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The Colonel
“This isn’t a love story, but the end of one. The story of two ships forever passing in the night. This is the story of my father and the woman he spent most of his adult life loving, a woman who was never really his.”
1950:
After letting his chance at love with Elizabeth Bennet slip through his fingers a second time, Richard Fitzwilliam loses himself in women, whiskey, and war as he tries to forget what he left behind. Putting oceans, continents, and decades between himself and his heartbreak, Richard seeks his future, only to be pulled back to the past again and again.
2002:
Shaken by recent events, Ben Fitzwilliam has left everything familiar behind, walking away from his relationship, his Manhattan apartment, his career as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to return to his family home in Annapolis, Maryland. Struggling to navigate a world that makes less and less sense, Ben finds purpose where he least expected it: in his father’s private letters. With the help of Annapolis PD Officer Keisha Barnes, Ben attempts to uncover his father’s secrets, heal the rifts those secrets caused, and find the answers he seeks on far shores.
Spanning decades, continents, wars abroad and wars at home, The Colonel is the anticipated companion to Longbourn’s Songbird.
1950:
After letting his chance at love with Elizabeth Bennet slip through his fingers a second time, Richard Fitzwilliam loses himself in women, whiskey, and war as he tries to forget what he left behind. Putting oceans, continents, and decades between himself and his heartbreak, Richard seeks his future, only to be pulled back to the past again and again.
2002:
Shaken by recent events, Ben Fitzwilliam has left everything familiar behind, walking away from his relationship, his Manhattan apartment, his career as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to return to his family home in Annapolis, Maryland. Struggling to navigate a world that makes less and less sense, Ben finds purpose where he least expected it: in his father’s private letters. With the help of Annapolis PD Officer Keisha Barnes, Ben attempts to uncover his father’s secrets, heal the rifts those secrets caused, and find the answers he seeks on far shores.
Spanning decades, continents, wars abroad and wars at home, The Colonel is the anticipated companion to Longbourn’s Songbird.
405 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2019
14 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Beau North
13 books100 followersBeau North hails from the kudzu-strangled wilderness of South Carolina but now hangs her hat in Portland, Oregon. In her spare time, Beau is the co-host of the podcast Excessively Diverted: Modern Austen On-Screen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 10, 2019
I have had the privilege to read excerpts of this along the way and now am honored to finally be a part of her project, and I can tell you this: THIS is Beau’s finest work yet! She had me in tears a number of times, happy tears too, and the dialogue is smart and well-intended, so honest. The scenes with Elizabeth and Darcy are electric and when Richard is with them…you can feel the dangerous, loving undercurrent that just “is” between the three. But this masterpiece, and I can honestly and confidently call this a masterpiece, is so much more than a romance or fan fiction. Readers bemoan they want something new while still being familiar, that they want something more. This definitely answers that call. Be prepared to have your socks blown off by this sweeping novel.
“Think: if Jane Austen and William Martin collaborated, this novel might be their book baby.” XO
“Think: if Jane Austen and William Martin collaborated, this novel might be their book baby.” XO
September 16, 2019
Dear Reader,
I’ve just finished this wonderful story and am quite baffled as to how to do justice to its merits.
Will it break your heart,leave you searching mindlessly for tissues,see you frustrated at the twists and arrows of outrageous fortune visited on certain beloved individuals?
Yes! All of the above and much,much more.
I’ve no idea how one could imagine such an emotive, compulsive and richly embroidered tale.
I can only stand to the side,applaud from afar and trust that fellow Austen enthusiasts will consider picking up this masterpiece when selecting their book of choice for their next literary journey.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟+
I’ve just finished this wonderful story and am quite baffled as to how to do justice to its merits.
Will it break your heart,leave you searching mindlessly for tissues,see you frustrated at the twists and arrows of outrageous fortune visited on certain beloved individuals?
Yes! All of the above and much,much more.
I’ve no idea how one could imagine such an emotive, compulsive and richly embroidered tale.
I can only stand to the side,applaud from afar and trust that fellow Austen enthusiasts will consider picking up this masterpiece when selecting their book of choice for their next literary journey.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟+
June 25, 2019
Evocative and brilliant, The Colonel takes the reader down a bittersweet path of a charismatic, yet flawed man's life. I was captivated for the first time by this author's writing when reading Longbourn's Songbird. It was a love story at its heart, but was also the saga of family and friends set against the modern historical time of the American South of the late 1940's. I was ecstatic to learn that one of the most colorful and emotion-generating characters of that story was being given the spotlight in the follow-up companion novel, The Colonel.
As I indicated, The Colonel is a companion novel. While not exactly a sequel, The Colonel wraps around and weaves through the events in the early story, Longbourn's Songbird. It works best read after that one to get the full effect of several of the more pivotal scenes and experiences.
The Colonel is two stories, really. There is a contemporary thread about Ben Fitzwilliam. He's an award-winning journalist now in his fifties who struggles with PTSD and grief from 9/11 and finds himself ready to take the fork in the road that leads him out of NYC and his career to the quiet Annapolis home that was his father's where he not only discovers a new chance at love, but also an opportunity to fill in the large gaps that he knows of his dad's life through newly discovered letters and reunions with his cousins.
Ben's story wraps around his father's full, tumultuous life beginning from the time Richard went away to fight in WWII to his mid-life years. Picking himself up many times over with a life story that can't be told in isolation because of all the lives tied in with Richard's, Richard displayed a man who made mistakes and owned them, but also a privately courageous man who was shaped by tragic circumstances and the times. Ben discovers who his father truly was and in so doing finds healing for himself and a new chance at love as well.
This book is heartwrenching and will brutalize a reader's emotions. It's not an easy reading experience, but it ends up owning a reader until the end. I was glad to get Ben's chapters sprinkled throughout to give me moments to recruit myself because of the emotional impact of Richard's story.
It was deeply moving as Richard became known to me as more than the larger than life side character in Longbourn's Songbird. He was an amazing character and I was glad to get to know him through his own eyes and through the eyes of those nearest and dearest to him. They all knew him well and yet no one knew him completely like the reader is allowed to know him.
I just wanted the best for him and agonized as he sought for ways to get past his grief of losing James, the darkness that the war left in him, finding and losing true love and then looking for its replacement and knowing he would never find it, trying to be part of his family and yet tugged to keep looking for peace and contentment since love was even more elusive. It's a heavy hitter and has stayed with my still.
Richard's story was brilliantly written and I was left both fully satisfied and all hollowed out with tears running down my cheeks. It occurred to me just how important Ben's framing story was after I was through reading. Ben got to have what I wanted desperately for Richard and I could console myself with that thought. Lots of superlatives come to mind when I think of this book and I have the strongest desire to gush, but at the same time, I feel like a mourner who wants to show utmost respect through silent contemplation.
Incidentally, while I've mostly raved about the superb characters and storyline, I really shouldn't neglect mentioning the attention to historical setting of the forties and fifties that was present and colored in the scenes so masterfully.
I feel a little guilty wanting so many people to read this one knowing just how much it will gut its readers, but, yes, those who enjoy historical romance and fiction of the WWII and post-war eras, family sagas, and the more tragedy torturing their heroes the better, should snatch this up along with a goodly pile of tissue.
COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt clue- MC with a disability 2pts
As I indicated, The Colonel is a companion novel. While not exactly a sequel, The Colonel wraps around and weaves through the events in the early story, Longbourn's Songbird. It works best read after that one to get the full effect of several of the more pivotal scenes and experiences.
The Colonel is two stories, really. There is a contemporary thread about Ben Fitzwilliam. He's an award-winning journalist now in his fifties who struggles with PTSD and grief from 9/11 and finds himself ready to take the fork in the road that leads him out of NYC and his career to the quiet Annapolis home that was his father's where he not only discovers a new chance at love, but also an opportunity to fill in the large gaps that he knows of his dad's life through newly discovered letters and reunions with his cousins.
