The Diamond by Julie Baumgold From British occupied India to the Kings of France, the Pitt Diamond – later named the Regent – saw many royal personages throughout its history. It was first discovered by a slave toiling the mines and slipped through several hands of thieves and vagabonds before finding its way to Thomas Pitt, Governor of Fort St…. Read more »
My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes This book begins with Henry VIII’s search for a fourth wife and ends with his death. Though her earlier life was not covered in great detail, the reader still gets a sense of who Anne of Cleves was and how her personality developed. Since being painted by Hans Holbein, Henry VIII’s court… Read more »
Longbourn by Jo Baker Pride and Prejudice through the servants’ eyes—this is the story of the life of Sarah, the maid in charge of the laundry and other various chores of the Bennet household, coinciding with the events from Austen’s original. Sarah began as an orphan from the ‘poorhouse’, taken under Mrs. Hill’s wing and raised at Longbourn. Of an… Read more »
Venus in Winter by Gillian Bagwell Based on the little known early life of Elizabethan lady Bess of Hardwick, this novel spans three decades during one of England’s most perilous eras. Through the eyes of an impoverished girl turned great landowner, the events surrounding the courts of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I are brought to life,… Read more »
Darcy’s Story by Janet Aylmer This is the story of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice as related by the character of Mr. Darcy—nothing new to the incredibly prolific sub-genre of Austen variations, but possibly one of the first printed, as it came out in 1996, shortly after the popular mini-series featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. True to Austen’s characters… Read more »
