Longbourn (Baker)

Book Reviews
A triumph: a splendid tribute to Austen’s original but, more importantly, a joy in its own right, a novel that contrives both to provoke the intellect and, ultimately, to stop the heart.... Like Austen, Baker has written an intoxicating love story but, also like Austen, the pleasure of her novel lies in its wit and fierce intelligence.... Baker not only creates a richly imagined story of her own but recasts Austen’s novel in a startlingly fresh light.... Inspired.
Guardian (UK)


Impressive.... Baker takes ownership of this world without mimicking Austen’s style, asserting instead her own distinctive, authentic voice. Longbourn is not just nicely packaged fan fiction, or an Austenian Downton Abbey; it’s an engrossing tale we neither know nor expect.
Daily Telegraph (UK)


This clever glimpse of Austen’s universe through a window clouded by washday steam is so compelling it leaves you wanting to read the next chapter in the lives below stairs rather than peer at the reflections of any grand party in the mirrors of Netherfield.
Daily Express (UK)


A splendid page-turner.... The much-loved Pride and Prejudice is shaken up and given the grit that Jane Austen could never include—with great success.... Baker’s imaginative leaps are stunningly well done, both historically and emotionally.
Evening Standard (UK)


(Starred review.) The servants of the Bennett estate manage their own set of dramas in this vivid re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice. While the marriage prospects of the Bennett girls preoccupy the family upstairs, downstairs the housekeeper Mrs. Hill has her hands full managing the staff that keeps Longbourn running smoothly.... Baker takes many surprising risks in developing the relationships between the servants and the Bennetts, but the end result steers clear of gimmick and flourishes as a respectful and moving retelling.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) While the drama of husband-hunting takes place largely offstage..., the real drama unfolds when the enigmatic James Smith arrives as a footman and catches the eye of Sarah, the young housemaid with dreams of a world beyond Longbourn.... [D]ensely plotted and achingly romantic...exquisitely reimagined —Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) [I]rresistible.... Baker comes at Jane Austen's most celebrated novel from below stairs, offering a working-class view of the Bennet family of Longbourn House.... Baker is at her best when touching on the minutiae of work, of interaction, of rural life.... Sequels and prequels rarely add to the original, but Baker's simple yet inspired reimagining does. It has best-seller stamped all over it.
Kirkus Reviews