Ben's story wraps around his father's full, tumultuous life beginning from the time Richard went away to fight in WWII to his mid-life years. Picking himself up many times over with a life story that can't be told in isolation because of all the lives tied in with Richard's, Richard displayed a man who made mistakes and owned them, but also a privately courageous man who was shaped by tragic circumstances and the times. Ben discovers who his father truly was and in so doing finds healing for himself and a new chance at love as well.
This book is heartwrenching and will brutalize a reader's emotions. It's not an easy reading experience, but it ends up owning a reader until the end. I was glad to get Ben's chapters sprinkled throughout to give me moments to recruit myself because of the emotional impact of Richard's story.
It was deeply moving as Richard became known to me as more than the larger than life side character in Longbourn's Songbird. He was an amazing character and I was glad to get to know him through his own eyes and through the eyes of those nearest and dearest to him. They all knew him well and yet no one knew him completely like the reader is allowed to know him.
I just wanted the best for him and agonized as he sought for ways to get past his grief of losing James, the darkness that the war left in him, finding and losing true love and then looking for its replacement and knowing he would never find it, trying to be part of his family and yet tugged to keep looking for peace and contentment since love was even more elusive. It's a heavy hitter and has stayed with my still.
Richard's story was brilliantly written and I was left both fully satisfied and all hollowed out with tears running down my cheeks. It occurred to me just how important Ben's framing story was after I was through reading. Ben got to have what I wanted desperately for Richard and I could console myself with that thought. Lots of superlatives come to mind when I think of this book and I have the strongest desire to gush, but at the same time, I feel like a mourner who wants to show utmost respect through silent contemplation.
Incidentally, while I've mostly raved about the superb characters and storyline, I really shouldn't neglect mentioning the attention to historical setting of the forties and fifties that was present and colored in the scenes so masterfully.
I feel a little guilty wanting so many people to read this one knowing just how much it will gut its readers, but, yes, those who enjoy historical romance and fiction of the WWII and post-war eras, family sagas, and the more tragedy torturing their heroes the better, should snatch this up along with a goodly pile of tissue.
COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt clue- MC with a disability 2pts
June 12, 2019
I am sitting here with tears just on the edge of falling. I am blown away by this saga. So many emotions...lives with such depth...intertwined and also sometimes set apart and kept secret.
While you can read this as a "stand-alone" novel I do hope you will treat yourself and read Longbourn's Songbird before reading this. I reread that myself before reading this.
We are taken back and forth between Richard Fitzwilliam's (The Colonel's) life and that of his son, Bennet Fitzwilliam, many times through the reading of letters. His son at about age 40 decides to quit his journalism job, moves to his father's house and decides to write about his father. He finds a stack of unsent letters (to Elizabeth Darcy nee: Bennet) and other letters from her and from others in his father's life. Through those we read of Darcy and Elizabeth, Anne de Bourgh, Charlotte Collins, nee: Lucas, Evie Ward, James Fitzwilliam, etc.
While Richard served both in WWII and the Korean War, Ben was in NYC when "the Towers" fell. Both were affected in more than one way. Richard's life also had many woman, some just part of his playboy side but three were women who had major effects on him. Ben has just broken up with a long time live-in lover and meets someone new.
There is so much going on in the various lives and much reflects our modern day issues: some of which were introduced in that first book. None of these relationships are cut-and-dry: the author doesn't have a HEA for all the main characters. And I must say that for one main character I feel such poignancy, such sadness...perhaps. Life is not always wrapped up neatly with all the ribbons tied in a pretty bow.
We don't really learn as to how some of our characters' lives ended so that niggles at my mind.
I highly recommend this story. But be prepared to be drawn in and to be swept up in the life of Richard Fitzwilliam and many who were deeply imbedded in his life, close at hand or across an ocean or continent.
I received an ARC of this book.
While you can read this as a "stand-alone" novel I do hope you will treat yourself and read Longbourn's Songbird before reading this. I reread that myself before reading this.
We are taken back and forth between Richard Fitzwilliam's (The Colonel's) life and that of his son, Bennet Fitzwilliam, many times through the reading of letters. His son at about age 40 decides to quit his journalism job, moves to his father's house and decides to write about his father. He finds a stack of unsent letters (to Elizabeth Darcy nee: Bennet) and other letters from her and from others in his father's life. Through those we read of Darcy and Elizabeth, Anne de Bourgh, Charlotte Collins, nee: Lucas, Evie Ward, James Fitzwilliam, etc.
While Richard served both in WWII and the Korean War, Ben was in NYC when "the Towers" fell. Both were affected in more than one way. Richard's life also had many woman, some just part of his playboy side but three were women who had major effects on him. Ben has just broken up with a long time live-in lover and meets someone new.
There is so much going on in the various lives and much reflects our modern day issues: some of which were introduced in that first book. None of these relationships are cut-and-dry: the author doesn't have a HEA for all the main characters. And I must say that for one main character I feel such poignancy, such sadness...perhaps. Life is not always wrapped up neatly with all the ribbons tied in a pretty bow.
We don't really learn as to how some of our characters' lives ended so that niggles at my mind.
I highly recommend this story. But be prepared to be drawn in and to be swept up in the life of Richard Fitzwilliam and many who were deeply imbedded in his life, close at hand or across an ocean or continent.
I received an ARC of this book.
June 17, 2019
5+ stars!!
Having read Longbourn's Songbird and knowing this book was coming out, I assumed it would be a sequel. It's not. It CAN be read as a companion piece to the previous book (which I highly recommend that you do), but I think it would be just as effective if read as a stand-alone novel. Longbourn's Songbird was Elizabeth Bennet, whose story revolves around the romance between her and Will Darcy and is a wonderfully creative variation of Pride and Prejudice set primarily in the 1940s.
The Colonel is Richard Fitzwilliam, Will Darcy's cousin. His story spans several decades and two wars (WWII and Korea), and it requires understanding the histories of multiple fictitious families - the Fitzwilliams, the Darcys, the deBourghs, the Bennets, the Collinses, the Lucases, and the Prenskas - so this turns into quite the saga. In addition, it's "authored" by Ben Fitzwilliam, Richard's son, who is a writer suffering PTSD both from witnessing the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and then writing follow-up newspaper columns about what the attack survivors experienced that terrible day. Ms. North brilliantly meshes all these diverse storylines to paint a vivid picture of Ben's complex father and the lives and loves that affected his.
Ben, age 47, is at a crossroads in 2002 as the book begins, having just quit his job, lost his longstanding girlfriend (a stale relationship he doesn't mourn), and moved out of his New York City apartment. He heads to the long-deserted Fitzwilliam estate in Annapolis, Maryland that's filled with his childhood memories. There he discovers a treasure-trove of old letters that his father saved, including some that the old man had written but never mailed to "Slim," a woman he'd obviously loved.
This sends Ben down the research rabbit hole, interviewing those family members still living who might shed more light on the letters' contents. When he contacts his cousin Maggie Darcy, he learns the poorly-kept family secret that his father was in love with her mother. Maggie also is able to provide letters from Richard to her parents, which help fill in the blanks of his life story.
Richard is neither a saint nor a sinner, but fate is not kind to him. He handles life as well as he can under his circumstances, coming close to committing suicide after surviving World War II but finally finding some purpose and peace in his later years despite his many disappointments and heartaches. The ending, which is bittersweet rather than hearts and flowers, may be disappointing to some readers, but it matches the realistic tone of this remarkable novel.
