What Kitty Did Next

"What Kitty Did Next" is a Regency romance set in 1813 in England. It starts about a year after Pride and Prejudice and is told from Kitty's viewpoint. Kitty knows that her family thinks very poorly of her, but she's not sure how to improve things. Jane takes pity on Kitty and invites her to London to see the sights and learn to mix in society. Then she's invited to Pemberley! Just when Kitty feels like she's proved herself to her family and that new friends have recognized her worth (including some potential suitors), things start to crumble as old prejudices combine with a misunderstanding, forcing Kitty to return home.

The author did an excellent job of capturing the personalities and tone of Jane Austen's novel. The characters' acted in ways that were consistent with their behavior in Pride and Prejudice, and the style of writing was similar to Austen's. The author did add more historical detail--things which help bring the setting and time period alive to the modern reader. This is the best Pride and Prejudice sequel that I've read.

It's an excellent novel on it's own, too. I enjoyed how Kitty grappled with how her family treated her and questions about her future. I liked how she grew as a person. While the romantic interest didn't have a lot of scenes with Kitty (as they weren't constantly together), they did have plenty of "off-screen" time to get to know each other better. He built up her confidence, and they shared interests. And the author has done her research. I enjoyed the little historical details that were woven into the action.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this story and I look forward to the author's future novels.

Kitty Bennet, freed from her sisters' shadows, begins to find her own personality through writing and music. Love may follow, but a person from the past may cause Kitty to lose all of her newfound friends and confidence. Kablean develops some of the lesser-known Pride and Prejudice characters, as well as introducing new ones, and gives Kitty a satisfying ending.

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
This book was a very pleasant surprise for me! I expected to read one of the usual attempts to write a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, but this exceed my expectations. I enjoyed the fact that the author chose to focus on a character whom I feel is often overlooked when it comes to Austen sequels.

That is not to say that the novel was perfect, I felt at times that some of the character development was a bit forced and out of touch with what I had always envisioned those characters to behave like. Some changes though were for the better, and a I can say, without trying to spoil the story, that any Austen fan will enjoy this book!

This is a pride and Prejudice variation that focuses on Kitty's life after the marriages of her two elder sisters. In this book Kitty struggles to find herself, she has lived so long under the shadows of her sisters that at the beginning is hard to adapt to life with out them. She struggles with understanding her role within her family, although she loves them, she realizes that somewhere along the line she lost her voice. Kablean did a wonderful job of portraying Kitty as a person who not only learned from her past mistakes, but also a person willing to better herself. The book also bring up other characters that I loved from Pride and Prejudice made me look at them in a new light, such as Mr. Bennet really worrying about Kitty, Jane being more assertive among society. But my favorite of all Bingley, who in pride and Prejudice seemed not that smart, in this book he is portrayed as being a great brother, husband and a lover of the arts.

To my shame I'd not read Pride and Prejudice until about 2 years ago, in fact I read the wonderful Longbourn first! What Kitty Did Next sits neatly into the world created by Austen and expanded by Baker.
Kitty is overlooked in the original novel and I absolutely fell for Kablean's version of her and how in a large family assumptions can be readily made and hard to break.
The very ending was a little twee but on the whole I loved this book and I feel it may end up on my best of the year list

What Kitty Did Next by Carrie Kablean is another Pride and Prejudice reimagining. This time, it’s focused on Kitty Bennet. Without Lydia, Kitty is a bit at a loss, but soon visits to the Bingleys and the Darcys show her a new side of society. A blooming friendship with Georgiana Darcy replaces her previous closeness with Lydia, and readers can see silly Kitty maturing into a cheerful, but thoughtful, young woman. (Kitty, like the rest of us, can’t help wondering why Mary and Mr Collins didn’t get married, but Mary happily marries a missionary and sets off for India.)

But their happy times are upset when Lydia invites herself to Pemberley just in time for the summer ball, where she tells others guests about Wickham’s connections to the estate. She hasn’t changed although her high spirits seem tacky to Kitty now. I think there was some subtext pointing to Wickham’s debts, why else would Lydia go for the £50 over drama and attention? Fortunately, Lydia remains unapologetic and self-absorbed, so we don’t feel too badly about her terribly husband. A bit of drama leaves Kitty looking guilty, and Elizabeth is quick to assume that foolish little Kitty is at fault.

Back at Longbourn, the gradual improvement of Kitty’s relationship with her father is one of the strongest points in the book. Kitty’s growth and the resolution of the false accusations is a satisfying conclusion to the story of the Bennet sisters. Kitty, happily married to her chosen husband, will surely visit the Darcys and Bingleys, with growing closeness between the three sisters. Mary is content as a missionary wife, and even Lydia, although still a family embarrassment, seems perfectly happy with “dear Wickham.”

Just a few pages into the story, Kitty says she’ll surely never marry a vicar, which obviously meant she was 100% certain to fall in love with one. So I was on the lookout for a suitable vicar throughout the book, reading the background descriptions of any eligible young men just as carefully as Mrs Bennet would have, but only to see if they were single with a career in the church. Naturally, Kitty does marry a vicar, but this is artfully done, with an impecunious suitor suddenly receiving a living near Pemberley, just in time for him to get married.

In this engaging, gently paced, Pride & Prejudice sequel, the author delivers a thoughtful, ‘coming-into-her-own’ story with the fourth Bennet daughter, Kitty getting her time to shine.

What Kitty Did Next begins shortly after the events of Pride & Prejudice. Life is somewhat dull and flat for Kitty after Lydia and Wickham are bustled off to Newcastle and her two oldest sisters are married and move away. Kitty is stuck with dull, prosy Mary, a querulous still match-minded mother, and a stern father who came down hard on her after Lydia’s misadventures. Kitty wallows a bit, but then catches a break when sweet Jane and Bingley invite her to stay with them in Town for the Season.

It was slow going, but very necessary as the author shows the steps of Kitty’s maturing process and introduces her new situation while keeping the reader up on all the Bennet sisters. I enjoyed Kitty’s unique personality and voice among the others. She doesn’t suddenly become a heroine overnight and her growth has its halts and starts, but with each encounter and adventure she steps out of her sisters’ shadow and becomes her own woman.

The story really gets moving when Kitty is tested, severely. Nothing like injustice when you’re doing the right thing to get a gal to step forward the stronger for it.

I really liked this version of Kitty Bennet and enjoyed her self-reliance and spirit. She has to work for what she wants and it was fun seeing her get there.

And, it wasn’t just Kitty. There were a few new and original characters that were great to meet. I really liked this version of Bingley and Jane in particular and then Mr. Bennet. There was some added sparkle, there.

All in all, this was a well-written, heartwarming tribute to the classic and a fabulous sequel effort that I can heartily recommend.