Death Comes to Pemberley - PD James
P. D. James is a mystery and crime writer, and I have never read any of her books until now. Though, having read Death Comes to Pemberley, I find myself wondering if I may need to read another of her books at some point to get a clearer understanding of her style...
...because this book is written as if it was a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. In a style that, at some moments more than others, purposefully imitates the style of Jane Austen and her era.
It is six years since Elizabeth and Mr Darcy have married. Jane and her husband Mr Bingley have moved to be nearer Pemberley, and often visit. Lydia and Wickham, however, are not welcome at Pemberley - understandable when the events of Pride and Prejudice are taken into account. On the evening before the annual Lady Anne's Ball, the Wickhams have planned for Lydia to arrive unannounced and impose herself on the Darcys. However, tragedy strikes on the way to Pemberley.
It is obvious that P. D. James has a great love for Pride and Prejudice; there are moments in the story that even remind me of the movie Rogue One in the way it attempts to justify or explain elements of Austen's original work that may seem less realistic on the surface. Yet, although the Austen tribute works well, I feel as though it has overshadowed the 'mystery' or 'crime' element of the novel. Although, as with any good mystery text, there is some suspicious behaviour that needs explaining (and does of course get explained by the end) there is very little in the way of actual 'sleuthing' - too much, of course, would not have suited the personality of our main characters. This means that, although our main characters proclaim their belief that the main suspect is not guilty, we don't really know who else could have done it, which gets in the way of the guessing and uncertainty that is a part of 'regular' whodunnits. It also means that the story is fairly straightforward: there is a killing, an arrest, an inquest and a trial before the "true" culprit is revealed, and even then it is only revealed by confession, not by deduction. The story then continues fairly straightforwardly until the end of the book. So, although the true culprit does have motives that make sense, we have not had the fun of playing along at all.
Austen fans may enjoy this extension of a beloved text. But don't expect it to be much of a whodunnit.
Completed 7 December 2021.
(Alphabet Soup Books)
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