Field of Dreams: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by J. Dawn King. ★★★★★

When Thomas Bennet is confined to his bed with a lingering but terminal illness, the Longbourn estate is left without management. He has no son to assist him, but a wife and five daughters to fret over. Due to an entail, Longbourn will belong to a distant cousin upon Bennet’s death and the Bennet women will be homeless.

Fortunately, his second eldest daughter, Elizabeth is smart, determined and resilient.
At only twenty, with no education in land management, Elizabeth takes on the care of Longbourn, with not only very little support but having to actively repel the many circling vultures. Family, friends and neighbors all prove themselves faithless, greedy and venal.

Mr Darcy of Pemberley is known to be a trustworthy and capable landowner, who took on the responsibility at a young age.
Elizabeth writes to him as E.R. Bennet, explaining the difficulties being faced and requesting advice. Darcy is happy to assist the young “man” and correspondence follows.

Elizabeth moves forward with more confidence and does well with the estate.
She has always loved the countryside but managing Longbourn, gives her a deep love for the land itself.

Darcy visits Herefordshire with a friend and looks forward to meeting E.R. Bennet in person. When he discovers E.R. is short for Elizabeth Rose, he is furious. He assumes that he has been hoodwinked into corresponding with an unmarried lady, as a way to force a marriage.

Elizabeth is disappointed that the pleasant man who wrote to her, is arrogant and haughty in person.

They find common ground in their mutual love for the land and Darcy proves to be a sterling friend to Elizabeth and her family as Mr Bennet’s end draws near.

This is a wonderful book with strong characters, deep emotions, both love and grief, together with a lyrical appreciation of farming.
I heartily recommend that you read it.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. All views expressed are my own.

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