Those familiar with Longbourn's Songbird will notice that some scenes are repeated here. Re-reading them in this context is necessary to Richard's story.
The book wrings every emotion from its reader - it's heartbreaking and heartwarming and everything in between. It's also a brilliantly inventive biography that is beautifully written. Ms. North covers serious topics including PTSD, domestic violence, homosexuality, same-sex parenting, and homeless veterans, and she does so in a matter-of-fact manner that never sounds preachy.
There is adult content, as Richard has a number of sexual partners over the years (including Ben's mother), and Ben himself begins a new sexual relationship after moving to Annapolis.
I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a favorable review.
Having read Longbourn's Songbird and knowing this book was coming out, I assumed it would be a sequel. It's not. It CAN be read as a companion piece to the previous book (which I highly recommend that you do), but I think it would be just as effective if read as a stand-alone novel. Longbourn's Songbird was Elizabeth Bennet, whose story revolves around the romance between her and Will Darcy and is a wonderfully creative variation of Pride and Prejudice set primarily in the 1940s.
The Colonel is Richard Fitzwilliam, Will Darcy's cousin. His story spans several decades and two wars (WWII and Korea), and it requires understanding the histories of multiple fictitious families - the Fitzwilliams, the Darcys, the deBourghs, the Bennets, the Collinses, the Lucases, and the Prenskas - so this turns into quite the saga. In addition, it's "authored" by Ben Fitzwilliam, Richard's son, who is a writer suffering PTSD both from witnessing the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and then writing follow-up newspaper columns about what the attack survivors experienced that terrible day. Ms. North brilliantly meshes all these diverse storylines to paint a vivid picture of Ben's complex father and the lives and loves that affected his.
Ben, age 47, is at a crossroads in 2002 as the book begins, having just quit his job, lost his longstanding girlfriend (a stale relationship he doesn't mourn), and moved out of his New York City apartment. He heads to the long-deserted Fitzwilliam estate in Annapolis, Maryland that's filled with his childhood memories. There he discovers a treasure-trove of old letters that his father saved, including some that the old man had written but never mailed to "Slim," a woman he'd obviously loved.
This sends Ben down the research rabbit hole, interviewing those family members still living who might shed more light on the letters' contents. When he contacts his cousin Maggie Darcy, he learns the poorly-kept family secret that his father was in love with her mother. Maggie also is able to provide letters from Richard to her parents, which help fill in the blanks of his life story.
Richard is neither a saint nor a sinner, but fate is not kind to him. He handles life as well as he can under his circumstances, coming close to committing suicide after surviving World War II but finally finding some purpose and peace in his later years despite his many disappointments and heartaches. The ending, which is bittersweet rather than hearts and flowers, may be disappointing to some readers, but it matches the realistic tone of this remarkable novel.
Those familiar with Longbourn's Songbird will notice that some scenes are repeated here. Re-reading them in this context is necessary to Richard's story.
The book wrings every emotion from its reader - it's heartbreaking and heartwarming and everything in between. It's also a brilliantly inventive biography that is beautifully written. Ms. North covers serious topics including PTSD, domestic violence, homosexuality, same-sex parenting, and homeless veterans, and she does so in a matter-of-fact manner that never sounds preachy.
There is adult content, as Richard has a number of sexual partners over the years (including Ben's mother), and Ben himself begins a new sexual relationship after moving to Annapolis.
I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a favorable review.
July 5, 2019
Ever since I read ‘Longbourn Songbird’ (the other side of the precious and beautifully burnished coin that is ‘The Colonel’) I knew I would be hooked on everything Beau North writes.
And then ‘The Colonel’ came to demonstrate this author's mastery yet again. The vigorous writing style pulls you right into the story, into the trauma of two wars and of modern upheavals, and right into the troubled hearts and souls of the characters. You feel for them and with them. Beau North makes them staggeringly real. They *are* real people, with ever so real emotions: deep love, so deep that it hurts, regardless of whether it’s requited or not; insidious jealousy that keeps gnawing, even if those who experience it are ashamed of the folly and weakness of letting it take hold; and above all, the strong bonds of honour and loyalty, tested and stretched by unconquerable love.
There is no room in this excellent book for frilly sentimentality. It’s 100% raw feeling of breathtaking beauty, that will leave you shaken, awed, and wanting more.
And then ‘The Colonel’ came to demonstrate this author's mastery yet again. The vigorous writing style pulls you right into the story, into the trauma of two wars and of modern upheavals, and right into the troubled hearts and souls of the characters. You feel for them and with them. Beau North makes them staggeringly real. They *are* real people, with ever so real emotions: deep love, so deep that it hurts, regardless of whether it’s requited or not; insidious jealousy that keeps gnawing, even if those who experience it are ashamed of the folly and weakness of letting it take hold; and above all, the strong bonds of honour and loyalty, tested and stretched by unconquerable love.
There is no room in this excellent book for frilly sentimentality. It’s 100% raw feeling of breathtaking beauty, that will leave you shaken, awed, and wanting more.
May 12, 2019
In The Colonel, Beau North weaves a tale of love and war, pain and forgiveness through the lives of Richard Fitzwilliam and his son, Ben. Alternating between post-WWII and post-9/11 America, the novel immerses us in the experiences of both father and son as they wrestle with the aftermath of war. We are also treated to the perspectives of the many people who love Richard, including Elizabeth and Will Darcy. (The Colonel is a sequel to North's fabulous Longbourn's Songbird, but could be read as a stand-alone novel, too.)
Ultimately, The Colonel is a love story in the grandest sense, celebrating the many kinds of love that give meaning and purpose to existence. I highly recommend this book!
Ultimately, The Colonel is a love story in the grandest sense, celebrating the many kinds of love that give meaning and purpose to existence. I highly recommend this book!
July 11, 2019
Wow, what a story. One of the best books I've read this year! Brilliantly written and emotionally charged. It is a saga of friendship, family, and of a man who is isn't perfect but flawed in ways that only endears him to the readers and those he loves.
If you haven't read Longbourn's Songbird which is also a heart wrenching tale of Pride and Prejudice set in the 1940's, this novel is not a sequel but a companion to Longbourn's Songbird, a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The Colonel is duel story between Richard Fitzwilliam and his son Ben.
The story begins when Ben Fitzwilliam, an award-winning journalist now in his late forty's who struggles with PTSD and grief from September 11th tragedies decides to leave behind his life and career in New York, Ben decides to move to Annapolis his father's ancestral estate. There he discovers letters and reunites with his cousins to discover the life his father's lived that helps him understand the complex man he was. Colonel Fitzwilliam's story spans decades and the trauma associated with coming home from fighting in WWII and Korean war.
The author covers issues such as PTSD, depression, domestic violence, homosexuality, same-sex parenting, homeless veterans, unrequited love, and mixed race couples. You truly get immerse in the story and are rooting for Colonel Fitzwilliam as he goes through so many of life's challenges.
The other reviews do a great job of summarizing the story in detail. I highly recommend this story for those who love Pride & Prejudice, history, and the 1940's & 50's. This story does contain adult content.
I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a favorable review.
If you haven't read Longbourn's Songbird which is also a heart wrenching tale of Pride and Prejudice set in the 1940's, this novel is not a sequel but a companion to Longbourn's Songbird, a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The Colonel is duel story between Richard Fitzwilliam and his son Ben.
The story begins when Ben Fitzwilliam, an award-winning journalist now in his late forty's who struggles with PTSD and grief from September 11th tragedies decides to leave behind his life and career in New York, Ben decides to move to Annapolis his father's ancestral estate. There he discovers letters and reunites with his cousins to discover the life his father's lived that helps him understand the complex man he was. Colonel Fitzwilliam's story spans decades and the trauma associated with coming home from fighting in WWII and Korean war.
