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The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet
Based on the Emmy Award–winning YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
Twenty‑four‑year‑old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters—beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.
When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck‑up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets—and for Lizzie’s viewers. But not everything happens on‑screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie’s world and well beyond the confines of her camera—from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carter’s bar, and much more. Lizzie’s private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents’ unstable financial situation, her sister’s budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future—and whom she wants to share it with.
Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.
Twenty‑four‑year‑old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters—beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.
When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck‑up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets—and for Lizzie’s viewers. But not everything happens on‑screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie’s world and well beyond the confines of her camera—from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carter’s bar, and much more. Lizzie’s private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents’ unstable financial situation, her sister’s budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future—and whom she wants to share it with.
Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2014
About the author
Bernie Su
3 books44 followersBernie Su is the Emmy Award-winning executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries for which he received a Streamy Award for Best Writing, Comedy and Best Interactive Program. Su is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,540 reviews
June 7, 2017
1. If you haven’t read Pride & Prejudice, what are you doing with your life?
2. If you have read Pride & Prejudice but you haven’t watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, what are you doing with your life?
3. If you have read Pride & Prejudice and watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, hurray! Now read this book.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
God, I love P&P. I have a strange fascination with romance novels (and rom-coms, for that matter), because very frequently I feel nothing when I’m reading them. But Pride & Prejudice is not in that group. Its better adaptations aren’t either, and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is totally one of the better adaptations.
The concept is essentially a modern day retelling, with Lizzie Bennet as a grad school communications major creating video diaries based on her life. Darcy owns a digital tech company (as does Ricky Collins), Bing Lee (okay, the name feels a little much for me but hey) is a trust fund med student, Catherine de Bourgh is a venture capitalist, Charlotte is a fellow grad student and the video diaries’ editor. Lydia is a party girl and Jane is ridiculously kind (too kind for a realistic character, if you ask me). Kitty is a literal cat and Mary is a cousin. It’s all so fun.
It doesn’t always work, though. Jane Austen is subtle, as was the web series in its own way--yes, the videos are fully from Lizzie’s perspective, and her status as the “prejudice” leads to broad-stroked renderings of events, but there is still that certain surprise at Darcy’s interest and all the miscommunications. The book finds a lack of the subtlety one could argue the videos have in excess. In attempting to hint at Darcy’s interest in Lizzie and explain how it seems Jane could be uninterested in Bing, it makes both entirely too clear. What’s the fun in that?
Still, I’m struck by how clever this retelling is. It doesn’t want, strangely, for a lack of (a traditional) Kitty and Mary in the household, the grad school format works well, and the Ricky Collins plotline is full-on genius. The series totally deserved all of its lauding, and the book is a fun read for those who have and haven’t seen it. (Still, I recommend watching the vids.)
Bottom line: all my Austen-holics out there, go to YouTube and search “lizzie bennet diaries.” You’ll be so happy you did! (Everyone else: become an Austen fan, stat!)
2. If you have read Pride & Prejudice but you haven’t watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, what are you doing with your life?
3. If you have read Pride & Prejudice and watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, hurray! Now read this book.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
God, I love P&P. I have a strange fascination with romance novels (and rom-coms, for that matter), because very frequently I feel nothing when I’m reading them. But Pride & Prejudice is not in that group. Its better adaptations aren’t either, and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is totally one of the better adaptations.
The concept is essentially a modern day retelling, with Lizzie Bennet as a grad school communications major creating video diaries based on her life. Darcy owns a digital tech company (as does Ricky Collins), Bing Lee (okay, the name feels a little much for me but hey) is a trust fund med student, Catherine de Bourgh is a venture capitalist, Charlotte is a fellow grad student and the video diaries’ editor. Lydia is a party girl and Jane is ridiculously kind (too kind for a realistic character, if you ask me). Kitty is a literal cat and Mary is a cousin. It’s all so fun.
It doesn’t always work, though. Jane Austen is subtle, as was the web series in its own way--yes, the videos are fully from Lizzie’s perspective, and her status as the “prejudice” leads to broad-stroked renderings of events, but there is still that certain surprise at Darcy’s interest and all the miscommunications. The book finds a lack of the subtlety one could argue the videos have in excess. In attempting to hint at Darcy’s interest in Lizzie and explain how it seems Jane could be uninterested in Bing, it makes both entirely too clear. What’s the fun in that?
Still, I’m struck by how clever this retelling is. It doesn’t want, strangely, for a lack of (a traditional) Kitty and Mary in the household, the grad school format works well, and the Ricky Collins plotline is full-on genius. The series totally deserved all of its lauding, and the book is a fun read for those who have and haven’t seen it. (Still, I recommend watching the vids.)
Bottom line: all my Austen-holics out there, go to YouTube and search “lizzie bennet diaries.” You’ll be so happy you did! (Everyone else: become an Austen fan, stat!)
June 16, 2014
Review originally posted at Mostly YA Lit
This review contains mild spoilers for Pride & Prejudice and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - if you haven't read or watched either, please look out. I'm writing this as someone who assumes that most of my readers at least know the events of Pride & Prejudice. Read on!
When I started reading The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm a huge fan of the webseries, and count myself to be among the many, many fangirls of the series (yes, I'm a Seahorse). I expected there to be a lot of filling in of the gaps in terms of Lizzie's relationship with her father. I expected it to be a novelization of the videos, in some ways. But somehow, what didn't strike me was that The Secret Diary is, by virtue of being an adaptation of an adaptation, also just an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice itself (it's hyper-mediation, if you will!).
I mean, I know I'm saying something pretty obvious. But I think it's key to understanding why this book works - and why you don't really need to watch the series to enjoy it. It's a book that faithfully follows all of the plotlines and moments of Pride & Prejudice, while, like the webseries, poking fun at some of the more famous adaptations and things in P&P that do and don't work for a 21st century audience.
And the thing is, it works really well. Bernie Su and Kate Rorick have crafted a piece that sits well on its own as a book retelling and a companion to the webseries - adding a lot to their version by making it epistolary. Obviously, it's the same characters as the webseries - thus, Lizzie is a Mass Communications graduate student with "a mountain of student loans", Jane is a young employee in the fashion industry, and Lydia is the overlooked party girl in community college. All of those things translated very well to the webseries, and I think they translate here, too.
As a fan of the series, I was worried that The Secret Diary would simply be a rehashing of the videos. I was so very, pleasantly wrong. The book stands alone, but it also adds so much depth and detail to what we already know from the webseries. I, in particular, had questions about how Lizzie and Lydia were getting along after a major event in Lydia's life and I was rewarded with that. I was also very curious as to how Lizzie and Charlotte figured out what exactly happened when Jane and Bing are separated. A lot of the little details that are glossed over in the video diaries are given much more weight here. There was even a moment when I gasped because something was revealed in the diary that was never even hinted at in the videos.
Writing-wise, the book reads JUST. LIKE. LIZZIE. Maybe it's because I've watched the LBD way too many times, but I could really hear Lizzie's (actor Ashley Clements, who actually voices the audiobook) voice in my head. She's just as sassy and dramatic as in the video diaries, although I really felt that her voice was a bit more contemplative in the book.
If I have one criticism, it's that Lizzie, as she says in the videos, "forgets nothing." The diary goes into immense detail on certain things, such as her meeting with Catherine de Bourgh - so much so that it felt a touch unrealistic. It's a little unbelievable that Lizzie has that much time and energy to devote to such strict documentation. Her excuse in the book is that the diary is a part of her thesis - allowing her thesis advisor to see both what is shown onscreen and what she keeps hidden from the cameras. It's an excuse that works, but as a reader, it's a little hard to swallow.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. The amount of detail suited me just fine, as did seeing the deeper relationships between Lizzie, her family, and her friends. I never thought the webseries was missing anything, but the book gave The Lizzie Bennet Diaries so much added dimension that the two together felt like a complete package after reading.
Bonuses:
Lizzie and Her Father: In the original P&P, Lizzy and her father have a great, intellectual relationship that's so cute and wonderful. I'm so happy to say that The Secret Diary really draws that out and gives Mr. Bennet so much more of a role than in the videos. I don't want to say much more than that, but there's a scene with them in the book that I totally squeed at.
The Final Word:
I have no doubt that fans of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries will eat this book up like candy no matter what, but it truly does deserve to be praised. Bernie Su and Kate Rorick have created a fun adaptation of both the source material and the webseries, with gems for fans new and old. Even though the story was very familiar, I still felt the same aching hope at the love stories and friendships that I did in the webseries. I'll definitely be buying the audiobook when it comes out so that I can hear Lizzie herself telling me about her life, one more time, in a brand-new way.
This review contains mild spoilers for Pride & Prejudice and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - if you haven't read or watched either, please look out. I'm writing this as someone who assumes that most of my readers at least know the events of Pride & Prejudice. Read on!
When I started reading The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm a huge fan of the webseries, and count myself to be among the many, many fangirls of the series (yes, I'm a Seahorse). I expected there to be a lot of filling in of the gaps in terms of Lizzie's relationship with her father. I expected it to be a novelization of the videos, in some ways. But somehow, what didn't strike me was that The Secret Diary is, by virtue of being an adaptation of an adaptation, also just an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice itself (it's hyper-mediation, if you will!).
I mean, I know I'm saying something pretty obvious. But I think it's key to understanding why this book works - and why you don't really need to watch the series to enjoy it. It's a book that faithfully follows all of the plotlines and moments of Pride & Prejudice, while, like the webseries, poking fun at some of the more famous adaptations and things in P&P that do and don't work for a 21st century audience.
And the thing is, it works really well. Bernie Su and Kate Rorick have crafted a piece that sits well on its own as a book retelling and a companion to the webseries - adding a lot to their version by making it epistolary. Obviously, it's the same characters as the webseries - thus, Lizzie is a Mass Communications graduate student with "a mountain of student loans", Jane is a young employee in the fashion industry, and Lydia is the overlooked party girl in community college. All of those things translated very well to the webseries, and I think they translate here, too.
