Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
September 5, 2016/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 220 September 2016
Reviewer: Ferelith Hordon
ISBN: 978-1910002971
Price: £7.99
Publisher: Chicken House
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 304pp
Buy the Book

Lydia. The Wild Girl of Pride & Prejudice

Author: Natasha Farrant

It is a brave author who takes on a classic; it very rarely works. Natasha Farrant has boldly decided to enter the world of Jane Austen. Does she succeed? She does. In the first place she is careful not to be Jane Austen. The period setting is lightly handled, her dialogue refreshingly contemporary without jarring. Nor does she focus on the characters that are central to Austen’s plot. Rather she takes Lydia who, though important, nevertheless does not appear for much of the original. Even so her character is very definite – and Farrant takes advantage of this to develop her for a modern audience who will meet someone they can recognise -a teenager rebellious, independent, often naive but also resourceful. By using the diary format, the reader steps into Lydia’s life. It is a technique that is admirably suited to the story Farrant tells; she takes the period that Lydia is off stage and fills it in while cleverly embedding it inside Austen’s plot. She remains true to the original characters – but seen through the eyes of an exasperated and exasperating younger sister. Wickham is well presented, not an out and out vilain – but very much as Lydia says “a gambler and a chancer”, a charmer – as she is. Would there have been Lydias in Austen’s world? Indeed, yes, just think of Becky Sharp.

A terrific romp and a great antidote to the many teen novels full misery. Very much recommended – and maybe it will introduce new readers to the ultimate classic, Pride and Prejudice.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2016-09-05 11:46:002021-07-01 10:47:33Lydia. The Wild Girl of Pride & Prejudice

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue BfK 255 July 2022
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Sarah Hagger-Holt wins the 2022 Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction 2022

July 21, 2022

Maisie Chan and her editor Georgia Murray of Piccadilly Press win the 2022 Branford Boase Award

July 14, 2022

Valerie Bloom wins the CLiPPA 2022

July 8, 2022

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2022 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
The Riddlemaster Fenn Halflin and the Fearzero
Scroll to top