Charlotte - Helen Moffett
About the book
Everybody believes that Charlotte Lucas has no prospects. She is unmarried, plain, poor and reaching a dangerous age. When she stuns the neighbourhood by accepting the proposal of buffoonish clergyman Mr Collins, her best friend Lizzy Bennet is appalled by her decision. Yet this is the only way Charlotte knows how to provide for her future. Her married life will propel her into a new world: not only of duty and longed-for children, but secrets, grief, unexpected love and friendship, and a kind of freedom.
Jane Austen cared deeply about the constraints on women in Regency England. This powerful reimagining takes up where Austen left off in Pride and Prejudice, showing us a woman determined to carve a place for herself in the world. Charlotte offers a fresh, feminist addition to the post-Austen canon, beautifully imagined, and brimming with passion and intelligence.
About the author
Helen Moffett is an editor, activist and academic. She grew up on farms where water was a precious resource, and now lives in Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa. She has authored, co-authored or compiled fifteen books, ranging from university textbooks to cricket to erotica.
Discover more about the book and author
Watch the Library.Live Book Club event with Helen Moffett.
Learn more about the author on Helen’s website.
Listen to a sample of the audio book.
Read this Inter-Review with the author.
Our Librarian’s Review
“Charlotte imagines the consequences of events that took place in Pride & Prejudice from the viewpoint of Charlotte Collins (nee Lucus), weaving together the worlds of Hunsford, Rosings and Pemberly in ways that convincingly continue the ‘original’ story. Charlotte’s character is given a depth through her grief for the death of her son and the awakening of new found passions. The details of her domestic world and her sense of pride in the improvements she has made to Hunsford, maintain the consistency of her character throughout the novel.
The redemption of Mr Collins is, for me, only partially successful, mainly because it involves omitting his visit to Longbourne to commiserate with his ‘fair cousins’ over Lydia’s elopement. However, I was delighted by Anne de Burge’s transformation; which is quite a revelation! The story does change momentum once Jacob, the only new character, is introduced and, while not wholly convinced by the turn of events this engenders, I thoroughly enjoyed the ending they bring about.”