Pride/Prejudice: A Novel of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, and Their Forbidden Lovers »

Ann Herendeen, a native New Yorker and lifelong resident of Brooklyn, received a B.A. in English from Princeton University and an M.L.S. from Pratt Institute. She works as a cataloging librarian specializing in natural history. Ann's first novel, Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander, was published in 2008.

For readers who've loved Jane Austen's most popular novel—the inestimable Pride and Prejudice—questions have always remained. What is the real nature of Darcy's intense friendship with Charles Bingley, to explain why he would prevent Bingley's marriage to Elizabeth's beautiful and virtuous sister Jane? How can Darcy reconcile his own desire for Elizabeth with his determination to save his friend from a similar entanglement? What is the disturbing history behind Darcy's tortured relationship with his foster brother, George Wickham? And what other intimacies, besides their cherished friendship, are exchanged between Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas?

Ann Herendeen, acclaimed author of Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander, reimagines this classic love story, focusing on the untold aspects of Jane Austen's timeless novel. Pride/Prejudice brings to light all the buried secrets, potential scandals, and unspoken, forbidden loves of Austen's story, weaving a tale of intertwined passions, pride humbled, and ultimately, freedom from prejudice.

Publishers Weekly

No Cliff's Notes required for this classic, recast by Herendeen (Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander) with a bisexual backstory that would have had the Regency author blushing. Though Herendeen claims she's merely unearthed the “hidden” story from clues already written into the original, what unquestionably occurs in this unlikely redo is erotic, witty and as often silly as refreshing. Here, Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy match wits and sexual appetites while engaging in same-sex relationships, she with older-and-wiser Charlotte, he with younger and pliable Charles Bingley, who struggles with his attraction to Elizabeth's sister, Jane. Sure, the permutations make the already complicated plot even more convoluted, but the sex—hokey as it is with all the pulsing and throbbing—helps ease the prideful misunderstandings and ignorant prejudices. (Jan.)