Her Summer at Pemberley: a Pride and Prejudice Sequel Book Review

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an equestrian woman in possession of a good horse, must be in want of a great riding-themed novel written in the vein of Jane Austen. Her Summer at Pemberley, a Pride and Prejudice sequel written by Austen fan and horsewoman Sallianne Hines fits the bill, 100%.

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Longtime blog readers will know I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction and memoir in my own reading and writing of horse books. I’ve written three non-fiction books at this point Horses Adored and Men Endured, Strands of Hope and Unbridled Creativity: 101 Writing Exercises for the Horse Lover. I’m not sure why, but I have a hard time getting fiction to hold my interest.

There is one exception: Pride and Prejudice.

I. Love. That. Story.

I love the book, I love the 1995 series starring Colin Firth, I love the more recent movie with Keira Knightley. I even like the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies version, and I’m not a zombie fan!

I had a play version from a Scholastic magazine and when I gave it to 7th grade students to read the years I taught in Rogers Park in Chicago (the city’s most racially diverse neighborhood), they LOVED it! They wanted to perform it. One boy portrayed a compelling version of Mr. Darcy professing his love for Lizzie during the school’s Open House. It was awesome!

For me, Pride and Prejudice never gets old.

So when author Sallianne Hines reached out to me, asking if I’d like a review copy I said yes (even though I am not much of a fiction reader).

When the book arrived I loved the cover design, but as they say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and because Miss Austen is such a literary icon, I was dubious as to whether Her Summer at Pemberley would be in the same league.

I’m happy to report Her Summer at Pemberley was a delight from cover to cover!

I don’t want to give any of the good parts away, so I’ll comment here on two categories: storyline and language.

Had I known about Her Summer at Pemberley in January, it would have made my 20 Horse Books to Read in 2020 blog post for sure!

Her Summer at Pemberley Storyline

The story is told from the point of view of Kitty Bennet, Lizzie’s younger sister. In Ms. Hines’s novel Kitty is an ardent horse lover, living for the joy of time in the saddle–astride. Her desire to ride in the fashion most of us do today, a foot in a stirrup on the left and one on the right, is scandalous for the era. Kitty has to wear her proper ladies’ side saddle habit to the barn and once there, secretly put trousers on underneath her skirt.

Aside from wanting to ride astride, Kitty desires a change of scenery and adventure. As a middle child, she feels overlooked by her parents who have other worries such as their Lydia who ran off with Wickham, a man of questionable character.

So when Lizzie, now the lady of Pemberley, married to dashing Darcy, invites Kitty for an extended visit to Pemberley, Kitty jumps at the chance. (I mean who wouldn’t want to stay with her sister at her millionaire brother-in-law’s estate?).

Things start looking up as Mr. Darcy is also a passionate equestrian, and he provides the mounts, the riding guides and a new social circle filled with several single young men.

Kitty becomes close friends with Georgiana (Mr. Darcy’s younger sister), bonds more with her own sister Lizzie, goes on many fabulous rides through the English countryside, gets lost in the woods, rescues herself, meets a princess, attends balls and so much more.

While reading, I had this realization on page 91 that I literally had a smile on my face as the girls were anticipating an upcoming ball and talking suitor strategy. I felt like I was there with them in my own regency gown, bantering and later cantering.

You might also like my review of The Ride of Her Life.

The Language of Austen

Her Summer at Pemberley nailed the tone and style of Jane Austen. The dialogue was believable and I got lost in the story to the point of if you tore a random page out of one of Austen’s novels and placed it next to a torn out page from Her Summer at Pemberley, it would be difficult to discern which came from the pen of Austen and which from the computer of Hines.

This book is a perfect summer read, a good travel companion or just a fabulous escape for your nightstand. It would also make an excellent gift for your equestrian friends who devour horse books.

If you like equestrian travel memoirs, CLICK HERE!

In addition, the book is not so horsey that a general reader would feel lost in equestrian lingo. Really, any fan of Austen or just a good novel will enjoy reading Her Summer at Pemberley. The holidays aren’t that far away and a copy of Her Summer at Pemberley would be a thoughtful and budget-friendly gift.

Gallop, don’t walk on over to this link and pick up your own copy of Her Summer at Pemberley today! I think, like me, you’ll find this book to be an excellent diversion when you are not in the saddle.

Thanks for reading and tally ho! 

Leave a Comment: Are you an Austen fan too? What books have lost yourself in lately?

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