Miss Jane Bennet was pretty, sweet and tolerable. Her only flaw was that it had taken Miss Bingley considerable effort to wrench her brother back from pursuing a disastrous union between them. Elizabeth Bennet was by far worse. She was distressingly strong willed, oddly alluring to men in general and, most horribly, to Mr. Darcy in particular. Miss Bingley couldn’t think of anyone worse to meet in London.
(from Miss Bingley’s Christmas)
Renata McMann and Summer Hanford’s short story, Miss Bingley’s Christmas, is a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that finds our beloved characters in London for Christmas. Set after Caroline Bingley conspired to remove her brother and the rest of their party from Hertfordshire to separate him from Jane Bennet, the story finds Caroline and her sister, Louisa, stranded in a freezing carriage on their way home from a trip to the flower market. Caroline hopes her Christmas preparations bring her closer to becoming Mrs. Darcy, but all her plans go awry when she and Louisa are forced to abandon their carriage, find themselves soaking wet and lost, and are rescued by Jane and Elizabeth Bennet and their aunt Gardiner.
Being forced to stay at the Gardiners’ home for Christmas Eve gives Caroline a chance to observe the Bennet sisters and their relations and relax in their company. When Mr. and Miss Darcy arrive for Christmas dinner with other guests, including a Joseph and a Mary, Caroline takes a good look at the people around her and even inward, seeing the differences between “Miss Bingley” and the true “Caroline” for the first time.
Miss Bingley’s Christmas packs a lot of character development into a short story that can be finished in less than an hour. The story takes place over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so Caroline’s soul searching and revelations occur rather quickly, but that is to be expected and didn’t dampen my enjoyment. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy take a back seat in this story, and at first I was a bit hesitant to spend too much time in Caroline’s head, but it worked here as her observations uncover some pretty harsh truths about her expectations versus reality. But rest assured that there is a happy ending and an epilogue set during the following Christmas. Although I wish Miss Bingley’s Christmas had been longer (it really would make a great novel or novella), it made for a quick and satisfying read during the busy holiday season.
Disclosure: Miss Bingley’s Christmas is from my personal library.
That would be a nice change-up to get a story from Caro Bingley’s perspective.
LikeLike
It certainly was!
LikeLike
My intention is to spend more time reading about other characters created by Jane Austen, and stop reading stories where Darcy and Elizabeth are the main characters, so this would be one for me
LikeLike
I hope you enjoy it! I don’t think I could give up reading D&E stories, but I hope to read more about the secondary characters in the coming year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That looks and sounds sweet!
LikeLike
It was a great holiday read!
LikeLike
Perfect for xmas 🙂
LikeLike
Indeed!
LikeLike
Well I do love my Darcy and Elizabeth stories but they do appear to be in this book so hopefully that will be enough. Especially if Caroline finally accepts that Darcy will never be hers. Thanks for this Anna.
LikeLike
It’s a really short one, so I didn’t even have a chance to focus on D&E being in the background.
LikeLike
This one sounds very interesting. I actually like stories about the secondary characters and a humbled Caroline Bingley should make for a good read!
LikeLike
I really enjoy seeing different takes on Caroline, though it can be hard to be in her head at times.
LikeLike
I have not read this one but considering who the authors are I am sure it is a good read. Just too many to keep up with…argh! Only an hour…to read…maybe soon.
Happy New Year.
LikeLike
Happy New Year, Sheila! I definitely would read more by these authors.
LikeLike
I’m not sure how I missed seeing this one, but it sounds like a good one.
LikeLike
It’s short and sweet, so it’s perfect to read during the busy holidays.
LikeLike
BTW: I have now read and posted a review on this one. It was all just as you said. Lovely and short.
LikeLike
Great, I will check it out!
LikeLike
That was a very charming story. I am glad to see someone stopped and thought of why Caroline Bingley acted the way she did. Insecurity – she had the money, but the Bennett girls’ father was a gentleman from an established family.
LindaC
LikeLike
I agree! I love when authors dig a little deeper into Austen’s secondary characters.
LikeLike