As a fan of the series, I was worried that The Secret Diary would simply be a rehashing of the videos. I was so very, pleasantly wrong. The book stands alone, but it also adds so much depth and detail to what we already know from the webseries. I, in particular, had questions about how Lizzie and Lydia were getting along after a major event in Lydia's life and I was rewarded with that. I was also very curious as to how Lizzie and Charlotte figured out what exactly happened when Jane and Bing are separated. A lot of the little details that are glossed over in the video diaries are given much more weight here. There was even a moment when I gasped because something was revealed in the diary that was never even hinted at in the videos.
Writing-wise, the book reads JUST. LIKE. LIZZIE. Maybe it's because I've watched the LBD way too many times, but I could really hear Lizzie's (actor Ashley Clements, who actually voices the audiobook) voice in my head. She's just as sassy and dramatic as in the video diaries, although I really felt that her voice was a bit more contemplative in the book.
If I have one criticism, it's that Lizzie, as she says in the videos, "forgets nothing." The diary goes into immense detail on certain things, such as her meeting with Catherine de Bourgh - so much so that it felt a touch unrealistic. It's a little unbelievable that Lizzie has that much time and energy to devote to such strict documentation. Her excuse in the book is that the diary is a part of her thesis - allowing her thesis advisor to see both what is shown onscreen and what she keeps hidden from the cameras. It's an excuse that works, but as a reader, it's a little hard to swallow.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. The amount of detail suited me just fine, as did seeing the deeper relationships between Lizzie, her family, and her friends. I never thought the webseries was missing anything, but the book gave The Lizzie Bennet Diaries so much added dimension that the two together felt like a complete package after reading.
Bonuses:
Lizzie and Her Father: In the original P&P, Lizzy and her father have a great, intellectual relationship that's so cute and wonderful. I'm so happy to say that The Secret Diary really draws that out and gives Mr. Bennet so much more of a role than in the videos. I don't want to say much more than that, but there's a scene with them in the book that I totally squeed at.
The Final Word:
I have no doubt that fans of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries will eat this book up like candy no matter what, but it truly does deserve to be praised. Bernie Su and Kate Rorick have created a fun adaptation of both the source material and the webseries, with gems for fans new and old. Even though the story was very familiar, I still felt the same aching hope at the love stories and friendships that I did in the webseries. I'll definitely be buying the audiobook when it comes out so that I can hear Lizzie herself telling me about her life, one more time, in a brand-new way.
May 20, 2014
One of my favorite things about the Lizzie Bennet Diaries was Lizzie’s voice. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we don’t get first person narration from Elizabeth, but we do in the webisodes. I thought Lizzie’s voice was opinionated, funny, and relateable right from the start, so when I heard that there was going to be a book out, I was really excited to hear more of Lizzie’s voice!
Me, upon being reunited with Lizzie:
I loved getting a more detailed look at Lizzie’s life and seeing things that didn’t happen on-camera. We get a closer look at her school (including her New Media teacher), we get conversations with Lizzie’s dad (who is a lot like her), and of course, we get new scenes!
My favorite scene out of this book was the scene where Lizzie, Darcy, and Gigi are touring San Francisco! I remember being sad that we didn’t get to see it on video, so it was really fun to read about it. We’re given more Lizzie/Darcy interaction and the San Francisco setting was really cool.
Something else that I enjoyed about the book was that, when you compare the videos to Lizzie’s diary, Lizzie can be an unreliable narrator, which makes for some humor.
Anything else I say is going to spoil it, so I’ll just stop there!
*Cynical Cindy Says
Something I was really disappointed in was that there were a few pivotal scenes that were written in “transcript” format instead of 1st person Lizzie, and I really wish that I could’ve known what was going on inside Lizzie’s head. Without the actors or Lizzie narration, I felt those important scenes fell flat.*
In short: If you’re a fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, then you should definitely read this book!
And maybe rewatch the episodes while you read. Because, believe me, you’ll be all:
*** This review was originally posted on Alice in Readerland ***
Me, upon being reunited with Lizzie:
I loved getting a more detailed look at Lizzie’s life and seeing things that didn’t happen on-camera. We get a closer look at her school (including her New Media teacher), we get conversations with Lizzie’s dad (who is a lot like her), and of course, we get new scenes!
My favorite scene out of this book was the scene where Lizzie, Darcy, and Gigi are touring San Francisco! I remember being sad that we didn’t get to see it on video, so it was really fun to read about it. We’re given more Lizzie/Darcy interaction and the San Francisco setting was really cool.
Something else that I enjoyed about the book was that, when you compare the videos to Lizzie’s diary, Lizzie can be an unreliable narrator, which makes for some humor.
Anything else I say is going to spoil it, so I’ll just stop there!
*Cynical Cindy Says
Something I was really disappointed in was that there were a few pivotal scenes that were written in “transcript” format instead of 1st person Lizzie, and I really wish that I could’ve known what was going on inside Lizzie’s head. Without the actors or Lizzie narration, I felt those important scenes fell flat.*
In short: If you’re a fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, then you should definitely read this book!
And maybe rewatch the episodes while you read. Because, believe me, you’ll be all:
*** This review was originally posted on Alice in Readerland ***
April 30, 2019
4th re-read:
I would love more follow-ups with this cast/re-telling... Lydia's book was awesome but I want more!
Nothing more to say that I haven't said already:) Check this one out!
---
Thank you my book friends for making me smile and laugh during my funk *hugs for all*
Side note: extra fun if you read this and watch the videos that correspond with different parts. :-D
---
Once again, big smiles on my face reading this :) Even more fun now that I can picture the people playing them in my head and read it in their voices.
Highly recommended, if you couldn't tell already;-)hehe... have fun!
First read: July 3rd-6th, 2014
Re-read: September 2015 (before Lydia's book is out)
Re-read #3: June 19th- 21st
Watch the web series here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXfb...
-----
Original review:
I'd read a similar idea to this with 'A Little Bit Psychic Pride Prejudice with a modern twist'
(http://www.paperbackswap.com/Little-B...) but wasn't overly impressed. Still the idea of a modern twist (in a novel) on it intrigued me so when this came to my attention I put it on my PBSWAP list and figured I'd give it a chance when my slot came up. *I had not heard of the YouTube series... I actually don't go on YouTube that much cept for movie trailers and some interviews with my favorite Brits *
I fell in love with it from the first page :) A really fun,witty, fresh re-visit to Jane Austen's wonderful characters.
It was interesting to see everyone in their Modern lives (Lizzie and Charlotte in grad school), but still true to the original at the same time (Not an easy thing to do I imagine).
Mrs. Bennet I thought went overboard at times but I still loved her.. heartily glad though she isn't/wasn't my mother. Her and Mr. Bennet's relationship was wonderful, I love how they compliment each other.
Lizzie and a video vlog, brilliant idea! I would like to bestow the person who thought of this with many hugs :).
George Wickham... just as slick/charming and even more of a scumbag here, what he did to Lydia... ooooh! Wanted to kick him in the balls!
Darcy was amazing, specially what he did for Lydia/Lizzie... when you hear his side of the story, you just melt for him.
The 'warped normal'/craziness of the Bennet household, love it! Even though they can get fed up with each other, you can see how much they love each other and how everything they go through brings them closer together.
Misconceptions and miscommunications abound aplenty... even though I knew where the story would end up, I still found myself yelling at the characters and being anxious/happy/exasperated along with them.
A little sympathetic towards Caroline,and I love Lydia and Mary's career choices.. proud of them :).
I'd like to think Miss Austen would be amused and pleased at how her novel was re-imagined.
The author Q&A at the end hints at more to come... I certainly hope so! :)
I know what I'll be watching when I'm off :)
I would love more follow-ups with this cast/re-telling... Lydia's book was awesome but I want more!
Nothing more to say that I haven't said already:) Check this one out!
---
Thank you my book friends for making me smile and laugh during my funk *hugs for all*
Side note: extra fun if you read this and watch the videos that correspond with different parts. :-D
---
Once again, big smiles on my face reading this :) Even more fun now that I can picture the people playing them in my head and read it in their voices.
Highly recommended, if you couldn't tell already;-)hehe... have fun!
First read: July 3rd-6th, 2014
Re-read: September 2015 (before Lydia's book is out)
Re-read #3: June 19th- 21st
Watch the web series here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXfb...
-----
Original review:
I'd read a similar idea to this with 'A Little Bit Psychic Pride Prejudice with a modern twist'
(http://www.paperbackswap.com/Little-B...) but wasn't overly impressed. Still the idea of a modern twist (in a novel) on it intrigued me so when this came to my attention I put it on my PBSWAP list and figured I'd give it a chance when my slot came up. *I had not heard of the YouTube series... I actually don't go on YouTube that much cept for movie trailers and some interviews with my favorite Brits *
I fell in love with it from the first page :) A really fun,witty, fresh re-visit to Jane Austen's wonderful characters.
It was interesting to see everyone in their Modern lives (Lizzie and Charlotte in grad school), but still true to the original at the same time (Not an easy thing to do I imagine).
Mrs. Bennet I thought went overboard at times but I still loved her.. heartily glad though she isn't/wasn't my mother. Her and Mr. Bennet's relationship was wonderful, I love how they compliment each other.
Lizzie and a video vlog, brilliant idea! I would like to bestow the person who thought of this with many hugs :).
George Wickham... just as slick/charming and even more of a scumbag here, what he did to Lydia... ooooh! Wanted to kick him in the balls!
Darcy was amazing, specially what he did for Lydia/Lizzie... when you hear his side of the story, you just melt for him.
The 'warped normal'/craziness of the Bennet household, love it! Even though they can get fed up with each other, you can see how much they love each other and how everything they go through brings them closer together.
Misconceptions and miscommunications abound aplenty... even though I knew where the story would end up, I still found myself yelling at the characters and being anxious/happy/exasperated along with them.
A little sympathetic towards Caroline,and I love Lydia and Mary's career choices.. proud of them :).
I'd like to think Miss Austen would be amused and pleased at how her novel was re-imagined.
