Death Comes To Pemberley
by P. James
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
46%
Critic Reviews: 41
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- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
65%
Reader Ratings: 1490
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Synopsis
P. D. James combines her two lifelong loves, Jane Austen and murder mysteries, in this pitch-perfect sequel to Pride and Prejudice, which finds a guest shockingly murdered on the Darcys' estate. One of the biggest hardcover bestsellers of the 2011 holiday season. Elizabeth and Darcy have been happily married for six years, and life is delightful: Jane and Bingley live nearby, Mr. Bennet visits frequently, Darcy's sister Georgiana has favorable marriage... more
About P. James
Published: January 8, 2013 by Vintage
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, History. Fiction. 320 pages
- All Critics: 41
- Positive: 20
- Negative: 21
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The New York Times | 26 Dec 2011
If the novel has a weakness, oddly, it’s the mystery, which by Ms. James’s standards is pretty tame and uncomplicated.
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Los Angeles Times | 15 Jan 2012
If you appreciate mysteries as well as the Mighty Jane, this pleasant entertainment will do nicely.
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Historical Novel Review | 1 May 2012
No informative clues are dribbled into the narrative for the reader to work out, so when the truth comes out it is completely new – well most of it.
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Pajiba
The subsequent investigation is what concerns the rest of the novel and is unfortunately a bit predictable and dull.
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The Washington Post
It is a solidly entertaining period mystery and a major treat for any fan of Jane Austen.
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Whispering Gums | 22 Apr 2012
The dialogue, overall, lacks Austen’s light touch – and is often stilted without capturing the formality of the period.
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Open Salon | 24 Feb 2012
I can't say that I'm propelled through the plot by a desire to see where the story ends.
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USA Today | 4 Dec 2011
Countless authors writing in a plethora of genres have tried to re-create Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but James' new novel is incomparably perfect.
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Huffington Post | 20 Dec 2011
Elizabeth Bennet relegated to being a secondary figure isn't likely to register as excessively pleasing.
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NPR | 29 Nov 2011
James is having fun in her own intelligent, literate way, and this novel is an invitation to her readers to join in the revels.
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Boston.com | 29 Dec 2011
James’s biggest obstacle, aside from the molasses-paced world of Austen, is an inability to establish an effective narrative focus.
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The New York Times | 16 Dec 2011
The greatest pleasure of this novel is its unforced, effortless, effective voice.
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The Independent | 4 Nov 2011
Stylistically, the modern contributor does not overwork the dry, understated manner of her co-author.
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Strange and Random Happenstance | 22 Feb 2012
True Janites should avoid this book like the plague.
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BooksPlease | 27 Feb 2012
Six years of marriage had changed Elizabeth beyond recognition, Darcy was a pale, ineffectual figure and Colonel Fitzwilliam was no longer the likeable character he is in Pride and Prejudice.
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Tulsa World | 5 Feb 2012
... the ending still seems rushed, even cliched with the solution laid out in a death-bed confession.
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TimeFinders Magazine
Even the revelation of who committed the murder was cliché and left the reader feeling that this was all a waste of time.
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Independent.ie | 22 Jan 2012
The result is a very enjoyable experience, and it is to be hoped that there will be more murders committed in the vicinity of Pemberley.
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Kirkus Reviews | 1 Jan 2012
The murder story allows only flashes of Austenian wit, and Lizzy is sadly eclipsed by Darcy.
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Austenprose | 4 Jan 2012
Combined, the Austen and mystery elements do not play out to their potential.
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Judith Starkston | 19 Jan 2012
Watching a master at work is engaging, especially when she tries something audacious and remarkable... It doesn’t have to be completely successful to be worth the attempt.
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Soliloquy in Blue | 24 Feb 2012
The result, therefore, is a book that is dreadfully dull.
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A Latter-day Bluestocking | 18 Jan 2012
Bravo for P.D. James for her attempt but in the end it wasn’t the best “sequel” I’ve ever read.
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By the Book Reviews | 14 Jan 2012
This is an enjoyable enough read for Austen fans... I just wish there had been a little more desperado and a little less devotion.
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Chalk the Sun | 4 Apr 2012
Death Comes to Pemberley reads like a tender squeeze of affection from one national literary treasure to another.
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SeniorWomen.com
Death Comes to Pemberly won’t be universally loved by Jane Austen’s fans, but for those of us willing to bend a little, it provides one heck of an escape...
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The Wall Street Journal | 3 Dec 2011
Nonetheless, Ms. James has done an impressive job in combining her crime-novelist technique with Jane Austen's sweetly acidic sensibility.
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The Mystery Reader
Death Comes to Pemberley is more a spin-off than a sequel... Because it doesn't try to continue Austen's story, it's more successful than many other attempts.
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The Lit Bitch | 2 Jan 2012
Although there was an investigation and subsequent trial, the actual unraveling of the mystery was a disappointment.
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Mystery Maven Blog | 23 May 2012
“Death Comes to Pemberley” was worth reading, but it may disappoint Austen fans and also not be quite up to the greatness of some of James’ other mysteries.
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Washington Independent Review of Books
Janeites and mystery fans in general should find this delightful novel quite satisfying.
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The Washington Times | 16 Dec 2011
You get the feeling that this is what Austen might have composed had she written a sequel to her story of Elizabeth and Darcy.
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All About Romance
P.D. James has delivered a worthy homage to one of the greatest novels ever written.
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New Zealand Listener | 24 Dec 2011
Darcy and Wickham are both given histories and inner lives... they become more rounded as a result.
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Ripple Effects | 22 Feb 2012
Simple, straight forward, not much mystery to it.
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Suite 101 | 1 Feb 2012
Fans of James will be pleased to learn she has not lost her deft skill even at 91, while Janeites will appreciate James’ evident knowledge of and appreciation for Austen’s original works.
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Reviewing the Evidence | 1 Dec 2011
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY is a solidly-plotted mystery, developed within the constraints of the time in which it is set.
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The Globe and Mail | 9 Dec 2011
P.D. James captures the cadences and storytelling quirks of Austen, paying homage to the original author while adding her own touches as she signals the impending disasters in her mystery.
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The Millstone | 28 Apr 2012
An author with a distinctive voice, she has, in this story, assumed the voice of Jane Austen - with its gentle and elegant irony.
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The Mystery Librarian | 13 Jan 2012
It’s tough tacking a murder mystery onto an Austen sequel, and in trying to include both elements, she doesn’t quite hit the mark on either.
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So Many Books | 29 Jan 2012
It remained dull and lifeless throughout its entirety.
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