What if Anne de Bourgh Traveled To Hertfordshire To Safeguard Her Engagement?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Gift from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

PREMISE: After hearing tell of Mr. Darcy’s favorable opinion of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a possessive Anne de Bourgh convinces Mr. Collins to bring her along on his next journey to Hertfordshire. What do Anne and Elizabeth think of each other when they finally meet? Does Anne de Bourgh have Lady Catherine’s effrontery to demand Elizabeth give her the assurances she requires?

WHAT I LOVED:

• Anne de Bourgh: How wonderfully unique for Anne de Bourgh to be the main catalyst in this story! Like her mother and Mr. Darcy she is full of selfish disdain, arrogance, conceit, and pride. And she also shares some of Lydia Bennet’s impetuousness and outspokenness, and Mrs. Bennet’s scheming. It was a terrific combination. It was wonderfully amusing to see Anne be so active in the story (and everyones’ business!) She is something of a terror. But before you think she is completely unlikable, allow me to add that her character does evolve and that she ends up engaging our sympathies.

• A Vexed Mr. Darcy: Poor Mr. Darcy! Chasing after his unmanageable cousin and forced to go places where he would rather not. I loved seeing all the ways Darcy was frustrated, peeved, exasperated, mortified, and constrained by his cousin. His patience and his sense of family duty is very much tested. Especially when he realizes that his family exhibits worse behavior than Elizabeth’s.

• Mistaken Beliefs and Revelations: What fun it was to see how certain characters operated under misguided notions. With Anne believing Elizabeth eager to capture Mr. Darcy’s interest, all the Bennets believing Anne and Mr. Darcy are engaged, and Jane and Elizabeth believing Mr. Bingley is soon-to-be engaged to Miss Darcy there were plenty of characters laboring under misapprehensions. And I loved seeing each time those misapprehensions were realized.

• Epiphanies: Speaking of…I love how Jessie Lewis cleverly wove the theme of making new realizations (or epiphanies) into her seasonal tale, which takes place during the Christmas season. Several characters such as Anne, Elizabeth, and Mr. Darcy (2x) all come to some new understandings and I loved observing  how they reframed their mindsets and courses through these new epiphanies. Especially Mr. Darcy.
• Showdowns: The dialogue in this novel is filled with sparks and sharp wit! So very Jane Austen. I loved seeing so many characters go head-to-head with each other. Some of my favorites include the verbal jousting and battles of wills between Elizabeth and Anne,  Mrs. Bennet’s own celebrated (and surprising) frankness towards Anne, and lastly Mrs. Gardiner’s elegant superiority as she receives veiled and unveiled attacks from an uncivil Anne de Bourgh.
• So Much Humor: There were so many laugh out loud moment in this tae. I loved the unlikely and unhappy pairing of Mr. Collins and Anne de Bourgh, it was great fun to see them deal with each other! In addition, there were an abundance of wry observations and hilarious exchanges (and they did not all come from Mr. Bennet!) I could quote a whole bunch of them here, but I’ll limit myself to just one between Caroline Bingley and Anne de Bourgh to whet your appetite:

“I hear you were obliged to spend Christmas Day with the Bennets. What must that have been like? I dread to think!”

“That explains why you do it so infrequently.”

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Some Trimming: There were one or two spots where I thought the story could be trimmed a bit and the plot a little tighter. But it wasn’t enough to mar my enjoyment of this tale.

CONCLUSION:

Brimming with situational humor, comedic exchanges, and surprising revelations – Epiphany is an “excessively diverting” and inventive story that is sure to entertain! Once again Jessie Lewis shares a beautiful Pride and Prejudice novel that is skillfully composed, nuanced, and artful. I highly recommend!

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