The author Q&A at the end hints at more to come... I certainly hope so! :)
I know what I'll be watching when I'm off :)
March 3, 2021
If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan, like modern re-tellings and haven't watched this web-series, check it out immediately on youtube or at pemberlydigital.com ... is all I'm saying.
In a way I was lucky because by the time I learned about it myself in 2014 the show was over so I could binge-watch all episodes. And boy, did I love them all.
The book offers some further insight to the videos and I loved it, though I expected some more extras concerning Lizzie's feelings / interactions with Darcy. There it fell a little short of expectations, but still great fun.
The audiobook read by Ashley Clements is delightful.
In a way I was lucky because by the time I learned about it myself in 2014 the show was over so I could binge-watch all episodes. And boy, did I love them all.
The book offers some further insight to the videos and I loved it, though I expected some more extras concerning Lizzie's feelings / interactions with Darcy. There it fell a little short of expectations, but still great fun.
The audiobook read by Ashley Clements is delightful.
January 26, 2023
4.5★
I was expecting the book to be the You Tube clips https://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBe... transcribed
I was pleasantly surprised.
It's more a behind the scenes look. & more like Pride and Prejudice than the You Tube diaries were.
Last year I read Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice which I found cynical, cold and full of deeply unlikeable characters. In contrast, the characters of this book have warmth, heart and the modernisation is believable. Normally I hate short chapters, but in a journal form this is acceptable - it wouldn't be believable any other way. My only quibble is
I was expecting the book to be the You Tube clips https://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBe... transcribed
I was pleasantly surprised.
It's more a behind the scenes look. & more like Pride and Prejudice than the You Tube diaries were.
Last year I read Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice which I found cynical, cold and full of deeply unlikeable characters. In contrast, the characters of this book have warmth, heart and the modernisation is believable. Normally I hate short chapters, but in a journal form this is acceptable - it wouldn't be believable any other way. My only quibble is
July 10, 2020
Absolutely fantastic! A must have for any Lizzie Bennet fan :) If you want more detail, more behind the scenes information, more insight into Lizzie's head, then this is the book for you.
The Secret Diary Of Lizzie Bennet takes you into the world of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, with her characteristic humour and snark and perspective on the world and the events that go on around her. You don't even necessarily need to watch the video series to love and enjoy this book because it follows that classic story - Pride and Prejudice. :)
If you're looking for more depth to the videos, and a chance to really hear the voice of Elizabeth Bennet in a modern setting, then this is definitely a book you should check out. If you just love Pride & Prejudice, then you should still check this out and see what you think! I'd consider it a modern retelling with a lot of humour and love.
June 26, 2014
The book is a very interesting and engrossing companion novel to the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries." However, it does not hold up as a separate novel, independent of the web series (which the author purports to be an aim of the novel in the author's note). The writing comes off bit lazy---especially when there are whole script pages co-opted to fill in as scenes in the book. Often chapters start with odd, middle-of-the-scene beginnings because the real action is shown in the web series.
While I enjoyed the series, this book felt too disjointed as a stand alone novel. I enjoyed many of the little revelations that were not mentioned in the series, but were expanded upon in the book. Many of them felt inspired. Most TLBD fans will enjoy it for the additional insight to the series, but otherwise it's not worth your time.
While I enjoyed the series, this book felt too disjointed as a stand alone novel. I enjoyed many of the little revelations that were not mentioned in the series, but were expanded upon in the book. Many of them felt inspired. Most TLBD fans will enjoy it for the additional insight to the series, but otherwise it's not worth your time.
July 13, 2014
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
4.5 stars
This is, hands down, the most pleasant surprise I've had this year. And by that I mean HOLY S**T I NEVER KNEW THIS BOOK EXISTED UNTIL I GOT IT IN THE MAIL *DIES*. If anyone doesn't know why I was so excited, SHAME ON YOU. This book, is basically the transcript/book version of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a webseries on YouTube that was created by Hank Green and Bernie Su (author of this book.) And there was no doubt that this would be anything but amazingly awesome.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet follows, you guessed it, a young woman called Lizzie Bennet.
She is very much like the Lizzie from the original novel by Jane Austen, but Lizzie here definitely has more sass and is much easier to relate to (most likely because she's been modernized). She currently lives with her constantly on the worry mother, father and two totally polarizing sisters; Lydia, a free spirit and incredibly melodramatic, and Jane, so very sweet and kind to the rudest of strangers. And that's what I love about this book, the characters are so diverse in terms of personality, and also racial backgrounds (for example, Bing Lee and Charlotte Lu <-- only people who have read Pride and Prejudice will understand how they came up with those last names.)
The friendships and sisterly love are some of the greatest highlights in The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. They follow very similar arcs to the ones in Pride and Prejudice, and I love how they are so constant and feel genuinely heartfelt. I love how Lizzie and Charlotte can be so open and honest with each other; Jane and Lydia were also sweet additions and I'm glad that in this adaptation of Austen's classic, they kept the number of sisters to just 3 and chose two who had completely different quirks. And of course, we cannot forget Mr. Collins. He's just such a delight. *hint hint sarcasm*
I think what let this book down (which was only by a little notch) was the romance. Before you come charging at me with pitchforks, let me explain. I feel like it's inevitable, that while you read this that you will be comparing The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, with the book. And sadly, I just didn't find the romance as swoon worthy in this case. But seriously, don't let that be a deterrent. This novel is absolutely worth the time.
Personally, I think that this book is more fun to read while or after you've read this book. I did attempt rewatching the webseries while reading this book, but I only made it so far when I couldn't feel my fingers off the pages. I highly recommend this for lovers of Pride and Prejudice or the webseries, or just anyone who wants a good time giggling and fangirling.
And now, I leave you with episode 1 of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries... (Spoiler: you will get addicted. And I'm not sorry.)
4.5 stars
This is, hands down, the most pleasant surprise I've had this year. And by that I mean HOLY S**T I NEVER KNEW THIS BOOK EXISTED UNTIL I GOT IT IN THE MAIL *DIES*. If anyone doesn't know why I was so excited, SHAME ON YOU. This book, is basically the transcript/book version of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a webseries on YouTube that was created by Hank Green and Bernie Su (author of this book.) And there was no doubt that this would be anything but amazingly awesome.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet follows, you guessed it, a young woman called Lizzie Bennet.
She is very much like the Lizzie from the original novel by Jane Austen, but Lizzie here definitely has more sass and is much easier to relate to (most likely because she's been modernized). She currently lives with her constantly on the worry mother, father and two totally polarizing sisters; Lydia, a free spirit and incredibly melodramatic, and Jane, so very sweet and kind to the rudest of strangers. And that's what I love about this book, the characters are so diverse in terms of personality, and also racial backgrounds (for example, Bing Lee and Charlotte Lu <-- only people who have read Pride and Prejudice will understand how they came up with those last names.)
The friendships and sisterly love are some of the greatest highlights in The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet. They follow very similar arcs to the ones in Pride and Prejudice, and I love how they are so constant and feel genuinely heartfelt. I love how Lizzie and Charlotte can be so open and honest with each other; Jane and Lydia were also sweet additions and I'm glad that in this adaptation of Austen's classic, they kept the number of sisters to just 3 and chose two who had completely different quirks. And of course, we cannot forget Mr. Collins. He's just such a delight. *hint hint sarcasm*
I think what let this book down (which was only by a little notch) was the romance. Before you come charging at me with pitchforks, let me explain. I feel like it's inevitable, that while you read this that you will be comparing The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, with the book. And sadly, I just didn't find the romance as swoon worthy in this case. But seriously, don't let that be a deterrent. This novel is absolutely worth the time.
Personally, I think that this book is more fun to read while or after you've read this book. I did attempt rewatching the webseries while reading this book, but I only made it so far when I couldn't feel my fingers off the pages. I highly recommend this for lovers of Pride and Prejudice or the webseries, or just anyone who wants a good time giggling and fangirling.
And now, I leave you with episode 1 of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries... (Spoiler: you will get addicted. And I'm not sorry.)
November 22, 2016
I’m a bit back and forth on this one in my mind. I love all things Jane Austen and while this wasn’t as good as the original, (obviously) I for the most part enjoyed it. The hard part in a “fan fiction” type adaption, much the same as a sequel telling the same story but from an alternating point of view, is the challenge to hold a reader’s interest. I mean, it’s not like there are going to be any significant surprises. I pretty much know what is going to happen.
In this book, I often found myself (I don’t want to say bored because that’s too strong a word) less engaged? But, even knowing the general direction of the story, it was well written and had enough differences to keep me engaged to the end.
I listened to the audio book version of this book and I have to say, the narrator did a great job portraying Lizzie Bennet. I laughed a lot throughout this book and much of that humour came in the way the narrator delivered the sarcastic dialogue.
I really enjoyed the adaptation of each of the characters, with the exception of Darcy. This version of Darcy, sadly, was a big FAIL for me. A modern day, stiff speaking (I mean, really, who speaks like that?), snobby hipster? I don’t think so!!!! I still imagine Darcy as Colin Firth portrayed him and this version held zero appeal for me.
Still, good read!
In this book, I often found myself (I don’t want to say bored because that’s too strong a word) less engaged? But, even knowing the general direction of the story, it was well written and had enough differences to keep me engaged to the end.
I listened to the audio book version of this book and I have to say, the narrator did a great job portraying Lizzie Bennet. I laughed a lot throughout this book and much of that humour came in the way the narrator delivered the sarcastic dialogue.
I really enjoyed the adaptation of each of the characters, with the exception of Darcy. This version of Darcy, sadly, was a big FAIL for me. A modern day, stiff speaking (I mean, really, who speaks like that?), snobby hipster? I don’t think so!!!! I still imagine Darcy as Colin Firth portrayed him and this version held zero appeal for me.
Still, good read!
June 23, 2014
First of all, I love Lizzie Bennet. Who couldn't? She's real, she's funny, and she cares deeply about the people in her life. She isn't above criticism and, when shown the error of her ways, fights to change her perspective. I loved what Bernie Su and the writers did with this series, and I still miss the biweekly episodes of Bennet drama.
