What if Darcy and Lizzy Were Non-Traditional Students Returning To College?
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
At the ages of 24 and 25, Elizabeth Bennet and Will Darcy are probably the oldest freshmen attending Meryton College this year, and both have had some serious reasons to put getting their degrees on hold. With her mom on a downward spiral and emotionally unstable since her divorce, Elizabeth delayed college to support and take care of her mother. And with his father’s sudden illness following so closely after his mother’s passing, Will Darcy left college to take care of his dying father, assist with running the family company, and look after his younger sister. Of course after a terrible first encounter Will and Elizabeth want nothing to do with each other, but what happens when they both start to feel an undeniable attraction, and their impassioned arguments with each other turn into something more?
Oooh! Such an interesting setting for a modern adaptation, isn’t it? I absolutely love the idea of Darcy and Elizabeth as older college students returning to college with baggage, family trauma, and maturity. And even though their backgrounds and situations are different from each other, it was interesting to see how their ages, more serious natures, and experiences “adulting” place them on some common ground. I enjoyed that this creative angle was not only carefully thought-out and clever, but also well-executed. I really appreciated how Rosalie Stanton reinvented many aspects, characters, and plot events of Pride and Prejudice to fit her story and setting. This story had its own path and direction, and I found the reinvented sequences – like Jane “falling ill” at Netherfield and Wickham’s history with the Darcy family – incredibly inventive and skillfully updated.
My second favorite aspect of this modern adaptation is the author’s reincarnations of Darcy and Elizabeth. I adored their characterization in this story. Elizabeth is brash and argumentative at times; she can be brutally honest and is full of quippy comebacks. But I admire her confidence and fearlessness to speak her mind and her fierce momma-bear protectiveness of Jane. Because of her parents’ messy divorce and the shock of her father’s actions, Elizabeth doesn’t believe in love and has no desire for a relationship of any kind. And it is very hard for her to place her trust in someone else because she doesn’t want to give anyone the power to hurt her again. With these kinds of hang-ups and past experiences, it was interesting to witness her reactions to Will and observe the evolution of her feelings towards him.
And now a paragraph devoted to the über dreaminess that is Will Darcy. *sigh* I really enjoyed this reincarnation of Jane Austen’s most iconic hero. He perhaps isn’t as haughty or prideful as Jane Austen’s character, but he definitely suffers from frequent bouts of foot-in-mouth syndrome. Especially where Elizabeth Bennet is concerned! He has all the admirable qualities of Mr. Darcy – he is responsible, tenderly attached to his sister, and generous towards others, but he also has issues with trust/relationships because most women he encounters want him for his money and name. I loved seeing him constantly get caught off-guard around Elizabeth, and I loved, loved, loved observing his thoughts about Elizabeth, especially when he realizes he is falling love. Talk about melting into a puddle! Did I mention he is incredibly sexy? Oh yeah, reserved and respectable on the outside, but ardently passionate behind closed doors! (smelling salts may be needed, where’s Hill?!)
The unexpected interactions, brilliantly-charged tension, and emotional discoveries between Will and Elizabeth in this story made for a wonderfully riveting and fresh read. But this book may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to the frequent use of strong language and more explicit intimate scenes. I’d recommend previewing the sample on Amazon and reading the full book description to help decide if this is the right book for you.
Sharp, stirring, and sensational – A Higher Education is a perfect choice for readers who love seeing Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in a contemporary setting. Brava to Rosalie Stanton for her praiseworthy, inventive, and skillfully translated adaptation! I sincerely hope we see more Jane Austen inspired works from her in the future!
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GIVEAWAY TIME!
In conjunction with her visit to Austenesque Reviews on Monday, Rosalie brought with her ONE ebook copy and ONE paperback copy of A Higher Education for me to give away to TWO lucky readers!!
To enter this giveaway leave a comment about my review!
- This giveaway is open worldwide (ebook only, US only for paperback). Thank you, Rosalie!
