Longbourn, December 1811. The day after Jane and Lizzy marry dawns especially cold for young Kitty Bennet. Called to Papa’s bookroom, she is faced with a resolute Mr. Bennet who intends to punish her complicity in her sister’s elopement. She will be sent packing to a seminary in far-off Cornwall. She reacts like any teenager chafing under the “burden” of parental rules—she throws a tantrum. In … throws a tantrum. In her fury, she slams her hands against the doors of The Bennet Wardrobe.
Her heart’s desire?
“I wish they were dead! Anywhere but Cornwall! Anywhere but here!”
As Lydia later said, “The Wardrobe has a unique sense of humor.”
London, May 1886.
Seventeen-year-old Catherine Marie Bennet tumbles out of The Wardrobe at Matlock House to come face-to-face with the austere Viscount Henry Fitzwilliam, a scion of the Five Families and one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, while their paths may have crossed that May morning, Henry still fights his feelings for another woman, lost to him nearly thirty years in his future. And Miss Bennet must now decide between exile to the remote wastelands of Cornwall or making a new life for herself in Victorian Britain and Belle Époque France.
The Exile follows the story of Kitty Bennet as she grows from the coughing follower of her younger sister, Lydia, into a bright and engaging young woman living in the exciting world of the late 19th Century. However, she must pass through many trials before she can fully understand why the Wardrobe sent her 75 years into the future—and for her to become one of the most important fixtures in the Bennet Wardrobe Universe.
“The Exile: Kitty Bennet and the Belle Époque” is Volume 2, Part 1 of The Bennet Wardrobe Series. “The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey” is Volume 1. “Henry Fitzwilliam’s War” is a prequel novella for “The Exile.”
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The saga continues in this second novel of the Bennet Wardrobe series regarding one of my favourite secondary characters from Pride and Prejudice, Kitty Bennet. We are learning the fate of Kitty after she takes her anger out on the Wardrobe, when Mr. Bennet tells her she is being sent to school in Cornwall. As we all have been teenagers, we tend to say things we may come to regret or never really meant. However, as Lydia once mentioned, the Wardrobe has a peculiar sense of humour. It may not give you want you want, but it gives you what you need. Being thrust from 1811 into 1886, for a young, rather sheltered seventeen year old is daunting. How she handles the transition and the restrictions imposed by the Bennet Family Trust, with offices worldwide and controlled by the Five Families (Bennet, Darcy, Bingley, Gardiner, and Fitzwilliam), are realistic and needed. However, she has more than just the Board members to deal with…she has the Director, Viscount Henry Fitzwilliam.
“When I first met him after my journey…he was polite, but friendly, and he seemed to be very concerned about my wellbeing. He was the perfect gentleman. Then, as if he was one of Mr. Edison’s light bulbs, he went dark as if someone had cut the circuit between his head and his heart.”
Henry has his own journey as well. To better understand his issues, and his reasons for keeping Miss Kitty at a distance, I highly recommend you first read “Henry Fitzwilliam’s War”. All the pieces will slowly fall in to place.
We have familiar characters from Pride & Prejudice as well as new characters that you come to love (Maggie, Aline and Jacques to name a few). The villains, Lord Junius Winter being one of them, are diabolical and wreak such havoc. Their actions and intents towards Kitty make one’s blood run cold.
“Suddenly a presence imposed itself upon her contemplation. Heralded by a cloying perfume combining vanilla’s sweetness with the balsam stickiness of pine, the being approached to cast darkness behind her left side. She could only sense something looming…”
The inclusion of historical individuals from the Belle Epoque period adds a sense of realism to the story. Plus, there are two characters from a famous Victorian author that add yet another layer.
As a weaver knows their craft of interlacing the threads/yarns to create a strong and beautiful textile, Mr. Jacobson has woven a coming of age story with history, betrayal, greed, villainy and the healing power of love. Love, not only given by others, but the love of one’s self. His characters are so three dimensional that they come alive in front you. At times, we are deep in their psyche. For me, this book was deeply moving…achingly so. It had me in tears many times. As in Book 1, “The Keeper”, my senses and emotions were deeply engaged as Kitty embarks into a new world. Vivid descriptions of the portraits capturing those she loved…the letters she reads, all bring a poignancy to the story. The scent of roses over freshly mowed grass flows throughout. Her journey becomes your journey and your heart will break for her. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, Kitty too will rise again!
I highly recommend this powerful and haunting epic saga to all!
Note: Some mature audience content
I received an ARC of this book for a fair and honest review.
So much happens in the story, and so many characters show up to help establish the time frame and add dimension. I loved the surprise guest characters, and the layers of this story that seem to hint and lead into a more layered overarching story to come.