The Courtship of Edward Gardiner A Pride and Prejudice Prequel (Audible Audio Edition) Nicole Clarkston Stevie Zimmerman Books
Download As PDF : The Courtship of Edward Gardiner A Pride and Prejudice Prequel (Audible Audio Edition) Nicole Clarkston Stevie Zimmerman Books
Every great love has a beginning. In Austen's Pride and Prejudice, we meet with perhaps the most sensible, caring relatives a lovelorn young woman could hope for Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. What is their story?
Edward Gardiner has just been refused by the lovely young woman he had intended to make his wife. Heartbroken and eager for a diversion, he accepts an invitation from his brother-in-law, Thomas Bennet, to accompany him along with his two eldest daughters to the north on family business. Gardiner's pleasure tour is interrupted, however, when his eldest niece falls ill and is unable to travel farther.
Stopping over in the scarcely remarkable village of Lambton, the men decide that Bennet must continue on, while Gardiner and the children remain. The only trouble is that Gardiner has not the least idea how he should care for one ailing niece and another who is ready to drive him to distraction...until he meets with Madeline Fairbanks.
The Courtship of Edward Gardiner A Pride and Prejudice Prequel (Audible Audio Edition) Nicole Clarkston Stevie Zimmerman Books
I’m giving this one four stars for charm. Like the Austenesque novels of KaraLynne Mackrory, *The Courtship of Edward Gardiner* has characters you just want to squeeze and chuck under the chin. That’s of course both a strength and a weakness—the reader enjoys keeping company with them, but there’s nary an antagonist in the bunch.The story focuses shrewdly—because who didn’t want to know?—on how Elizabeth Bennet’s aunt and uncle Gardiner came to be a couple. After Edward Gardiner’s first romantic suit (great opening scene) doesn’t prosper, Mr. Bennet has dragged his brother-in-law off on an expedition to northern England, intended as a visit to Bennet’s ailing younger brother. Benighted in Lambton by the timely illness of a nine-year-old Jane Bennet, Mr. Gardiner and eight-year-old Elizabeth are thrown into intimacy with a local young woman, the daughter of a bookkeeper. As with most contemporary romance stories, attraction is immediate, and with two such nice (in the modern sense) protagonists, little occurs to disturb the progress of romance.
Sadly, I must continue to rail, as I do ad nauseam, against the prevalence of modern language and modern sensibilities in period romance. In this case I have to deplore the use of unnecessary intensifiers in place of the serviceable “he said,” “she asked,” and the few other invisible signposts that readers can absorb without registering them consciously. “She intoned,” “he quieted her,” “he husked” (is that even a thing?), and their ilk are phrasings that simply distract the reader, and they are markers of the amateur writer. In a book as delightful as this one, it was a pity to find so many. Trust that your dialogue and action speak for themselves! I also had difficulty envisioning Mr. Bennet as a mischievous matchmaker, though in other regards his character was fairly entertaining. And Clarkston occasionally falls into the trap of over-intensifying the traits of original characters—Mrs. Bennet is one who is taken to extremes here.
The fact that most of the action takes place at Lambton should serve to alert the reader that many of the characters in *Pride and Prejudice* make an appearance in these pages. Sometimes the symmetries and coincidences got to be a bit much, but I was along for a pleasurable ride and so I went with it. Some of the crossing of social lines seemed a bit anachronistic, but in general Clarkston’s grasp of village society and working people’s lives seemed believable. And the basis she offers for the friendship of Darcy and Bingley is the most plausible I have seen.
I liked that the focus of the romance was on finding a good life partner, not on heaving bosoms and tightenings of the groin. And the children were all charming, leavening the tale and offering insights into their adult selves without overwhelming the story. This was a delightful read.
[I purchased a copy without being urged to do so.]
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The Courtship of Edward Gardiner A Pride and Prejudice Prequel (Audible Audio Edition) Nicole Clarkston Stevie Zimmerman Books Reviews
This was a wonderful and though out novel of Mr. Edward Gardiner in his search to help Mr. Bennet and along the way he finds the love of his life, Madeline.
After failure to secure the hand of his first lady who he thought he was in love with and when he meets Madeline, he knows he found the perfect woman.
The author had through words described Lizzy to a tee as a child. I enjoyed reading about the adventure of their travels with Lizzy and Jane as children. The novel was interesting as well as entertaining and was an easy read.
