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mjmbecky's review
4.0
This retelling and modernization of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely a unique and different twist on the original story. While the characters and outline of the plot are there, rife with misunderstandings and romance, this storyline is much different. For one, it starts off in Vietnam where Elizabeth is a doctor and Darcy has arrived with his friend Charles to help their friends adopt a baby at an orphanage that Jane helps run. The two sisters immediately assume that Charles and Darcy are a gay couple who have come to adopt, but who wish it to remain quiet. Elizabeth can't then come to grips with her attraction for Darcy, nor his apparent attraction to her? The two do eventually work out the truth, as in the original tale--minus this new little twist. Their time together then becomes a roller-coaster ride of romantic misunderstandings and outside interferences.
I did find this retelling interesting and new. Some of the issues in their romantic relationship seemed a bit silly at times, such as Elizabeth's "virginity" issue. I've always felt that some sexual tension or scenes played out in the pages of these retellinngs aren't necessarily out of place, as they are a more modern look at a normal adult relationship, but sometimes I have to giggle a bit at how they are included in the story. I'm not convinced that with all else that was going on in the story that it needed to be such a focal point. I definitely loved the tension that was created through these characters' misunderstandings and think that Benneton created an interesting tale to surround our favorite P&P characters.
Overall, I would say that if you're a fan of Austen retellings and modernizations, then definitely give Benneton's book a read. It is unique and full of action that will keep you flipping pages to see how they work them all out. All around, a thoroughly entertaining read.
I did find this retelling interesting and new. Some of the issues in their romantic relationship seemed a bit silly at times, such as Elizabeth's "virginity" issue. I've always felt that some sexual tension or scenes played out in the pages of these retellinngs aren't necessarily out of place, as they are a more modern look at a normal adult relationship, but sometimes I have to giggle a bit at how they are included in the story. I'm not convinced that with all else that was going on in the story that it needed to be such a focal point. I definitely loved the tension that was created through these characters' misunderstandings and think that Benneton created an interesting tale to surround our favorite P&P characters.
Overall, I would say that if you're a fan of Austen retellings and modernizations, then definitely give Benneton's book a read. It is unique and full of action that will keep you flipping pages to see how they work them all out. All around, a thoroughly entertaining read.
thereallilycooper's review
4.0
As a fellow Jane Austen fan, I quite enjoyed this rewrite of the classic. at times it could be awkward and used various word choice and language for certain actions which was probably unnecessary. However it was a cute story and a fun read.
melarsen57's review
3.0
This one is closer to a 4. I usually am not of big fan of modern adaptations but this one was very fun. The author's interpretation of the various characters and their quirks was wonderful!!! I recommend this one!
juliaogden's review
1.0
This. Is. The. Worst. Woosh. The only similarities between P&P and this book are character names. The essence of Austen is nowhere to be found. I chose it for escapism, but even then it was roundly disappointing. This book convinces me anything can get published.
englerc's review
1.0
I wanted to like this, and managed to actually finish it, but it really wasn't worth the effort. The writing was not great, almost juvenile in the author's habit of telling-not-showing. As another reviewer wrote, this read like bad fanfiction. Would not recommend it, and am glad I only got it from the library.
katiebeesbooks's review
1.0
Worst retelling of a Jane Austen novel EVER! Stay as far away from this book as you possibly can. I find it very hard to believe the author even calls herself a Jane Austen fan. It didn't bother me that they made Lizzy American, or that Darcy was OCD about germs. Even the misunderstanding about Darcy and Bingley in the beginning was interesting. But I'm sorry, the liberties she took with Lady Catherine and Anne were borderline ridiculous. Georgiana was family to her too. Yes, Lady Catherine is rude (among other things), but as a Jane Austen fan I honestly believe she would have never have done anything like that to Georgiana. Not only because she's family, but because she didn't want to face the wrath of Darcy. Hopefully this author doesn't have any plans to screw up any other Jane Austen novels. Retellings can be done well, this just isn't one of them.
reader_fictions's review
2.0
As is perhaps unsurprising, I find Jane Austen inspired fiction to be largely disappointing. I mean, what could ever hope to compare to her original work? Still, I do not give up hope and continue to add every single book written about her characters or her to my reading list.
Compulsively Mr. Darcy is, overall, pretty fun and takes a fairly unique view of the characters and the plot. The opening scenes really captivated me, although, I must admit, that that had more to do with the setting (Da Nang in Vietnam) than anything else. I went to Vietnam during college, so I've actually been to Da Nang. I recognize the descriptions of the traffic, the spiny fruit Bingley eats in the first chapter, and some of the social rules herein described. That part was awesome.
I also thought it was pretty cool how Darcy's perfection was reenvisioned as a sever compulsive disorder. That fits so well with our overly diagnosed and medicated modern lifestyle. Charles Bingley, too, suffers from a modern problem: ADHD.
