“Most Austen knockoffs mangle her plots and ditch the satire for breathless
bodice-ripping modern prose. "Second Impressions" avoids that danger. It is
a dazzling piece of scholarship that is also entirely readable and entertaining;
as historical fiction it is entirely sui generis. It may not be Jane Austen, but
it comes close.


-- Mackenzie Carpenter - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (full review here)
Having read countless sequels and prequels, I have an alarming tendency
to exclaim "well, that didn't happen" whenever I read a new version. In this
case, the outcomes are, almost without exception, gratifyingly fitting. I'd
like to see what Farmer does with her next Austen challenge.
-- Jane Austen's Regency World (full review here)
If you have ever wondered what Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet did next,
do read Second Impressions by Ava Farmer. A scholarly but highly
readable sequel to Pride and Prejudice, this hugely entertaining novel
re-acquaints us with various Bennets, Bingleys, Collinses and de Bourghs,
as well as a host of other old friends. Added to which, there is a ridiculously
attractive French Comte, a dishonest Knight, a debauched Knave, several
worthy gentlemen and a gentle, selfless heroine for whom the story ends
happily. Meticulously and extensively researched, Second Impressions
takes the reader on a realistic but amusing journey through early nineteenth
century England and Europe at high speed. I loved it.


--Fiona Sunley, President of the Jane Austen Society (Kent) Branch
“When I started Second Impressions, I read slowly and savored each page.
As I became more involved with the story, I began to read at a faster pace
and with increasing anticipation. It is both an immensely enjoyable
and educational book. It has the lifting effect of transporting one to a time
of greater civility, a welcome respite from some of the baser aspects
of today’s world.”
--Miranda Liebscher (full review here)
“Everything was right - style, pace, place, accent and construction - all there!
Do we have a reincarnation?  I certainly hope so and that 'Ava Farmer' stays
with us for a long time to come!”

-- Marion Roberts
“It is so well-written, truly a tour de force... I am reading (the) book slowly
so I can savor every word.”
-- Syrie James, Bestselling Author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
“Jane Austen lives! She speaks again in the pages of this most
fascinating book. In a literary tour de force which will be widely
admired, Second Impressions revives the Austen ‘voice’ on
almost every page. So much so, in fact, that Jane herself would
surely have been both entertained and impressed that so much
of her essence could be recaptured in such a remarkable way.”

-- Dr. Reg Carr, Bodley's Librarian, University of Oxford
“This is the first Jane Austen sequel I’ve ever read that really gets it right.
And I can say only, wow. Well done.”
-- Kathleen Flynn for The Jane Austen Project (full review here)
“Reading Second Impressions is like having a reunion with cherished friends.
Ten years later, we catch up with our favorite characters from Pride and Prejudice:
Jane, Mr. Bennet, Georgiana, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and course Elizabeth -
fiction's greatest heroine - among many others. Ava Farmer has managed to do
the impossible: weave brand new stories from the classic, and do so seamlessly.
This book is an irresistible treat for Austen fans, and joy for anyone
who loves classic fiction.”

-- Jane Ganahl, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Litquake
“As a continuation of Pride and Prejudice, Second Impressions is a monolith
of good Austen example, a shining beacon of this-is-how-we-do-it
research technique that is so prettily put together – the original author of
Pride and Prejudice would be dazzled. And me? Well, I was dazzled too.”
--Shelley DeWees for AustenProse (full review here)
“What if Jane Austen could continue the story of Pride and Prejudice on our own
bookshelves and iPads? That's the question Ava Farmer has asked, and answered by
steeping herself in the mind, living places,
readings and sensibility of Austen for twenty-six
years, then writing a sequel called Second Impressions. Each sentence is a model of
humanity and humor.”

-- Gloria Steinem

“A must read for all good Austen aficionados....” 
-- Kathy Savesky

“Ava, your lifelong care to language and research bore splended fruit.  Just what most
sequels cannot do.  A refreshment.”

--Diana Birchall


“Ava Farmer endows Jane Austen's characters with intriguing and plausible afterlives.
Expanding their horizons and merging their narratives, she constructs a virtual world
where Mr. Darcy talks about cottages with Mr. Knightley, Elizabeth Bennet makes a friend
in Anne Elliot, the Darcys take a tour to post- Napoleonic Europe, and Georgiana Darcy
falls touchingly in love. In this richly encyclopedic sequel to Jane Austen's novels, Farmer
draws on the author's own lively idiom to show what kind of novelist she might have become.”
--Jocelyn Harris, Professor Emerita