The author covers issues such as PTSD, depression, domestic violence, homosexuality, same-sex parenting, homeless veterans, unrequited love, and mixed race couples. You truly get immerse in the story and are rooting for Colonel Fitzwilliam as he goes through so many of life's challenges.
The other reviews do a great job of summarizing the story in detail. I highly recommend this story for those who love Pride & Prejudice, history, and the 1940's & 50's. This story does contain adult content.
I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a favorable review.
July 9, 2019
THIS BOOK IS OUT TODAY! HAPPY BOOK DAY! Seriously, check out this and Longbourn's Songbird ASAP!
***
Thank you to Beau North and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn't know how much I needed this book until I was already into it, and I would easily recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical fiction novel I do highly recommend reading Longbourn's Songbird before reading this book. It isn't a direct sequel, more of a companion novel. Still, you should probably get Lizzie and Darcy's side of the story before crying over Richard's part, yes? And because I am going to try really hard not to spoil the first book, but it IS a bit difficult to gush and not.
The Colonel
by Beau North
Published Date : July 9, 2019
Read Date: June 2019
Format : e-galley
Genre : historical fiction
Page Count : 405 pages
Rating :
5/5 Moose
Synopsis
How well do you really know your parents? (Not) Dealing with PTSD, Ben Fitzwilliam packs up his life and moves back to his dad's home in Annapolis, Maryland. Ben starts to find peace and purpose as he dives into the letters his father left behind, exploring the possibility of writing a book about his life. As he meets and falls in love with Keisha, he explores the heartaches and PTSD of his father, Richard Fitzwilliam's life.
Characters
Bennet Fitzwilliam - a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and only son of Richard Fitzwilliam. He's dealing with PTSD after 9/11.
Keisha Barnes - Annapolis PD officer who agrees to help Ben explore his father's life through letter.
Richard Fitzwilliam - William Darcy's cousin. Fought in both WWII and the Korean War. The younger son and a bit of a playboy, always charming. Fiercely loyal to his family.
Rants, Raves, and Reviews
I rarely read books that are considered sequels to Austen novels, especially Pride and Prejudice. This is primarily because the story seems done, but mainly because every sequel I have read tones down Lizzie and Darcy's personalities. Even knowing this, I was incredibly excited for this companion novel. Longbourn's Songbird is one of my favorite P&P retellings because it captures the spirit of the original novel while also updating it and adding readable twists. My favorite thing to say about the novel is that for the first time I would have been okay with Lizzie not ending up with Darcy. So I had big expectations for this novel.
This book is told in dual timelines, though it is primarily about Richard. Ben's life is, in some ways, a quick and easy portion of the book, coming in at intervals when Richard's world is almost too much. Or well, at least at the part where I was about to cry on the subway. In some ways, if there has to be a weakest part of the book, it's Ben's story line. It serves a purpose to show that the family lines still continue and still are more or less dysfunctional. And to show how the last of the Fitzwilliam is doing, something that is a repeated point through out the book. Richard wants to leave his dad as the last Fitzwilliam, then Richard accepts his position as the last Fitzwilliam, and then when he has Ben, his legacy lives on.
Okay, that makes it sound short and sweet (and maybe a bit spoilery) but it does sum up the book: understanding and embracing what Fitzwilliam means.
And as with most women in the book, I am just beyond smitten with Richard. He's charming and brilliant, with that ridiculous air of vagrancy that really rich people can make seem so appealing. I knew some of his story from the first book -- his brother and father's death, fighting in World War II...basically most of the 1940s are a deeper dive from the first book. And yet it never feels like a rehash; I never felt like I was trying to skip ahead to the next part. In fact, it's even more painful, because I love Richard even more by the time we hit his and Slim's story. And I was so scared to see the aftermath of its fall out. We are told this book isn't a love story. We know from the beginning that Richard died unmarried, that Ben was a product not necessarily out of love in the traditional sense. And yet I still held on hope for Richard to get....something.
This book also focuses on all the characters we love from the first book. How are Jane and Charles? Charlotte, Anne, Lizzie and Darcy? Does Georgina find her stride, her own place in the world? All these characters are there in some capacity. Richard lives in New York with Anne and Charlotte before going off to Korea, and then recovers there after. Anne and Charlotte help him recover mentally and physically. I love their trio. Who is really helping and depending on whom? It rotates as the book goes on. I honestly don't know how I feel about Anne by the end of the book, (begrudgingly like her, maybe? Find her pompous and spoiled definitely) but I am love Charlotte. I won't go too much into her as to avoid spoiling the first book, but if there is a third person whose story needed to be told, it is hers.
And Georgina! I never have cared for how a sequel has treated Georgina. She always comes across as meek and timid, ruined by what Wickham did. Someone who needs Darcy to keep her from falling. Not this Georgina, which is a huge relief. We find out she's married from Ben, but I didn't actually expect to find out about how she met her husband.
Even knowing this book was about war and lost loves, I didn't expect to shed as many tears as I did. And yet this book didn't steer me away from love, or feel like it wasn't still hopeful in the end. Lost time, lost love...these are usually anxiety triggers for me, things that send me into a bit of a spiral. But surprisingly, this book didn't do that. Richard's life isn't worthless or incomplete, even if he never marries. And that? That is why I love this book.
Final Thoughts
I've recently been toying with the idea that I want my relationship status to be "fell in love with my soulmate a decade ago. It didn't work out, and I'm happy being alone." Of course, this would require me to admit that I believe in soulmates, which I don't. Either way, this book was a perfect read for someone feeling that way. This book has so much heartache. But it also had so much good in it too. It's not really a romance but is still a book about relationships. About regrets. About learning to live with it all. About learning to let it all go. And the added bonus of loving P&P characters doesn't help.
Now to try really hard to not read Longbourn's Songbird again RIGHT NOW because I have way too many new books to read.
Content Warnings for war, PTSD, 9/11 discussion, mentions of both physical and mentally abusive relationships
***
Listen, I did just close my office door to finish the last few pages and I have ZERO REGRETS about doing so.
RTF!
***
This isn't a love story, but the end of one.
Thank you to Beau North and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn't know how much I needed this book until I was already into it, and I would easily recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical fiction novel I do highly recommend reading Longbourn's Songbird before reading this book. It isn't a direct sequel, more of a companion novel. Still, you should probably get Lizzie and Darcy's side of the story before crying over Richard's part, yes? And because I am going to try really hard not to spoil the first book, but it IS a bit difficult to gush and not.
The Colonel
by Beau North
Published Date : July 9, 2019
Read Date: June 2019
Format : e-galley
Genre : historical fiction
Page Count : 405 pages
Rating :
5/5 MooseSynopsis
How well do you really know your parents? (Not) Dealing with PTSD, Ben Fitzwilliam packs up his life and moves back to his dad's home in Annapolis, Maryland. Ben starts to find peace and purpose as he dives into the letters his father left behind, exploring the possibility of writing a book about his life. As he meets and falls in love with Keisha, he explores the heartaches and PTSD of his father, Richard Fitzwilliam's life.
Characters
Bennet Fitzwilliam - a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and only son of Richard Fitzwilliam. He's dealing with PTSD after 9/11.
Keisha Barnes - Annapolis PD officer who agrees to help Ben explore his father's life through letter.
Richard Fitzwilliam - William Darcy's cousin. Fought in both WWII and the Korean War. The younger son and a bit of a playboy, always charming. Fiercely loyal to his family.
