Happier in Her Friends than Relations

A Pride and Prejudice Variation (Friends & Relations)

By: Jayne Bamber

Narrated by: Sadie Pepperrell

In this angsty fusion of two of Jane Austen’s most beloved novels, Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility, the actions of their sisters cause challenging chain reactions for one of literature’s most celebrated couples....

Fitzwilliam Darcy is faced with a family crisis of epic proportions after the fallout of his sister Georgiana’s ill-fated elopement in Ramsgate, while his friend Charles Bingley is persuaded to abandon his scheme of renting Netherfield Park.

Elizabeth Bennet journeys to London to recover her spirits after Jane’s unexpected marriage changes the sisters’ relationship forever, and despite an attempted reconciliation, Jane is revealed to be far from the angel Elizabeth has always admired.

The bonds of friendship offer Elizabeth a lifeline after a series of tragic events causes her to fear for her future. The support she receives from her new neighbor Marianne Brandon and snarky socialite Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam may yet prove to heal her broken heart and bring her closer to a happily ever after. The wide array of characters from throughout Austen’s works teach Elizabeth Bennet that she is truly happier in her friends than relations.

Author's note:

Please note that this volume has been heavily edited and revised since original publication, based on suggestions from previous reviewers.

This is book one out of a three-book series. Most storylines will be resolved by the conclusion of this story, but minor characters' stories will be left not fully resolved, for continuation in book two and book three. The Friends & Relations series is an epic saga that peers into the lives of all of Jane's Austen's heroines, imagining them to inhabit a world where their lives and families are intertwined. Throughout this series, characters from all of Jane Austen's major works will be revealed to have existing familial relationships and will forge new connections as well. As the lives of so many beloved Austen characters weave together, this series will address the question of what if all of Austen's works had taken place in the same world...a world where overlap was possible and surprises hide around every corner....

©2019 Jayne Bamber (P)2020 Jayne Bamber

Clearly not the reading was not edited

I kept thinking I was accidentally tapping the playback button. No, the narrator just stops and starts over. Chapter six is the worst. You can literally hear the clap board to stop and start.

Good story IF you can get past it.

Chapter 6

The reader does a horrible job on reading Chapter 6 if you can get past it it’s a great story. The ending could be better leaves you wanting.

Terrible narration

The book itself was good, but too long. However, the narrator was just awful. Other reviews (which I had not read in advance) mentioned the problems as well, and it has NOT been corrected. This is so unprofessional. I paid actual money for this so I cannot return for a refund. Audible should not be offering this for sale if it is not corrected. Until then, DO NOT BUY.

chapter 6 needs reediting, but still very good.

in spite of the one badly edited chapter, I still give it 5 stars. Enjoyed this one.

The Audible Recording is horrible with all sorts of weird noises! The story is wonderful.

The book seems to be nice from what I heard so far. The recording starts out ok but the comes constant repeats and noises. I will buy and continue to read on the Kindle version of the book.

Recording badly edited

I quite enjoy the book. I love all the variations of the original in these variations. For this one I like the characterization of Richard Fitzwilliam, in particular his now being a Vicount, as well as the author’s own character of his sister Lady Rebecca.

The problem with this audiobook is that the recording is very badly edited. There are a number of areas where words are repeated because the audio wasn’t cut correctly. There are also quite a few long pauses that don’t belong in the audio, which seem very much to be an editing artifact, not a part of the performance. Plus, there are areas where the actress obviously used clapping or snapping to note where she’d made mistakes and editing was needed, but there are areas where the editing appears not to have happened at all. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’d love for this recording to be re-edited and re-uploaded. It’s very frustrating to listen to when it occurs.

A great story

Note my version of the audiobook has some editing issues that clear up and do not continue. It was a bit unfortunate that someone did not realize this, but since I read the book I was so very happy to have the audiobook to listen to I did not care.
I hope they get fixed.
This is one of my all time favorite stories. Elizabeth is a strong woman and Jane is an awful sister. I know - but it makes for a wonderful story. Darcy is dealing with his realatives and all their issues that turn his life upside down until he meets and is able to see Elizabeth and make his own mistakes. Throw in some characters from Sense and sensibly and you have a great story.

Needs Editing, Multiple mispronunciations

Scenes seem to go on and on. This needs editing. The performance leaves much to be desired. Sentences are just read incorrectly, with pauses in the wrong place. Also, a lot of mispronunciations. Eligible was pronounced illegible many times. Those poor Bennet girls were always seeking illegible men.

Chapter 6 is a total MESS.

The chapter is stuck in a loop of retries. She cannot read the text!! Please rerecord it and I hope there aren't more chapters like this?!

I expect more from audible books

Several places that repeat and chapter 6 is so flawed it makes you want to throw your device against the wall, knowing you have 20 hours left in the book. I can’t believe this was allowed to be sold as is.