- This giveaway ends July 23rd.
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To double your chances of winning read Rosalie’s guest post from Monday and leave a comment! (If you haven’t already!)
Ooh, the book sounds very intriguing! I love to read anything with Elizabeth and “Will” as the main characters! I think I might have been included in their crowd in a previous life! Thank you so much for the chance to win a copy!
Me too! I found myself missing this Elizabeth and Will after finishing the book, they were lovely together!
The book sounds interesting. Thanks for the review and giveaway.
Thanks for checking out my review!
Fabulous review Meredith! I’m definitely going to read this one. Thanks for the heads up ‘re smelling salts 🙂 I may also find a lace handkerchief to wave and of course wine and chocolate.
I absolutely love a passionate Darcy. This is on my list but I may wait to see if I’m lucky enough to win but maybe not as .com won’t gift books to the UK.
Please don’t enter me in the giveaway. I went to add it to my list but decided to buy it 🙂 🙂
Thank you, Glynis! If you like Cat Gardiner’s books than I think you will like this one! 🙂
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Great review Meredith and has me wondering if I just might take the plunge on this one…you have never steered me wrong yet on ‘new authors to me’ and I like that we still have all the sisters included in the book (whether they are actual ‘sisters’ or friends). As it is such a great price up here on Amazon, I will buy it. Don’t enter me in the giveaway!
Thank you, Carole! 😉
Yes, I didn’t even talk about the other characters in this book, but they are all friends not sisters, which created an interesting twist. Georgiana is featured nicely too, although she does have some shocking habits when it comes to language. 😉
I hope I continued my good track record with one. 😉
I always like a smart, contemporary retelling and this sounds terrific!
I definitely though it was smart! 😉 I like when authors update things in a clever way.
Fantastic review, Meredith! With such praises I need to read it! 😉
Thank you, Maria! I do appreciate you checking it out!
I just borrowed this from KU and it will probably be my next read. It does sound interesting. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to read about this Darcy, Meredith. You certainly made me drool there.
Oh I hope you have the same reactions to him I did! 🙂
Mmhmm. This is SO getting added to my To Read list. I’m a sucker for college stories anyway, and the idea of older-than-traditional-students for Elizabeth and Darcy is like … perfect. And this Darcy? Um, Meredith … what are you doing to me??? 😉 hahaha … He sounds amazing.
LOL! I thought he was! I hope you do too! I like that the author didn’t make him too unlikable in the first half the book.
An incredible review, Meredith; I’ve rarely seen such a glowing review!!! 😀
Congratulations, Rosalie, for writing such a powerful modern adaptation of P&P; I’m crossing my fingers and hoping hard to win a copy!!!!! 😀
I am really, really excited about this book!!!!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Oh that makes me nervous! I hope I didn’t go overboard!
I guess I really appreciate all the original touches the author gave to her modern adaptation. 😉
I am intrigued by this modern version. Wonderful post. Thank you for the giveaway.
Thanks for reading my review, Becky! Best of luck in the giveaway!
I enjoyed this greatly and would love to read this novel. Many thanks for this great giveaway.
Best of luck in the giveaway, Anne! 🙂
Best of luck to Rosalie on her foray into the world of JAFF. Your review is super compelling, Meredith. Great post.
Thanks for reading my review, Michelle! I so appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
This sounds so good. I love it when an author manages to get events from the original but in a modern way. And an uber sexy Darcy? Yes please!
Thank you for the review. I had wondered how Elizabeth and Darcy managed to be older college students and how that would work out. Glad to see her parents are divorced but what are Mr. Bennet’s actions? Your description of Darcy is dream worthy. Thanks for the giveaway.
Oh, this sounds like a great read. I don’t mind intimate scenes as long as there is an emotional growth between the characters. I must add this book to my list. Thank you for an excellent recommendation, Meredith.
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to read!
Darn, I missed the giveaway by one day! This sounds like a very intriguing book, I will have to add it to my ever-growing want list at Amason!