Rants, Raves, and Reviews
I rarely read books that are considered sequels to Austen novels, especially Pride and Prejudice. This is primarily because the story seems done, but mainly because every sequel I have read tones down Lizzie and Darcy's personalities. Even knowing this, I was incredibly excited for this companion novel. Longbourn's Songbird is one of my favorite P&P retellings because it captures the spirit of the original novel while also updating it and adding readable twists. My favorite thing to say about the novel is that for the first time I would have been okay with Lizzie not ending up with Darcy. So I had big expectations for this novel.
This book is told in dual timelines, though it is primarily about Richard. Ben's life is, in some ways, a quick and easy portion of the book, coming in at intervals when Richard's world is almost too much. Or well, at least at the part where I was about to cry on the subway. In some ways, if there has to be a weakest part of the book, it's Ben's story line. It serves a purpose to show that the family lines still continue and still are more or less dysfunctional. And to show how the last of the Fitzwilliam is doing, something that is a repeated point through out the book. Richard wants to leave his dad as the last Fitzwilliam, then Richard accepts his position as the last Fitzwilliam, and then when he has Ben, his legacy lives on.
Okay, that makes it sound short and sweet (and maybe a bit spoilery) but it does sum up the book: understanding and embracing what Fitzwilliam means.
And as with most women in the book, I am just beyond smitten with Richard. He's charming and brilliant, with that ridiculous air of vagrancy that really rich people can make seem so appealing. I knew some of his story from the first book -- his brother and father's death, fighting in World War II...basically most of the 1940s are a deeper dive from the first book. And yet it never feels like a rehash; I never felt like I was trying to skip ahead to the next part. In fact, it's even more painful, because I love Richard even more by the time we hit his and Slim's story. And I was so scared to see the aftermath of its fall out. We are told this book isn't a love story. We know from the beginning that Richard died unmarried, that Ben was a product not necessarily out of love in the traditional sense. And yet I still held on hope for Richard to get....something.
This book also focuses on all the characters we love from the first book. How are Jane and Charles? Charlotte, Anne, Lizzie and Darcy? Does Georgina find her stride, her own place in the world? All these characters are there in some capacity. Richard lives in New York with Anne and Charlotte before going off to Korea, and then recovers there after. Anne and Charlotte help him recover mentally and physically. I love their trio. Who is really helping and depending on whom? It rotates as the book goes on. I honestly don't know how I feel about Anne by the end of the book, (begrudgingly like her, maybe? Find her pompous and spoiled definitely) but I am love Charlotte. I won't go too much into her as to avoid spoiling the first book, but if there is a third person whose story needed to be told, it is hers.
He can't hurt me now, not that I know my own worth.
And Georgina! I never have cared for how a sequel has treated Georgina. She always comes across as meek and timid, ruined by what Wickham did. Someone who needs Darcy to keep her from falling. Not this Georgina, which is a huge relief. We find out she's married from Ben, but I didn't actually expect to find out about how she met her husband.
Your sister isn't sad, you cabbage. She's in love.
Even knowing this book was about war and lost loves, I didn't expect to shed as many tears as I did. And yet this book didn't steer me away from love, or feel like it wasn't still hopeful in the end. Lost time, lost love...these are usually anxiety triggers for me, things that send me into a bit of a spiral. But surprisingly, this book didn't do that. Richard's life isn't worthless or incomplete, even if he never marries. And that? That is why I love this book.
Final Thoughts
I've recently been toying with the idea that I want my relationship status to be "fell in love with my soulmate a decade ago. It didn't work out, and I'm happy being alone." Of course, this would require me to admit that I believe in soulmates, which I don't. Either way, this book was a perfect read for someone feeling that way. This book has so much heartache. But it also had so much good in it too. It's not really a romance but is still a book about relationships. About regrets. About learning to live with it all. About learning to let it all go. And the added bonus of loving P&P characters doesn't help.
Now to try really hard to not read Longbourn's Songbird again RIGHT NOW because I have way too many new books to read.
Content Warnings for war, PTSD, 9/11 discussion, mentions of both physical and mentally abusive relationships
***
Listen, I did just close my office door to finish the last few pages and I have ZERO REGRETS about doing so.
RTF!
October 7, 2019
Every so often, a book comes along that will stay with a reader long after the book is finished. “The Colonel” is one of those books.
Read full review in the 2019 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2019 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
January 28, 2020
This is an excellent book. I don't usually like modern versions of Pride and Prejudice but this kept my attention from the beginning. Well written and structured.
November 11, 2019
Love In All Forms
Note: The Colonel is a companion novel to the soul-stirring Pride and Prejudice retelling, Longbourn’s Songbird, but since this story revisits events from the past it can be read as a stand alone. (However, we do recommend you read LS for full context and understanding.)
In Longbourn’s Songbird, Beau North not only takes the beloved characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and transplants them to the Deep South, post World War II, but she recreates their history and their paths. Richard Fitzwilliam is still the charismatic and charming colonel that has been to war, but as we learn in Longbourn’s Songbird, he has suffered trials, disappointments, and heart-wrenching pain. In The Colonel, which is set in the year 2002, we learn what happened to our dear colonel after 1950. Richard’s story is unfolded and discovered by his son Ben, who, after surviving the events of 9/11 has made some changes in his life and has returned to his family home. It is there he finds the many unknown truths of his father’s life…
This skillfully-crafted dual storyline that portrays love in all its forms, intensities, and meanings is in every way remarkable. While the narrative asserts that “this isn’t a love story,” love or the searching for love is the focal foundation of every storyline in this tale. Love that is rejected, love that is lost, love that is kept secret, love that is new, love between family, love between friends – whether it develops slowly or quickly, smoothly or painfully, this book discerningly depicts some unvarnished realities about love. Similar to Jane Austen, Beau North demonstrates that she too has a keen understanding of human nature and is in tune with the workings of her characters’ hearts.
Aside from her astute perception and the continuation of her expertly developed setting and backdrop, the area where Beau North’s talent shines brightest is her character development. Whether it is a recreation of a Jane Austen or character or an entirely new original character, each character is brilliantly rendered, thoughtfully fleshed-out, and dynamic. Even though it is one of the most anguish-filled portrayals of Richard Fitzwilliam I’ve ever read, this may very well be my favorite representation of him. He felt so wonderfully real – his hurts, his flaws, his soul, I feel like I know each so intimately, and I fell in love with him in so many ways and for a myriad of new reasons.
In truth, I felt that way about all the characters in this story. Darcy, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Anne, Georgiana – seeing what they experienced, learning about what struggles they faced, I felt like I was a part of their lives in this tale. I am so appreciative for the inclusion of all these characters and their continued storylines (I especially loved seeing more of Anne, Charlotte, and Georgiana). In addition, I adored Ms. North’s original creations Ben, Maggie, Tom, and Keisha. (Ben was just as lovable as Richard.)
Poignant and powerful, The Colonel is a mesmerizing story about life and love. This emotionally turbulent journey is one that will hold you enthrall, pierce your soul, and claim your heart. I am fearful my review doesn’t do justice to this eminently moving and phenomenally constructed tale, but read it for yourself and you will understand some of my awe and fervent admiration.
2nd Note: Due to the use of profanity, mild violence, and adult situations, I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences.
Austenesque Reviews
Note: The Colonel is a companion novel to the soul-stirring Pride and Prejudice retelling, Longbourn’s Songbird, but since this story revisits events from the past it can be read as a stand alone. (However, we do recommend you read LS for full context and understanding.)
