Arriving in time for Jane Austen's 250th birthday, Introducing Mrs. Collins by Rachel Parris is a captivating historical novel centered on Charlotte Lucas, the young woman who was Elizabeth Bennet's supportive best friend in Pride and Prejudice. Set in the glorious English countryside with a romantic, satire-fueled plot, Parris's first novel resurrects the early-19th-century classic in a sequel that is delightfully worthy of the original.
While plain, sensible Charlotte was the perfect foil to radiant, impetuous Elizabeth in Austen's masterpiece, here her gentle good looks, impressive intellect, and wicked sense of humor mark her firmly as the heroine of her own story. Charlotte made a respectable but dull match in Mr. Collins, a "tall, dark and... pious" vicar. She is reconciled to a life devoid of romance or passion until she encounters Richard, an enigmatic colonel who shatters her peace of mind. Charlotte has learned to love Mr. Collins, whose positive intentions and decency shine through, but can she forswear the passions Richard has ignited? That is the conundrum this heroine navigates in a collision between her head and her heart.
Parris is a British comedian who cofounded the improv comedy group Austentatious. Introducing Mrs. Collins is decidedly un-Austenesque in its depictions of sex and intimacy, which include comical scenes of conjugal confusion as well as Charlotte's sensuous explorations of forbidden love.
Being sensible is overrated, the risk-averse Charlotte realizes in a surprising plot twist, finding within herself a surprising capacity for joy that is the most precious revelation of all. --Shahina Piyarali