What If Fitzwilliam Darcy Was A Convict?
Rating: 3 our of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation
THE PREMISE: In great despair over the death of his father, Fitzwilliam Darcy makes some bad choices that result in some drastic changes in his life. Many years later when he encounters Elizabeth Bennet, he is beneath her notice and unable to let her know anything about his real identity. The events that bring Elizabeth and Fitzwiliam Darcy together are eye-opening and life-changing for them both, and the path ahead will not be an easy one to navigate…
MY THOUGHTS:
He has been reimagined as a pirate, a traitor, a mage, a dragon keeper, and a vampire amongst many other unique reiterations. But I believe this is the first time I have seen Fitzwilliam Darcy portrayed as a convict who is paying his debt to society. What a daring and wonderfully inventive status reversal to explore! While the arrogant and prideful Mr. Darcy we know has scruples about marrying someone with inferior connections and birth, here is a situation where such a union would be a truly unthinkable degradation.
Poor Mr. Darcy! I can well conceive how his pain and loneliness led him down such a misguided path. It is a horrific series of events, and I appreciated witnessing Mr. Darcy’s, or William Smith’s (as he becomes), journey and transformation through it all. I enjoyed seeing what becomes of Mr. Darcy when he is stripped of his family, his privileges, and his identity. And how, through his years of hard labor and cruel conditions, his honor, humility, and worthiness continue to grow.
In addition, I equally enjoyed seeing the new developments with many other characters in this unique tale – Elizabeth most of all. I loved seeing her bravery, her compassion, and her acceptance. Her wit and liveliness come out and bring a brightness and lightness to William’s world. And I greatly admired her internal strength and lack of prejudice. I also enjoyed seeing the active and admirable roles played by Mr. Bennet, Mary Bennet, and Richard Fitzwilliam in this tale.
Even though I thought this tale had a wonderfully inventive premise that delivers both beautiful moments and satisfying developments, I was, sadly, not a fan of the style in which it was written (which might be due to my own tastes). Overall, it felt like there was a much greater percentage of telling instead showing in this author’s prose. There were many embellished descriptions, references, and allusions that felt unnecessary and detracted from the plot. In addition, the inclusion of many multi-paragraph speeches and/or multi-paragraph internal reflections during scenes of dialogue often slowed down the tense and exciting action that was happening. I wouldn’t have minded seeing less excess and embellishments and more gradual and nuanced developments of each characters’ thoughts and feelings.
Despite not being enamored with some aspects of the writing style in this novel, I did appreciate and admire Mr. Jacobson’s original and thoughtful approach to portraying these characters. This Pride and Prejudice variation is an excellent choice for readers who love untraditional scenarios. In Plain Sight is a powerful and inspiring tale of redemption, forgiveness, and love that I think many readers will enjoy!
NOTE: There are some brief scenes of violence in this story.
I read and enjoyed this story quite a while ago. I recommend it.
Thank you for the Hatlo’s tip of the hat! I wanted to bring everyone deep inside the characters to understand how they evolve over the course of story.
I appreciate you checking out my review and sharing your thoughts, Sheila!
I read this a while ago and as you probably realise Meredith, I did struggle with the heartbreaking sadness of some parts!
You know I’m certainly not an angst lover! However I persevered and did love the ending so all was well in my world!
Thank you for your insight here! Appreciate your perserverence. I wanted to bring a different tone with the reversal of the social positions…where Elizabeth was above Darcy…and then was also forced to hide in plain sight.
I can well understand, Glynis. The sweet moments between Elizabeth and Darcy were a happy reward.
I have also read this and agree with some of the points that you noted.
On one hand it was a heavy topic, on the other hand it was at times too heavy a topic.
Hi Sam…thank you for your notes. I tried to offer a different take on the human condition in this book beginning with the question “What if Darcy was not so above the society of all but a few?” The second question…”What if he did not have the wealth and the status it conferred to allow him to ignore all others?” The final question…what if it was Elizabeth (although not in so much of a manner that she turned into Caroline Bingley) who looked at but did not see someone like William Smith?”
Thank you for sharing, Sam. It is always interesting to see these characters face realistic or unique struggles.
Lovely review, Meredith. I also read it and enjoyed it. This was a very different twist on our P&P story.
Your comments throughout the ff posting of “In Plain Sight” were instructive and helpful beyond words. Your reminder of the need to give Miss Bingley her just desserts helped me fill a plot hole that I had left, so focused was I on the ODC story. Thank you again for being so accepting of a story which experimented with the reversal of roles without turning Elizabeth and Darcy’s story into caricature.
Thanks, Jeanne! I appreciate you checking out my review!
Meredith, I love how well you write a review and express your thoughts so eloquently. This was definitely an outside-the-box rendering of ODC. I loved the depth of emotions and the journey taken to redemption. For me, it was a powerful novel.
CinC…your kind words and understanding of how I write and why I include that which I do has always been the best!
I’m so grateful for your kind words about my review, Carole! I agree about the powerful emotions in this premise.
Meredith, your review is spot-on. Fair and honest. I read this a while back too, once on FF and another after publication. What I read the first time was watching a train wreck as Darcy became someone I didn’t recognize after his father died, and then the horrific conditions he endured during his punishment.
What I remember and love-hated the most from this story was that after Darcy was shocked awake from his disastrous behavior he regained his noble humanity while surviving the best he could and protecting others who were weaker than he. I appreciated visiting the injustices of the judicial system without being given a history lecture. But my favorite part of course was Elizabeth’s courage and ODC’s falling in love. Her picking up little hints that he had been a gentleman before his sentence/punishment. Darcy agonizing in guilt-pain-relief of being taken care of so graciously after his escape.
It’s too painful to reread very often, but I do think I will reread it at some point in the future. I recommend it highly.
Hi there…thank you for your thoughts about both Meredith’s review and the book itself. As you know, I write intentionally and seek to allow readers to experience the inner dialogue which helps shape the nature of the character as well as they interplay between characters and the plot. There is a level of pain experienced in this book that was needed to position–particularly Smith–in the flow of the plot. It was, I felt, necessary to create authentic mobilizers to move all characters within the entire framework. IFor me, this story was rooted within the prodigal son story, but also within my own concept of what is truly important in this world–love–of self, family and significant other. I felt that by stripping away all of the “stuff” around Darcy, we could see the true man eventually emerge. Likewise, too, as love blossoms between Darcy and Elizabeth, they learn the lesson that love drives every person…be they rich or poor. Thank you for being an avid supporter of my work and explorations.
Thank you so much, Michelle! I really enjoyed both characters’ challenging journeys and their hard-won happiness.
I read this book last year and thought it was a great read. I would recommend this book. WHat a different take on Darcy. It seemed to humble him in my eyes
For sure, it was lovely to witness his evolution.
Insightful review as always, Meredith. This was definitely not an easy listen for me though there is triumph in the end.
Hi you! In Plain Sight is my effort to explore how Elizabeth and Darcy react to difficult scenarios. In the end, both of their spirits triumph. It is not an easy read, but one that I hope offers a valuable insight into the depths of these characters and their potential to reveal new dimensions.
Thank you, Sophia! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.