So, naturally I was beyond psyched while waiting for this book to come out. I was especially excited when I found out it was a diary. I thought that I would be getting behind-the-scenes insight into Lizzie's life. All the familial anecdotes, character flashbacks, and private traumas that would have been too personal on-camera to be put in this little book? Yes, I fangirled. And perhaps it's these high expectations that made me feel a little let-down with the finished product.
Frankly, I was interested in getting to know the real Lizzie Bennet, rather than the public (and self-edited) version I watched on the vlog. In that sense, the diary aspect of this novel wasn't very believable: most of the entries were summations of each episode and lacked the personal touch that a journal would have. All of those doubts she touched on earlier--post-graduation anxiety, sisterly differences, inattentive parents, shaky friendships--were things I was hoping to delve deeper into, with a diary. I was at least looking for flashbacks or some kind of background detail for the people in her life. But most of all I was looking forward to watching Lizzie's impressions gradually shift throughout the book--rather than seeing a censored, perfectly-eloquent change that I saw through the episodes. I know that stuff is intense, but diaries are intense mediums. And since it's talked-about on screen briefly due to time constraints, I thought it would have been developed more here.
Now, I still liked the diary. And there were snippets of never-before-seen Bennet life, as well as a very interesting letter, that were withheld from the series. Jane, Mary, and Gigi get plenty of page-time that is well-deserved, considering how interesting their character arcs were on-screen. And while the company-shadowing isn't something that someone would explain at length in a diary, I appreciated that her meetings with Dr. Gardiner and details about her London online-shadowing were included here.
My biggest frustration was the use of transcripts in lieu of real entries. Yes, two of the most important, character-revealing passages were written as TRANSCRIPTS (in other words, as scripts that are verbatim from the episodes). I understand that the authors wanted to keep the specific phrasing, to match the episode... but this is a DIARY. It's not about exact words, it's about difficult, messy emotions--emotions that might not have been included honestly in the videos. Also, Lizzie's relationship becomes VERY advanced in the final few pages, something that feels hasty and that (maybe) should have been less confusing.
What interested me about this book coming out was the fact that, in keeping the episodes realistic, Lizzie edits out the parts of her life that are unsuitable for the public; therefore, in a diary, those personal things could have been included here. I still enjoyed seeing all of these loveable characters again, but it would have been nice to have known them better. What can I say, I'm too big a fan: I'm nosy and I always want more of the story. Nevertheless, Lizzie Bennet, it was still nice to see you.
So, naturally I was beyond psyched while waiting for this book to come out. I was especially excited when I found out it was a diary. I thought that I would be getting behind-the-scenes insight into Lizzie's life. All the familial anecdotes, character flashbacks, and private traumas that would have been too personal on-camera to be put in this little book? Yes, I fangirled. And perhaps it's these high expectations that made me feel a little let-down with the finished product.
Frankly, I was interested in getting to know the real Lizzie Bennet, rather than the public (and self-edited) version I watched on the vlog. In that sense, the diary aspect of this novel wasn't very believable: most of the entries were summations of each episode and lacked the personal touch that a journal would have. All of those doubts she touched on earlier--post-graduation anxiety, sisterly differences, inattentive parents, shaky friendships--were things I was hoping to delve deeper into, with a diary. I was at least looking for flashbacks or some kind of background detail for the people in her life. But most of all I was looking forward to watching Lizzie's impressions gradually shift throughout the book--rather than seeing a censored, perfectly-eloquent change that I saw through the episodes. I know that stuff is intense, but diaries are intense mediums. And since it's talked-about on screen briefly due to time constraints, I thought it would have been developed more here.
Now, I still liked the diary. And there were snippets of never-before-seen Bennet life, as well as a very interesting letter, that were withheld from the series. Jane, Mary, and Gigi get plenty of page-time that is well-deserved, considering how interesting their character arcs were on-screen. And while the company-shadowing isn't something that someone would explain at length in a diary, I appreciated that her meetings with Dr. Gardiner and details about her London online-shadowing were included here.
My biggest frustration was the use of transcripts in lieu of real entries. Yes, two of the most important, character-revealing passages were written as TRANSCRIPTS (in other words, as scripts that are verbatim from the episodes). I understand that the authors wanted to keep the specific phrasing, to match the episode... but this is a DIARY. It's not about exact words, it's about difficult, messy emotions--emotions that might not have been included honestly in the videos. Also, Lizzie's relationship becomes VERY advanced in the final few pages, something that feels hasty and that (maybe) should have been less confusing.
What interested me about this book coming out was the fact that, in keeping the episodes realistic, Lizzie edits out the parts of her life that are unsuitable for the public; therefore, in a diary, those personal things could have been included here. I still enjoyed seeing all of these loveable characters again, but it would have been nice to have known them better. What can I say, I'm too big a fan: I'm nosy and I always want more of the story. Nevertheless, Lizzie Bennet, it was still nice to see you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2022
I tried this one time before as well, maybe it's just not for me. Very YA.
April 12, 2019
In 2012, there was a vlog. Opening with that unforgettable line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," it introduced the world to mass communications grad student Lizzie Bennet.
This book purports to be her diary from that same period, and it's fine, I guess.
1. The parts I wanted explored more (her relationship with Darcy; the ... entire Lydia thing; basically everything in the second half of the series when Lizzie begins to withdraw from her audience as she begins to recognize the damage her vlogs are causing in her life and to the people around her) were very much left bare bones. The scenes of import are copy/pasta transcripts from the videos; the "extra bits" are thin on the ground and offer little in the way of additional context or flavor.
2. There was some added development in some arenas, however, that I do feel the need to acknowledge. Certain things and Lizzie's relationship with her father are nice extras, but they truly underline how thin the rest of the story feels/felt/is. As much as I enjoyed these additional facets, I can't appreciate them because there isn't anything holding them up.
3. The spoiler in #2 is another relatively large complaint, however: this book (and this series) doesn't truly want to commit to the realities it's trying to sell. Adult shit happens but is almost soft-shoed offstage before it's allowed to take a bow, leaving the audience to determine if there's a reason for it at all. (Spoiler: PROBABLY NOPE.)
4. It has succeeded in making me want to rewatch at least the first 2/3s of the series again, so I suppose it's a success in that regard.
This book purports to be her diary from that same period, and it's fine, I guess.
1. The parts I wanted explored more (her relationship with Darcy; the ... entire Lydia thing; basically everything in the second half of the series when Lizzie begins to withdraw from her audience as she begins to recognize the damage her vlogs are causing in her life and to the people around her) were very much left bare bones. The scenes of import are copy/pasta transcripts from the videos; the "extra bits" are thin on the ground and offer little in the way of additional context or flavor.
2. There was some added development in some arenas, however, that I do feel the need to acknowledge. Certain things and Lizzie's relationship with her father are nice extras, but they truly underline how thin the rest of the story feels/felt/is. As much as I enjoyed these additional facets, I can't appreciate them because there isn't anything holding them up.
3. The spoiler in #2 is another relatively large complaint, however: this book (and this series) doesn't truly want to commit to the realities it's trying to sell. Adult shit happens but is almost soft-shoed offstage before it's allowed to take a bow, leaving the audience to determine if there's a reason for it at all. (Spoiler: PROBABLY NOPE.)
4. It has succeeded in making me want to rewatch at least the first 2/3s of the series again, so I suppose it's a success in that regard.
September 11, 2015
2 stars. How can I express my distaste for this book in full? Well, let's see, I bought it for basically nothing - I only had to pay for shipping, the book itself was free - and yet when I finished it, I wished I hadn't had wasted my money.
All the magic and humor The Lizzie Bennet Diaries brought to the Jane Austen table was flushed down the drain with this book and is instead replaced with over-the-top sarcasm, out-of-character-isms from everyone, and just lots of boringness. Plus, nothing new is ever truly brought to the Pemberley Digital-verse.
Well, I suppose one new thing was revealed off-camera:
What I really irritated however, was how the 2 most important parts of Darcy and Lizzie's relationship (namely, Darcy confessing his love to Lizzie, and the end scene when Lizzie confesses hers) did NOT get the attention they deserved.
This failed me on so many levels. But, on the bright side, now I have a "Like New" novel sitting on my nightstand that I can sell on eBay for triple the price I got it for. That's honestly all I am happy about right now.
// Update: I ended up selling the book for $2 to a used bookstore. $2. When I paid nearly $4 for shipping. Awesome.
All the magic and humor The Lizzie Bennet Diaries brought to the Jane Austen table was flushed down the drain with this book and is instead replaced with over-the-top sarcasm, out-of-character-isms from everyone, and just lots of boringness. Plus, nothing new is ever truly brought to the Pemberley Digital-verse.
Well, I suppose one new thing was revealed off-camera:
What I really irritated however, was how the 2 most important parts of Darcy and Lizzie's relationship (namely, Darcy confessing his love to Lizzie, and the end scene when Lizzie confesses hers) did NOT get the attention they deserved.
This failed me on so many levels. But, on the bright side, now I have a "Like New" novel sitting on my nightstand that I can sell on eBay for triple the price I got it for. That's honestly all I am happy about right now.
// Update: I ended up selling the book for $2 to a used bookstore. $2. When I paid nearly $4 for shipping. Awesome.
Want to read
March 11, 2014
August 27, 2017
I didn't read this when it first came out because I was under the mistaken impression that it was a novelization of Lizzie's YouTube vlogs. I was completely wrong. This is a behind-the-scenes look at Lizzie's vlogs and her private thoughts on events. You get more of the Bennet parents and see what they're really like, get to meet Lizzie's advisor Mrs. Gardiner (nice allusion there) and of course experience the romance!!! I could NOT put this book down. The story sucked me in as much as the original novel does, even though I know how the story ends.
