The Heiress
The Heiress is a beautiful and engaging tale that brings a new look into Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Molly Greeley has done a brilliant job bringing Anne de Bourgh to life, while staying faithful to the original story. I couldn’t help but find myself fascinated with Anne’s beautiful and dark life.
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.
Greeley kept Anne’s life real as she breathed fresh life into her overlooked character. I couldn’t help but feel for Anne as I watched her grow into a woman. She lived a secluded and horrific childhood filled with loss and no real grasp of reality. I cheered for her when she was able to finally escape her mother’s grasp and flee to her cousin in London. From here, watching Anne grow into a real woman, discover her freedom, sexuality and full awakening of her spirit was a thing of beauty. Seeing Anne deal with her flaws and adversities kept me glued to this book till the last page.
The Heiress was a beautifully written story full of breathtaking and raw/heartbreaking moments. Greeley kept the “Austen” feel to her storyline while creating a unique story that can stand on its own. Any historical fiction fan will absolutely love this novel from the very beginning. I cannot wait to pick up more of Greeley’s novels!
