The Heiress

I am not a real Jane Austen fan, but I know her books, of course. That's why I was not reading this book as a part of the world, but as a stand-alone having some known names included. And it could transport me in a new world, it could show me new things and it was very readable.
First of all I really liked the descriptions of Laudanum addiction and how it was integrated into the book. I completely could understand the mother's worries and actions even though I would never do it (but we are in the 21th century now). This kind of realtionship between a mother and a daughter was well depicted and shows the problems of the "production of a heir" and caring for a family in those times.
The depiction of the world was also well done, it was intriguing to follow the emancipation of a girl, in whose case nobody had ever expected anything of her. It is such a great delight to see, how characters develop and at the same time stay themselves with their own fears and restraints.
The relationship content was no roblem for me, and I am very satisfied that it played an important role in the book, but was not a kind of voyeurism that sometimes occurs. It was a naturally integrated part of the story, which showed many different facets and simply belonged.
I can higly recommend this book!

The Heiress by Molly Greeley
This is the fascinating story of the heiress of Rosings Park: Anne de Bourgh, a minor character in Pride and Prejudice, takes centre stage in this novel. We learn that Anne, a sickly baby, has been betrothed to her cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy since birth. Her formidable mother Catherine cannot bear her child’s persistent crying as a baby and when the local doctor prescribes laudanum to placate the baby she embraces his diagnosis that Anne is a delicate child who should be shielded from every aspect of life.
Deadened by laudanum Anne encounters a governess who tries, within the constraints placed upon her by Anne’s mother, to develop her charge’s talents. Her father is mostly absent during her life and when he dies suddenly Anne is provoked into making some changes in her life.
Although this book is similar in style to Jane Austen’s it touches on subjects which Austen would not have tackled for instance the terrible withdrawal symptoms experienced when being weaned off the laudanum to which she had become addicted. The plot is reminiscent of Sarah Waters in its handling of the love between two women. There are some well-drawn characters in the novel and whilst some engender powerful feelings of dislike, Catherine, others promote fondness such as John Darcy and Eliza. The late flowering of Anne under the tutelage of Eliza is fascinating to read and her introduction to the works of Mary Wollstonecraft and the broadening of her horizons from the limited confines of Rosings Park is a delight.
I thoroughly recommend this novel for it celebrates Austen whilst remaining highly original and inventive. I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this immensely. One to stay up late reading as Anne’s journey is unconventional and she not only has her addiction to battle but society prejudice. I’ve read other fan fiction novels (to Conan Doyle and the Brontes) and so far have found them inventive, well researched and created with genuine love and passion for the genre. These fan fiction novels have to stand up to huge criticism as they have to be given approval by the hundreds of other fans and so you can be assured they are accurate in their references to both period and the original novels.

My Rating
5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. Gasping, almost crying, constantly telling my partner about it over breakfast, lunch, tea, in the car kind of loved this book. I am an avid lover of Pride and Prejudice, and always found myself wondering about Anne so...to see this book was an absolute dream come true. And to read this book, well that was better than perfection. It's always fascinated me how readily opiates were given, and this book showed the exact reason why it's bad.

We have Anne's illness, her overbearing mother, her difficult life that's too easy in the worst way. And then, as she gets herself clean...something we've wondered about the whole book turns out to be true and Anne not only becomes an paragon of strength and inner resilience, but also a lesbian icon. I'm not sure I've ever rooted for a character this much in my life. From start to finish I was like 'come on Anne!'. When she brought herself to London, I was so happy for her. When she poured away her medicine, I audibly gasped with a grin. When she made a friend I was truly happy, as if by that point we were friends ourselves, and when it turned romantic...it's been a long time since I've shipped something that much and I was thrilled to see it come to fruition!

Familiar characters return, but a nice touch from the author was to feature the prominent ones rarely and focus on some of the lesser known family members, their lives, their dynamics. It didn't become an odd sequel, but instead fit perfectly within the current material and felt true to the original, whilst being fresh and new. The writing style was wonderful, the book flowed magnificently - with the drug addled sections feeling a bit slower and softer and rounded around the edges without being boring or badly paced and the second half reflecting the new speed in Anne's life - again - without feeling too fast, or badly paced. The ending had me almost weeping, though I did have to start the chapter again as I was a touch confused, but it quickly made sense.

This book is a masterpiece, absolutely spellbinding and had me gripped from start to finish. I want a penguin clothbound version to go with the section I have earmarked for my actual Austen novels (when I finally complete the set. It honestly reads like poetry, absolutely beautiful from start to finish.

I've read a couple of Pride and Prejudice sequels or spin offs but none as surprising or as excellent as this one, which tells the story of Anne de Bourgh, who in the original was a peripheral character with no lines and no detail beyond her sickly constitution. In this book, Anne comes alive, although at first she is alive only in a hazy sense, drugged by laudanum from infanthood so that she grows up addicted, stuck in a drugged-up half life that she and everyone around her believes is by her natural weakness rather than the product of the drops she takes daily.