What this book does well is clarify the plot points I found weakest in the series. I understand why Lizzie reacted the way she did to Charlotte's acceptance of Ricky-excuse me- MISTER Collins's proposal. Wow can I ever relate to Lizzie and the whole situation with Ms. De Bourgh actually made me a little uncomfortable looking at my own career goals and achievements or lack thereof. Also Lizzie's relationship with Lydia made me feel a little bad about my relationship with my sister. The book also shows us what happened with Jane and Bing to separate them. In the series I also found the romance to be rather lacking. One day she hates Darcy and the next she loves him? Why was she so accepting of his letter and ready to believe him? Here she reveals private thoughts that lead her towards an understanding and revised opinion of Darcy. The best part of the book is the Darcys tour of San Francisco. *Squee* The only plot point I still find really weak is Lydia's reaction to George's betrayal. Given Lydia's desire for notoriety, she could have gotten that beyond her wildest dreams. The book does give us a reason for her reaction but I would have thought after her initial shock and hurt, she could have had a different thought.
The message of the story is very heavy handed and I found it a bit corny the way it all wraps up neatly. Real life is messy and complicated and this story starts off that way, but ends up like... well a novel!
If you want to know what happens to Caroline Lee, watch Emma Approved. If you like GiGi Darcy and want more of her side of the story, check out Welcome to Sanditon.
What this book does well is clarify the plot points I found weakest in the series. I understand why Lizzie reacted the way she did to Charlotte's acceptance of Ricky-excuse me- MISTER Collins's proposal. Wow can I ever relate to Lizzie and the whole situation with Ms. De Bourgh actually made me a little uncomfortable looking at my own career goals and achievements or lack thereof. Also Lizzie's relationship with Lydia made me feel a little bad about my relationship with my sister. The book also shows us what happened with Jane and Bing to separate them. In the series I also found the romance to be rather lacking. One day she hates Darcy and the next she loves him? Why was she so accepting of his letter and ready to believe him? Here she reveals private thoughts that lead her towards an understanding and revised opinion of Darcy. The best part of the book is the Darcys tour of San Francisco. *Squee* The only plot point I still find really weak is Lydia's reaction to George's betrayal. Given Lydia's desire for notoriety, she could have gotten that beyond her wildest dreams. The book does give us a reason for her reaction but I would have thought after her initial shock and hurt, she could have had a different thought.
The message of the story is very heavy handed and I found it a bit corny the way it all wraps up neatly. Real life is messy and complicated and this story starts off that way, but ends up like... well a novel!
If you want to know what happens to Caroline Lee, watch Emma Approved. If you like GiGi Darcy and want more of her side of the story, check out Welcome to Sanditon.
May 2, 2017
A modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice based on the Emmy Award-winning phenomenon, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
There is a great deal that goes into making a video blog. Lizzie Bennet should know, having become a YouTube sensation over the course of her year-long video diary project. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries chronicled Lizzie’s life as a 24-year-old grad student, struggling under a mountain of student loans and living at home with her two sisters - beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. What may have started as her grad student thesis grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters. When rich, handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets - and for Lizzie’s viewers. Suddenly Lizzie - who always considered herself a fairly normal young woman - was a public figure. But not everything happened on-screen. Luckily for us, Lizzie kept a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet provides more character introspection as only a book can, with revelatory details about the Bennet household, including Lizzie’s special relationship with her father, untold stories from Netherfield, Lizzie’s thoughts and fears about life after grad school and becoming an instant web celebrity.
Written by Bernie Su, the series’ executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director, along with Kate Rorick, the novelist, TV writer, and consulting producer on the series, the novel features a journal-entry format, complementing the existing web series, while including plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new listeners alike. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like it’s never been done before.
- - - - -
Rating: 4.5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice; based on youtube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries; such a great supplementary read to the web-series, filling in otherwise “skipped over” details/gaps; humorous, quirky narrator; awesome, deeper look at the characters and their motivations
Okay, guys—I'm sure you ALL know how much I live and breathe Pride and Prejudice, so I won't waste time harping on it yet again. You should know, however, that I am also OBSESSED with the web-series this book is based on, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Seriously, if you love Jane Austen's classic and are looking for an awesome modern-day retelling of the tale, you need to go to youtube right now and check this one out—it's amazeballs. I've watched it like three times all the way through, and am currently on my fourth rewatch. I have a problem, yes...but it's a problem I don't mind owning up to.
There is something realistic and wholly human about this read that helps to tie together the book and the web-series in a way I didn't get watching the series alone. I think a BIG part of this is the fact that this “diary” pulls in all the little moments we don't see or aren't granted access to on the series—little details that are mentioned in passing, but never fully doled out. If you've watched the series, and found yourself perplexed or confused by certain things...definitely pick this read up. It just... It ties everything together in a neat, clean package—and will satisfy your inner “need-to-know.”
While still remaining solely Lizzie's POV, this book pulls in all the things we aren't shown—which means that despite it still being Lizzie's diary, there is less “on the fly” drama and more “telling it like it really was.” There's no costume theater in this book; things aren't sugar-coated or avoided, but instead faced head-on. Even little things that are mentioned and forgotten about on the series are pulled into this read in a more convincing, awesome way—and shed light on the story more deeply.
There are some weird grammatical and spelling things that caught my attention at the beginning of this read, and managed to make me stop to back-track and figure them out. Things like...switching randomly from “past” to “present” tense in the middle of the same sentence, or mixing up “thing” with “this”--I was a bit frustrated with it at first, to be honest, as it seemed to be happening every few pages. BUT! Push through it; around page 100, these become much less obvious and the entries flow much more smoothly. I promise, after that, I didn't have any trouble “losing” myself in the read.
The characters also seem much more human and realistic. Where on the web-series, we're given truncated and (at times) comical versions of them...this diary helps to make them vivid, and real. Even characters we don't see outside Lizzie's “costume theater” (such as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, or Catherine de Bourgh) make appearances in this book, and are made to be much more relatable and redeemable than the web-series sometimes makes them. Mrs. Bennet, especially, I found to be much less “silly” than she's portrayed—which helped to drive home the fact that she IS human, and therefore not perfect. Nobody is without their flaws, after all.
I feel safe saying THIS is my new favorite modern-day retelling of the classic I adore. I can't WAIT to pick up the companion novel, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet, in the near-future...and getting the chance to see even deeper into that character's motivations and life. I recommend the read to all Pride and Prejudice lovers...and anyone who's watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and discovered a desire for more from those characters. This was a fun, enlightening read—I was definitely not disappointed!
There is a great deal that goes into making a video blog. Lizzie Bennet should know, having become a YouTube sensation over the course of her year-long video diary project. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries chronicled Lizzie’s life as a 24-year-old grad student, struggling under a mountain of student loans and living at home with her two sisters - beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. What may have started as her grad student thesis grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters. When rich, handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets - and for Lizzie’s viewers. Suddenly Lizzie - who always considered herself a fairly normal young woman - was a public figure. But not everything happened on-screen. Luckily for us, Lizzie kept a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet provides more character introspection as only a book can, with revelatory details about the Bennet household, including Lizzie’s special relationship with her father, untold stories from Netherfield, Lizzie’s thoughts and fears about life after grad school and becoming an instant web celebrity.
Written by Bernie Su, the series’ executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director, along with Kate Rorick, the novelist, TV writer, and consulting producer on the series, the novel features a journal-entry format, complementing the existing web series, while including plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new listeners alike. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like it’s never been done before.
- - - - -
Rating: 4.5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice; based on youtube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries; such a great supplementary read to the web-series, filling in otherwise “skipped over” details/gaps; humorous, quirky narrator; awesome, deeper look at the characters and their motivations
Okay, guys—I'm sure you ALL know how much I live and breathe Pride and Prejudice, so I won't waste time harping on it yet again. You should know, however, that I am also OBSESSED with the web-series this book is based on, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Seriously, if you love Jane Austen's classic and are looking for an awesome modern-day retelling of the tale, you need to go to youtube right now and check this one out—it's amazeballs. I've watched it like three times all the way through, and am currently on my fourth rewatch. I have a problem, yes...but it's a problem I don't mind owning up to.
“Two parts of me have been at war. Your... odd family, your financial troubles- your in a different world from me. people expect me to travel in certain circles. And I do respect the wishes of my family, but not today. I've tried to fight it for months now, but Lizzie Bennet... I'm in love with you.”
There is something realistic and wholly human about this read that helps to tie together the book and the web-series in a way I didn't get watching the series alone. I think a BIG part of this is the fact that this “diary” pulls in all the little moments we don't see or aren't granted access to on the series—little details that are mentioned in passing, but never fully doled out. If you've watched the series, and found yourself perplexed or confused by certain things...definitely pick this read up. It just... It ties everything together in a neat, clean package—and will satisfy your inner “need-to-know.”
While still remaining solely Lizzie's POV, this book pulls in all the things we aren't shown—which means that despite it still being Lizzie's diary, there is less “on the fly” drama and more “telling it like it really was.” There's no costume theater in this book; things aren't sugar-coated or avoided, but instead faced head-on. Even little things that are mentioned and forgotten about on the series are pulled into this read in a more convincing, awesome way—and shed light on the story more deeply.
She fished inside and brought out two movie choices. “This evening’s distraction. Do you want to watch pretty people fall in love or things blowing up?”
I eyed them both. “Do you have anything with pretty people blowing up?”
There are some weird grammatical and spelling things that caught my attention at the beginning of this read, and managed to make me stop to back-track and figure them out. Things like...switching randomly from “past” to “present” tense in the middle of the same sentence, or mixing up “thing” with “this”--I was a bit frustrated with it at first, to be honest, as it seemed to be happening every few pages. BUT! Push through it; around page 100, these become much less obvious and the entries flow much more smoothly. I promise, after that, I didn't have any trouble “losing” myself in the read.
The characters also seem much more human and realistic. Where on the web-series, we're given truncated and (at times) comical versions of them...this diary helps to make them vivid, and real. Even characters we don't see outside Lizzie's “costume theater” (such as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, or Catherine de Bourgh) make appearances in this book, and are made to be much more relatable and redeemable than the web-series sometimes makes them. Mrs. Bennet, especially, I found to be much less “silly” than she's portrayed—which helped to drive home the fact that she IS human, and therefore not perfect. Nobody is without their flaws, after all.
