A Great Deal of Ingenuity: A Collection of Pride and Prejudice Short Stories
£9.50
But what about all the other people busy cooking, mending, flirting, walking and socialising in the background?
In this entertaining collection of short stories, Ruth Leigh shines a light on the lives of nine characters from the novel. For instance, how is married life at Hunsford for Mr and Mrs Collins? Will mousy Maria Lucas ever find a husband? How does Sally the maid feel about mending Lydia’s worked muslin gown? Which Meryton matron will triumph in luring a respectable and marriageable young man into their parlour? These stories give the reader a window into the worlds of Meryton, Rosings Park, Pemberley and Hunsford as you’ve never seen them before.
Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer, the author of the Isabella M Smugge series, contemporary humorous page-turners. She lives in rural Suffolk with three children, one husband and a cat. Ruth has been an Austen devotee since the age of fifteen and is a proud member of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Nerd community. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter at ruthleighwrites and at her website, www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk.
What People Are Saying
“Cleverly thought-out and brilliantly executed, Ruth Leigh bestows upon us the backstories we never knew we needed. Leigh has breathed life into those who made but a cameo appearance in Pride and Prejudice. Delightful!”
Rose Servitova, author of “The Longbourn Letters,” “The Watsons” and “A Season at Sanditon.”
You will love these glimpses into the lives of minor Pride and Prejudice characters. With warmth, wit and a detailed understanding of the period, we are drawn effortlessly into the social niceties and small calamities of everyday Georgian life. These are fascinating cameos of minor characters in this timeless book, brought to life with skill and artistry.
Deborah Jenkins, author of, “The Evenness of Things” and “Braver” (shortlisted for the Writers’ Guild Best First Novel Award).
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Additional information
| Publisher | Resolute Books (27 Jun. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 213 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1915981220 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1915981226 |
| Reading age | 14 – 18 years |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 1.22 x 20.32 cm |
by Paul T.
You don’t have to be a fan of Jane Austen’s work to appreciate this book – though it probably helps to have read ‘Pride and Prejudice’, since all the characters are taken from there. I’m not a Jane Austen reader myself, but I still found a great deal here to enjoy and appreciate.
For one thing, there’s the technical ability shown. I love the concept of taking minor characters and expanding on their story, but to do that successfully with something as well known as Pride and Prejudice is challenging: the writer has to make sure that their imaginative development of these characters fits seamlessly within the canon. The experts will no doubt point out any transgressions, but just making the attempt shows a considerable degree of confidence on the writer’s part, and she carries it out with style!
The writing flows smoothly, is true to the period (even including some original spellings – which are explained at the beginning of the book) and I found it accessible throughout. Prologues to each chapter explain (for the benefit of those of us not too familiar with Austen!) how the characters fit into Pride and Prejudice: footnotes clarify some unfamiliar words, and the book as a whole gives us a look into some of the more obscure corners of history.
I was particularly struck by Sally’s story. Sally was just one of the servants in the original, but reading about her life made it very clear that the elaborate and glittering social life of the wealthy was only made possible by the sheer hard work – drudgery, in fact – of their servants.
Another interesting thing was just how important making the right marriage was. The obsession with dresses and balls, the gossip about who was available and how much money they might have – these were not just shallow conversation, they were matters of survival! Of course, in Austen’s day this was well known, and didn’t need to be spelled out, but looking back from our perspective, it’s less obvious. ‘A Great Deal of Ingenuity’ gave me a much clearer understanding of the time and the people who lived in it.
There are nine stories here, nine minor characters marvellously well developed, each given their own voice and their chance to show their own side of things. It’s an impressive achievement, and it required A Great Deal of Ingenuity!
by KathB
Ruth Leigh has written a masterful and varied selection of short stories inspired by the lives of some of the minor characters in Jane Austen’s classic novel with a wonderful range of characters displaying bitterness, down-to-earth adroitness and sensitivity through to liveliness and ‘air-headedness’. My particular favourites were ‘Sally’, ‘The Reverend Mr Annesley’, ‘The Cook’s Tale’ and ‘An Unremarkable Woman’. I particularly enjoyed the fun scholarliness that Leigh has invested into her book with some insightful and fascinating footnotes explaining some of the historical and cultural details of the time. The fact that her writing is so authentic to Jane Austen’s style was another great delight.
My only quibble was that I felt I didn’t want so much detail about some of the characters’ lives and would have been content with a deep dive into a more focussed aspect of the character’s stories.
by Amazon Customer
Wow! I absolutely loved this. Very witty, with well considered stories. Ruth has obviously done a lot of very thorough research. A treat for all Jane fans.
Contains fascinating period background details, which I lapped up. (I always find the extras on dvd films fascinating, so this fed my inquisitive mind!!)
Dare I say it, but I enjoyed this more than the Issy Smugge trilogy, which I love. Ruth can certainly turn her hand to different genres of writing.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
by HW
With a delightful lightness of touch these vignettes tell us much about the neglected bit players of Pride and Prejudice, seemingly inconsequential stories from differing viewpoints and yet revealing so much more. Skillfully done, arch and on point, recommended
by Joy
If you love Austen you will love this book. Ruth Leigh obviously loves Austen, and her collection of short stories based on a plethora of minor characters from Pride and Prejudiceis a worthy tribute to the great author. The characters, their stories, the language and turn of phrase. The description and the setting, all transport you back to Austen’s world. It is a work of great ingenuity, clever and witty, and well imagined. I really enjoyed it.
by CustomerDen
The novel Pride and Prejudice is peopled with many characters alongside proud Mr Darcy and prejudiced Elizabeth Bennett. Some appear frequently in supporting roles. Others are only mentioned in passing, in letters or conversation.
In this witty and entertaining collection of short stories, Ruth Leigh shines a light on nine characters from the novel. We see the home life of the young Mrs Harriet Forster, the wife of Colonel Forster, as she entertains the youngest Bennett sisters to afternoon tea. The complicated merry-go-round of courtship in Georgian society is brought into focus as Mrs Long worries and schemes to find suitable husbands for her nieces. A good marriage was vital for financial security as well as social standing.
There is of course an army of servants below stairs, such as Mrs Forster’s long-suffering cook. She produces vast amounts of the cakes and pastries that her young mistress and her friends are so fond of. We also see life from the point of view of an impoverished lady’s companion, who is neither one of the family nor strictly of servant class.
In The Cook’s Tale we glimpse what may lurk beneath the elegant exterior of Georgian society in Hertfordshire. What happens when the servants turn their knowledge of family secrets to their advantage?
As a fan of Jane Austin’s novels, I loved these stories which draw the reader deeper into the familiar world of Meryton, Rosings Park, Pemberly and Hunsford.
by Natasha Hodge
Beautifully crafted with clever use of early nineteenth century language. I felt fully immersed in the lives of the characters that surround the stars of my favourite Austen novel. Catching further glimpses of their future beyond the original story was simply wonderful. I absolutely loved it.
by Ms. Samantha Brook
Well written and entertaining. I love how the stories intertwine.