Project Darcy – Jane Odiwe

Project DarcyExploring Steventon Rectory and Jane’s Romance with Tom Lefroy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

In her first phenomenal timeslip novel, Searching for Captain Searching for Captain WentworthWentworth, Jane Odiwe takes readers to Bath, England in the year 1802 where the main character transports back in time to the body of Jane Austen’s neighbor and friend. (ugh! Such a lucky girl!) In her second timeslip novel, readers travel to Steventon, Hampshire in the year 1796 where the main character transports back in time to the body of…Jane Austen! (so not fair, right!?!)

In Project Darcy, our main character, Ellie Bentley travels to Steventon with several of her friends to participate in an archaeological dig at the site of Jane Austen’s former home. Although Ellie looks forward to capturing the beautiful countryside of Steventon on canvas and taking part in the dig, she ends up learning more about Jane Austen and her beloved childhood home than she ever intended! For some inexplicable and uncontrollable phenomena, Ellie is able to transport into Jane’s body and experience her brief romance with Tom Lefroy – the witty banters, the exhilarating dances, the clandestine encounters…

What a delight it is to read another timeslip novel by Jane Odiwe! Thank you, Jane, for once again exploring the unknown secrets of Jane Austen life and for taking us back to Steventon! What a treat it was to visualize Jane Austen’s beloved home and surroundings! Oh! And thank you for fleshing out her relationship with Tom Lefroy…*sigh* What an enchanting and plausible romance!

One of my favorite things about Jane Odiwe’s writing, is her ability to paint lush, striking, and vibrant scenes using just her words. She truly does write with an artist’s eye and describes the world of her novels with such incredible sensory detail! Another aspect I love about Ms. Odiwe’s works is that she often writes novels with two main tumblr_static_once-upon-a-timeintertwining storylines (kind of like Once Upon a Time – one of my fave TV shows). Each storyline is captivating and complex, full of intrigue, romance, and drama, and just when you least expect it…torturously put on hold while she switches to the other storyline!

Similar to Searching for Captain Wentworth and its gentle nods and parallels to Persuasion, Project Darcy holds some strong connections and similarities with Pride and Prejudice. Of course, I loved spotting these clever parallels in Jane Austen’s romance with Tom Lefroy, but sometimes the modern-day counterparts with Ellie felt little forced and stilted by comparison. In addition, there was a pretty surprising twist at the end that came about quite unexpectedly. While I do love a good surprise, I kind of felt the unexpectedness of this outcome made the story’s beautiful conclusion feel just a little less satisfying and complete.

Despite my quibbles, Project Darcy is another brilliant and reverent work of fiction by the talented and always artistic Jane Odiwe! I do hope that she has some more timeslip novels in mind! I would love to explore more of Jane Austen’s life and works with some lucky heroine who is transported back in time!

Add to Cart   I   Add to Shelf

pride-prejudice-bicentenary-challenge-2013-x-20032 out of 30 completed!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Jane kindly brings with her one BEAUTIFUL paperback copy of Project Darcy for me to give away to ONE lucky reader.  Woot Woot!

Project Darcy

To enter this giveaway, share a comment about Project Darcy.

  • This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Jane!
  • This giveaway ends November 27th!

DOUBLE your chances of winning by commenting on the lovely excerpt Jane shared with us on Wednesday! 

37 comments

    1. I didn’t know of the term prior to these novels by Jane Odiwe, it makes sense over “time travel” because the characters really have no control over where or when they wind up. They really do just slip into a different era!

      🙂 Hope it is sooner!

  1. Time travel is one of my favourite storiy lines i.e.in Star Trek and Stargate so I am sure I will love this with Jane Austen

    1. Oh I bet you will, Vesper! I can’t think of anything better than being able to time travel back into Jane Austen’s world, these heroines are just too lucky! 😉

  2. These heroines are lucky girls for sure. Glad it was another good one. Thanks for sharing your review thoughts.

    I’m awaiting my own copy of the book right now so please don’t enter me in the contest.

  3. I Love how Jane Austen’s life and story characters continue to charm us all. I’d love to read this author’s work. I often wonder how much of her real life has been rewritten into her story lines…

  4. I’m following Jane Odiwe’s blog tour and I have to say that with all the excerpts I’ve read so far, it’s one of the books I’ve been most excited to read in a long while! Indeed, it has many ingredients to tempt me : time travel, Jane Austen, some P&P, archeology, history, an English countryside, complex storylines and even some ghosts… 🙂 I wish Jane great success with this book!

  5. If it’s by Jane Odiwe, it’s absolutely worth reading. I’ve been looking forward to Project Darcy and to more time slip, travel, switch, whatever – but it’s been difficult to obtain a copy. Winning one would be simply wonderful!

    1. Arjanne! You most definitely need to read Jane’s novels! 😉 I honestly can’t decide which is my favorite – Searching for Captain Wentworth, Willoughby’s Return, or Lydia Bennet’s Story. She writes so beautifully!

  6. Thank you for the giveaway. I, too, have liked Jane Odiwe’s writing, and I look forward to Project Darcy because let’s face it – what better project could there be!

  7. Sounds like a good book. I have all her other ones so I’d like to add this to my collection. I’m sure I’ll like the archaeology angle, too. I like the time travel aspect.

  8. Lovely review, Meredith. I loved Searching for Captain Wentworth and this new book sounds just as good. I love the idea of finally meeting Mr Tom Lefroy!!:)

    1. Thank you, Kelli! Yes, I was not really in love with Tom Lefroy prior to this novel. (Sorry James McAvoy fans!) But just like Catherine Morland learned how to love a hyacinth, “I have just learnt” to love Tom Lefroy by way of Jane’s wonderful writing!

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