Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride and Prejudice by Natasha Farrant, paperback novel, 352 pages, published by Chicken House in 2016.

Lydia is the youngest of the five Bennet sisters, living in rural England in the early 1800s. Their family is of the landed gentry, though not exceedingly wealthy. It was expected that girls would be demure, modest, controlled, and accomplished in a number of artistic or creative pursuits. Lydia is none of these things, and she makes no excuses. In Pride and Prejudice, Lydia is portrayed as frivolous, silly, and selfish, but there is always another side to any story, and this is Lydia’s.

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite novels. I know the story well, and have previously enjoyed other spin-off stories, so I was looking forward to reading this re-imagining of Lydia’s plight. I liked the story itself, and the way it was presented. It was cleverly built around the plot of the original story, with some new and exciting characters, bringing Lydia’s trip to Brighton alive.

Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride and Prejudice is told through diary entries and letters, revealing Lydia’s innermost thoughts and feelings. She is a multi-faceted character who exhibits a certain persona to the world, but in her diary she is laid bare. Lydia is aware of how her sisters and parents view her behaviour, and even plays off these expectations to get what she wants. The restraints that society has placed upon her feel too constrictive and she must push the boundaries in order to retain her own self.

The author has built on the characters from the original story, transforming them into more complex beings. Lydia is portrayed in a more positive light in this story, still silly and impulsive, but we are privy to some of the reasoning behind her actions. I found her to be a much more likeable character. Even Wickham is slightly improved here!

Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride and Prejudice could be read as a stand alone novel. However, I think that knowing the background of Pride and Prejudice allowed me to enjoy the story more thoroughly. I think of this story as complementary to the original, providing previously missing pieces to the puzzle that is Lydia and what occurred in Brighton. Of course, this is only one version of what may have happened, but that is the joy of fiction.

Suitable for upper primary and high school students, though if one were to read Pride and Prejudice first, probably later high school would be most appropriate.