Joanne Bischof DeWitt’s The Heart of Bennet Hollow is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, a novel that has enamored audiences for centuries. This time, Lizbeth Bennet is a farmer’s daughter when William Darcy, a wealthy coal baron, arrives to appraise the local mine. As they form a tenuous friendship, Lizbeth learns all may not be as it seems.
In this post, Joanne tells us how Jane Austen’s novels affected her as an author, why she chose to set the book in Appalachia, and why Jane Austen’s novels are still relevant today.
And don’t miss your first look at Lizbeth and William through short excerpts from the novel!
If you like what you read, get access to the entire first chapter of The Heart of Bennet Hollow. Or find your own copy in softcover, e-book, or audiobook at a retailer near you.
How have Jane Austen’s books impacted your writing?
There is something very profound about reading a novel that was written long before our current technology. To think that Jane sat there and handwrote her novels truly inspires me in the craft. She had to be witty and cunning, detailed and dedicated, all on paper, and her drafts would have been so precious and painstaking. When I think of that, it challenges me to be a better writer even in this modern era with computers and word processing. Beyond that, she infused love and humor into her stories that has set her apart for over two hundred years. Someone like Jane is a true inspiration as a romance writer and I’m so thankful we have her books today.
This book is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Why did you choose early 1900s Appalachia as the setting for your book?
I have been writing Appalachian romance from the start of my career and it’s one of my favorite settings. When I began to wonder what a new series could be about, it dawned on me to try and merge my love of this setting with my love of Jane Austen’s works, and the series was born. It’s felt so natural to merge her world into 1900’s Appalachia and I’ve enjoyed finding the commonalities while getting to have a little bit of fun with the differences.
Austen’s approaching 250th birthday will be celebrated around the world this year. Why is Jane Austen still relevant today?
I think so many people can relate to her. She played by the rules of her society, but not perfectly so, and it’s an inspiration for the advancements she made in women’s fiction. She gave an emphasis and voice to what the lives of women were like nearly 250 years ago and she shows their ups and downs, joys and graces in a way that continues to resonate centuries later.
Which Pride and Prejudice character are you the most like?
I’d say I’m probably a split between Elizabeth and Jane. Elizabeth because we share some of the same personality traits of creativity and a love of reading and walking outdoors and Jane because I’m an introvert and can sometimes be shy.
Meet Lizbeth Bennet and William Darcy in these excerpts from The Heart of Bennet Hollow.
Lizbeth
With a two-story farmhouse, a well-tilled garden, and two loyal mules, Lizbeth knew her family was better off than the mining families on the other side of the river, but not by much. Now, just past sixty, Pa ran their home from the modest savings he’d tucked away before he slowed down his work as a geologist for several mining companies. Such circumstances had all of them considering who might marry first . . . and when.
Lizbeth knew some fine colliers, but something in her heart longed for more than sweeping the porch steps on one of the row houses where miners and their families dwelled in the shadow of the coal company. A place where grime and dust tried to coat anything in its sight.
Was that the life she was meant for? Who was she to think that there might ever be more?
Ma had fussed that she was headstrong. Pa dubbed her noble. And all the girls knew her as well-read. Those weren’t particularly good qualifications for a bride. No. Men around here needed women who could diaper a baby and store coins beneath the mattress. Stretching provisions remained the order of the day, not reading books or caring for her mules or hoping she could have a purpose that she’d been uniquely made for.
William
Meanwhile William felt as approachable as a marble statue, which he probably looked like half the time. His mind was a system of levers and pulleys. Files and calculations. There was a depth within him—a true and honest beating heart that he didn’t know how to show.
He’d handled enough unknowns with the death of his parents and the care for his younger sister, not to mention the responsibility for the family name and fortune. Matters of the heart were much too complicated . . . and best left under lock and key.
No wonder he was twenty-eight and unmarried. The charming women in his circle admired him and indicated as much, but such beauty came at a cost. They were women who sought a future with his wealth, and their fathers often had ulterior motives for dangling their daughters under his nose. For William, that wasn’t the best soil to form a relationship in, let alone a marriage. But society frowned on him engaging with women of any other status. He felt bound by the creed of his Aunt Catherine, who always stared down at him from the portrait hanging in the dining room with her silvery stare and decades of wealth.
Regardless, he had different dreams in mind. William wished for a woman who could match him step for step. Not in wealth or prestige, but in mind. In interests. In curiosity. A woman who brought beauty and intentionality to his world, as he meant to do for her. So far . . . no such woman had crossed his path. So here he was. A bachelor. Perhaps until the end of his days.
The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt
New River, Virginia. 1904. Lizbeth Bennet longs to preserve her family’s farm, securing a future for her and her sisters, a difficult task in their Appalachian coal mining town. Money is scarce, and Lizbeth is determined to find a way without giving up treasured pieces of her family’s legacy. But when the mine is put up for sale, it’s clear change is approaching. A contingent of coal barons descends on the town to investigate whether the mine is worth their investment, among them a young man rumored to be a very rich, eligible bachelor.
William Drake arrives focused on business and keeping his distance from the townspeople, especially those living on land entangled with the mine, including a farmer by the name of Bennet. As William digs through legal issues, his struggle to weigh the potential financial gain against what is right for the community grows more complicated when he meets one of the Bennet daughters.
Despite an awkward first meeting, Lizbeth and William continue to cross paths, and soon Lizbeth questions her first impression of the man she believed to be proud and indifferent. But just as their friendship begins to evolve, a revelation shakes Lizbeth’s tenuous trust, and she learns all may not be as it seems. To determine what is true, and step toward a love she’s barely dared dream of, Lizbeth must confront her own prejudices . . . and decide whether the future she’s always imagined is the one her heart truly wants most after all.
Christy and Carol Award–winning author Joanne Bischof DeWitt writes romantic fiction that tugs at the reader’s heartstrings. Her historical romance The Lady and the Lionheart received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from Romantic Times Book Reviews and was the very first independently published novel to win a Christy Award. It has also recently taken to the stage.
As a longtime Jane Austen fan, Joanne is often making popcorn with her mom so they can rewatch their favorite adaptions, and as a new wife, she celebrates God’s own redemptive love stories. Joanne thanks the Lord daily for bringing along her very own hero who’s a perfect balance between Colonel Brandon and Mr. Darcy. Together, they’re a blended family and the grateful parents of six teens and young adults, making them huge advocates for conversations, laughter, and large dinner tables. You can find her at joannebischofdewitt.com.
