Synopses & Reviews
A modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice based on the Emmy Award-winning phenomenon,
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
There is a great deal that goes into making a video blog. Lizzie Bennet should know, having become a YouTube sensation over the course of her year-long video diary project. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries chronicled Lizzie’s life as a twenty-four-year-old grad student, struggling under a mountain of student loans and living at home with her two sisters—beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. What may have started as her grad student thesis grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters. When rich, handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets—and for Lizzie’s viewers. Suddenly Lizzie—who always considered herself a fairly normal young woman—was a public figure. But not everything happened on-screen. Luckily for us, Lizzie kept a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet provides more character introspection as only a book can, with revelatory details about the Bennet household, including Lizzie’s special relationship with her father, untold stories from Netherfield, Lizzie’s thoughts and fears about life after grad school and becoming an instant web celebrity.
Written by Bernie Su, the series’ executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director, along with Kate Rorick, the novelist, TV writer, and consulting producer on the series, the novel features a journal-entry format and design, complementing the existing web series, while including plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like it’s never been done before.
Review
"Fantastic. . . . This book hits all the high points of Austen’s most famous novel in satisfying ways (Darcy’s confession, Lydia’s bad choices), while updating it for the digital age. Though the videos are the catalyst for the novel, readers need not have viewed them to enjoy this story. Fans of the Web series and newcomers alike will be satisfied."
Review
"Offers a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice—without ruining it. . . . [Lizzie's] voice is reminiscent of the sort of wry sarcasm that made Daria so appealing."
Review
Praise for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: "Addictive . . . In theory, it should be terrible. In practice, it's pure genius. . . . The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is faithful to the original without being slavish or full of in-jokes. It's a sharp, clever re-imagining of a novel about class, society and the things we do for love (and money). I like to think that if Austen was writing now, she might have created something very like this."
Review
"It’s AWESOME and AMAZING and WOW. . . . I loved, loved, loved this update. . . . Aside from just being a great series, and aside from showing how a retelling can be original, and aside from illustrating how an update can be faithful, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is also an example of how story-telling evolves and how that evolution does not mean that existing methods of story-telling disappear. We live in a world where Pride and Prejudice can be a book, can be movies and musicals and TV shows, and can also be a 'video/social media' series. This retelling no more erases the Jane Austen book than an e-book means that linear storytelling and 'books' disappear and become choose-your-own-adventure/game apps."
Review
"The Lizzie Bennet Diaries finds a new way to present a 200-year-old story. . . . [It is] the quintessentially 21st-century take on Austen’s novel . . . a unique piece of interactive media that has a big heart and a lot of soul."
Review
"Brilliant."
Review
"An impressive feat; a charming and creative twist on a familiar tale."
Review
"Jane Austen would, like, totally approve"
Synopsis
Based on the Emmy Award-winning YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
Twenty-four-year-old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters--beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.
When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets--and for Lizzie's viewers. But not everything happens on-screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie's world and well beyond the confines of her camera--from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carter's bar, and much more. Lizzie's private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents' unstable financial situation, her sister's budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future--and whom she wants to share it with.
Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.
Synopsis
A modern adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice based on the Emmy Award-winning and hugely popular YouTube series and transmedia project
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is one of the most successful webseries on YouTube, with more than 230,000 subscribers and millions of views, along with thousands of followers on its related social media accounts. The fans raised more than $460,000 on Kickstarter to support the creators ($400,000 more than the stated $60,000 goal), making it the most successful campaign for a webseries in Kickstarter’s history. Now, the writers behind the series have expanded Lizzie’s reach to the place where she’s always had a natural home: a book.
There is a great deal that goes into making a video blog. Lizzie Bennet should know, having become a YouTube sensation over the course of her year-long video diary project. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries may have started as her grad student thesis, but it grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When rich, handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets—and for Lizzie’s viewers. People watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr’d, and suddenly Lizzie—who always considered herself a fairly normal young woman—was a public figure. But not everything happened on-screen. Luckily for us, Lizzie kept a secret diary.
Following the structure of the Jane Austen classic, with each chapter also complementing the addictive videos, this standalone novel has plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and hook new readers. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like it’s never been done before.
Synopsis
Based on the Emmy Award–winning YouTube series
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
Twenty‑four‑year‑old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters—beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.
When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck‑up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets—and for Lizzie’s viewers. But not everything happens on‑screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie’s world and well beyond the confines of her camera—from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carter’s bar, and much more. Lizzie’s private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents’ unstable financial situation, her sister’s budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future—and whom she wants to share it with.
Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.
About the Author
Bernie Su is the Emmy Award-winning executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries for which he received a Streamy Award for Best Writing, Comedy and Best Interactive Program. Su is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and lives in Los Angeles.Kate Rorick is a writer for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. She has written for a variety of television shows, including Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Terra Nova. In her spare time, she is the bestselling author of historical romance novels under the name Kate Noble. Rorick is a graduate of Syracuse University and lives in Los Angeles.