Eleanor Wilton: Agnes Merriweather

Agnes Merriweather by Eleanor Wilton
Published by Independently Published on June 22, 2021
Pages: 306
Format: eBook
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In the spirit of the novels of Jane Austen comes a story of self-discovery, friendship, and love.

Agnes Merriweather was born to wealth and privilege, but at the age of three and twenty, after her father squandered his fortune and she is left without the protection of her wealthy aunt, she must begin a new life. Necessity requires her to go and live with her brother, a gentleman of reduced means, in the small Derbyshire village of Kympton. Accustomed to a life of comfort and a society of elegance, Agnes feels trapped in the small, unvarying confines of life in her brother's modest country cottage, whilst fearing that her prospects for making a successful marriage have entirely vanished, to say nothing of her chances of finding love.

Clever and accomplished, Agnes struggles to engage her lively mind and to quench her restless spirit. But new friendships and the arrival of an enigmatic gentleman teach her to set aside her prejudices and to open her mind to unexpected possibilities that will lead her to find happiness and fulfillment on her own terms.

It had been a minute since we have reviewed a more traditional, kisses only Regency so when I read the reviews for Agnes Merriweather, I picked up a copy to give it a whirl.  And once I picked it up, it was hard to put down.

Eleanor Wilton is a new to me author, but is clearly a careful student of Jane Austen, so steeped is this book in the details, prose, and temperament of a Jane Austen novel.  Much of the action is between friends and acquaintances of a small country town in Derbyshire.

Agnes is at first, for actually about half the book, unlikeable.  Not a villain, just a vainglorious and spoiled child, even though she has reached the age of maturity.  She finds much to be discontented with when she finds herself having to remove from Society to the tiny town of Kympton, and does little to make herself agreeable.

But change comes in the way of a few encounters, and soon she finds herself meeting a man who very much seems like an ideal, although he is equally impoverished.

I don’t want to spoil much more about the plot, but generally it is a story about character arcs, at least for Agnes who we spend the majority of the time in the book with.  There is also some growing up and changing of other characters around her sphere, but generally a rather unlikeable MC becomes endearing.  Wilton’s deftness at showing people as three dimensional, full of flaws and folly as well as talents and love, is really on great display in these pages.

The Darcy’s make an appearance, including a visit to Pemberley.  Its a cameo JA fans will enjoy, as Wilton does an admirable job at gentle handling this homage with also great impact to the story.

The romance is understated, and at a pace much more familiar to Austen than a contemporary mass market, and the adult themes are minimal and intimacy kept to a few kisses at the end.

I highly recommend this for Regency Readers looking for something to speak in tones similar to Jane Austen, but also wanting a story where the ending isn’t neatly wrapped up with a sudden inheritance or other improbable deux es machina.

My only complaint was that I hoped a few loose ends could’ve been tied up in a neat bow, but I suspect the author may have intentions of continuing this world in future books.

Overall, this slow pace was still a quick read, as I was eager to learn what happened next.

5 out of 6 A slow paced provincial romance about a girl in reduced circumstances finding her way to love (including of herself).

*This author did pay for an ad prior to this review. I purchased the book myself, however, after being interested so no compensation was provided.