When she finally takes control of her body and her life, heading to London to assert her independence from her Mother and her addiction, she really comes into her own. This is a story of self-discovery, a sapphic romance, a late coming-of-age novel and an exploration of womanhood in a rigid society. I genuinely loved it, and would 100% recommend it to both fans of Pride and Prejudice, or just fans of historically-set fiction in general.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC of this in exchange for my honest review

This was a 5 star for me.
I found the writing style deceptive. Initially, I thought I was not sure of the story and that I may stop reading soon, but soon never came. The storyline and the style snuck up on me. I couldn’t put the book down.
The mother. the doctor. The laudanum. The father and the relatives. Society and its values. Mary Wollstonecroft. Schools and female education. And so much more were covered in this book – implicit in the storyline and packed into what seemed initially, on the surface, to be a standard typical historical romance. One that turned out to be so atypical and so empathetically written. A quiet stunner of a book.

I loved learning about Anne, her struggles in a world where she was constantly told everything was too much for her weak constitution, and her coming of age as she broke free and became herself. This is a love story first and foremost as Anne learns to love and trust herself as well as those she can call her friends. Beautifully written, this story adds brilliantly to the world Austen has created.

It's been a while since I read a book that was both compelling and delicate, with a sort of rhythm of the words.

The plot was a bit unexpected, but the final chapter was so beautifully written, poetic would be a better description.., that The Heiress deserves five stars.

And secretly I'm hoping for a follow-up. Perhaps we can read about George growing up, losing his father and whatever else we've had a glimpse of so far...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Anne de Bourgh is the heiress in question, the daughter of Sir Lewis and Lady Catherine, she will inherit Rosings Park, Kent one of the finest estates in the south of England. She is cousin to Fitzwilliam Darcy and Anne’s indomitable and controlling mother has decreed they will marry! Anne has been hooked in laudanum since she a baby as she was ‘troublesome’. Anne tells her own story.

This is an homage to Jane Austen via a minor Pride and Prejudice character and yes, it reads like an Austen in that it captures the spirit of the great author in dialogue, in language, in manners as it depicts etiquette, society and social mores. There the similarities end and I’m glad that it does as this is a work of originality not a duplicate. Austen most certainly wouldn’t have written about some of the topics included here such as the effects of coming off laudanum (not pretty) and ‘female issues’ (!) which wouldn’t have even been alluded to, never mind described! This is a love story but not the kind of love of Austen’s novels envisage and this is what makes it a refreshingly modern take. The characters are excellent though not all likeable. Lady Catherine is a bully and what she does to Anne is totally inexcusable. As Anne grows into her body and fills the spaces with spirit I like her more and more. Equally likeable is Eliza Amherst and John Darcy, Anne’s cousin who is a kind and understanding man. Eliza introduces Anne to the enlightening world of books and here we see the influence of Mary Wollstonecraft on Anne’s growing independence and strength of mind. Some of the descriptions of Anne’s addiction are fantastic in their hallucinatory effects but even under the dulling impact of the drug you detect mutiny. There are some superb analogies of Anne’s before and after laudanum state which have leanings towards animism and are very clever, vivid and colourful.

Overall, this is an excellent book to lose yourself in. It’s well written with a good plot line and some moments of tension especially between Anne and Lady Catherine, you almost see those flying sparks. I love the emergence of Anne from the chrysalis of laudanum to the spirited independent butterfly who flits where she wills and does a lot of good in the process. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc for an honest review.

The Heiress is a compelling and compulsive read , one of those books that is so hard to put down .It tells the story of Anne De Bourgh an heiress who was betrothed to Mr Darcy when they were children ,she was given laudanum as a sickly baby and of course becomes addicted to it living in a half world ..Mr Darcy weds Elizabeth Bennett but Anne cares not .When she is nearly 30 she decides to throw the laudenum away ,go and stay with her cousin in London and find herself in the real world .The story tells of her strength and fortitude to overcome her many adversities and fulfill her true potential and take over control of her estate and lead a happy life .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

The Heiress is probably the best Austen spin-off novel I’ve ever read. I always cringe a bit when I see there is yet another one and I always end up reading it anyway because it’s inspired by Jane Austen. This was brilliant. Greeley doesn’t try to imitate the inimitable Austen but her prose also fits the time period and style. Anne de Bourgh, the heiress of Rosings Park and intended bride of Mr Darcy, is given no real presence in Pride and Prejudice, and no lines, springs to life here. This does not feel as if the author is suggesting she could do it better than Austen – which is what I get from so many imitators – nor does it read as fan fiction. It’s more as if Austen has given Greeley and prompt and she’s turned it into a beautiful novel about wealth/ poverty, child-parent relations, sexuality and self-actualisation. There were things that Austen could never have written about in her day without being locked up (women with political opinions contrary to their fathers or brothers often ended up imprisoned in asylums without recourse, for example. And anyone openly criticising the government or the church openly, could be more conventionally locked up. People do not realise how ballsy Austen was or how much she got away with!) Greeley has more wriggle room and tackle many issues including the opium crisis. I’m sure some Austen fans are going to be taken aback at Anne’s sexuality however since there’s evidence that Austen herself may have been bisexual (don’t be fooled by exaggerated accounts of her romance with the young Irishman – it really wasn’t like that) I feel she would have approved. This is an intelligent novel that pays its dues to its source material. Recommended.

