Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Death Comes to Pemberley

by P.D. James

Vintage, 2011

ISBN-13: 978-0307950659

304 pp

I’m one of those people who is never busy enough so naturally when I sit down to the summer as a teacher I instantly ask myself what project can I undertake that will drive me sufficiently insane. Ah, how about doing an analysis of female writers and how they are adapted by female screenwriters. You know. As pool reading. My insanity aside, P.D. James’ sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice had long since been on my To-Do list because I love when authors have the guts to take on iconic works and make them their own. Suffice to say, Austen is one of my all-time favorites so anyone attempting to do her justice will inevitably find themselves compared directly to her—a comparison that James flourishes under.

Austen is often criticized, especially by a jaded modern crowd, of being too stick-sweet-happily-ever-after. Her stories, notably, all end with marriages and the “proper order” of things which is a shtick she was utterly unapologetic about. This leads to problems when a crime writer takes on the epic power couple of Darcy and Elizabeth and challenges their happily ever after—people want Darcy and Elizabeth to wind up together and to stay that way. This undertaking needs to be handled the right way. If James dissects the characters too utterly it looks like criticism, but if she is too loyal to Austen it looks symptomatic or causational rather than creative. You have to find the right balance—these have to be believable characters of Austen’s world, the language and focus should suit Austen’s sensibilities, but it should stand alone and be it’s own work as well. No small task—it is easy for books that strive to do this to feel like bad Fan Fictions. However, P.D. James isn’t one of the all-time greatest crime writers without merit. She proves her prowess at navigating difficult waters with this gorgeous sequel to Pride and Prejudice which, as far as I’m concerned, feels canon.

Pemberley, a minor setting in Pride and Prejudice, becomes our primary location in the novel and gives us insight into how Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage works on the front lines of battle. They are flourishes, they have successfully overcome not only their own prejudices but everyone else’s and have two children and the respect of their house. This is a closed community and yet a public spectacle: Pemberley is the center of society in the area that most people can only gossip about. Naturally, there are many wild tales attached to Pemberley, including the haunting of the woodland by the ghost of Mrs. Reilly and the shameful burial place of Soldier the canine companion to the mad, hermit great-grandfather of the current Darcy. However, the wildest tale will come on the eve of Lady Anne’s ball when a murder occurs and none other but the detestable George Wickham is suspected. James handles the Regency Era etiquette as though she’s lived it—of course there is shock over the crime but there is also a need to adhere to principles and laws (which are not the same thing). The interactions of the characters, what they focus on in the moment, and how they construct the proper ending of the book (fear not, it’s a satisfyingly proper ending) really feels like Austen had a hand in it.

As the book is a crime mystery, I can’t dive into plot too fantastically without giving away some of the masterfully crafted elements that James has woven into the novel. She is a seasoned writer and thus knows precisely when to leave breadcrumbs and precisely when to sweep them away. I inhaled this book (in practically one day) because of how James leaves you never quite able to put the book down just yet. In regards to the ending, all I will say was that James mimes Austen in giving the characters fair and happy endings that fit their circumstance. Though perhaps more than Austen, James allows herself to play with the concept of “Is happily ever after an aristocratic privilege?”—notably with Louisa Bidwell’s character.

If you like to pair your books with films you’ll be happy to note that Death Comes to Pemberley was rapidly produced by the BBC and, for my money, has casting that competes with both the BBC Pride and Prejudice and the Knightley version. While the film adapts the book’s main components, there was one fascinating difference: law and legal matters are a strictly male domain in the Regency Era so James had to, unfortunately, lead us through the action with Darcy rather than Elizabeth for the truly titillating parts of the book. Elizabeth is a truly compelling narrative anchor so losing her felt like losing Austen who primarily anchored her narratives through females. The film does attempt to rectify this problem: Elizabeth has a significantly larger and more involved role in the film (as does Louisa Bidwell). Elizabeth is cast as somewhat of a Nancy Drew—something I don’t know whether to take issue with or embrace. She isn’t a detective, even in Pride and Prejudice she doesn’t discover things of her own accord and usually needs to be forcibly exposed to secrets. However, BBC’s desire to let her stand up and be more active is commendable, so despite the lack of authenticity perhaps it should be applauded.

***

P.D. James, as known as the Baroness James of Holland Park, was a crime writer out of Oxford, England. James wrote two best-selling crime series: the Adam Dalgliesh series and the Cordelia Gray series. In addition, she wrote the best-selling The Children of Men which was adapted (to her satisfaction, if not everyone else’s) into a film. She died in 2014 at age 94 after a long and successful writing career while also battling for female inheritance rights in England.