In Longbourn’s Songbird, Beau North not only takes the beloved characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and transplants them to the Deep South, post World War II, but she recreates their history and their paths. Richard Fitzwilliam is still the charismatic and charming colonel that has been to war, but as we learn in Longbourn’s Songbird, he has suffered trials, disappointments, and heart-wrenching pain. In The Colonel, which is set in the year 2002, we learn what happened to our dear colonel after 1950. Richard’s story is unfolded and discovered by his son Ben, who, after surviving the events of 9/11 has made some changes in his life and has returned to his family home. It is there he finds the many unknown truths of his father’s life…
This skillfully-crafted dual storyline that portrays love in all its forms, intensities, and meanings is in every way remarkable. While the narrative asserts that “this isn’t a love story,” love or the searching for love is the focal foundation of every storyline in this tale. Love that is rejected, love that is lost, love that is kept secret, love that is new, love between family, love between friends – whether it develops slowly or quickly, smoothly or painfully, this book discerningly depicts some unvarnished realities about love. Similar to Jane Austen, Beau North demonstrates that she too has a keen understanding of human nature and is in tune with the workings of her characters’ hearts.
Aside from her astute perception and the continuation of her expertly developed setting and backdrop, the area where Beau North’s talent shines brightest is her character development. Whether it is a recreation of a Jane Austen or character or an entirely new original character, each character is brilliantly rendered, thoughtfully fleshed-out, and dynamic. Even though it is one of the most anguish-filled portrayals of Richard Fitzwilliam I’ve ever read, this may very well be my favorite representation of him. He felt so wonderfully real – his hurts, his flaws, his soul, I feel like I know each so intimately, and I fell in love with him in so many ways and for a myriad of new reasons.
In truth, I felt that way about all the characters in this story. Darcy, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Anne, Georgiana – seeing what they experienced, learning about what struggles they faced, I felt like I was a part of their lives in this tale. I am so appreciative for the inclusion of all these characters and their continued storylines (I especially loved seeing more of Anne, Charlotte, and Georgiana). In addition, I adored Ms. North’s original creations Ben, Maggie, Tom, and Keisha. (Ben was just as lovable as Richard.)
Poignant and powerful, The Colonel is a mesmerizing story about life and love. This emotionally turbulent journey is one that will hold you enthrall, pierce your soul, and claim your heart. I am fearful my review doesn’t do justice to this eminently moving and phenomenally constructed tale, but read it for yourself and you will understand some of my awe and fervent admiration.
2nd Note: Due to the use of profanity, mild violence, and adult situations, I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences.
Austenesque Reviews
July 11, 2019
This is a hauntingly emotional tale. It's brilliant, but it's so sad and yet seems to tell the colonel's tale perfectly. This is a difficult book to read for many reasons - emotionally, it's really deep but the writing style adds something so essential to the way the colonels tale is told and making the reader feel we really know this complicated man. It draws you in so completely - I can't think of another book where I have felt so invested in wanting and wishing for a happy ever after.
The perspective in this book is really unusual. We have Ben's story, the colonel's son. He has left his career in journalism having suffered trauma of his own. He is going through his late fathers possessions and finds letters hidden away and decides to write a book about the family. This leads to a whole load of secrets being uncovered. Having this perspective, the letters and going through the possessions left behind after death makes for such an emotional story - it's about love, loss and how we can so rarely ever truly know people - even those we are closest to - there are still secrets of the heart not able to be told.
We then also get to go back in time and see things first hand from the colonels perspective. He has had a hard life - two very serious injuries, one life changing. We see first hand the impact of this trauma which is managed so sensitively and respectfully. Although, perhaps the biggest issue he faces is unrequited love - it's just awful (yet so beautifully written) to see that despite everything he goes through the injury to his heart is one that cannot heal.
Beau North has taken her Colonel and made him into someone so unique - Not only do we get the whole life view, we get the perspective from beyond the grave which shows how much of himself he had to keep hidden in his lifetime. I think this is what takes this tale to the next level, it just adds something that we wouldn't get from a first person perspective only.
Longbourn's songbird is one of my favourite reads and although the reader wouldn't need to have read that to appreciate this book, I think it's probably better enjoyed with it.
This is an amazing book but it is not a tale of happy ever after. It's a difficult, emotional read that very bravely takes on a whole range of difficulties and traumas whilst also giving consideration to the issues of the time the book is set in.
I got a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The perspective in this book is really unusual. We have Ben's story, the colonel's son. He has left his career in journalism having suffered trauma of his own. He is going through his late fathers possessions and finds letters hidden away and decides to write a book about the family. This leads to a whole load of secrets being uncovered. Having this perspective, the letters and going through the possessions left behind after death makes for such an emotional story - it's about love, loss and how we can so rarely ever truly know people - even those we are closest to - there are still secrets of the heart not able to be told.
We then also get to go back in time and see things first hand from the colonels perspective. He has had a hard life - two very serious injuries, one life changing. We see first hand the impact of this trauma which is managed so sensitively and respectfully. Although, perhaps the biggest issue he faces is unrequited love - it's just awful (yet so beautifully written) to see that despite everything he goes through the injury to his heart is one that cannot heal.
Beau North has taken her Colonel and made him into someone so unique - Not only do we get the whole life view, we get the perspective from beyond the grave which shows how much of himself he had to keep hidden in his lifetime. I think this is what takes this tale to the next level, it just adds something that we wouldn't get from a first person perspective only.
Longbourn's songbird is one of my favourite reads and although the reader wouldn't need to have read that to appreciate this book, I think it's probably better enjoyed with it.
This is an amazing book but it is not a tale of happy ever after. It's a difficult, emotional read that very bravely takes on a whole range of difficulties and traumas whilst also giving consideration to the issues of the time the book is set in.
I got a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2019
A haunting and sad book that is beautifully written. This author's writing style draws you into and makes you feel a part of the story; you feel the emotions the characters are feeling. Recommend reading Longbourne's Songbird (a fantastic read) first or else a lot of this story will not be as emotionally impactful (and it might not make as much sense).
I loved the continuation of Anne and Charlotte's story. The times when Elizabeth, Will, and Richard were together, you could feel the electricity and tension.
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I was so invested in the past story that when jumping back to Ben I had to think about and remember what his issue was and why he was getting help; it was a bit jarring for me. I wasn't as connected to his character and that storyline until the end when it all came together.
I loved the continuation of Anne and Charlotte's story. The times when Elizabeth, Will, and Richard were together, you could feel the electricity and tension.
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I was so invested in the past story that when jumping back to Ben I had to think about and remember what his issue was and why he was getting help; it was a bit jarring for me. I wasn't as connected to his character and that storyline until the end when it all came together.
August 23, 2019
"He was a man who sacrificed pieces of himself for his country twice over. Colonel Fitzwilliam was a man who didn't just dance with Death, but wined, dined, and outright romanced it." (quote from the book)
Raw, unfiltered, poignant, loving and pain-filled...Life...and downright brilliant! Beautifully written, capturing a period of our history that still haunts our memories. For some, very much near the surface. But this book is much more than that. It reaches down into the human soul and peels away the layers hidden beneath. It puts them on display and at times it is downright gut-wrenching but also evocative and loving.
"The riverbeds of my heart dried up long ago, but, if they belonged to anyone, they belonged to you. Everything I am is stained with you, with this love like the ink in my skin." (quote from the book)
Though this book can be read as a 'stand-alone', I believe it's impact is more powerful if you read 'Longbourn's Songbird' first...for 'The Colonel' is a companion novel. We learn more about Richard Fitzwilliam and what impacted his life to shape the man he is...PTSD, love, loss and family. But this book is also his son's story, Ben Fitzwilliam, and how his own trauma makes him want to learn more about his father. In taking this journey, he will find letters his father wrote that, for me, were heart-wrenching and illuminating.
"The future was happening all around him all the time, but it was the past that beckoned him now." (quote from the book)
This is not a light, fluffy read that you will enjoy and put away. This is a book that will haunt you for its beauty and its pain. It will linger on your mind and have you holding those you love a little bit tighter.
