Pemberley: Or, Pride and Prejudice Continued - Tapa dura

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a married man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a son and heir...

Thus begins Emma Tennant's inspired sequel to Jane Austen's most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. With wit and style and genuine insight into character, Pemberley brilliantly delineates the perils and pleasures of a marriage between two people as strong-willed and prickly as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

A year after wedding, Christmas approaches. As happy as she has been living in relative seclusion with Mr. Darcy and his sister Georgiana at their magnificent Derbyshire estate, Pemberley, Elizabeth is sensible that the time has come to invite her mother and sister to visit her. What begins as a small and manageable family party (although any party any includes the regrettable Mrs. Bennet will take considerable managing) soon grows all out of proportion. A gathering including the Bennets, the Bingleys, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh-as affable and condescending as ever-can only mean missteps, gaffes and hurt feelings. When Darcy becomes increasingly distant and Elizabeth falls prey to vicious gossip, the forces of pride and prejudice are at work once again.

Emma Tennant, who grew up in England and Scotland hearing about her family's connection to Jane Austen (her elder half-brother was descended from Jane Austen's brother Edward Knight), is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of numerous distinguished novels.