When Elizabeth Bennet Is A Little Bit Catherine…
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation
TIME FRAME: Begins 5 Years After Mr. Bingley Arrives in Hertfordshire
SYNOPSIS: In this variation, Mr. Darcy doesn’t accompany Mr. Bingley to Netherfield and Mr. Bingley happily marries Jane Bennet. But sadly soon after the birth of their son, they both fall ill from a frightening plague and perish. Elizabeth makes Jane a promise to raise young Charles Bingley as her own, and is happy to do so until an unknown man arrives to town saying he is Charles’s appointed guardian and wants to remove him to Pemberley to be under his sole care. As you might expect, Elizabeth does not allow this to take place without a fervent fight, and ends up being allowed to travel with young Charles and attend him at Pemberley. Elizabeth soon learns there is a lot of mysteries surrounding Charles’s guardian. Where has he been these past 4 years? What happened to his wife? What kind of man is he truly? Is he a dangerous and violent villain? Or is he a kind and generous man beset by tragedy and guilt?
WHAT I LOVED:
- Pemberley Becomes Gothic: Death, darkness, and destruction has entered the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Pemberley, and England as a whole, is not the beatific and flourishing estate we once knew. It is the year without a summer and severe weather has brought perpetual gloom and hardship for many. Between the weather, famine, past tragedies, undiscovered secrets, and a grieving yet taciturn Mr. Darcy – Amy D’Orazio blends together an intriguing array of gothic elements!
- Dramatic Irony: Oh, this was so much fun! I was excessively diverted by the number of times the reader knows something the characters don’t know. Especially when it leads to Elizabeth formulating an assumption that the reader knows is wrong! It gives new tension and excitement for the reader while we wait for the truth (we know) to be revealed! What brilliant use of dramatic irony!!
- Elizabeth: There are so many excellent qualities to admire in this portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. I loved her strength and fortitude – how she strives to make the best of any situation, her curious nature and sharp mind – I definitely forgive her for reading the journal (would have done the same myself), and her compassionate heart – I love her efforts to bring healing or assistance to others. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Elizabeth’s care for and interactions with young Charles. She is all that is sweet and protective with him, and he is adorable in every way.
- In Suspense: Even though the readers know some things Elizabeth doesn’t, we are still left in the dark about other things. And in some cases we know the what, but not the how or why. I love that we don’t know all the answers and how we are kept in suspense. Ms. D’Orazio is quite adept at building tension through suspense and stoking the reader’s curiosity to an intense level!
- Amy D’Orazio Signatures: I love reading Ms. D’Orazio’s works for a variety of reasons – she is a masterful storyteller that weaves together well-conceived plots with exquisite emotional depth. And now that I have read four of her published works I am happy to recognize some “Amy D’Orazio Signatures” that appear in each of them, such as torturously slow reveals, achingly romantic moments between Darcy and Elizabeth, and an appearance from our favorite irreverent and meddlesome rogue, Viscount Saye! *sigh* I deeply love each of these Amy D’Orazio Signatures!
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
- Web Gets A Little Tangled: With so many intriguing elements and plot lines weaving together in this tale, I did feel that some got a little bit tangled. I mostly felt this in the third act where we learn some characters weren’t integral to the story and some maybe needed more page time.
CONCLUSION:
The Mysteries of Pemberley is an enthralling suspenseful tale that beautifully blends together inventive gothic elements with a redeeming romance. Like Elizabeth Bennet, you will have the desire to explore, ruminate, and make assumptions about Mr. Darcy and his estate until each of the mysteries of Pemberley are revealed! I highly recommend!
Don’t you just love Saye? He’s always willing to help! 🙂
I first read this as it was posted, can you imagine having to wait for the next chapter???
Fortunately I now own it so can start, keep reading and finish all at once. 🙂
I love it and I’m glad you did too Meredith.
So much!! That character is brilliant!
Ohh! I don’t know if I could be patient enough to wait in between the chapters!! That must’ve been so hard!!
You picked the right time of year to read Mysteries, Meredith! I’ve read it a couple of times now, and love the gothic elements. I agree with you that Elizabeth is wonderful with little Charles.
Yes I did! I purposefully waited a few months so I could enjoy this book during the spooky season!!
I loved the premise of Elizabeth being in this position to one of Jane’s child.
I also read and enjoyed this story. Great review, again, Meredith.
Thank you, Sheila! So glad to hear you enjoyed this one!
I’ve read this book! I thought it was an interesting twist, though sad with the death of poor Jane and Bingley. Just like Darcy, though, to charge in and make demands he expects to be followed. He did not think at all about the effect on Jane’s family. But Elizabeth showed him, as she always does, and they fell for each other as they always do.
Yes, a sad twist that produces some interesting results! LOL! Darcy and Elizabeth both behaved in their usual ways!!
Intriguing! I have added it to my TBR list!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it as much as Catherine enjoys Udolpho! 😉
Thanks for your review. I very much enjoyed this book!
Thrilled to hear that, Jen! Amy’s stories, like your own, are always a delight!
I always buy Amy’s books so I have it already. Thanks for the review. I can’t wait to read it!
That’s terrific! I hope you get to read and enjoy it soon, Brenda!!
Sounds wonderfully mysterious and gothic — the perfect season for that! Thanks for the excellent review, as always, Meredith.
Yes, indeed!! Thank you so much for stopping by to read my review!
Viscount Saye is my favorite of Amy’s characters. When he enters the page… I sit up and take notice just waiting to see what outrageous or amazing think he will do. I just adore him. Lovely review, as always, Meredith… hello to your Mr. Bingley. Blessings everyone.
Absolutely!!! Every word he utters in entertaining, right?!
I have plans to listen to the audiobook this month. I hope I have a good time with it.
Brilliant! I hope you love it! Happy listening!
I’ve enjoyed all of Amy’s books and her take on this one is just fantastic. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Agreed!! I can’t wait to read her newest book!
I’m so glad you liked this book, Meredith. I can’t say enough good things about it. I read it when it was first posted chapter by chapter and usually with a two-week waiting period…and BOY did she know just how to leave us hanging on a cliff. It was torture. THEN she said repeatedly that she had no plans to publish it! (Stab in the heart!!) Thank goodness she did publish it and I’ve reread it and have the audio book too.
And yes, that delectable Viscount Saye. What an ingenious invention of a new character that everybody loves, and wants desperately to show up in all of her stories. I mean, talk about Book Boyfriend!
Yes, oh yes was this story ever Gothic. And Elizabeth reminded me a couple of times of Catherine Moreland, except the fact that she’s got too many things to deal with that we wouldn’t want to throw at sweet little Catherine M.
Great review, I hope this brings lots of new readers to this book and Amy’s writing.