We all know the story of PRIDE & PREJUDICE, but what if the story was told from the perspective of the youngest Bennet sister? And what if she was actually a witch? That’s the question that Melinda Taub answers with her latest novel.
A beautiful fantasy reimagining of the classic story, Taub injects unexpected joy, levity, and fun in a way that is sure to delight fans of the original tale. But it is not just a story geared toward fans of Austen—those who have never read or didn’t enjoy the original are sure to still have a lot of fun with this one!
One of the things I loved the most about this story was that I could actually be convinced that it is the same story as Austen's original, just from Lydia's POV. It is clear that Taub has a deep respect for Austen’s original work as she takes care to follow the major beats of the story while still breathing new life (and plot points) into it.
I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t think about the title of the book too deeply, but I was a bit confused at the beginning as I didn’t realize it was actually Lydia making her “scandalous confessions.” Once my brain caught up with the story, I had such a blast following along! I never knew I needed a Lydia redemption, but that is kind of what this story feels like and I absolutely adored it. Not only do we get to see Lydia in a new light, but many of the other characters from Austen's original story and it almost makes me, someone who is not usually a fan of the classics, want to re-read the original PRIDE & PREJUDICE just so I can revisit it with these new character depths in my mind. Almost.
THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH by Melinda Taub is available now and you can pick up a copy here.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate link above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will be supporting indie bookstores as well! If you prefer Amazon, visit my Amazon storefront and click on the list titled "2023 Book Recommendations."
