4 stars I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, and since it’s a Pride & Prejudice-based story, I was excited to read it. It differs greatly from the original, and ties itself to its inspirations by including characters with the same names as the original. Beyond that, there is very little similarity to the original. Truthfully, I enjoyed the story and I thought the writing was good, but I'd have preferred if the Pride & Prejudice connection were forgotten altogether. It’s a good story on its own. Elizabeth Bennett is employed as a governess, since her family fell on hard times after her father’s death. She turned down marriage to her father’s heir, Mr. Collins. This would have allowed her family to continue living in the home where they’d grown up, but she couldn’t stand the idea, so her family was forced to live off the generosity of other relations. Feeling guilty, she left to become a governess. This background portion of the story sounded extremely familiar to me, since she refers to her friend who decided to marry Mr. Collins instead. There are a few other tidbits that made me think I must have read another book in this series, but if I did, it was so long ago that I didn’t write a review. At the beginning of the story, the handsy son of her employer tries to corner her and ends up falling down the stairs and breaking his leg. Naturally, his mother assumes Elizabeth tried to seduce him and immediately discharges her from her position. Colonel Fitzwilliam, also visiting the house, speaks out on her behalf, but the woman refuses to listen. He decides to take Elizabeth with him for the Christmas holidays to visit his family and tells her she can meet his family and he’s certain she’ll receive a glowing referral from his mother. Meanwhile, we meet Mr. Darcy, the widower who will be hosting the guests at his home. He immediately falls for Elizabeth, but the colonel’s letter led him to believe they are betrothed so he quashes his feelings. At the same time, Elizabeth develops feelings for him, but feels he is above her station so she tries to keep her distance. It’s actually a fun story that reminded me more of a Shakespearean comedy of errors than a Jane Austen novel. To me, it had a Midsummer Night’s Dream flavor to it. Everything that the colonel tells his mother and his cousin, Mr. Darcy only reinforces their impression that he has promised himself to Elizabeth, and everything she says serves to confirm that. Of course, the reader knows the misunderstanding that is taking place, and it is compounded by the fact that Mr. Darcy’s younger sister is enamored with the colonel, and keeps trying to gain his attention. And naturally, there’s a young woman valiantly, and annoyingly, vying to receive a proposal from Mr. Darcy. There are a few other couples with potential romances happening in the background, but it’s really about Elizabeth, Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Georgiana, Darcy’s sister. I really liked it. I just don’t think it’s a retelling of Pride & Prejudice. I thought the ending became a bit overlong and didactic, with everyone making verbose speeches, but there was one quote earlier in the book that I thought was great. Darcy and Elizabeth determine that “Together we will disprove the naysayers who do not understand happiness does not come from expectations of its arrival, but rather from the acceptance of the delight in its timely appearance.” July 10, 2022
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September 2022
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