October 25, 2019
Wonderful Story
In the time I have been reading this book I have been transported to another time. Great story telling. It was wonderful seeing the old story told through another lens. Great book ☺
In the time I have been reading this book I have been transported to another time. Great story telling. It was wonderful seeing the old story told through another lens. Great book ☺
July 9, 2019
I have been a fan of Beau North’s writing since her award-winning debut novel, Longbourn’s Songbird. My favorite work of hers was Modern Love—until now. The Colonel may be her best book yet.
With a talent for tackling intense subjects encased in elegant and graceful prose, Ms. North weaves the story of Colonel Fitzwilliam in the 20th century. He’s a complicated man—a perfect character in his imperfection—and a man you can’t help but stand behind, root for, and perhaps, as I did, fall in love with. Richard is a fully-drawn character, lovingly written: a soldier, a son, a brother, a lover, a father, a cousin, a philanthropist, a friend.
Interspersed with Richard’s story is the tale of his son, Ben, a journalist struggling with PTSD following the tragedy of 9-11. I rather liked the way the author dovetailed Ben’s story and his romance with Keisha into the broader history of the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families. It gave some respite from the intensity of Richard, and put his adventures within context, smoothing the rougher edges with the sands of time. Ben’s story has similarities to his father’s, but it has important differences that provide continuity and perspective to Richard’s life.
In less-talented hands, this story could have been overly-emotional, even maudlin in places, but Beau North has crafted a romantic, poignant tale with writing that is as rich and substantial as expertly-whipped cream—smooth and easy but not too sweet. Richard and Ben, like all of Beau’s characters, will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. Theirs is a story of struggle, but ultimately, what shines through this novel is acceptance, hope, and the certainty that life is beautiful.
Although this is Austen-inspired fiction, The Colonel is a stand-alone story (Reading Longbourn’s Songbird first will round out the context of Richard’s life and family.)
I would recommend The Colonel for fans of Austen-inspired fiction who are ready for a unique Austenesque story, and for any fan of World War 2 and post-war settings, historical romance, and true hero’s journeys.
Read
May 6, 2019Emotional and evocative, The Colonel explores how an unresolved past will continue bearing on one’s future until it’s finally dealt with. Beau North’s gorgeous writing is unflinchingly honest in peeling back the messy, complicated family dynamics that run through the story, and she will make you feel exactly what the characters are feeling—all the joy, pain, jealousy, confusion, and love that define their lives.
July 12, 2019
Reading this book was a stunningly beautiful experience. My heart is full and I feel an indescribable mixture of bittersweet ache, gratitude, and fulfillment. This book and these characters have stayed with me even after the final page.
One of the things that made this book so special for me was how real these characters felt. I never once felt as if my emotions were being manipulated or if characters were being tweaked simply to fit into a Pride and Prejudice mold. Likewise, I never felt as if settings or situations were manufactured as a way to get a gimmicky spin on Price and Prejudice. This felt so authentic to me that I forgot these were not exactly the characters and time period created by Jane Austen.
There is no denying that my heart broke at times and things didn't always resolve the way I wished. I found this to be reflective of life in general where there is always bitter along with sweet. And there is sweetness and happiness and love in this story. I was a bit afraid that it would be overwhelmingly sad, but I did not find that to be the case.
This book, of course, features the fascinating and complex character Richard Fitzwilliam. I believe that this companion book to the excellent Longbourn's Songbird is best read after that first book. I greatly enjoyed how this book had multi-generations and used the dual timelines. I felt comfortably immersed in history and loved the romantic storylines.
This book will clearly appeal to anyone who enjoys Pride and Prejudice inspired fiction. I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This is a book that both readers who are familiar with Jane Austen and those who are not can thoroughly enjoy.
One of the things that made this book so special for me was how real these characters felt. I never once felt as if my emotions were being manipulated or if characters were being tweaked simply to fit into a Pride and Prejudice mold. Likewise, I never felt as if settings or situations were manufactured as a way to get a gimmicky spin on Price and Prejudice. This felt so authentic to me that I forgot these were not exactly the characters and time period created by Jane Austen.
There is no denying that my heart broke at times and things didn't always resolve the way I wished. I found this to be reflective of life in general where there is always bitter along with sweet. And there is sweetness and happiness and love in this story. I was a bit afraid that it would be overwhelmingly sad, but I did not find that to be the case.
This book, of course, features the fascinating and complex character Richard Fitzwilliam. I believe that this companion book to the excellent Longbourn's Songbird is best read after that first book. I greatly enjoyed how this book had multi-generations and used the dual timelines. I felt comfortably immersed in history and loved the romantic storylines.
This book will clearly appeal to anyone who enjoys Pride and Prejudice inspired fiction. I also recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This is a book that both readers who are familiar with Jane Austen and those who are not can thoroughly enjoy.
June 21, 2019
A P&P modern variation. It's 2002 and Ben Fitzwilliam walked out of his life in New York and went back to his family home in Annapolis, Maryland. But as he tries to deal with his past and the relating traum he discovers letters written by his father Richard Fitzwilliam, the Colonel. He then decides to write a book about his afther which expands to deal with other members of the Fitzwillaim clan and the Darcys.
As much as I am pleased that there is a book about the Colonel (my favourite male character of P&P) I was wary about the content.
In this modern tale he is suffering the affects of the emotional abuse from his father, and being in love with with Elizabeth Bennet, (a story line I don't care for because I always feel he deserves better irrespective of the tale) and the effects the wars have had him emotional, physically and mentally. He ‘copes’ by being a serial womaniser and drunk.
But will either of the male Fitzwilliams know peace?
This is a well-written and interesting story but did I enjoy all the book. Not sure that I did but I would still recommend it.
A NetGalley Book
As much as I am pleased that there is a book about the Colonel (my favourite male character of P&P) I was wary about the content.
In this modern tale he is suffering the affects of the emotional abuse from his father, and being in love with with Elizabeth Bennet, (a story line I don't care for because I always feel he deserves better irrespective of the tale) and the effects the wars have had him emotional, physically and mentally. He ‘copes’ by being a serial womaniser and drunk.
But will either of the male Fitzwilliams know peace?
This is a well-written and interesting story but did I enjoy all the book. Not sure that I did but I would still recommend it.
A NetGalley Book
June 30, 2020
Excellent Sequel to Longbourn’s Songbird
Very well-written and captivating tale. Very different from most P&P variations. I’m not sure what I expected as an ending, but I never saw Pen coming. I cried. I enjoyed the sequel even more than Longbourn’s Songbird. Highly recommend.
Very well-written and captivating tale. Very different from most P&P variations. I’m not sure what I expected as an ending, but I never saw Pen coming. I cried. I enjoyed the sequel even more than Longbourn’s Songbird. Highly recommend.
February 18, 2020
An epic journey
Who would have thought a book about Colonel Fitzwilliam could be so epic and engrossing? Beau North has proven that this character has a lot of traction in her capable hands. Of course, this isn't the Colonel Fitzwilliam from the original P&P, but rather from Ms. North's other equally epic tale, Longbourns Songbird, which tells the story of Darcy and Elizabeth, but also sets up Richard Fitzwilliam with a central role in the evolution of their relationship. I believe it's necessary to read that first book before tackling this one, and it's well worth the time and effort.
This story begins after Darcy and Elizabeth have come to finally reach an understanding. Richard ends up as the odd man out, and has to figure out what comes next for him in life, and what follows is a wild roller coaster of people, places and situations.
This is a very dark and difficult tale, because Richard Fitzwilliam is a damaged person who suffers from numerous psychological disorders that were not commonly diagnosed in that time period. As a child he experiences extreme trauma and tragedy, followed by parental abuse. As a young man he is plagued by PTSD, followed by alcohol and substance abuse. He's a ship without a rudder, trying to find some meaning to his life. But all these depressing facts are made bearable because he is a good man with a huge heart, a generous spirit, and a steadfast love for his family. He is deeply flawed, but also incredibly brave and strong.
