Murder at Mansfield Park
Shepherd, LynnThe much-loved and familiar names of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park are all present: Fanny Price, the Bertrams, the Norrisses, the Grants, the Crawfords. However, with a reshuffling of characters, personalities and plot and the addition of a body or two, this novel continues the magic of Mansfield Park, albeit with a twist. An engrossing and intriguing mystery worthy of Jane Austen aficionados or those yet to be converted. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
A whodunnit with a difference. Light and entertaining. Christchurch 299 The "Austen" fans loved it, others found it a little shallow. Paihia 1 Difficult to get into, but you must perservere - it gets better. Ohope 6 Sharp and funny, all loved it. Wellington 31 We all read the book and had a lively discussion. Not all had read Jane Austen's Mansfield Park but the general view was that it did not matter. Better not to attempt comparisons. Upper Hutt 3 Succeeds well as a murder mystery - good suspense until close to the end. Palmerston North 25
Pages
343
343
Year
2010
2010
Reviews
10-10-2022
Only one in our group didn't like this, she struggled with the style and gave up. The rest of us really enjoyed it.
31-05-2022
The group struggled to get engaged with both the narrative and authorial style. For the two who did complete reading it, there was an acceptance that emulating the Austen style is clever, however it was a laborious read.
06-06-2020
Only half of our group finished the book. But, of those who did, there was a mixed reaction as some found the writing style challenging and the characters confusing. We all agreed though that it would definitely give one a headstart to have already read Mansfield Park, which none of us had. We felt the questions were more geared to that book than this one. A very slow start but much improved in the second half.
08-03-2019
Obviously the members who had read Jane Austen's 'Mansfield Park' had a head start on the rest of us with sorting out the characters, but once the first few chapters were read, most of us really enjoyed it. The author maintained our interest in a very clever way and had us guessing to the very end.
08-03-2019
We had a mixed reaction to this book. Long-time Jane Austen fans thought it frivolous and quite unnecessary. Crime readers thought it light. Some of the group enjoyed it for a fun, easy read in the J.A. style.
08-03-2019
The first 100 pages were challenging, and the characters were difficult to follow at first. But...the pace picked up and the intrigue began. Well-written with great characterisation.
08-03-2019
A light read that was enjoyed by most, though some found the list of characters confusing! The plot was interesting , and the twists and turns took us by surprise.
08-03-2019
Members enjoyed this book, and felt it was 'a treat for Austen lovers and murder mystery aficionados alike', as promised by the author. We felt she had done a good job with 'Murder at Mansfield Park'.
08-03-2019
Most enjoyed it. We felt the questions were geared towards the original "Mansfield Park", and those who had not read it, found this very frustrating.
08-03-2019
We loved the language, the use of words and the sentence construction that we no longer use. It was interesting the way Lynn Shepherd changed the characters. A most satisfying discussion.
08-03-2019
We really enjoyed this book. Some members found it slightly hard to get into the style of writing initially, but once in were hooked.