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Mrs. Wickham  By  cover art

Mrs. Wickham

By: Sarah Page
Narrated by: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, full cast
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Publisher's summary

Imagine if you made one little mistake when you were young and were punished for it for the rest of your life. Well, that’s what happened to Lydia (yes, that Lydia, the youngest Bennet sister from Pride and Prejudice), and she’s here to set the record straight. Hold on to your teacups and get ready for sophisticated (and a little bit naughty) hot takes and witty banter that’ll make you laugh—and think.

We meet Lydia just as she is denounced by her family, exiled miles from home, and married to the rogue George Wickham, who seems to love all women...except his own wife. She must learn to summon great bravery to carve out a place for herself in the society that has brutally rejected her.

Lydia isn’t the traditional Austen heroine, and this isn’t a traditional, polite period drama. Lydia is a badass. A trailblazer. She’s fierce and fiercely funny. And she might inhabit the Regency period, but she’s fighting the same battle many of us are today—having to defend the decisions she’s made and the person she chooses to love, to shut out the 'trolls' and gossips, to hold her head high in a world that will judge her for any mistake she makes.

Starring Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley (Fargo, The Lost Daughter) and Johnny Flynn (Lovesick, Stardust), this hilarious and timely listen is for fans of classics with a twist. Writer and creator playwright Sarah Page says that she wrote Mrs. Wickham to 'entertain people with a romantic, optimistic, and seductive comedy,' but that there’s also a 'message held at its heart to treat each other with kindness.' 

If you binged Bridgerton, this one’s for you.

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Emily Barber, Fehinti Balogun, Adrian Edmondson, Leila Farzad, Stephanie Hyam, Jodie McNee, Natalie Simpson, Ray Panthaki and Emily Johnstone

Directed by Eleanor Rhode. Sound Design by David Gregory. Co-produced by Wondermore Productions.

Portions of this audio drama contain mature language and themes. Listener discretion is advised.

©2022 Sarah Page (P)2022 Audible, Ltd

About the Playwright

Sarah Page is an established screenwriter and playwright. She took part in Soho Theatre’s Young Writers’ program and the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writers' and Studio Groups. The winner of two Peggy Ramsay Awards and a finalist for the Nick Darke Writers' Award, Sarah's plays include Punts, The Sweethearts, The Night My Parents Went Away, and Pilgrims.
Sarah is an alumnus of the 4Screenwriting program and the script she developed was optioned by Benedict Cumberbatch's SunnyMarch Ltd. She was one of the writers on the BBC’s New Talent Hotlist and the BBC's Drama Writers' Programme 2019 and was selected by the BAFTA/BFI Network for their 2021 mentoring programm.
She has several original television shows in development with companies including Big Talk, ITV Studios, Expanded Media, Quay Street Productions, Clerkenwell Films, and Various Artists Ltd. Sarah is also developing two feature films with Erebus Pictures and Conker Films. She was recently selected to join the writers’ room for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Stolen Picture’s Transaction and a U.S.-based writers’ room for Otherly Entertainment.

About the Director

Eleanor Rhode has directed theatre for over a decade, with a particular focus on new writing and making work that transcends stylistic boundaries. Her body of work has garnered extraordinary critical acclaim. Her radical retelling of King John for the Royal Shakespeare Company was filmed for cinematic release, and The Guardian wrote about her direction of the world premiere of Boudica for the Globe Theatre that she "directs with an assurance that should make her a permanent fixture at the Globe." She is currently developing a major theatre project incorporating immersive digital technology into live performance.

About the Performer

Olivier Award winner and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley had her first starring role in Michael Pearce’s BAFTA-nominated Beast, for which she won the Most Promising Newcomer award at the British Independent Film Awards and Best British or Irish Actress at the Critics’ Circle Awards. She was selected to be one of BAFTA’s "Break Through Brits" and was also chosen as one of Screen International’s "Stars of Tomorrow." Up next, Buckley will star in Plan B and MGM’s Women Talking alongside Frances McDormand, Rooney Mara, and Claire Foy; in Apple TV+ and Christos Nikou’s sci-fi romance Fingernails alongside Riz Ahmed; and in the comedy Wicked Little Letters opposite Olivia Colman.
Buckley was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter. Buckley received the Tropheé Chopard at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret opposite Eddie Redmayne in London's West End. In 2018, Buckley starred in Tom Harper’s Wild Rose alongside Julie Walters and Sophie Okonedo, for which she earned Best Actress nominations at the British Independent Film Awards and BAFTA Awards and won the Best Actress award for BAFTA Scotland. Buckley also received a Gotham Independent Film Awards nomination for Best Actress for her performance in Netflix and Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

About the Performer

Johnny Flynn is a British actor, musician, and composer. He is known for his starring roles as Dylan in the television sitcom Lovesick (previously known as Scrotal Recall), his portrayal of David Bowie in the film Stardust, and for his role in Michael Pearce’s BAFTA-nominated Beast, which he starred in alongside Jessie Buckley.
Flynn is the singer and songwriter for the band Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit. He has released five studio albums in addition to numerous soundtracks and live albums. He recently starred in Emma, Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name, and wrote the song played over the ending credits, "Queen Bee," which was released as a single alongside the film. He regularly composes music for TV, film, and theatre.