“Do you want this job?”
“No!” I sniffled. “It would be terrible. But if you need me to—”
“Then don’t you dare.” His words came out fierce—fiercer than I’ve ever heard in my entire life. “Your mother’s and my financial problems are our own. You don’t get to carry that burden. You’ll have your own as soon as your student loans come due, so don’t worry about us.”
“But—”
“You have dreams, Lizzie.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Goals. Now is the time in your life to pursue them. Don’t put them on hold. Because if you do, pretty soon you’ll be middle-aged with three children, working a job simply to pay the bills. And you’ll have forgotten what those dreams were.”
I feel safe saying THIS is my new favorite modern-day retelling of the classic I adore. I can't WAIT to pick up the companion novel, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet, in the near-future...and getting the chance to see even deeper into that character's motivations and life. I recommend the read to all Pride and Prejudice lovers...and anyone who's watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and discovered a desire for more from those characters. This was a fun, enlightening read—I was definitely not disappointed!
January 13, 2019
“If I hadn’t hated Darcy once, I couldn’t love him so much now. And I do. I think I fell a long time ago, and only now am I allowed to feel it.”
This is so much fun for all fans of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube / Pride and Prejudice. I wouldn’t recommend reading it without watching the web series, as many of those events are referenced in passing here for context for Lizzie’s entries. It’s such a great supplement to the series, with bits and pieces of new plot lines thrown in between the pre-established ones.
Darcy’s letter is even better than I had hoped it would be, and I am never over how wonderful he really can be to Lizzie and his friends. The extended scenes during the tour of San Franscisco with Gigi made me so happy and giggly - it was such a tease to not get specifics besides photos until now! I wish Lizzie’s entries had more Gigi, but I guess that’s what a Darcy diary would be for. 😉
I love how flawed Lizzie got to be in this series, but I loved even more how introspective and self-aware we got to see her near the end of these diary entries. Lizzie’s s private POV adds so much more context and emotion to the videos, especially the Lydia plot line and economic troubles.
One of the few things I felt was missing from Lizzie Bennet Diaries was Mr. Bennet - I could understand Mrs. Bennet’s absence for plot, but the relationship between Lizzie and her dad is so important that I always wish he would have appeared in her videos. However, this book makes up for that TENFOLD. The scenes between Lizzie and her father here are real and heartwarming. The same goes for the scenes between Lizzie and her mom, although less so. 😆
Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and hope to get a physical copy soon for my library. Ashley did an INCREDIBLE job with the narration and managed to land everyone’s voices and inflections so hard. You can tell how much effort and heart she put into it. It’s true to the story and source material, and this series will always have a special place in my life. 💕
4.5 stars
September 22, 2014
I’ll save you having to read this review: Just go watch The Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube. I mean it. GO!
Okay, now when you’re done with that, come back and read this review. And then maybe get yourself a copy of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet and snuggle up in your reading chair for a couple of hours.
What this book is, basically, is an adaptation of a YouTube series, which is itself a modern day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, told in interactive vlog-form (there are additional in-world videos, Tumblrs, and Twitter accounts, and if you watched live, you could interact with the characters). Please note: you absolutely don’t have to have read P&P to enjoy the series. I didn’t cotton on to it until it was about a month away from being finished, so I had the glorious experience of binge-watching almost all of it. I think I might have watched like, seventy-five episodes in a row or something. I remember I was sick at the time, and I just sat in front of my computer for nine hours straight (in a rather uncomfortable chair, I might add, since I didn’t have a laptop at that point, or the ability to stream YouTube on my TV like I do now). Such was the power of the narrative.
I had almost the same experience with the book, in that I read it straight through. I was a bit worried going in that it would just be a rehash of what I’d already seen in the series, but a majority of it is either new content (stuff they wanted to put in the show, but either couldn’t find a way to logistically make it work, or which wouldn’t have been something we learned via the chosen vlog format), or old content viewed in a new way. And since Lizzie is a grad student, it’s also sort of a meta-commentary on the videos she made (which in-universe were made as part of a graduate project).
Maybe I’m sort of underselling how fun both the book and webseries are. Especially the webseries. Lizzie gets around the problem of having people she’s talking about in the videos by role-playing with her family and friends, and it’s the goofiest fake costume drama ever. I’m also sort of obsessed with the girl who plays Jane, who has now guest starred on Bones, Sleepy Hollow, and turned up on Big Bang Theory as Raj’s love interest. For my money she’ll always be Jane Bennet, though. She’s so good at it! And she has the best hair ever.
Also, y’all should watch Emma Approved, which is Pemberley Digital’s adaptation of Emma, and Frankenstein M.D., which is their gender-swapped adaptation (partnered with PBS) of Frankenstein. Because the internet is amazeballs. Which is a real word now, so I’m totes allowed to use it.
[4.5 stars]
Okay, now when you’re done with that, come back and read this review. And then maybe get yourself a copy of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet and snuggle up in your reading chair for a couple of hours.
What this book is, basically, is an adaptation of a YouTube series, which is itself a modern day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, told in interactive vlog-form (there are additional in-world videos, Tumblrs, and Twitter accounts, and if you watched live, you could interact with the characters). Please note: you absolutely don’t have to have read P&P to enjoy the series. I didn’t cotton on to it until it was about a month away from being finished, so I had the glorious experience of binge-watching almost all of it. I think I might have watched like, seventy-five episodes in a row or something. I remember I was sick at the time, and I just sat in front of my computer for nine hours straight (in a rather uncomfortable chair, I might add, since I didn’t have a laptop at that point, or the ability to stream YouTube on my TV like I do now). Such was the power of the narrative.
I had almost the same experience with the book, in that I read it straight through. I was a bit worried going in that it would just be a rehash of what I’d already seen in the series, but a majority of it is either new content (stuff they wanted to put in the show, but either couldn’t find a way to logistically make it work, or which wouldn’t have been something we learned via the chosen vlog format), or old content viewed in a new way. And since Lizzie is a grad student, it’s also sort of a meta-commentary on the videos she made (which in-universe were made as part of a graduate project).
Maybe I’m sort of underselling how fun both the book and webseries are. Especially the webseries. Lizzie gets around the problem of having people she’s talking about in the videos by role-playing with her family and friends, and it’s the goofiest fake costume drama ever. I’m also sort of obsessed with the girl who plays Jane, who has now guest starred on Bones, Sleepy Hollow, and turned up on Big Bang Theory as Raj’s love interest. For my money she’ll always be Jane Bennet, though. She’s so good at it! And she has the best hair ever.
Also, y’all should watch Emma Approved, which is Pemberley Digital’s adaptation of Emma, and Frankenstein M.D., which is their gender-swapped adaptation (partnered with PBS) of Frankenstein. Because the internet is amazeballs. Which is a real word now, so I’m totes allowed to use it.
[4.5 stars]
August 5, 2019
Wann immer es eine neue Verfilmung von ‚Stolz und Vorurteil‘ gibt, freue ich mich darauf diese wundervollen Charaktere in anderer Gestalt zu sehen. Natürlich musste ich dieses Buch sofort lesen und ich bin angenehm überrascht, über die witzige Umsetzung des Klassikers von Jane Austen in unsere Zeit. Ich werde jetzt nicht verraten, wie Lizzie, Darcy und Co. im 21. Jahrhundert leben und welche Berufe sie ausüben, dafür macht das selber entdecken viel zu viel Freude, die ich hier niemanden verderben möchte.
Die Geschichte ist konsequent umgesetzt worden, die Charaktere sind sich selber treu geblieben und so hatte ich als Fan des Originals meinen Spaß. Catherine DeBourghs ist auch im Amerika der Gegenwart unerträglich, Lydia vielleicht noch ein wenig leichtsinniger und Darcy schafft es auch hier arrogant aufzutreten. Das Medium ‚Youtube‘ ist ein wichtiges Element des Buches und wer wissen möchte, was Lizzie dort so auf ihrem Kanal hochlädt, der sollte bei youtube ‚The Lizzie Bennet Diaries‘ eingeben und bekommt so vorab einen schönen Einblick.
Wer das Original weder gelesen noch dessen Verfilmungen gesehen hat, dem dürfte hier sehr viel Witz entgehen.
Warum man dieses Buch lesen sollte:
1. Man süchtig nach Lizzie und Mr. Darcy ist
2. Man wissen möchte, wie sich die Bennets im Jahr 2015 an den Mann bringen lassen
3. Man moderne Adaptionen mag
Die Geschichte ist konsequent umgesetzt worden, die Charaktere sind sich selber treu geblieben und so hatte ich als Fan des Originals meinen Spaß. Catherine DeBourghs ist auch im Amerika der Gegenwart unerträglich, Lydia vielleicht noch ein wenig leichtsinniger und Darcy schafft es auch hier arrogant aufzutreten. Das Medium ‚Youtube‘ ist ein wichtiges Element des Buches und wer wissen möchte, was Lizzie dort so auf ihrem Kanal hochlädt, der sollte bei youtube ‚The Lizzie Bennet Diaries‘ eingeben und bekommt so vorab einen schönen Einblick.
Wer das Original weder gelesen noch dessen Verfilmungen gesehen hat, dem dürfte hier sehr viel Witz entgehen.
Warum man dieses Buch lesen sollte:
1. Man süchtig nach Lizzie und Mr. Darcy ist
2. Man wissen möchte, wie sich die Bennets im Jahr 2015 an den Mann bringen lassen
3. Man moderne Adaptionen mag
March 16, 2017
Suffices better as an extension to the web series rather than a standalone book - otherwise, it'd be quite a generic YA. It's not a literary masterpiece or anything, but can be a light read for any fans that want to see more bonus content, especially if they're a Lizzie/Darcy shipper. The meat of the story pretty much replicates the web series exactly, so it's not offering any substantially new things to the table, more so just Lizzie's exact line of thinking during various points of the story. I also found the occasional use of episode transcripts to be quite lazy. There's a lot of potential to explore the unfiltered sides to the characters, since a diary is such a personal medium, but this book didn't venture into that area and instead just ended up rehashing the same story. You can live with or without reading this book, even if you're a hardcore fan of the show.