Many of the characters were the same and not all included from previous novels and there were a few new characters added that made the plot interesting and added to the story.
At first when I bought the novel, I thought the courtship might have been one of the Gardiner children but low and behold it was the uncle. I gave it a five star review as it was worth everything a six star would be! Looking forward to the next novel from Nicole!
This is such a sweet story that has more than just the meeting and engagement of Edward Gardener and the lovely Madeline he found in Lampton. The young people in this story really make it a charming tale. The author captured Lizzy just as she must have been as a young child and Jane as well. But we get to meet Mr Darcy as a lad as well as Charles and even Georgianna. Mr Bennett is even more full of humor and not always fun and delightful. Very selfish. But he may have been that way. You do not want to miss this charming story. Be sure to buy this one.
There are many marvelous reviews out there that report everything wonderful about this book. So I am not going to try and emulate their excellence.
This book was just so delightful and that cover was an excellent choice. I could not believe someone was able to create a story around the courtship of Uncle and Aunt Gardiner. We have loved this couple for years as they first appeared in P&P and in all the JAFF stories, sequels, prequels, variations and the numerous movie adaptations. Their wisdom and insight guided our dear girls through their formative years and helped them to grow up and become the delightful ladies we know and love.
But, the questions are How did they begin? How did they become this power couple? What circumstances brought their paths together? Who is Madeline Fairbanks? And most importantly, what made her the perfect companion and help-meet for Edward Gardiner?
Nicole Clarkston, like an artist at her loom, has woven a beautiful cloth depicting the early foundation for the P&P story. Even if no one had ever read Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ [gasp], they can still enjoy this delightful story. For those few that have only read P&P once or twice, they may yet be able to pick up on the subtle nuances that thread their way through the design. However, for those of us immersed in JAFF, Clarkston’s work will explode in brilliant colors, designs, and textures, thus revealing the timeless picture.
To those readers accustomed to high tension, nerve wracking drama, numbing angst, sensual scenes and gratuitous sex, this will disappoint. As stated before, this is a simple story and we are looking at the everyday life of a woman in Lambton Village and the people that are most important to her. We come to understand the influences that formed her character and made her perfect for Mr. Gardiner. It was the reason they returned years later on their travels with an older Elizabeth in tow.
This work is rife with hidden treasures as we read this gentle story. On the surface it is simply a love story of a man, recovering from a great disappointment, finding his true and abiding love. But below the surface, our author has woven together threads that brought together many of our beloved P&P characters many years before that Meryton Assembly in Hertfordshire. Their stories run parallel to the Gardiner story.
It was such fun seeing our favorite characters as children
14-year-old Fitzwilliam going head to head with an 8-year-old Lizzy over a chess board.
Lizzy comforting a 3-year-old Georgiana terrified by a monstrous storm.
8-year-old Jane’s reaction when she first cast her eyes on a very young Charles Bingley.
Charles Bingley’s reaction when he first cast his eyes on an 8-year-old Jane.
Lizzy’s first encounter with an angry Lady Catherine. That was a hoot.
Wickham being a pest and schemer, already ingratiating himself with Georgiana. It made my skin crawl.
We are privy to a young Fitzwilliam, still learning the dynamics of Pemberley, as he interacts with his father. The first meeting of the elder Mr. Bingley, along with a young Bingley, forged that friendship that brought them both to Meryton years later. It was amazing to see how that meeting between the fathers laid the groundwork for a friendship between their sons. It also explained why they were at school together. It’s like Clarkston made a list of all the “why” questions in P&P and wove them into this delightful story so she could provide a reasonable answer. Brilliant.
It bothered me when Mr. Darcy discussed Wickham with Fitzwilliam. But, there was wisdom in his words. It softened the grievance I’ve had with the elder Mr. Darcy as he seemed to coddle Wickham. Not by much… mind you, but some. Let’s just say I have a better understanding.
There are so many instances of foreshadowing that you have to read carefully to not miss them. I kept finding myself going…oooh, I know what that action will do in a few years… OMG!!! They were dispersed throughout the story and are used to lay the groundwork of character, and understanding. It also explained why things were the way they were and we were able to see characters in a new light.
