"The Heart of Bennet Hollow" – A Book Review

With Jane Austen's 250th birthday coming up on December 16th, an abundance of retellings of her classic novels are being added to the Janeite literary canon. These vary from "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame-Smith to the murder-mystery, "Pride and Premeditation" by Tirzah Price. While retellings of "Pride and Prejudice" mostly serve to show how brilliant Jane Austen was, since they all fall short of the original, the 2025 retelling, "The Heart of Bennet Hollow" is a particularly soothing retelling of Jane Austen's literary classic.

Set in New River, Virginia, a mining town, during 1904 and 1905, "The Heart of Bennet Hollow" is an Appalachian retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". While it lacks the insight into human nature that characterizes Jane Austen, the novel by Joanne Bischof Dewitt, does feature insight into Appalachian culture. As exemplified when the Bennet sisters are invited to tea aboard the Pemberley, a private dining railroad car, and they bring with them homemade fruit pies. Pies that are well intended but stand in contrast to the chef prepared merengues and other delicacies that William Drake has ordered his cook to prepare for them.

While "The Heart of Bennet Hollow" can be read as a light historical romance novel on its own, fans of Jane Austen will notice some of the clever variations on the pivotal characters from "Pride and Prejudice". As the wealthy Mr. Darcy in the Appalachian version is William Drake, a Harvard educated investor who shows up along with other potential investors in New River when Mr. Jorgensen decides to retire and put the mine up for sale. The witty Elizabeth Bennet, in the Appalachian retelling, is Lizbeth Bennet. A young lady who loves her family's farm and takes utmost care of the family's mules that graze in the pasture. She longs for more in life than a miner's rowhouse and saving what few coins can be spared underneath the mattress. While she is described in the novel as being witty, this is not actually ever reflected in the dialogue. For the novel does not live up to the concept in writing of "show me, don't tell me". As several things are merely stated in the novel instead of inferred, as in the original.

Charles Bingley, the extremely wealthy eligible bachelor who sets the locals aflutter in "Pride and Prejudice" in this Appalachian retelling is Callum Brydolf, William Drake's attorney. And the beloved Mr. Bennet is a geologist in the Appalachian version. With the much reviled Mr. Collins being the Reverend Coburn in DeWitt's novel. The villain, Mr. Wickham, becomes Mr. Westgard in the Appalachian setting. And the least liked of all of the Bennet sisters, Lydia, is Lacy in the Appalachian version. Fans of Jane Austen will no doubt celebrate her outcome in the Appalachian retelling. For she ends up having to shovel the manure from the mules that are rescued from the mines.

Readers of Jane Austen's novels know that one of the characteristics of her novels is the beautifully eloquent language that is used in her dialogue. In "The Heart of Bennet Hollow" this is changed somewhat to reflect the local culture. With expressions such as "git" and "What in tarnation?" being featured in the novel. Along with Mrs. Bennet's country flavored dialogue such as "I've got fresh bead with a pot of beans simmerin' along with stewed berries that Lizzy canned this summer. I'll have it all served up real soon, so don't you two take too long." Yet, there are still some very romantic lines reflected in the novel as characterized by William Drake's thoughts when he states, "''Lizzy,' he repeated softly. A nickname. Yet one more stanza in the poem of her upbringing. A poem he wanted to know more about."

Known primarily for her novel, "The Lady and the Lionheart", Joanne Bischoff DeWitt is a Christy and Carol Award winning author. And while "The Heart of Bennet Hollow" is not Jane Austen, since no one is, this Appalachian retelling of "Pride and Prejudice" by DeWitt does make for a soothing and comfortable read. Published by Tyndale fiction it is 343 pages in length. And pleasing for both Jane Austen fans and yet-to-become-Jane-Austen-fans, alike.

Luisa Reyes is a Tuscaloosa attorney, piano instructor, and vocalist.