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Mansfield Revisited

Mansfield Revisited




by: Joan Aiken


Mansfield Revisited by Joan Aiken

 

Mansfield Revisited Reader Reviews


Posted by Margie on September 02, 1997

I read it a bit ago and I barely remember it, so I guess I can say it's not memorable. It's about Susan Price and Tom Bertram.  It was no more horrifying than the usual Austen sequel in publication.

Review by Linda Waldemar,  January 17, 1998
This is not at all a bad book. The author has chosen Susan Price as her heroine.  It is four years since the end of Mansfield Park. Sir Thomas and Mrs Norris have died.  Edmund and Fanny and their infant son have gone to Antigua to take care of the late Sir Thomas' business there.  They have left their 3-year old daughter, Mary, in the care of Susan.  Lady Bertram is still selfish and indolent, much the same as Jane Austen wrote her.  Tom is now Sir Thomas and is not much changed, either. Those fans of the Crawfords will be pleased to know that they are present in this story and are treated with a great deal of kindness.  In fact, Henry is redeemed.  Mary Crawford is ill and is an important character here.  There are a very wise and sensible brother and sister who are taking care of the parish  while Edmund and Fanny are away. There are also several young ladies; two who may be matches for Tom. And Julia and her family are present.  Julia is most unpleasant and treats Susan abominably. This novel is a quick and pleasant read.  My only complaint is that the last two chapters appear as if they were written by someone else. The culmination of the story does not naturally follow the narrative to that point.  It is much too abrupt and the pairing is almost incredible as there had never been any indication of an attraction before the end of the book. This book was on the shelves of my public library.  Should you come across it, I recommend that you give it a read.

Review by Lynn Lamy, 24 February 1998
If you have ever wondered how Susan Price fared when she went to live at Mansfield Park, this is the book for you.  Susan Price is a lovely character, much like her sister Fanny in her ways of dealing with her aunt Bertram, but with a much stronger constitution and less retiring manner.  At the book's opening, Sir Thomas has recently died, and the family business in Anitqua is in need of attention.  The new Sir Thomas being of a more delicate constitution from his earlier illness, and needed to manage the affairs at Mansfield, Fanny and Edmund take their baby boy and go to work things out in Antigua, Edmund having more business sense than Tom.  Susan is put in charge of Fanny and Edmund's daughter, Mary by name. In the cleric's absence, a friend of his, Mr. Wadham, comes to manage parish affairs, his widowed sister Mrs. Osborne coming as housekeeper.  Things at Mansfield settle into an routine again, with Mr. Wadham and his sister frequently keeping company with the family at the main house.  The new Sir Thomas is learning a great deal about his new responsibilities. Susan, having been directed by Fanny to open her letters, reads one to Fanny from an old friend. Miss Mary Crawford, now Mrs. Charles Ormiston, is ill, her husband is confined, his mind having broken down.  She longs for nothing but to come to Mansfield for the fine country air to recuperate. By the time Susan gets this letter, it is too late to send a refusal; within days she hears the invalid is installed at Mrs. Norris' former residence, White House.  It does not take long for Susan to become friends with Mary, nor for Mr. Wadham (visiting the invalid as vicar) to fall in love with her. In the midst of all this, Mrs. Yates, nee Julia Bertram, visits constantly with the small family circle at Mansfield, hoping Tom will marry her sister-in-law Miss Charlotte Yates, trying to bully her mother into believing Susan is nothing but an upstart, and giving contradictory orders to the Mansfield servants, causing many domestic uproars.  Susan brother is made a captain and comes to Mansfield on leave, but somehow she maintains a level head throughout all the goings-on. When Mary desires to see her brother and William falls in love with the woman Tom was to propose to, we wonder how it will all work out for our unpretentious heroine.  Does it?  Of course!  Will I tell you how?  Of course not!  Suffice it to say that this book is a delightful read, well worth the time and effort to obtain.

Written by Olivia Ann on Sunday, January 31, 1999
Mansfield Revisited, which was okay. It redeemed the Crawfords and I never liked the Crawfords, but we won't get into that! It just wasn't that great of a book although I enjoyed it as a quick read. 

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