What If Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Were Kidnapped Together?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Gift from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

THE PREMISE: Captured and held captive, Darcy and Elizabeth find themselves trapped in an unusual and perilous predicament. Without funds, resources, and at times, their identities, these two must work together to find their way back home. Little do they know that on this long journey, they will also find their ways to each other…

WHAT I LOVED:

• An Adventurous Premise: Kidnappings? Mistaken identities? Adventures abroad? YES – sign me up for all of this! I love Pride and Prejudice variations that take our characters way off course with the promise of dangerous peril and action. I loved being aboard a boat, visiting other countries, and witnessing all the threatening situations they encountered together.

• A Most Worthy Man: Mr. Darcy is selfless, protective, and a man ardently in love. I loved seeing all the moments where he falls deeper and deeper in love with Elizabeth – how he tends to her when she is sick, how he teaches her some self-defense moves, and how he treasures any physical contact with her (especially when they are asleep!). But the aspect of Mr. Darcy’s character that made me fall irrevocably in love with him, is how he sees and appreciates Elizabeth’s worth – her bravery, her strength, her clever mind, her loving heart. He sees and admires it all.

• New Friends: In this mostly Darcy and Elizabeth centric tale our dear couple make some new friends that do more than just help them with their journey. A young boy they meet aboard the ship and a French woman who gives them shelter become new companions in this adventure. I loved seeing the relationships develop with these characters – each one was special. Jonah was completely endearing and adorable, and I loved his fast friendship with Elizabeth, his respect for Mr. Darcy, and his adoration for Madame Vartan’s cooking! And Madame Vartan was such an excellent combination of a tough woman who can take care of herself and a sweet mother figure to these three weary and helpless travelers.

WHAT I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT:

• It Kept Twisting: SPOILER ALERT: The dangers and predicaments everyone was in kept pivoting. First it was kidnapping, then it was pirates, next it was a storm, and then it was vagrant British officers, etc. Sounds super exciting, right? And I’m all for a story with twists, but I started to feel that this story maybe pivoted to new twists a little too often.  Because of they were so numerous and didn’t have time to fully develop, the impact of each new twist started to feel weaker.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Some Quibbles: Even though the plot had adventure and activity in it, the storytelling style itself felt slow and a little heavy. There was a lot of explanatory prose, characters giving longer speeches, and narration that did more telling than showing. I think less extraneous narration and tighter pacing would have matched the exhilaration of such a premise better. In addition, once it was all revealed, the motives for everyone involved with the kidnapping felt in some parts a little less credible.

CONCLUSION:

I think my expectations for this Pride and Prejudice variation may have been a little high. And even though I didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would, I found The Long Journey Home to be a heartwarming tale of love, friends who are family, and coming home. Reader who love Darcy and Elizabeth centric story where they clear up misunderstanding quickly and need to work together to face bigger challenges will adore this one!

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