Accepting Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Jane GrixMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rating would actually be 3 1/2 stars.
Accepting Mr. Darcy was a short variation on P&P. The concept has been done before - Elizabeth learns her father is ill and dying. Therefore, when Darcy proposes at Hunsford she immediately accepts him and they become engaged. What made this one different for me, both good and bad, was the lack of external emotion attached to this change.
Darcy is very happy about the proposal and wants to take Elizabeth in his arms and kiss her passionately, but he doesn't. Elizabeth still dislikes Darcy and is simply marrying him for his money. However, her lack of enthusiasm is not obvious, as both of them are being very proper and are maintaining their composure.
What I like about this is how it in many ways matches the original. Elizabeth held back her negative opinion of Darcy such that he assumed she liked him and was anticipating his proposal. Darcy held back his passion for Elizabeth hoping to prevent any expectations of an offer. Unfortunately, he succeeded so well that she had no idea it was even a possibility. So, for the two of them to very sedately arrange to marry in this version actually makes complete sense given just the one change in circumstances: Mr. Bennet's imminent death.
We know in the original that once Darcy and Elizabeth start communicating, they quickly fall in love and resolve all of their miscommunication. Unfortunately for our couple, in this version Darcy overhears Lydia comment on Elizabeth's dislike of Darcy. He confronts Elizabeth with what he heard and she, although gently, basically confirms for him that she accepted him for his fortune. Instead of resolving their miscommunication, this now creates it, as Elizabeth is interested in developing a good relationship with her husband once this issue has been uncovered, while Darcy is hurt and backs away.
The resolution of this problem occurs as Darcy and Elizabeth find they need each other and begin to comfort each other during difficult times. This is a bit rushed, but feels natural enough. However, here is the part of liking it and not liking it for the same reason. It just feels like the couple reason everything out. I guess I was wanting a little bit more romance. I feel like the length of this version is what prevented the author from providing opportunities for our couple to fall in love.
But, to be fair to the author, I really loved her characterizations of Elizabeth and Darcy. Darcy has a very dry sense of humor and you can see why Elizabeth finds him attractive. Elizabeth very quickly determines she is not going to cry and fret over the misunderstanding she has with her husband. Yes, she married him for his fortune, but he loved her. She is going to be the woman he fell in love with and work to create a close and happy marriage. She pushes to make sure they are the "mutual help and support" mentioned in the wedding ceremony. I also enjoyed Bingley reminding Darcy about the "with my body I thee worship" aspect, too!
I would love to see what others think of this story to see if I am the only one torn between loving and disliking the same aspect. Overall, I would recommend Accepting Mr. Darcy, as it is at least an intriguing story. I just wish it had been longer.
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Insightful review, Barb. I can see how they were constrained to act a certain way by the social customs of the day, but I can also see how a reader would want some swoony moments, too.
ReplyDeleteI have not read this but your review certainly tells me exactly what to expect so if I know that there is no romance going in I can't complain. Thanks for a review with clear words about the premise.
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