Review of Toil and Trouble by Jamie Lackey
Jamie Lackey’s Toil and Trouble (2024) is a delightful retelling of Pride and Prejudice that integrates witchcraft and LGBTQ+ characters seamlessly into the Regency setting, offering a fresh take on the Austen classic.
The book opens with Mrs. Bennet making a deal with a witch–in exchange for her daughters Lizzie and Mary, her fifth child will be a son. With the deal set, we then advance to the timeline of the original novel, with Lizzie and Mary’s witch mentor (and surrogate mother), Bridget, attacked by a venomous snake. While the two are able to prevent Bridget’s death through magic, the venom still flows through her veins, and the young women must return to their family home of Longbourn to live while they search for a solution to save Bridget.
Toil and Trouble presents four close points of view–Lizzie, Mary, Claudius (the gender-swapped Lydia), and Mr. Darcy. Having the additional points of view gave me a much greater appreciation for this version of Mary and Mr. Darcy, in particular. The plot itself also gave Kitty much more depth, separating her from the “Kitty & Lydia” cluster of the original. And Claudius was also a treat, especially when it came to Wickham. Several other minor characters get a bit more of a role in this retelling as well, rounding the cast out nicely.
If you’re a fan of Pride and Prejudice retellings, Toil and Trouble is a fantastic one! It sticks closely enough to the original setting and time period to make sense, while adding elements that add problems and solutions to the story!
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