From Jenny at Wondrous Reads:
I've never read Pride & Prejudice, as each time I try to read it, I just can't get into the language and style of writing. For these reasons, I wasn't sure I'd like Lydia Bennet's Story. How very wrong I was!
I enjoyed this book so much I'm now thinking of trying to read Austen again. It's written in a very easy to read yet old style, and I couldn't wait to get home from work to read more. Lydia Bennet is the main focus of the story, and is presented as an outgoing, vibrant character. Together with her sisters, friends and love interests, she discovers that growing up isn't all she thought it would be.
I loved Lydia's character, as well as Mr. Fitzalan and even Mr. Wickham. Each character comes to life on the page, and I was immediately transported back to Regency England, where I'd now quite like to live. Everything was so much nicer: men were chivalrous, ladies were wooed and romance was romantic. Who wouldn't want that?! Although it was a different time, relationships were still the same. Between cheating men and confusing feelings for friends, Lydia gets a pretty good insight into the world of boys and marriage, and is just like any other teenage girl making her own decisions and choices.
By the end of this book, even I was quite tempted to wear a big Regency dress and walk around saying "Oh, good Sir, I'm frightfully cold". As I'm one of those girls who refuses to own dresses or skirts, this is quite an accomplishment. Lydia Bennet's Story reminded me of The Luxe series, only much, much better. It's captivating and compelling, and is a book I'm sure will appeal to a wide range of YA readers.
Click here to go to Wondrous Reads - later Jenny will be posting up a competition to win a copy of Lydia Bennet's Story