Don’t Worry, Tomorrow Will Be Better…Unless Of Course it is Exactly the Same as Today!!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Authors

TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

TIME FRAME: Begins with the Netherfield Ball and fixates on the day Darcy proposes at Hunsford Parsonage

MAIN CHARACTERS: Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine, and Charlotte Collins

SYNOPSIS: Darcy finds himself in a ‘Groundhog Day’ type scenario. Every morning he wakes up to relive the same day again. But the worst of it is, the day he relives is the most terrible day of his life, the day of his ill-fated proposal to Elizabeth Bennet. Not knowing why or how this strange time warp keeps happening Darcy strives to find a method to escape this purgatory! What does he need to do to make this day stop repeating?!?

WHAT I LOVED:

• An Enchanting and Engaging Premise: What a brilliant idea to place Mr. Darcy in this position! He has just experienced the most humiliating and painful day of his life, and now he has a chance to do that day over again. What does he change? What does he learn? The how and why this is happening are not revealed to the reader, so we experienced all the mystery and wondering right along with Mr. Darcy. I loved being in the dark and I thought the leisurely unfolding of Darcy’s dilemma masterfully executed.

• Darcy’s Relationships: In this story we spend a lot of time with Mr. Darcy and in his head. And while he doesn’t spend as much time with Elizabeth as you might expect, this variation explores the other major relationships in his life. I especially enjoyed Darcy’s relationships with Colonel Fitzwilliam, Anne de Bourgh, and Lady Catherine (I know, I’m surprised I just wrote that!). Through the course of this predicament, we witness Darcy reflect on and analyze each of these relationships and how his behavior and actions affect the people his life.

• Poetic and Philosophic Prose: The writing is so seamless you really wouldn’t guess that there are two authors for this book! But one of the things I loved most about this story was the articulate and pondering language used throughout this story. The tone is a beautiful blend of lyrical eloquence and reflective contemplation. Subtle yet strong.

• Little Details: I loved all the small tangible details of Darcy’s day that the authors made a special point of featuring. Everything from the carefully chosen song Darcy hears a maid singing to Anne’s reaction to Colonel Fitzwilliam’s kind greeting. Although, I felt real bad for Darcy that the day he had to relive was a Sunday on which Mr. Collins gave a lengthy and tedious sermon. Ugh! to listen to that each day is punishment indeed!

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• The Beginning and Ending: While both beautifully and skillfully written, I sort’ve found the beginning and ending a little disjointed in this story. The lengthier exposition, while lovely, didn’t really feel necessary since most readers are probably familiar with the plot of P&P. Waiting until Chapter 5 to get to the crux of the premise may feel a little long to some. And while I thought the epilogue poignant and achingly romantic, it did tinge the story’s conclusion with sadness and felt a little abrupt a change.

CONCLUSION:

In this thoughtful and playful collaboration authors Beau North and Brooke West put Mr. Darcy through one of the most tortuous situations I’ve seen any Austenesque authors dare to do! Introspective, clever, and well-crafted this Pride and Prejudice is sure to delight fans who love witnessing Darcy become a better man!

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