Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Story Notes

Tirzah Price takes readers back to Merryton, Longbourne and Pemberly to solve a mystery that involves some of literature's best loved characters.

Who doesn't love a good reworking of a classic story - especially when it's done well? I loved this creative reworking of P&P, giving it a mystery bent and it's characters a different façade. As this was an audiobook, I was able to listen while traveling and working in my garden and it made those times much more enjoyable. Lizzie Bennet is the daughter of Mr. Bennet, barrister and owner of Longbourne and Sons, at law. She longs to become a qualified barrister herself and work in the law as it fascinates and challenges her. But, as a woman, she has no chance without the backing of her father and other such law persons. He gives her a chance to prove her dedication by finding and solving a case without his help, and she sets off to find her challenge. Lizzie never expected to find herself in the middle of a murder case but that's just what she finds. While she is not qualified or experienced enough to know everything she needs to do, Lizzie quickly deduces the paths she must take. But untwisting this complicated web of lies, deceit and money grubbing will test her meddle and throw her in the path of Fitzwilliam Darcy. An up-and coming barrister, himself, Darcy is determined to prove his best friend Charles Bingley innocent of murder. He will find his way somewhat impeded with the surprising appearance of Lizze Bennet and while he finds her attractive, he cannot let her distract him or stop his progress. Each of them will find that working together is the only way to properly proceed if the one's responsible are to be caught. Now if they can only stay alive long enough to prove their discoveries are true. I loved that careful crafting of this story into a believable telling. We saw the distinct characteristics of all the characters from Jane Austen's original story but they were given some additional ones that served to increase my love of this story. Ms. Price took all the assumed vices of the characters we love to despise and made them even more despicable. And the main characters were given some much more fun voices and snarky conversations that I laughed aloud at more than once. I won't give spoilers for this delightful story but will say that I will certainly be recommending it to others in the hope that they will enjoy it as I did.

I received this Audiobook from Harper Audio via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

This book was quite enjoyable, funny in parts, and very cute! The characters and character development were well done. I enjoyed all the main characters, as well as the side characters. I love that Lizzie was determined to help, despite societal conventions. The book had a great atmosphere, both the time period in which it takes place as well as the pressures from her family and of the murder mystery. The writing was pretty good and very entertaining. The plot flowed well with no real lulls. It was fairly intriguing as well. It pretty much followed along logically, just a few bits, that did not, though it’s fiction so you have to suspend belief a little.

Mysteries aren't my thing but I couldn't resist a Pride and Prejudice retelling. I really liked how closely the author stuck original character traits. I also loved how the author changed the plot around to fit a murder mystery. I really enjoyed reading this, there were places where I laughed out loud and the banter was on point. I would recommend this to fans of Jane Austen and Veronica Mars.

I would love to love this book. And I might. But this advance copy is not an audiobook, it is a mechanically read book, much like a GPS or call center message. I listened to about an hour and I think I would like the book, but this sample is unbearable. This should not be presented as an audiobook as it is not one. I will wait for the book to come out and read it then.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date April 6, 2021.***

3.5 - 4 stars

I admit going in that I haven't read ANY of Jane Austen's works...usually anything categorized as a "classic" tends to set my teeth on edge. However, if this re-telling is anything like the original, I may have to give it a try. The main downside that I had with the audiobook was that the voice was "synthetic"...the actual narrator may make it sound much more enjoyable.

I adore Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is a pleasure. This is an interesting twist on the classic. The protagonist is 17-year-old Lizzie who is an aspiring lawyer. The story follows her and her interactions with the other characters, all based as a retelling of P & P with a unique twist.
I received the synthetic version of the early release of this and therefore cannot really give any feedback on a possible narrator. The story is good and definitely worth the read by fans of Austen.
#PrideandPremeditation #NetGalley #HarperAudio #HarperTeen

This is the first audiobook I’ve finished this year! A mystery novel filled with the familiar characters of my favourite classic, Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie is set to prove herself and gain a place as a solicitor in her father’s law firm by solving the murder of Mr Hurst, and setting a wrongly convicted Mr Bingley free. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these characters in their new roles and appreciated the way Tirzah paid homage to way Austen had written them.

First of all, thank you to Harper Teen and Net Galley for an audio Galley for this!

What happens when you mash up the classic, Pride and Prejudice, with murder?