I almost gave up on the book when it seemed as if not one character had any happiness in their life, but I suggest you persevere to the end. The overall effect was uplifting and surprising. Beau North is a master storyteller and wonderful writer. The story is moving, sad, funny, suspenseful and engrossing. So many social issues are dealt with here in beautiful ways, including gay relationships, interracial relationships, religious tolerance, and bridging the classes of society.
There were quite a few editing errors, but not enough to distract from the flow of the story. I recommend this book highly.
Who would have thought a book about Colonel Fitzwilliam could be so epic and engrossing? Beau North has proven that this character has a lot of traction in her capable hands. Of course, this isn't the Colonel Fitzwilliam from the original P&P, but rather from Ms. North's other equally epic tale, Longbourns Songbird, which tells the story of Darcy and Elizabeth, but also sets up Richard Fitzwilliam with a central role in the evolution of their relationship. I believe it's necessary to read that first book before tackling this one, and it's well worth the time and effort.
This story begins after Darcy and Elizabeth have come to finally reach an understanding. Richard ends up as the odd man out, and has to figure out what comes next for him in life, and what follows is a wild roller coaster of people, places and situations.
This is a very dark and difficult tale, because Richard Fitzwilliam is a damaged person who suffers from numerous psychological disorders that were not commonly diagnosed in that time period. As a child he experiences extreme trauma and tragedy, followed by parental abuse. As a young man he is plagued by PTSD, followed by alcohol and substance abuse. He's a ship without a rudder, trying to find some meaning to his life. But all these depressing facts are made bearable because he is a good man with a huge heart, a generous spirit, and a steadfast love for his family. He is deeply flawed, but also incredibly brave and strong.
I almost gave up on the book when it seemed as if not one character had any happiness in their life, but I suggest you persevere to the end. The overall effect was uplifting and surprising. Beau North is a master storyteller and wonderful writer. The story is moving, sad, funny, suspenseful and engrossing. So many social issues are dealt with here in beautiful ways, including gay relationships, interracial relationships, religious tolerance, and bridging the classes of society.
There were quite a few editing errors, but not enough to distract from the flow of the story. I recommend this book highly.
January 10, 2022
4 1/2 Stars - This book is a sequel to Longbourn's Songbird. Actually, about 25% of the text in this book was repeated word-for-word from that book, albeit with additional context. If I had realized how much of the text was repeated, I probably would have waited a little between reading the two books, so I wasn't reading exactly what I had just read. I liked this book more than Longbourn's Songbird because of the emotional journey, but I also had more issues with this book.
We already knew from Longbourn's Songbird that Richard Fitzwilliam suffered from PTSD from WWII, and that he avoided dealing with it and became fairly lost. When this book starts, we see that his son Ben was working as a journalist in NYC during the events of Sept 11, 2001, and that he is encountering similar issues from both the experience itself and reporting on the aftermath of it. Ben ends up quitting his job and going back to the family estate and learning more about his family history and secrets therein. We learn more about the different people that Richard loved over the years... love between friends, family members, and fellow soldiers that were important parts of his life in addition to romance.
This was a heart wrenching and beautiful story that I highly recommend. However, there were some things that didn't work for me in this story. As is often the case, I have more to say about what I don't like than what I do. Don't take this as meaning that you shouldn't read this book, but I'd love to hear what people who have read the book think about the things I felt were problematic.
Things That Didn't Work For Me:
(these are mostly spoilers for the ending, so don't read if you want things to be spoiled):
We already knew from Longbourn's Songbird that Richard Fitzwilliam suffered from PTSD from WWII, and that he avoided dealing with it and became fairly lost. When this book starts, we see that his son Ben was working as a journalist in NYC during the events of Sept 11, 2001, and that he is encountering similar issues from both the experience itself and reporting on the aftermath of it. Ben ends up quitting his job and going back to the family estate and learning more about his family history and secrets therein. We learn more about the different people that Richard loved over the years... love between friends, family members, and fellow soldiers that were important parts of his life in addition to romance.
This was a heart wrenching and beautiful story that I highly recommend. However, there were some things that didn't work for me in this story. As is often the case, I have more to say about what I don't like than what I do. Don't take this as meaning that you shouldn't read this book, but I'd love to hear what people who have read the book think about the things I felt were problematic.
Things That Didn't Work For Me:
(these are mostly spoilers for the ending, so don't read if you want things to be spoiled):
Read
June 28, 2019Review to come soon.
January 24, 2020
touching, poignant. loved it, felt pain.
January 27, 2020
It was a compelling novel difficult to put down.
July 16, 2023
Truly Good
Zero angst is found in this beautiful tragedy that was the life of this version of Richard Fitzwilliam. A beautiful way of showing how messy and complicated love can usually be.
Zero angst is found in this beautiful tragedy that was the life of this version of Richard Fitzwilliam. A beautiful way of showing how messy and complicated love can usually be.
October 4, 2021
Grim bordering on macabre
This is a well written novel but just not for my taste when it comes to JAFF. If, unlike myself, you’re okay with overt, constant morbidity in a storyline, it is a good read. I’m glad I didn’t read the 1st novel, Longbourne’s Songbird; my rating would be less favorable as I just don’t care for P&P variations where Elizabeth and Col Fitzwilliam are each other’s love interests even less than Jane marrying Bingley. I did like Charlotte & Anne’s relationship but not gay Tom Darcy (go figure). The new characters were welcomed and some of the canon figures were refreshingly altered enough to make them interesting. The exception being poor Georgiana who seemed to be thrown in as a flat character with nothing interesting added to give her WW2 persona any dimensions.
This is a well written novel but just not for my taste when it comes to JAFF. If, unlike myself, you’re okay with overt, constant morbidity in a storyline, it is a good read. I’m glad I didn’t read the 1st novel, Longbourne’s Songbird; my rating would be less favorable as I just don’t care for P&P variations where Elizabeth and Col Fitzwilliam are each other’s love interests even less than Jane marrying Bingley. I did like Charlotte & Anne’s relationship but not gay Tom Darcy (go figure). The new characters were welcomed and some of the canon figures were refreshingly altered enough to make them interesting. The exception being poor Georgiana who seemed to be thrown in as a flat character with nothing interesting added to give her WW2 persona any dimensions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2019
This book is vivid, heartbreaking, tear inducing and completely absorbing. I cried my way through the whole story. One of those books that will stay with you and you'll never forget how it made you feel, the kind you're sad to finish. It is so wonderfully written that I felt like I was right there is Richard's heart. I experienced every emotion he did and understood his conflicted feelings. If you're even remotely thinking about giving it a try, do! I'd like to thank the author for sharing such a wonderful story.
August 28, 2019
A treasure to read!
I loved how Beau intertwined the first novel with this sequel which filled in all the missing gaps in Richard's life. It was deeply moving and brought me to tears many times. I so wanted Richard to finally find his place in the world that he would finally heal from his traumatic wounds physically and emotionally. I wanted him to be loved by a special woman but then I realized he was loved by Elizabeth, Charlotte, Anne and Evie plus his children. A very satisfying story.
I loved how Beau intertwined the first novel with this sequel which filled in all the missing gaps in Richard's life. It was deeply moving and brought me to tears many times. I so wanted Richard to finally find his place in the world that he would finally heal from his traumatic wounds physically and emotionally. I wanted him to be loved by a special woman but then I realized he was loved by Elizabeth, Charlotte, Anne and Evie plus his children. A very satisfying story.
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