumptuous in her style, Ms. Collins writes with obvious enjoyment of people and places she has researched and studied and tells a story well.
She must settle the fate of some of her favourite characters and a few nasty ones too. One can smile, even laugh with her as she observes and exposes their antics with cheerful and occasionally, wicked glee. But, she also finds ways to commend those, who by their lives have demonstrated that they are indeed the true inheritors of The Legacy of Pemberley, which is also to a remarkable degree the legacy of Jane Austen.
It would not be sensible or fair to divulge too much of the plots or reveal the manner in which Ms. Collins draws the Pemberley series to "an appropriate conclusion". Suffice it to say that her readers are unlikely to be outraged or affronted, but many will regret her decision to do so.
The elegantly simple full colour cover is a fitting finale to a series of original and authentic cover designs. The artist Marissa O'Donnell is to be congratulated on her work for the Pemberley series.Ellen Fleming
NSW, AustraliaTop of the Page
For reviews and readers' comments - see the Reviews section and click on the particular cover.