Edward Gardiner observed his brother-in-law Bennet and made a wise and prophetic assumption regarding ‘his careless disregard for the keeping of his daughters’… He felt it would lead to trouble in the future if it was not checked. Unfortunately, Mr. Gardiner would regret seeing that prophecy come true.
This story was a journey and a journey takes time and I appreciated the fact that our author did not rush the budding relationship between our couple. So many authors do that to the detriment of the story and it leaves the reader with a rushed feeling.
As Clarkston continued to weave the threads of her thoughts into the design she wanted, she skillfully introduced new characters that seemed innocent at first but played an important part later in the story. It made me laugh when these characters kept popping up with comedic relief. It was those OMG moments where you just shake your head at the creativity.
It was funny to see how everything was woven into the P&P story as we know it. I had to laugh as our author brought everything back around to a complete finish with an epilogue that was most excellent.
One scene that touched me to the core was a picnic where our group found old initials ‘GD’ and ‘AF’ carved in the tree. They discussed and commented on the long ago lovers and hoped the couple had a happy life. It nearly made me cry; I couldn’t help it. There were many moments like that, tender, touching and griping. We, who know the future, can see the subtle threads as they created the story way before the Meryton Assembly. Knowing what we know, knowing what was going to happen in the future… it was a strange and powerful feeling to be in that place and time. P&P questions I’ve entertained over the years seemed answered in some way. It was a settling feeling as things fell into place. It was delightful and made an excellent book for a cozy, snuggle down read on a cool fall evening.
For those who do not know GD and AF, or have forgotten, see below
*****SPOILER**** GD and AF were George Darcy and Anne Fitzwilliam **** End Spoiler ****
Note Although I received an ARC [advanced reader copy] from the author, I have since purchased a copy on two different reading devices. I loved this book and this author’s work. This is an honest review.
I’m giving this one four stars for charm. Like the Austenesque novels of KaraLynne Mackrory, *The Courtship of Edward Gardiner* has characters you just want to squeeze and chuck under the chin. That’s of course both a strength and a weakness—the reader enjoys keeping company with them, but there’s nary an antagonist in the bunch.
The story focuses shrewdly—because who didn’t want to know?—on how Elizabeth Bennet’s aunt and uncle Gardiner came to be a couple. After Edward Gardiner’s first romantic suit (great opening scene) doesn’t prosper, Mr. Bennet has dragged his brother-in-law off on an expedition to northern England, intended as a visit to Bennet’s ailing younger brother. Benighted in Lambton by the timely illness of a nine-year-old Jane Bennet, Mr. Gardiner and eight-year-old Elizabeth are thrown into intimacy with a local young woman, the daughter of a bookkeeper. As with most contemporary romance stories, attraction is immediate, and with two such nice (in the modern sense) protagonists, little occurs to disturb the progress of romance.
Sadly, I must continue to rail, as I do ad nauseam, against the prevalence of modern language and modern sensibilities in period romance. In this case I have to deplore the use of unnecessary intensifiers in place of the serviceable “he said,” “she asked,” and the few other invisible signposts that readers can absorb without registering them consciously. “She intoned,” “he quieted her,” “he husked” (is that even a thing?), and their ilk are phrasings that simply distract the reader, and they are markers of the amateur writer. In a book as delightful as this one, it was a pity to find so many. Trust that your dialogue and action speak for themselves! I also had difficulty envisioning Mr. Bennet as a mischievous matchmaker, though in other regards his character was fairly entertaining. And Clarkston occasionally falls into the trap of over-intensifying the traits of original characters—Mrs. Bennet is one who is taken to extremes here.
The fact that most of the action takes place at Lambton should serve to alert the reader that many of the characters in *Pride and Prejudice* make an appearance in these pages. Sometimes the symmetries and coincidences got to be a bit much, but I was along for a pleasurable ride and so I went with it. Some of the crossing of social lines seemed a bit anachronistic, but in general Clarkston’s grasp of village society and working people’s lives seemed believable. And the basis she offers for the friendship of Darcy and Bingley is the most plausible I have seen.
I liked that the focus of the romance was on finding a good life partner, not on heaving bosoms and tightenings of the groin. And the children were all charming, leavening the tale and offering insights into their adult selves without overwhelming the story. This was a delightful read.
[I purchased a copy without being urged to do so.]
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