Pride and Premeditation follows Lizzie Bennet, a young woman in want of a career, not a man. When MR. Bingley is accused of murder, Lizzie, a young woman who wants to join her father's firm, sets out to prove herself. A whodunit in proper society and a young woman searching for answer, this is definitely a different take on a P&P retelling!

While I enjoyed the premise and the author obvious knows P&P like the back of her hand, I will say this one lacked the comedy of its namesake. I also felt because of the 3rd person POV, I didn't get to know the characters well. Though this follows names we know well, Tirzah Price has taken some liberties with the characters.

Otherwise, I did enjoy it, and it makes for a good audiobook! Also, that cover is just absolutely gorgeous!

I enjoyed this! This was a fun twist on the original- a nice blend of historical fiction and true crime. I appreciated the author's honest note at the end mentioning the liberties she took in order to make her vision of the story work.

This version of the NetGalley audio was a manufactured voice which did take a bit to get used to, but I was still able to get through the story. I think it will be even better when the audio format is updated!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the free copy.

I love Jane Austen, so I was intrigued by the idea of turning it into murder mystery; but it all fell rather flat for me. The things I loved about the characters Austen created became one dimensional here. The only that really kept me reading was just to see how the author was going to carry through the plot. But all in all it just felt like a school assignment answering "wouldn't it be interesting if..." and not a mystery to dive into.

The novel is a murder mystery take on Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth Bennett works for her father's law firm, Longborn and Sons, and longs to be promoted to the position of solicitor. Her father tasks her with solving a case using logic and he will seriously consider it. She soon discovers that there has been a murder and the victim is Mr. Hearst, the brother-in-law of Mr. Bingley, who is accused of the crime. She sets forth to solve the crime, while bumping heads with the aggravating Mr. Darcy, who is a solicitor for the competing law firm, Pemberley and Sons. She also has to deal with bumbling Mr. Collins and some other characters as she tries to figure out who is truly responsible for the murder. I thought this was an original take on Pride and Prejudice, that had all the elements of a mystery novel, but also keeping a lot of the elements of the source material. It definitely had a feminist undertone, with Lizzie striving to be a solicitor (which, as the author note states, would not have been done in the time period), but it wasn't overbearing and seemed to fit really will with the plot and the character. I loved the unraveling of the mystery, and who the culprit is, it was kind of surprising, and, maybe I'm just not observant, but it did surprise me a little bit. I won't say anything more plot-wise because I don't want to spoil the mystery. I also liked Mr. Darcy and that we get to see a different side of him. My only complaint is that at random points in the book, especially near the end, it would lift lines from the source material which just didn't seem to fit well, and seemed unnecessary. That being said, I really enjoyed Pride and Premeditation, and I'm looking forward to what the next book in the series accomplishes (unfortunately it only comes out next year :( ). Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me a audio galley in exchange for my honest review!.

This book walked a few lines for me. There is a line when using a famous character for your own story. Often the character is held faithful to who the original author intended by the most shallow of personality traits or actions. I loved pride and Prejudice. And I have loved many of the updated versions on this tale over the many, many years. The author walked back and forth over the line in this quite a lot and I sometimes thought the true essence of Lizzie, the one I've reread so many times, got watered down, simplified, and insulted. If this had been set in just any home with a brand new character, I think I would have liked it more. You have to be careful with the hearts and minds of devoted readers. I fear that people who have not read the original will have no true appreciation of the character of Lizzie. And that is a shame.

The other line is that of the digitized voice. I knew it was going to be there, but it always takes a little away and I find myself relaying a lot of the lines in my head to get the full effect. It didn't ruin my understanding of the story itself. It's a little thing.

I want to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. I think the author has an interesting voice and I'd love to see what is written in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for the arc copy of this book.

Pride and Premeditation is a pleasant spin on the classic tale a lot of us know. Over the years, there have been many retellings of this story but this is one of my favourites. This book combines two of my favourite things, Pride and Prejudice and a murder to be solved. We accompany Lizzie Bennett, a 17 year old girl who has no concern for getting married right now, but instead has her eyes on working for her father's law firm as a barrister. To try and prove herself, she decides to help Charles Bingley, who was accused of killing his brother in law and who Lizzie thinks is innocent.
I was unsure at first if this book would meet my expectations but I am glad to say that it surpassed it. The small changes made to some of the well known characters, the additions of some other minor characters really added to the story. I wasn't sure how far from the original story this retelling would be; it definitely strays from the original plot but there are many similarities. It still had the classic tension and banter between Darcy and Lizzie, Lizzie and Charlotte are still very close and Collins is still a weird creep.
Although I was able to predict what would happen and who was really responsible for the crime, I still enjoyed reading this a lot. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because as amazing as the book was, I still saw some places that could have been improved to make the book better. I can't wait for this book to be released to buy a physical copy to add to my own library.

