Book one is done

Alrighty, so we are heading into hour 4 and I have finished my first book.
Finding Anne de Bourgh 

By: Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

Genre: Fiction, Women's Fiction

Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary:

As heiress of Rosings Park, Anne de Bourgh’s health is of utmost importance to her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Thus, following the shock of a recent fire at Rosings Park, the young woman is spirited away to Brighton to take the cure. While her domineering mother is bent on healing her daughter’s sickly constitution to secure her a suitable match, Anne herself is far more concerned with sketching the flora and fauna of the lovely sea town. It is in pursuit of artistic inspiration among the flowers that Anne becomes acquainted with Mr. Owen Talbot, a charming man with whom Anne feels an immediate connection, notwithstanding their differing stations.

But despite their growing esteem for one another, the couple faces an insurmountable problem: Lady Catherine has set her sights on a rich, well-connected man for her daughter, and Mr. Talbot is simply too common. With their love in jeopardy, the couple soon faces far graver problems. There has been a murder in Brighton, and Anne is innocently drawn into an amateur investigation that ultimately traces its roots to her own family. With a frightening foreshadowing regarding the de Bourghs, Anne begins to question whom she can truly trust.

My thoughts:

So this was one that I did thoroughly enjoy the concept of. Anne was never a character I gave much thought to in Pride and Prejudice. To me she was just another obstacle to Darcy and Elizabeth and nothing more. Hinrichsen follows the Austen formula while creating her own characters.

With Anne being so sickly, her mother has determined to bring her to Brighton in order to restore some health before going to London in the hopes of scraping together a match for her. As Anne gains not just physical strength but also inner strength to begin to defy her mother and live life at least somewhat on her terms. Over time she begins to make more decisions to her daily routine and even gasp what unsuitable gentleman she keeps company with.

I liked seeing her gain her voice. My favorite quote from the book is "Be assertive. Follow your heart. Be the woman you want to be." That is some good empowerment right there. She didn't turn into a domineering shrew, she simply became who she was meant to be. A daughter of the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh was NOT meant to be a doormat - not even for her mother. I am so very glad she came to herself and found some backbone. 

My critisims come with spoilers - if you would like them simply highlight between the *** We knew right off the bat who the bad guy was. He has his own chapters trying to explain his motive and we know there is a plot against Anne. I feel like this would have been a MUCH stronger novel had we not known. Let Mr. Lambert b e a Willoughby or a Wickham - someone who at first seems charming but then suddenly is not at all who we thought he was. We did get to see him change sides because of his daughter, but seriously that would have been amazing to have us feel the same betrayal as Anne. Bad editor for not catching and fixing this. Yes there was a little bit of rug pulling with Mrs. Webb but honestly not nearly enough and I was left unsatisfied.***

If you enjoy Austen for the funny wit and biting commentary, this isn't the book for you. If you enjoy Austen for sweet romance and want a light little read, this definitely does the job. I will most likely read something else of Hinrichsen if I come across it.