Dear Listener,

What’s the most important lesson I can teach other women?
At some point in your youth, when you are still naive and not yet accustomed with the ways of the world, you may cross paths with a man whom your instincts tell you is a cad. He will probably be fine-looking. He might even present himself as a gentleman. It will be immensely tempting to give in to his charms … but you must not! Because, while he may continue his life largely unchanged afterward, you will find that the eyes of the world look on you most harshly. As they say, reputation takes a lifetime to build, and a second to destroy. Or in my case, half an hour with Mr. Wickham in a guesthouse in Elm Grove.
Yours, etc., Lydia. – Sarah Page, writer of Mrs. Wickham

Who is Mrs. Wickham?

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What listeners say about Mrs. Wickham

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Exciting twists

I so enjoyed this audio! Although, I have to agree with other reviews with the music choice? Not that I disagree with music. Simply just the choice in music.

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3 people found this helpful

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Overall enjoyable

I enjoyed the attempt at resurrecting Lydia's character. overall, it is an enjoyable piece of fanfiction, although not entirely believable. The story and characters could have done with a little bit more development to get them to the point of change. Lydia's character was not entirely believable, she sounded a little bit more like Jane or Lizzy and there was only a few parts where she sounded a little bit more like the Lydia we know from pride and prejudice.

Certain parts of the story definitely felt a little bit rushed, particularly towards the end where everything is wrapped up. Definitely rolled my eyes a little bit at the end.

Overall enjoyable and I liked it, but I think the thing that made it a little bit difficult to become completely immersed in the story was just the fact that it was a little hard to swallow.

SPOILER ALERT

Lydia's complete and immediate reversal of character and change of heart from the get-go needed to be probably a more gradual change and some of the elements of the story and that change could have been fleshed out a little bit more. I appreciate the author keeping things simple and not trying to milk this story for every penny it's got, but I think it could have been longer and had more detail and it would have benefited from that to make it more believable.

I also found little familiar/well known phrases that she grabbed and used from pride and prejudice to be mostly unnecessary. Not sure if it really added anything to her story. While it underlined for the reader that this story belongs in that universe, it also served as a reminder of side-by-side comparison in certain instances with a much greater work, which for something this light probably better off without.

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A must read!

I enjoyed the story very well written and performed 👏. But the music in the back ground did not fit the era.

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Entertaining

Lots of fun. Enjoyed the two hours listening and loved the powerful woman in its center

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So fun

Really enjoyed this quick “listen”. Narration was great. I would highly recommend this. Just enjoy!

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fun book

with a good message - that we should all live by! good to catch up with the Bennett sisters. quick read that was very enjoyable!

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Unexpectedly Excellent

As it has been (several) years since I read Pride and Prejudice, I worried that I would lose a lot of the thread due to not remembering salient points. No need for any concern! Page introduces a little "refresher" guide skillfully into the story quite soon after it begins to catch up those, such as myself, who are not repeat readers of the classics.

Once you're on board with Lydia and her shameful past, you're on a fast clip to the home straight. The entire story is only 2 hours long, after all, but I found it delightfully refreshing to not have to travel the twists and travails of heartache but to cut, swift and true, to the meat of the matter!

Lydia is trying to recover from the mistakes of youth, in a society that is forbidding and unforgiving. On top of that, she has a callous, whoring, drinking cad of a husband, no money, and no companions. For a child from a large and loud family, this is probably her biggest loss. Her loneliness is palpable!

As we follow her growth from devastated teen to assured young woman, feel her pain, and applaud her efforts, this unlikely heroine becomes someone we root for and empathize with. I loved her wit, her resourcefulness, and her triumphs.

My only criticism was the jarring background music. For a tale set in the early 1800s, rock music (or is it punk?) is discordant and distracting.

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remarkably good

If you think Lydia is not worth caring about, think again. The entire production was remarkably good.

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Redemption

I am a fan of Pride and prejudice. This was a delightful journey. Hearing Lydia’s experience and her determination to make something of herself is heartwarming. This story reminds us people grow and change. We learn from mistakes and should not be trapped by them. Forgiveness is hard but, can be freeing for all concerned

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Made me rethink Lydia...and everyone else

As someone who loves P&P and has read many different retellings and additional books about these characters, I think this has to be my favorite about Lydia. The immediate disillusionment about her marraige and her struggles seemed much more likely than the other myriad of tales I have read about her. I think this is the first book (including the original) in which I can see her character as flawed but redeemable.

This book also made me rethink some of the characters I know and love. I won't give away spoilers, but I felt for her in her desolation at being alone so far away from family. Her return home is heartbreaking, as is her treatment by others in Newcastle. I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I found myself cheering for her at the end, and wishing it was longer. The only thing that detracted from the experience were the frequent, loud musical interludes that honestly did not really enhance the story and also felt very out of place. Just let Lydia tell her story, no need for weird rock music.

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