What If Elizabeth Behaved As Imprudently As Lydia And Paid the Price?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Gift from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

THE PREMISE: An unloved and unregulated Elizabeth Bennet becomes tangled in a compromising position and an unexpected marriage at the young age of sixteen. Her life veers off into a path that she never expected it to as her days are full of household chores, fretting about money, and tending to her children single-handedly. But what happens when her life takes another drastic change in course…

MY THOUGHTS:

This outside-of-canon Pride and Prejudice variation is full of some dramatic deviations! There are only two Bennet sisters, Jane and Elizabeth; Mr. Bennet – in addition to being cruel and beyond negligent – drinks excessively; and Mrs. Bennet, who abandons her family at a young age, has very little maternal feelings or responsibilities. Other interesting changes include the Fitzwilliam family. Lord and Lady Broxbourne reside in Hertfordshire and are neighbors to the Bennets. And even though their son, James, is a childhood friend of Elizabeth and Jane, the Fitzwilliams despise the scandalous and uncouth Bennet family as a whole.

The originality of this Pride and Prejudice variation is most striking. Some might lament that there isn’t much that resembles or parallels Jane Austen’s story or characters. But I personally love it when authors take bold liberties and employ innovative alterations with these characters as Michelle Ray did in There You Were. Yet, aside from all the provocative changes and enthralling twists, what I appreciated most about this premise is the connection to Jane Austen’s Lydia Bennet. Elizabeth is Lydia in this story. Her story closely parallels Lydia’s in P&P – the parental neglect, the unchecked behaviors, the high animal spirits, the patched-up business of her marriage. Such a thought-provoking parallel to explore. Will readers pass judgment and condemn Elizabeth the same way they do Lydia, or does she engage more of our sympathies and compassion…

The hardships Elizabeth endures in this story are heart-wrenching and sometimes painful to witness. This is a Pride and Prejudice variation that truly displays the realities of marrying imprudently – without money or familial support – during the Regency Era. For all the romance we love to imagine and wish for, the circumstances we witness in this story bring new understanding to why characters like Charlotte Lucas and John Willoughby chose to marry for other reasons than love. But I am happy to say for us incurable romantics – this story also displays the discovery of a liberating and all-consuming love. The type of love that has been absent for all of Elizabeth’s life. I love how this relationship developed – so gentle yet so powerful, so simple yet so substantial, so fraught with obstacles yet so destined. The author paced and evolved this relationship perfectly.

While I am greatly endeared to Elizabeth and constantly admired her resilience through such a journey, there were a few times where I wish the reader could learn more about what was going on with the other characters. I wouldn’t have minded knowing some of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s dark broodings and internal struggles or Mr. Darcy’s thoughts about his first marriage and blossoming regard for Elizabeth. Since this was a first-person POV, maybe some more forthright exchanges might have helped fill in these characters’ journeys.

There You Were is a heartrendingly honest yet inspiring tale about neglect, dysfunctional families, and learning to shoulder your own burdens no matter how impossible. I completely loved the novelty of this tragic premise, the author’s daring and creative insight, and the emotional connections that were so easy to establish with these characters. What a magnificent debut, Michelle Ray! Please write some more!

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