October 25, 2019
This is the novelization of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I had heard about the You Tube Series from my flist on lj, but I had never given it a chance. (I'm a reader, not a viewer). I really enjoyed the book. I know that some of the fans who loved the series were disappointed in the book because it didn't break any new ground (especially about Darcy) - but I read it cold and thought it complete. Only then did I watch all 100 episodes on You Tube. *cough*I may have watched certain episodes more than once *cough* Now I love the book even more.
January 6, 2018
4.5 stars this time around. I've forgotten how much I loved that webseries. Time to refresh my memories.
July 26, 2014
Originally posted at Writer of Wrongs
Rating: SQUEEEE!
It's no small secret that the web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is my most favoritest adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which is my most favoritest novel in the world. I am incapable of reviewing The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, both a novelization and an expansion of the web series, as someone who is not a lifelong Janeite and a fangirl who frequently says, "I thought you were Chinese" when people walk unexpectedly into the room.
Basically, when I heard that this book was a thing, my reaction was pretty much:
For the uninitiated, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a web series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen about a grad student named Lizzie who decides to make a vlog all about her life. (First episode is here. You're welcome.) It's a brilliant modern update of the classic story, replacement marriage proposals with job offers and dismissive noble aunts with dismissive corporate investors and hot guys with... well, hot guys. There's sisterly bonding, hate to love, snark, and the very best version of Lydia Bennet that there ever was.
My lens is not exactly an unbiased lens, but let me tell you, from the point of view of a diehard LBD fangirl, you NEED this book in your life. All the Darcy scenes that happen off camera that you only see reenactments of or hear tidbits about? Like certain excursions in San Francisco? You see them in all their delightful glory, filtered through wonderfully snarky first person Lizzie. Best of all, you get to see Mr. Bennet, one of the characters who never made it onscreen, and see his wonderful relationship with his favorite daughter. Frankly, that's the very best part of this adaptation: the way it expands all the scenes we only got to see wee bits of in costume theater. Plus, there are charts! Cute little charts!
There are lots of direct tie-ins to videos, and you get to see Lizzie worry about the behind the scenes stuff as well.She talks a bit about stats, about the weirdness of notoriety, and the direct effect of it on her life and the lives of her sisters. It's all very meta and wonderful, and we get tons more Lydia and Jane, which is always lovely. While I do love me some Darcy, I feel like in this series and this book, the evolving relationships between the Bennet sisters is real the heart of the story and the most important element.
The book isn't perfect, though it's flaws were DEFINITELY softened by my fangirl squealing. Some of the writing, when not super funny and quippy, can get a leeeetle rough in spots (kill the dialogue tags. KILL THEM ALL). For some reason, a few of the most climactic scenes were told as direct transcripts of the videos, meaning we got no internal Lizzie monologue, NOR did we get the mannerisms of the actors to bring the words to life. I would have loved to hear those scenes filtered through some unreliable Lizzie thinking and to learn some extra insight into her state of mind at the time.
Plus, one or two characters just didn't pop in prose the way they did on camera, most notably Charlotte and Mrs. Bennet. I LOVE Charlotte on the show, but I didn't think the diary managed to capture her. And Mrs. Bennet, that OTT Southern lady obsessed with marrying off her daughters, isn't quite as eccentric as Lizzie portrays her in costume theater. Now, I know that's an exaggerated portrayal filtered through Lizzie's skewed perceptions, but the diary is also Lizzie-filtered (which makes it sound like a kind of drinking water), so I expected more from Mrs. Bennet.
HOWEVER. THE DIZZIE. THE DARCY LIZZIE. Which, let's be honest, is why we're here, isn't it?
Related: 'Ship Shape
More scenes, more awkward convos, more examples of SHIPPING PERFECTION. You get to see them talk during The Most Awkward Dance Ever (tm Charlotte Lu) and so much more. YOU GET TO READ DARCY'S LETTER. I read this on the plane home from BEA and squeed and thrashed and flailed until i got peevish looks from my seatmate. WHATEVER, GRUMPY OLD SNORING DUDE, LIZZIE AND DARCY ARE TAKING A TOUR OF SAN FRANCISCO TOGETHER. YOU WOULD FLAIL TOO. They are just as cute on the page as they are on the screen, and you get to see tons more evidence of their perfection. So many little scenes that could never have made it into the series are sketched out fully in the diary for us. It's like Christmas come early for fans of the show.
Now here are some gifs for reasons.
GAH, YES, FOCUS. Fooooocus. We were talking about a... a book, right? Some kind of book with words? And people? Sure, yeah, go read it. Read do. Uh huh. *keeps Googling kissing Dizzie gifs*
July 29, 2016
I watched the innovative and fun YouTube serial and became addicted to each week's latest installment. I was tickled to discover this companion book to the on-line story of a modern grad student who shares her daily life in a series of short vlog installments on-line that pull in all the quirky people around her as well.
The authors did a great job providing new 'behind the scenes' style material and helping Lizzie and the crew come alive more than ever even while referencing some of the best moments of the on-line series. There was the humor that is ever present in the series, but also a more complex blend of emotions are drawn out by the extension of what was scene in the short video segments.
It may read a tad bumpy for those who start with this book instead of the online story, but it does read fast and easily with sass, humor, and charm. I think my biggest surprise was how much I really enjoyed the extras about Lydia and the more developed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
For those, like me, who are curious to see Jane Austen's story told as a college age modern piece through a series of diary entries, this will hit the spot.
The authors did a great job providing new 'behind the scenes' style material and helping Lizzie and the crew come alive more than ever even while referencing some of the best moments of the on-line series. There was the humor that is ever present in the series, but also a more complex blend of emotions are drawn out by the extension of what was scene in the short video segments.
It may read a tad bumpy for those who start with this book instead of the online story, but it does read fast and easily with sass, humor, and charm. I think my biggest surprise was how much I really enjoyed the extras about Lydia and the more developed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
For those, like me, who are curious to see Jane Austen's story told as a college age modern piece through a series of diary entries, this will hit the spot.
August 26, 2021
Earlier tonight, Caroline asked me to take a turn about the room. She’s gotten this new fitness band that buzzes when she’s been sitting for too long.
If you are going to read this, read this using your Kindle app, rather than your Kindle. That way you can hit the included links, and go right to the YouTube episodes that this epistolary type novel accompanies. I did enjoy this modern take on Pride and Prejudice even with only bothering to look at a handful of the episodes. The updates to the 19th century novel were cleverly and humorously done. Kitty is Lydia’s cat; Mary is a goth-emo accountant major and cousin; Mr. Collins is a tech startup C.E.O and Catherine de Bourgh is a venture capitalist. Instead of our swim coach Wickham seducing our lovable party-girl Lydia, and promising to marry her,Every parallel with the original is fresh and funny. It actually does provide some insights into the dilemmas and conflicts in the beloved Austen novel that modern readers will enjoy.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
September 5, 2014
Witty, clever, and very, very fun.
I wasn't sure, originally, whether there would be any point in reading a novelization of the webseries, since after all the series was based on a different book (one I've re-read SO many times) - but I was wrong. This is done so well, and it's so much more than a novelization of what happens in the webseries. It's actually a major expansion, with tons of other stuff going on behind the scenes, and it's made me start a new re-watch of the webseries with that extra info in my head. Now I'm enjoying the series even more! And I enjoyed this book so much. I think it could stand on its own even without having read the webseries, and I looooove the explorations of friendship, sisterhood and more. (Charlotte was my favorite character in the book! Her friendship with Lizzie is probably my favorite arc in the book, too.) Also, I laughed out loud at a couple of bits!
This is definitely my favorite literary Austen remake, and if I weren't giving my copy to my mom (because I know she'll love it too), I would absolutely read it again.
I wasn't sure, originally, whether there would be any point in reading a novelization of the webseries, since after all the series was based on a different book (one I've re-read SO many times) - but I was wrong. This is done so well, and it's so much more than a novelization of what happens in the webseries. It's actually a major expansion, with tons of other stuff going on behind the scenes, and it's made me start a new re-watch of the webseries with that extra info in my head. Now I'm enjoying the series even more! And I enjoyed this book so much. I think it could stand on its own even without having read the webseries, and I looooove the explorations of friendship, sisterhood and more. (Charlotte was my favorite character in the book! Her friendship with Lizzie is probably my favorite arc in the book, too.) Also, I laughed out loud at a couple of bits!
This is definitely my favorite literary Austen remake, and if I weren't giving my copy to my mom (because I know she'll love it too), I would absolutely read it again.
February 8, 2017
I wasn't going to give this five stars but then Darcy says something to Lizzie near the very end that made me just *die*. It wasn't "I love you" or "marry me" or anything like that, but still those four words he said made me scream and melt and giddy. The same kind of feeling I felt when I watched them kiss on the web series after a year of anticipation. *swoon* I think I have problems...
Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book of all time and though I'm game for any adaptation of it, it's hard to find ones that stay faithful to what the book stands for. (like P&P&Zombies or Prom & Prejudice, seriously, WTF?)
I was quite impressed with the way this book is a perfect complement to the web series, with no contradictions and actually explains some plot holes the series had.
Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book of all time and though I'm game for any adaptation of it, it's hard to find ones that stay faithful to what the book stands for. (like P&P&Zombies or Prom & Prejudice, seriously, WTF?)
I was quite impressed with the way this book is a perfect complement to the web series, with no contradictions and actually explains some plot holes the series had.
June 23, 2014
This review first appeared on Babblings of a Bookworm: http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot....
Some time ago the Austenesque world was abuzz with something new – a series of YouTube videos telling an updated version of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I was sceptical, but I started on episode 1 and had a marathon watch-a-thon until I’d caught up. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (or LBD, as many people shorted it to) moved the Bennets to modern-day California. The family consists of lovely sweet Jane, our somewhat snarky heroine Lizzie and the energetic younger sister Lydia. Lizzie is studying mass communications for her masters degree and is making a video diary as part of her degree. Like thousands of others, I tuned in twice a week for a 5-ish minute video with an insanely catchy theme tune, and caught up with a snippet of Lizzie’s life.
