The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh by Molly Greeley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary: As a fussy baby, Anne de Bourgh’s doctor prescribed laudanum to quiet her, and now the young woman must take the opium-heavy tincture every day. Growing up sheltered and confined, removed from sunshine and fresh air, the pale and overly slender Anne grew up with few companions except her cousins, including Fitzwilliam Darcy. Throughout their childhoods, it was understood that Darcy and Anne would marry and combine their vast estates of Pemberley and Rosings. But Darcy does not love Anne or want her.
After her father dies unexpectedly, leaving her his vast fortune, Anne has a moment of clarity: what if her life of fragility and illness isn’t truly real? What if she could free herself from the medicine that clouds her sharp mind and leaves her body weak and lethargic? Might there be a better life without the medicine she has been told she cannot live without?
In a frenzy of desperation, Anne discards her laudanum and flees to the London home of her cousin, Colonel John Fitzwilliam, who helps her through her painful recovery. Yet once she returns to health, new challenges await. Shy and utterly inexperienced, the wealthy heiress must forge a new identity for herself, learning to navigate a “season” in society and the complexities of love and passion. The once wan, passive Anne gives way to a braver woman with a keen edge—leading to a powerful reckoning with the domineering mother determined to control Anne’s fortune . . . and her life.
An extraordinary tale of one woman’s liberation, The Heiress reveals both the darkness and light in Austen’s world, with wit, sensuality, and a deeply compassionate understanding of the human heart.
Little Thoughts: I love a good Jane Austen retelling or continuing story and this might be my favorite for a secondary character to date! So many of the P&P focus on Mary Bennet it was about time Anne got a chance to shine and shine she does as an independent queer woman in the 1800s! There was so much to love about this book but the beginning did drag a bit which is why it got 4 starts.
Last year I put together a book display called Blind Date with a Book. I found the idea through another librarian's post and thought it was great. Last year I wrapped 19 books and 15 books were checked out. We asked that people reviewed the book but unfortunately only two people returned reviews. Last year's books included: In the Hot Zone by Kevin Sites Night by Elie Wiesel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon by Daivd Michaels Macbeth by Shakespear A Million Little Pieces by James Frey Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore Under the Dome by Stephen King Lawless by Nora Roberts The Sinatra Files by Tom Kuntz The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl Ford County by John Grisham The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery The Postmistress by Sarah Blake A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar Hide & Seek by James Patterson A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolf Gorgeous East by Robert Girardi Most of these books were ones tha
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