Longbourn

Pride and Prejudice was only half the story.

This wonderful novel looks at the whole affair from the servants’ points of view. “If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.” I love this book.

Love the way the historical domestic details are covered so effortlessly and the emotions explored of those silent characters who watch their “betters”, take messages, serve meals, and endlessly wash clothes!

Why do I think Sarah, the orphaned housemaid to the Bennet family (of Pride and Prejudice fame) is a kick-ass heroine? Because despite never being given a surname, she’s smart and observant, she’s not afraid of having a mixed-race relationship (unusual in 1813), and she leaves the safety (I won’t say comfort) of her job at Longbourn to find and help a man in trouble. I loved re-reading Pride and Prejudice from a maid’s point of view. Lots of dress washing and chamberpot emptying, and snarky remarks about class differences.

This book turns Pride and Prejudice on its head, but in a good way. Of course, we all love reading about the trials and triumphs of Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters, but there’s a lot more going on inside their home than what the gentleman’s daughters are aware of. Servants are the cogs in the well-oiled machine of Longbourn and they experience just as much joy and heartache as any pampered miss. To be clear, this isn’t a lighthearted story, but it is a very good one.