I thought this was such a clever series. It’s one thing doing a modern update; I’ve read plenty of those, but this also had to work within some limitations. Firstly, the perspective is quite limited – these are Lizzie’s videos and very much seen through her filter. Secondly, the videos were being posted online from the outset, which some people know, and others find out throughout the course of the videos. Some characters we don’t see in person, and Lizzie does some ‘costume theatre’ to play their roles, which I found really funny, particularly her interpretation of her mother, complete with hat. There was also content in other platforms, such as twitter accounts of the characters that you could follow etc. Although obviously modernised, the main story points of Pride & Prejudice were all identifiable in the events the videos report.
When I heard there was a book of the LBD I wondered if it would bring anything new to the table, or whether it’d be the same as the videos but just in book form. The events of the videos are obviously discussed, but the book gave a bit of a fuller picture of things, and because it’s a private journal rather than a public video there are also some things which weren’t included in the vlog. The videos are very much from Lizzie’s point of view but there is very often somebody else on screen, so their views can come across too. In a journal everything is solely through Lizzy’s filter, which as we know, can be faulty.
For me, the aspect that changed most from the story Pride & Prejudice, which comes across particularly well in the videos, was the character of Lydia. She was a much more developed character than most Lydias in modernised versions. She’s a real party girl as you’d expect, but she takes her sisters’ opinions of her more to heart than they realise. She is loud, energetic and brash – but she is also funny, loving and observant and generally pretty adorable, if a little manic! She is quite lonely too, and is absolutely ripe for manipulation by George Wickham. He is completely ruthless here, and the majority of the blame for the event representing Lydia’s elopement in P&P lies with George. He is worse than Wickham in P&P in my eyes, as this George purposely intends to harm Lydia, which is a crime I would acquit original Wickham of, although his actions were obviously reprehensible. Lydia’s reaction to the event is very different to Pride & Prejudice’s Lydia too. This Lydia shows genuine remorse which goes a long way to securing your goodwill towards her, if you didn’t already love her.
Mr Bennet is represented via costume theatre in the vlog, but he makes appearances in Lizzie’s diary and his reaction to the Mr Collins situation renewed my appreciation for one aspect of the original Mr Bennet’s personality – the fact that he doesn’t try to force his daughter into marriage and actively discourages her from a match that will make her miserable. Here, the marriage offer is instead a job offer that would see Lizzy have to give up her degree in its final year. It would be desirable from a financial perspective as the Bennets are undergoing financial difficulties and Lizzie would no longer need to rely on her parents. LBD Mr Bennet’s support reminded me that, just as in Pride & Prejudice, Mr Bennet may not have done all the financial things as he should have but he doesn’t intend that his daughters should pay the price while he’s still able to prevent it.
Mrs Bennet was my favourite of all the costume theatre moments in the videos. Lizzie’s renditions of a southern belle who is determined to get her girls married off and popping out grandchildren were some of the funniest moments. In the book I felt her character was developed further by Lizzie’s diary entries. She is painted in an embarrassing but very affectionate light. In fact, the whole family has a bond that really comes across well.
Mr Collins is also reimagined from his Pride & Prejudice counterpart – rather than an unctuous sycophant he is here quite a sweet man, although he is still verbose and pompous. I got pretty fond of Ricky Collins, and you never expect to get fond of Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice updates!
What about our beloved hero? Well, this would be my only real downside to this book, lack of Darcy time. At first Lizzie talks about the public reaction to Darcy’s portrayal on her videos but very little about him. Because the diary is so much more from her perspective and he is not important to her, he doesn’t get much page time. In Pride & Prejudice the narrator tells us that Darcy is interested in Lizzy, but since the narrator here is Lizzie, who has no clue, some things aren’t so obvious. Later, when Lizzie meets up with Darcy at his company I was hoping we’d get some of her feelings on the situation, since this is her personal diary, but it was glossed over pretty quickly. Her change in sentiment isn’t there in much depth at all, which seems an unusual choice as this is a diary. I would definitely have been interested to read that. There is also very little on Darcy at the end of the story; I’d have liked to have seen more of them together as a couple in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The dialogue was often very amusing and was very identifiable as Lizzie’s voice from her videos. I thought it was an excellent enhancement to the original series. If you were thinking of getting the book and not watching the series I don’t think you’d be getting the full impact. Jane’s sweetness, Lydia’s excitable puppy quality and particularly things like the costume theatre have to be seen to be appreciated fully! The good news is that the videos, which have since won an Emmy Award, are available on YouTube so all you need to do is make the time to go and watch them! For those people who’ve already watched the videos there are couple of new videos to celebrate the release of the book so make sure you catch those!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the ARC of this book for review.
Some time ago the Austenesque world was abuzz with something new – a series of YouTube videos telling an updated version of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I was sceptical, but I started on episode 1 and had a marathon watch-a-thon until I’d caught up. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (or LBD, as many people shorted it to) moved the Bennets to modern-day California. The family consists of lovely sweet Jane, our somewhat snarky heroine Lizzie and the energetic younger sister Lydia. Lizzie is studying mass communications for her masters degree and is making a video diary as part of her degree. Like thousands of others, I tuned in twice a week for a 5-ish minute video with an insanely catchy theme tune, and caught up with a snippet of Lizzie’s life.
I thought this was such a clever series. It’s one thing doing a modern update; I’ve read plenty of those, but this also had to work within some limitations. Firstly, the perspective is quite limited – these are Lizzie’s videos and very much seen through her filter. Secondly, the videos were being posted online from the outset, which some people know, and others find out throughout the course of the videos. Some characters we don’t see in person, and Lizzie does some ‘costume theatre’ to play their roles, which I found really funny, particularly her interpretation of her mother, complete with hat. There was also content in other platforms, such as twitter accounts of the characters that you could follow etc. Although obviously modernised, the main story points of Pride & Prejudice were all identifiable in the events the videos report.
When I heard there was a book of the LBD I wondered if it would bring anything new to the table, or whether it’d be the same as the videos but just in book form. The events of the videos are obviously discussed, but the book gave a bit of a fuller picture of things, and because it’s a private journal rather than a public video there are also some things which weren’t included in the vlog. The videos are very much from Lizzie’s point of view but there is very often somebody else on screen, so their views can come across too. In a journal everything is solely through Lizzy’s filter, which as we know, can be faulty.
For me, the aspect that changed most from the story Pride & Prejudice, which comes across particularly well in the videos, was the character of Lydia. She was a much more developed character than most Lydias in modernised versions. She’s a real party girl as you’d expect, but she takes her sisters’ opinions of her more to heart than they realise. She is loud, energetic and brash – but she is also funny, loving and observant and generally pretty adorable, if a little manic! She is quite lonely too, and is absolutely ripe for manipulation by George Wickham. He is completely ruthless here, and the majority of the blame for the event representing Lydia’s elopement in P&P lies with George. He is worse than Wickham in P&P in my eyes, as this George purposely intends to harm Lydia, which is a crime I would acquit original Wickham of, although his actions were obviously reprehensible. Lydia’s reaction to the event is very different to Pride & Prejudice’s Lydia too. This Lydia shows genuine remorse which goes a long way to securing your goodwill towards her, if you didn’t already love her.
Mr Bennet is represented via costume theatre in the vlog, but he makes appearances in Lizzie’s diary and his reaction to the Mr Collins situation renewed my appreciation for one aspect of the original Mr Bennet’s personality – the fact that he doesn’t try to force his daughter into marriage and actively discourages her from a match that will make her miserable. Here, the marriage offer is instead a job offer that would see Lizzy have to give up her degree in its final year. It would be desirable from a financial perspective as the Bennets are undergoing financial difficulties and Lizzie would no longer need to rely on her parents. LBD Mr Bennet’s support reminded me that, just as in Pride & Prejudice, Mr Bennet may not have done all the financial things as he should have but he doesn’t intend that his daughters should pay the price while he’s still able to prevent it.
Mrs Bennet was my favourite of all the costume theatre moments in the videos. Lizzie’s renditions of a southern belle who is determined to get her girls married off and popping out grandchildren were some of the funniest moments. In the book I felt her character was developed further by Lizzie’s diary entries. She is painted in an embarrassing but very affectionate light. In fact, the whole family has a bond that really comes across well.
Mr Collins is also reimagined from his Pride & Prejudice counterpart – rather than an unctuous sycophant he is here quite a sweet man, although he is still verbose and pompous. I got pretty fond of Ricky Collins, and you never expect to get fond of Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice updates!
What about our beloved hero? Well, this would be my only real downside to this book, lack of Darcy time. At first Lizzie talks about the public reaction to Darcy’s portrayal on her videos but very little about him. Because the diary is so much more from her perspective and he is not important to her, he doesn’t get much page time. In Pride & Prejudice the narrator tells us that Darcy is interested in Lizzy, but since the narrator here is Lizzie, who has no clue, some things aren’t so obvious. Later, when Lizzie meets up with Darcy at his company I was hoping we’d get some of her feelings on the situation, since this is her personal diary, but it was glossed over pretty quickly. Her change in sentiment isn’t there in much depth at all, which seems an unusual choice as this is a diary. I would definitely have been interested to read that. There is also very little on Darcy at the end of the story; I’d have liked to have seen more of them together as a couple in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The dialogue was often very amusing and was very identifiable as Lizzie’s voice from her videos. I thought it was an excellent enhancement to the original series. If you were thinking of getting the book and not watching the series I don’t think you’d be getting the full impact. Jane’s sweetness, Lydia’s excitable puppy quality and particularly things like the costume theatre have to be seen to be appreciated fully! The good news is that the videos, which have since won an Emmy Award, are available on YouTube so all you need to do is make the time to go and watch them! For those people who’ve already watched the videos there are couple of new videos to celebrate the release of the book so make sure you catch those!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the ARC of this book for review.
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