Absolutely breathtaking! A rivoting, heart racing read for the modern austen reader. 10/10 read and a must recommendation!

I loved this book. It was so beautifully written and I found myself captured by the little known character from Pride and Prejudice Anne de Bourgh Darcy's sickly cousin. I loved seeing how how Anne progressed to being a someone addicted to laudanum to become a very capable, courageous woman. I loved it.

'The Heiress' is such a richly descriptive and poetic book that I never wanted it to end. I have rarely become so emotionally invested in a character and I will never forget this book. The characters are deep and really engaging and the settings are immersive and detailed. I would give it another star if I could.

There's a whole tradition now of taking relatively minor characters from classic books and examining them anew. This book looks at Ann de Bourgh, Lizzie's limp and listless rival for Mr Darcy, daughter of Lady Catherine. We all know how that turns out.

Which leaves Ann to get on with her life. Which she does, with aplomb.

Molly Greeley gives a perfectly believable explanation for the listlessness, explores female relationships and power, and gives Ann her own love story.

I enjoyed this book very much. I know Pride and Prejudice pretty well, and this interdigitated with the original accurately, but added depth. Ann's backstory fits, her mother is exactly as we know her to be, and her post- P&P life is great. I was cheering her on.

Thank you, Netgalley.

"All my life I had been dormant as a winter tree, waiting for a spring that never came."

The Heiress imagines a whole life story for Anne de Bourgh, a very minor character from the world of Pride and Prejudice (what should we call it? the Austenverse? the Darcyverse? There's probably already a name for it.). Anyway, Anne is the sickly daughter of the formidable Lady Catherine - intended by her mother to marry her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy, but we all know how that turned out. She's also the heiress of Rosings Park, a huge country estate.

Given laudanum (tincture of opium) to stop her crying as a baby, Anne is dosed with it throughout her childhood and young adulthood, resulting in an existence - barely a life - which is dulled, even stupefied. Labelled as a frail and sickly creature, everyone agrees that she must be protected from any kind of excitement or exertion, her diet closely monitored, her activities severely restricted. It never seems to occur to anyone, least of all her family or her doctors, that it's the "medicine" - to which she is, of course, now unknowingly addicted - that is keeping her that way. Only her governess sees more clearly what is going on, but there is little she can do.

I found myself angrier than I expected at the half-life carelessly inflicted on Anne and the many wasted years. Molly Greeley writes excellently about how she experiences her existence - the torpor, the inability to engage, and at times the disturbing hallucinations.

The book takes the minor character of Anne de Bourgh and runs with it, imagining a story for her which both provides a shocking reason for her "sickly constitution" and follows her difficult journey to self-determination. It's a love story, too, but mainly it's the story of a woman painfully breaking out from the constraints imposed upon her, which in this case are even greater than for most women of the era, as Anne is oppressed not only socially but also chemically.

Major characters from Pride and Prejudice make occasional appearances (we do get a glimpse into the married life of Mr and Mrs Darcy, which is fun). However, you don't have to have read P&P to enjoy it, as the story stands alone, though a knowledge of the source material does provide an additional dimension.

I enjoyed this book tremendously - it's so well written, and the story so engaging, that it's hugely satisfying when Anne does manage to move her life forward, finding friends and allies, and discovering a world which has been kept from her. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it and to provide an unbiased review.

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t know what I had been expecting but I couldn’t get enough.

The character of Anne in Pride and Prejudice is so easily overlooked, and as the reader we are rooting for the heroine Elizabeth Bennet. This book definitely does her justice. I was pleasantly surprised to find that in building up the character of Anne, the author did not venture to pull down the character of Elizabeth. She was the same heroine she is described as being by Austen. I found this unusual, as authors of these type of novels usually do not allow any other women to be as strong as their central female character.

In fact, I found every single woman described in this novel to be multi layered and complex. They were al written incredibly well, which was incredibly refreshing. Even the men were written to have the ability to be kind and gracious. On some level I think this is the most unrealistic part of the novel, because it is almost entirely free of toxic masculinity. When Anne rejects a mans proposal, he does not get angry or force her or blackmail her. He simply accepts her choice.

I also loved the angle of Anne’s illness that the author gave her, and how she was able to overcome it. I thought this was a really intelligent way of opening up the character, and showed how this experience had shaped her.

I was surprised when it was revealed that Anne was queer, but then I think the author had been dropping hints throughout the novel that she then remarked upon (like how she had regarded Elizabeth). I think this was cleverly done, because it felt like the reader and Anne were discovering this together.

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t put it down and would definitely recommend it.