What If Mr. Darcy’s Infamous Insult Took Place in London?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source:Gift from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation Novella

THE PREMISE: The Gardiners are elevated in society thanks to Mr. Gardiner’s honest business dealings and loyalty to the crown, and so they invite their two nieces to come and experience the delights of London high society. However, after Mr. Darcy declares Elizabeth to be merely “tolerable,” she becomes notoriously known as the “plain Bennet” and honorable gentleman who wish to notice her are in scarce supply. Except for one who is desperately trying to make amends…

WHAT I LOVED:

• New Situation/New Setting: Such a clever twist to explore – the dynamics are completely different. Mr. Darcy is on his home turf so-to-speak, and his words carry considerable weight. In addition, Elizabeth cannot take solace by openly laughing off his insult and publicly deriding Mr. Darcy’s pomposity to her neighbors. And so the insult ends up causing Elizabeth a lot more grief and consternation. I appreciated how Ms. Reynolds’s explored Elizabeth’s feelings of being lost and unhappy in society. I also loved the creative way she introduced Mr. Gardiner’s rising acclaim and success.

• New Friends: Being branded as “tolerable” exposes Elizabeth to a different experience in society, and wouldn’t you believe she finds a way to make new friends. And because our girl was not formed for ill-humor, she fosters some strong and satisfying friendships. Elizabeth and her friends appear to have such a delightful time together, despite what society at large thinks of them! And that is just a beautiful and important lesson right there.

• Grace and Dignity: Elizabeth continues to be a character worthy of high admiration and esteem. She handles herself beautifully in every situation, and what is even more impressive is she does it alone. While she does have the Gardiners and Jane to lend her a sympathetic ear, she makes her own decisions and takes her own actions every step of the way. Even when presented with such shocking and disappointing situations, her actions felt admirable and authentic. In addition, I love how she does not relent and absolve Mr. Darcy from his actions quickly. I appreciate that he was taught to feel real remorse and regret.

WHAT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER:

• More Courtship: The relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is so damaged, and Elizabeth has more personal reasons to hold Mr. Darcy’s sins against him. Understandably, her feelings for him need to undergo an extensive reversal, as do his. I wish we saw more of that develop on page. Their courtship seemed to mostly be comprised of polite house calls, which were short and summarized.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

📖  Clever, thoughtful, and lively – excellent ingredients for a novella.

👥  A dual POV storyline that explores both the power and the aftermath of unkind words.

💪🏼  Elizabeth proves she is strong and brave enough to handle herself gracefully un any situation.

~~~

Add to Cart   I   Add to Shelf