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price is scheduled to be released in print and audiobook on March 9 2021. I listened to a simulated audiobook, where a computer generated narration is provide. So, I cannot speak to the skill of the narrator, but I will say that the program did a very good job and there were only occasional moments of stilted speech that reminded me that I was not listening to a person.

This is the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series and a retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a whodunit. When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates. Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.

Pride and Premeditation is an engaging work of historical fiction and mystery that had me second guessing my memories of Pride and Prejudice as I read. I enjoyed getting to see the characters in a new light, and was trying to put the clues together right with Lizzie. The spirited exchanges Lizzie has with Darcy, and just about everyone to be fair, are entertaining and add some more humorous moments to the mystery at hand. I also like that while the details have changed, the spirit of the original still felt very present to me. I also liked that the author included information about the changes she made to the story, and what historical details she had to alter to make her story happen. I think Austen would appreciate the liberties Price took, and most likely wished the freedom she offered characters in the book had been reality in her time. The twists in turns in the investigation, and the way the characters deal with them were well done, and I was fully invested in the characters and the conclusion through the entire book. I am very much looking forward to more in this series, and am disappointed that I listened to a galley so early, because that means I will have to wait that much longer before getting my hands on the books that will hopefully follow.

Pride and Premeditation is an intriguing and well written book that fans or Jane Austen and Agatha Christie alike will enjoy.

Pride and Premeditation is the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series by American author, Tirzah Price. I recommend this murder mystery to anyone who has read & love the original Jane Austen works but has always wanted more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The author did a really good job of keeping the essential parts of the personalities in tact while changing up the roles. Mr. Bennet runs a law firm where, naturally, Lizzie secretly works at while trying to avoid Mr, Collins, who is just as smarmy if not more so. Mr. Darcy works for his father's competing law firm, and Mr. Bingley is being framed for murder. The sisters are still there, just not as much as the original maybe, but the focus on this is more the murder mystery and Lizzie. I think the character dynamics are still really well done, and I enjoyed the addition of the murder. Overall this was enjoyable, and if you liked the original I think you'd enjoy this as well.

This is a fun and entertaining book but it wasn't something I just couldn't put down. I did like it but I didn't love it.

I think a lot of people might love it.

I really loved this book! I picked it up because of the comparison to Stalking Jack The Ripper since its one of my favorite series and I was not disappointed! This is about Lizzie Bennet who is an aspiring Lawyer but of course in her world women have their own "place". She has to prove herself and is set on solving a murder. I enjoyed her character so much and cant wait to read more of her! The plot had me so invested and I couldn't put it down.

I’d like to start by saying my view is somewhat skewed by the terrible narration. It did say beforehand that this book is not the audiobook that will be released, rather it’s a computer-generated/ read version. That being said, I had a horrible time trying to get into the book due to the monotone, dull narration. In the future, if the actual audiobook performance is not ready, I think it would be better to just release the ebook. Also, it was annoying and weird that throughout the book you’d randomly hear a man’s voice say “Harper Collins.”

Once I got past the dull audio, I did enjoy this book. It was fun to read a new, reimagined version of Pride & Prejudice with the added mystery twist. I like that this book focused mostly on Lizzy and her experience, and didn’t get into her sisters’ or other characters experiences, feelings, or love life’s. I like that though this is not a modern retelling, the book still addresses the sexism women dealt with in that period. Though the characters are the same, the story is very different and worth the read. I was very surprised by who wound up being the murderer and enjoyed that that wasn’t completely obvious like in many modern day mysteries/ thrillers. Another difference between this book and the original that I enjoyed is that it took place in the city and that the characters had actual jobs, not just hanging around their estates in the country. Lizzy’s interest in practicing law did her much more justice than being a bookish country gal who didn’t want to marry. I recommend this book, regardless of whether or not you’ve read the original.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins for a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the blend of Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice and classic murder mystery. I find that this book was able to tell more than Jane Austen's book just with the fact of giving everyone jobs but also having all the different characters from the original story. I like Tirzah Price's interruption of Pride and Prejudice and can't wait to read more of her stories. I like where she took characters like Wickham and Collins and turned them into really bad guys. Overall it was a great reimaging of Pride and Prejudice.