Friday, April 23, 2010

Giveaway! First Impressions and Pemberley Manor

Today on offer is yet another signed copy of First Impressions as well as a new copy of Pemberley Manor by Kathryn Nelson, which I accidentally purchased a second time when Sourcebooks rereleased it last year. I read this book well before I began blogging so I cannot point you to my review. What I remember feeling after reading it was that modern psychology had been highly imposed on the narrative, though I still enjoyed it. Here is the book description from Amazon:

How does "happily ever after" really work?

With such different personalities, Darcy and Elizabeth surely need to work on their communication skills! Unlike Jane and Bingley, both of whom are easygoing and friendly, the Darcys are definitely a case where opposites attract.

Through their dramatic courtship, Lizzy finally saw through Darcy's rigid pride and sense of duty, and Darcy fell in love with Lizzy's sunny optimism and independence of spirit. Now that they're married, what will happen when their fundamentally different personalities reassert themselves? Uncover the true feelings of one of the world's most famous couples during their first year of marriage.

So, for a chance to win this sequel and spend some time with Lizzy and Darcy in therapy or, alternatively, to win a copy of my extremely happy-go-lucky tale, totally devoid of angst, please respond to the following challenge:

Earlier this week, Maria Grazia posted a lovely review of First Impressions on her blog, My Jane Austen Book Club, introduced by a line from my book: "Happiness is in abundance at Longbourn." I wish I had thought of putting this line on the book somewhere as it is highly representative of the story. For your chance to win, please guess who is being quoted and, for a second entry, who they are speaking to. Here's your hint: the speaker is female while the listener is male. That should be vague enough to illicit a large variety of responses!



If you would like a third entry, please help spread the word about this giveaway, either through posting about it or on twitter, and let me know that you did so in your comment. Please do not forget to include your email addresses. Comments must be received before 12:00 AM EST, Wednesday, April, 30th. Good luck!

15 comments:

  1. This one can definitely be a number of people! It could be said in exuberance or sarcasm. I'm going with exuberance and will guess it is Mrs. Bennet saying it to Mr. Bennet...

    Can't wait to see if that is even close!

    I will put up a post about your lovely giveaway this evening.

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  2. Hi Meredith. I'm assuming you're thinking Mrs. Bennet is exuberant. Definitely an interesting option. Thanks for the post - that's three entries. Good luck!

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  3. Yes, it is just possible that the speaker is Mrs. Bennett. However, I think that she is speaking to Mr. Darcy. (I've read P&P so many times but it is soooo difficult to take one quote out of context. I did not look my answer up, either!)

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  4. I guess the speaker is Caroline Bingley and the listener is Mr. Darcy. (Even if at the beginning I thought of Lydia Bennet speaking to George Wickham.)
    Thank you for this giveaway!^O^

    Giada M.

    fabgiada @ gmail.com

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  5. Julia - Maybe I misunderstood your comment, but I think you might not realize that the quote is from First Impressions, not Pride and Prejudice (unless you already have a copy of the former?). If there was some confusion, let me know if you would like to change your guess, though it certainly could be Mrs. Bennet to Darcy (and a very interesting scene that would certainly be). Also, I need your email. Thanks for entering!

    Giada - It's my pleasure to do these Giveaways. I am quite certain I enjoy them more than anyone else does. If Caroline is the speaker, it puts a very sarcastic tone on the quote which suites her perfectly. Good luck!

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  6. I would LOVE to win both of these books!! I have been interested in P&P variations since I discovered they exist, so First Impressions is something I can't wait for!

    My guesses are: Elizabeth Bennet says it to her father, Mr. Bennet.

    And for my third entry, I tweeted about the giveaway!

    My email is: randhrshipper1@hotmail.com

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  7. Hi RandHrShipper1 - Thanks for entering! I could definitely see Elizabeth saying this, and Mr. Bennet smirking in reply. Thanks for the tweet and good luck!

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  8. Kitty says this to her father, Mr. Bennett... with him rolling his eyes! I could see Kitty twirling around, and hoping that some of this happiness will drift her way.
    I have also posted the giveaway on my facebook page.. hope that counts for my third entry!

    Once again, it's a pleasure to read your blog, and hoping at a chance to win First Impressions!

    OreAnnie@yahoo.com

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  9. Hi OreAnnie - I love the picture you paint! Like Meredith said (above), everyone has been trying to make the quote either exhuberant or sarcastic, depending on the speaker, but you have found a method of capturing both. I'm so pleased you enjoy the blog. Good luck!

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  10. It puts me in mind of "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance," so I will say it's Charlotte Lucas. Who she is saying it to I'm not certain ...but perhaps Mr. Collins or her father Sir William Lucas?

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  11. Hi Katherine. Charlotte is another one in whose hands the quote becomes sarcastic, or maybe she is just amused? I could see Charlotte handling it both ways, perhaps even employing a combination of sarcasm and triumph. Good luck!

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  12. I would love to be entered for this giveaway. The speaker is Mrs. Bennet but I would guess it is to Lady Lucas. Good luck to all participants!

    evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  13. Hi Luthien84. I hadn't thought about this before, but if Mrs. Bennet is the speaker, it is rather generous of her to share credit with the house for this abundance of love, as opposed to keeping it all to herself. I find that notion very amusing. Thanks for entering and good luck!

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  14. Will First Impressions be available on the Kindle soon? Thanks!

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  15. Hi KellyKoz. I do want to get a Kindle edition out, but the legistics are a bit confusing. I don't know when it will be available, but I will definitely make an announcement when it does, so please be patient and stayed toon. There will also be one more chance to win a copy this Friday, if you would like to enter the next giveaway.

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