What Happens When Some P&P Characters Discover There Is No Tomorrow?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation

THE PREMISE: It is six days before the Netherfield Ball and Elizabeth Bennet is stuck repeating the same day over and over. And she is not the only one… Believing that the key to escaping this inexplicable loop lies with improving/fixing the relationships/situations of those around them, Elizabeth and her fellow “Groundhoggers” try day after day to solve this intricate puzzle. But what if the solution has more to do with their own relationships with each other?

WHAT I LOVED:

• Clever and Inventive: This is such a fun scenario to implement! And I thought the timing of it and the fact that it involved more than one character very unique. It was interesting to see how this new twist impacted certain relationships and altered the natural progression of the events in P&P. In addition, I enjoyed the mystique behind the strange phenomena of the day repeating – was it caused by something or someone at market day?

• Trapped Together: While Elizabeth was entertaining enough trying to solve this puzzle on her own, things became much more diverting when Elizabeth realized that others were trapped as well. It was interesting to see the new paths these relationships took when these characters were forced to work together and began to see each other in a new light. I especially enjoyed the moments where they would behave either playfully or rashly – since they were knew that tomorrow didn’t exist (at least not yet!).

• Colonel Fitzwilliam and Caroline Bingley: I loved seeing Colonel Fitzwilliam become inveigled in the time loop puzzle. His bluntness and playfulness were great fun to see, but I also loved witnessing him falling in love. It turns out he can be just as ardent as Mr. Darcy! In addition, Caroline Bingley’s evolution in this tale was quite a pleasant surprise. I love that she was still a little prickly, even after putting aside her ambitious and haughty attitude.

• Happy Incidents: Some moments in this story brought unexpected joy – like the amusing scenes where a couple had to “pretend” to be engaged to each other for a day and how our “Groundhoggers” would purposefully provoke or manipulate each other. And some were heart-touching – like seeing Elizabeth focus her attention on one of her more neglected sisters or learning that a very unlikely Bennet won the regard of Georgiana Darcy for the tenderest of reasons. These little touches evoked such warmth and joy into the story.

• A Very Satisfying Ending: All’s well that ends well, and in true Austen and Shakespearean fashion there is an abundance of happy unions coming together. But what I might have loved most was the surprise twist that was revealed just at the very end – pure brilliance!

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Pacing: Not sure how much this could be helped, but the first half of the book when the days were repeating in great detail felt a little slow moving and redundant. But this eventually shifted later in the book when new story arcs were introduced and there was more brisk action taking place. I wouldn’t have minded some of the beginning being lop’t and crop’t a little and more page time devoted to the expanded plot towards the end.

• A Lot to Weave In: POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! Aside from the time loop dilemma and Elizabeth’s experiences repeating the same day, this tale also includes some new histories and twists for the characters from Netherfield and a big new storyline for George Wickham. While I liked the creativity of this new Wickham storyline, it was so involved (and the family tree so intertwined) that it maybe felt like it was just a tad too much or too complex. In addition, it seemed like the George Wickham of the first half of the book was completely incongruous to the George Wickham of the second half. Maybe this storyline deserve its own book.

CONCLUSION:

Full of chaos, capers, and clever twists Madness in Meryton by Jayne Bamber is a most diverting and unique Pride and Prejudice adventure. Readers will love getting caught up in this inexplicable time loop and observing the stirring blend of confusion, strong emotions, comedy and romance in this tale. I recommend!

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