Jo Baker's 'Longbourn' takes the aristocratic ambitions of Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' and sets them aside, promoting to the foreground the Bennet's domestic servants. While the ladies upstairs are falling in love, Sarah the young housemaid is clearing out their chamber pots and fetching shoe-roses in the pouring rain. She dreams of a world beyond Longbourn, and a life lived for herself, rather than hanging on the whims of others.

When men from beyond the local village begin arriving at the Bennet household, that wider world comes a little bit closer. James, a quiet labourer with a mysterious past, joins the household surprisingly easily; and Ptolemy, a Bingley footman harbouring bigger dreams. Drama and romance unfold in the background of 'Pride and Prejudice', with familiar scenes and characters cast in a new light.

Readers should not go into this book expecting Austen's romantic view of the British upper class. Baker revels in the particulars of 19th century domestic labour, from blacking the fireplaces to seeing to the 'necessary house', she exposes details conveniently overlooked by the original work, but which are essential to maintaining the standard of living of Austen's characters.

'Longbourn' reaches beyond the story of 'Pride and Prejudice' and asserts itself as it's own story, worthy of telling on its own merits. Is it on par with Austen? Of course not. But readers who enjoy more grounded period dramas and a healthy splash of romance will find a lot to love in Jo Baker's carefully crafted companion.