While I was initially impressed by Elizabeth's career as a doctor, I quickly became disheartened. Despite the author's constant assertions that Elizabeth is highly intelligent and respected in her field, it's hard to see her as anything but a ditz. She is such a bonehead, both in her assumptions about people and situations, and in her way of speaking. What doctor would forget to wear a condom before being tested (and what OCD person for that matter)?
All of the characters of the novel are here, in one form or another, but they are all quite different, and there are some new folks as well. I would argue that Darcy is perhaps the least changed. The Jane of this book is much more Lizzy than Lizzy, which was actually kind of interesting to see. Wickham is here, but he doesn't get to be the big bad of the story, a change I found to be rather refreshing, especially since Lydia got to be slightly different for once. Oh, and, for some strange reason, there's a crossover, because a couple of characters from Sense and Sensibility make cameo appearances.
What I liked least was all the romance novel type sex going on. Normally, this wouldn't bother me. I mean, who doesn't want to live vicariously through fictional characters? However, these scenes were not doing it for me at all. I also didn't especially like that Elizabeth was a virgin at 28, while Darcy got to be a crazy party animal in the past. What the heck, double standard?!?! The one cool thing about their relationship was that Benneton (I'm guessing this is a pen name) completely changed up the timeline. However, their romance is definitely as cheesily romantic as this song.
One more awkward thing about this novel was that it did that confusing thing where it couldn't decide whether to retell a story or just happen to have characters of the same names as those in a book do the same things. That wasn't clear. In the book, there are numerous references to the BBC productions of P&P. This is highly odd, as it seems to imply that these people just happen to have the same names as the characters but not to have noticed. This is a bad thing to do in fiction; I would also like the writers for the recent Get Smart movie to make note of this.
So yeah, if you're a romance fan, you'll probably like this, and as Austen-inspired books go, it's not too bad. There are some clever, amusing things here and it is a quick read.
Compulsively Mr. Darcy is, overall, pretty fun and takes a fairly unique view of the characters and the plot. The opening scenes really captivated me, although, I must admit, that that had more to do with the setting (Da Nang in Vietnam) than anything else. I went to Vietnam during college, so I've actually been to Da Nang. I recognize the descriptions of the traffic, the spiny fruit Bingley eats in the first chapter, and some of the social rules herein described. That part was awesome.
I also thought it was pretty cool how Darcy's perfection was reenvisioned as a sever compulsive disorder. That fits so well with our overly diagnosed and medicated modern lifestyle. Charles Bingley, too, suffers from a modern problem: ADHD.
While I was initially impressed by Elizabeth's career as a doctor, I quickly became disheartened. Despite the author's constant assertions that Elizabeth is highly intelligent and respected in her field, it's hard to see her as anything but a ditz. She is such a bonehead, both in her assumptions about people and situations, and in her way of speaking. What doctor would forget to wear a condom before being tested (and what OCD person for that matter)?
All of the characters of the novel are here, in one form or another, but they are all quite different, and there are some new folks as well. I would argue that Darcy is perhaps the least changed. The Jane of this book is much more Lizzy than Lizzy, which was actually kind of interesting to see. Wickham is here, but he doesn't get to be the big bad of the story, a change I found to be rather refreshing, especially since Lydia got to be slightly different for once. Oh, and, for some strange reason, there's a crossover, because a couple of characters from Sense and Sensibility make cameo appearances.
What I liked least was all the romance novel type sex going on. Normally, this wouldn't bother me. I mean, who doesn't want to live vicariously through fictional characters? However, these scenes were not doing it for me at all. I also didn't especially like that Elizabeth was a virgin at 28, while Darcy got to be a crazy party animal in the past. What the heck, double standard?!?! The one cool thing about their relationship was that Benneton (I'm guessing this is a pen name) completely changed up the timeline. However, their romance is definitely as cheesily romantic as this song.
One more awkward thing about this novel was that it did that confusing thing where it couldn't decide whether to retell a story or just happen to have characters of the same names as those in a book do the same things. That wasn't clear. In the book, there are numerous references to the BBC productions of P&P. This is highly odd, as it seems to imply that these people just happen to have the same names as the characters but not to have noticed. This is a bad thing to do in fiction; I would also like the writers for the recent Get Smart movie to make note of this.
So yeah, if you're a romance fan, you'll probably like this, and as Austen-inspired books go, it's not too bad. There are some clever, amusing things here and it is a quick read.
glamafonic's review
2.0
I actually hella enjoyed like 80% of this book, BUT it is so side-eye worthy on so many different levels that I could never ever, in good conscience, recommend anyone else read it.
WE ALL LIKE SHITTY THINGS SOMETIMES IDK
WE ALL LIKE SHITTY THINGS SOMETIMES IDK
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