February 10, 2021
Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson
Genre/Categories: Contemporary Fiction, Chick Lit, Women’s Fiction, Family Drama, Sisters, Mothers/Daughters
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
My Summary:
Thank you, #NetGalley #Harlequin for the complimentary e ARC of #LadiesOfTheHouse upon my request. All opinions are my own.
A modern Sense and Sensibility……
In a loose, contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, thirty-four-year-old Daisy finds herself embarrassed by a family scandal. Her Senator father died suddenly in the company of his young mistress and he has also left the family in financial ruin. Daisy, her mother, Cricket, and her sister, Wallis, work frantically to save the family reputation and put their upscale house up for sale while at the same time negotiate the land mines of their personality differences and conflicts and the unrelenting media attention.
My Thoughts:
Sisters: One of the most compelling and interesting themes in Ladies of the House revolves around “complicated sister relationships”….their strengths and weakness, their different personalities, their loyalties, and their romances. True to the classic, Daisy and Wallis are very different: Daisy is more responsible, sensible, conservative, and private, and Wallis is more impetuous, emotional, sentimental, and romantic ….. However, they are loyal to each other and work hard to pick up the pieces of their lives and to salvage what they can from the media scrutiny and financial ruin.
Themes: In addition to the strong sister theme, other themes include flawed men and the effects on the family, social media attention, mother/daughter relationships, surviving scandal, romance tropes, scandal, grief, loss, humiliation, and corruption.
Recommended: From the reviews I’ve read it seems that many Jane Austen fans appreciate this contemporary retelling. Honestly, I can’t remember reading Sense and Sensibility, so I can’t compare. I’m recommending The Ladies of the House for fans of Sense and Sensibility, for readers who might be looking for a story about sister relationships, and for those who are searching for engaging chick lit (or light women’s fiction). I think this might be an interesting book club selection, too.
My Rating: 3 Stars
Ladies of the House Information Here
Meet the Author, Lauren Edmondson
Lauren Edmondson began writing angsty short stories at Williams College, where she graduated with a degree in History and English with honors. Later, at Sarah Lawrence College, she earned her M.F.A. and discovered she was much better at crafting novels. When it comes to writing, Lauren is obsessed with the fates of contemporary families and the mysteries of love; other obsessions include travel, the complete oeuvre of Bravo, and comedy podcasts. She lives slightly outside the beltway in Northern Virginia with her husband and incorrigible young daughter; she also teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College.
Ladies of the House is her first novel. Find her on Instagram @MrsLaurenEdmondson.
QOTD:
Is Ladies of the House on your TBR or have you read it?
Do you enjoy retellings?
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L
I haven’t read Sense and Sensibility but I loved the film with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet!
Yes! 🙌
I haven’t read any Austen!
Sometimes I like reading about sisters relationships cause I don’t have one! This one only sounds ok.
This isn’t my fav genre….others may love it more! The sisters aspect though is always interesting!
This sounds interesting. Great review, Carol.
Thanks Gina! Retellings can be interesting!
I’m not sure how I feel about adding modernization to the classic canon, it’s usually that authors should just tell their story without using the retelling and original title to sell it? Sounds like a basically good book though!
Retellings are tricky! It does seem like a marketing ploy and that the story should sell on its own merit.
I’m really intrigued by this one. I loved Sense and Sensibility when I read it in middle school and I really need to reread it.
I can’t remember reading it but I did see the movie, so I can’t fully compare this retelling with the classic. From what I gather, the two sisters’ personalities are true to the classic.
I like retellings of fairy tales and fantasy stuff but contemporary? I’m not sure 😶
Retellings are difficult I think!
[…] 3.5 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary women’s fiction. A loose retelling of Sense and Sensibility. Pub Date: 2/9/2021. My review of Ladies of the House here. […]
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