I am the author of this book, so I will not rate it. However, I would like to share a review with you written by Sylvia Cochran for Roundtable Reviews.

Pemberley Remembered is the publishing debut of Mary Lydon Simonsen. Currently living in the hot recesses of Arizona, Ms. Simonsen showcases her lush imagination and thorough knowledge of Regency Era England with its quirks and rich cultural heritage as well as the time period following World War II. Pemberley Remembered joins the ranks of the many Jane Austen inspired novels that simply cannot let the romance between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet die with the conclusion of Pride and Prejudice. In this work, a post-WWII Maggie Joyce visits a Derbyshire country house that is said to have housed William Lacey and Elizabeth Garrison, purported to have been Ms. Austen’s inspiration for her characters. On a whim, Maggie researches the characters to find out if there is any truth to this saga and before long she makes friends with the descendants of Lacey and Garrison, and also meets her own love interest.

Pemberley Remembered is the kind of story that either flies high and succeeds or bombs beyond recognition – a danger that is always in play when the characters of a famous and much beloved novel are taken as a springboard for a new work of fiction. To say that Mary Simonsen succeeded in her endeavor to craft a love story within a love story is an understatement! In many ways she could be considered on the cutting edge of this highly specialized genre and while it is unclear whether it is her deeper understanding of the Jane Austen characters, her meticulous knowledge of WWII and Regency England histories, or her ability to weave together three seemingly unconnected story lines, this book is a resounding success on all levels. Readers who would rather gnaw off a limb than read a romance novel will take heart in the fact that this author is not crafting the quintessential romance that seems to fall into a cookie cutter mold, but instead is truly offering up a work of fiction that has yet to find its equal.

Maggie Joyce is a young single woman living in London after World War II. Originally from America, she works as a typist at the War Office in London, awaiting and dreading the orders that will eliminate her position and send her home. While in England, Maggie decides to explore the setting of one of her favorite novels, Pride and Prejudice. Along with Rob, her commitment-phobic boyfriend who is still recovering from emotional wounds he received during the war, she explores England in a delightful fashion.

Maggie visits a home rumored to be the inspiration for Pemberley, the ancestral family home of Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. During her stay, she meets Jack and Beth Crowell, who seem to have an insider’s perspective on the story behind Pride and Prejudice. As she forges a friendship with Jack and Beth, they begin to share their knowledge with her, leaving tantalizing clues as to the real events which inspired Austen’s famous story. As Maggie finds the evidence more and more irrefutable, she begins to wonder about Jack and Beth. How is it possible they have this much intimate information regarding Pride and Prejudice? What is their secret?

Pemberley Remembered is historical fiction in the broadest sense. Not only does it cover Austen’s Regency England; it is a revealing portrait of World War II and postwar England as well. Any fan of either will greatly enjoy this book. However, it is also a story of romance, the likes of which are unsurpassed in today’s literary climate. I am hesitant to categorize the book as a romance, because while it is the story of Maggie and Rob and their love for each other, there is so much more that develops in the novel.

When a reader hears the title Pemberley Remembered, the first thing that comes to mind is Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice. Any real fans of that work will most likely clamor to read this novel; anyone who does not recognize the name Pemberley will pass it by, even after picking it up to read the synopsis. What a mistake they would be making!

Simonsen’s Pemberley Remembered is not just for fans of Jane Austen. True, a devout reader of Pride and Prejudice has an advantage due to the cavalier references throughout the book, which doesn’t contain much summary. Parts of the novel might be a bit long and drawn out as Maggie strives to find the answers behind Pride and Prejudice’s main characters and the real lives they may or may not have been based upon. So, being an Austen fan would be a definite plus (personally, I feel like a reader would have missed out on some of the most delightful parts of the book if they did not have familiarity with Austen), but not having read Pride and Prejudice should not preclude a reader from picking up Pemberley Remembered.

The most remarkable aspect of Pemberley Remembered is Simonsen’s ability to take multiple stories from completely different time periods and fuse them together into a cohesive whole. Maggie’s search for answers, Jack and Beth’s story, the horrors of war, the development of Maggie and Rob’s relationship, the story of the Garrisons and Laceys (the supposed characters the Bennets and Darcys were modeled upon), all while keeping the reader’s interest in the mysteries of the novel – it is quite an achievement. Simonsen devotes ample time to each storyline, never neglecting one for another. The result is a beautiful, full book that is not a quick read – the complicated nature of the novel does not allow for that. Instead, it is a slower, satisfying read, another rarity with books today.

Pemberley Remembered is a shining addition to the world of historical fiction. While the reader may find some storylines more interesting than others, all are well written. There are so many books based on Pride and Prejudice or about it being released right now, and many of them are disappointing at best. Pemberley Remembered is what these books should be – a novel in its own right. While Pride and Prejudice is a big factor in the book, it does not define it. It can stand very well on its own merit, and because of that, any reader will most likely enjoy this book.

Originally published at Curled Up With a Good Book and reprinted at http://www.skrishnasbooks.com ( )

You pick up Pemberley Remembered at first because you loved Pride and Prejudice and you want to enjoy those characters again. But once you begin to read, you will find yourself drawn into a multi-layered story taking place in three different time periods, with three different couples.

Maggie Joyce, an American living in England after the Second World War, visits Montclair, a mansion rumored to be the inspiration for Pemberley, the home of Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s famous classic novel. Once there, Maggie learns that the former inhabitants of the mansion, William Lacey and his wife Elizabeth Garrison Lacey, are considered by locals to be the true inspiration for Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Meaning only to while away an afternoon, Maggie talks to Jack Crowell, one of the local experts on the story, and finds herself caught up in a complex tale of family and love.

In Pemberley Remembered, characters and plotlines are revealed to the reader as a series of interconnected anecdotes and reminiscences. For me, it called to mind the way you learn about your own family history. Ancestors, recent and not-so-recent, are known to you through the stories told by your relatives. This is the way Ms. Simonsen reveals her characters’ lives to the reader, one remembrance at a time. As Maggie talks to Jack Crowell, she learns not only about the Garrison-Lacey family, but also his own. The tale of the Crowell family, and its connection to the Laceys, turns out to be just as interesting as the original Jane Austen novel.

Originally, of course, the story begins with the Garrisons and the Laceys, who may or may not be the Bennets and the Darcys. But the reader is quickly caught up in the story of Jack Crowell and his wife Beth, whose own love story spans the First World War. In addition, Maggie’s romance with the former navigator of an American bomber runs through the novel like a ribbon. Their developing relationship—and the ways in which their different backgrounds and his experiences in the war may affect their future—provides the backbone of the novel, while the Elizabeth-Darcy and Beth-Jack romances mirror each other in surprising ways.

This is a story of love, of the devastation wrought by two different wars, and of social status and family ties that complicate the lives of three different couples in three different time periods. A thoroughly enjoyable and complex historical romance. ( )