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agnesperdita's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lifeand100books's review
5.0
Mary Lydon Simonsen, author of Searching for Pemberley and The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, is back with yet another opportunity for us to wander down that “what if” path with our favorite Pride and Prejudice characters: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. This time, our variation begs the question: what if, after Mr. Darcy made that terrible “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” comment, he goes to apologize to Elizabeth and beg her forgiveness instead of never addressing it? We find out in A Wife for Mr. Darcy, Simonsen’s third P&P fan fiction novel.
Our story opens with Mr. Darcy heading to Longbourn to make his apologies for the dreadful comment he made about Elizabeth at the previous night’s assembly. It is here in the Longbourn sitting room that Darcy gets to truly meet lively, witty, beautiful Elizabeth Bennet. Completely shocked by how she is able to draw him out of his taciturn nature, Darcy begins to realize that she is unlike any female he has ever met. As Jane and Bingley spend more time together, so do Elizabeth and Darcy. The two flourish in each other’s company, and they quickly realize that they have feelings for each other. Darcy, however, finds that he cannot voice his true feelings for Elizabeth due to the duty he feels he owes his family to marry and have a male heir. Due to an entailment upon Pemberley, it’s impossible for Georgiana to be given the estate. Therefore Darcy must have a male heir. As such, he begins showing a favor for Miss Morton prior to his trip to Netherfield. Now upon meeting and falling in love with Elizabeth, he is struck with following his heart or following what he knows to be his duty. Even though his courting of Miss Morton had not been going on long, he felt that ending the relationship abruptly would hurt Georgiana’s chances at a proper marriage. Will he be able to untangle himself from the loveless courtship he’s begun with Miss Morton and take his rightful place at Elizabeth’s side as he dreams?
Simonsen is a master at getting her readers to feel the emotions that her characters are feeling. For most of the book, I felt the angst that Darcy was feeling when trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. I felt Elizabeth’s depression, as she realized she loved Darcy, and also realized that he could never marry her due to her low social standing and lack of wealth. Simonsen’s descriptive prose flows from page to page, as you become engulfed in the emotions of her storytelling. It’s a fantastic reading experience, one I get from reading every one of book of hers.
It always amazes me how variation authors are able to create such completely different storylines just by changing one small piece of the plot. You would think that with the drastically changing plot you would get dramatically altered characters. Surprise! You don’t. I think if Austen were able to read Simonsen’s work, she would definitely approve of the new directions that her beloved characters are taking. While Austen purists might not enjoy the new plot, I think even they would be satisfied with the characterizations of the characters.
You’re definitely going to want to add this emotional rollercoaster of a book to your “to read” pile. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://austenprose.com/2011/07/03/a-wife-for-mr-darcy-by-mary-lydon-simonsen-%e2%80%93-a-review/
Our story opens with Mr. Darcy heading to Longbourn to make his apologies for the dreadful comment he made about Elizabeth at the previous night’s assembly. It is here in the Longbourn sitting room that Darcy gets to truly meet lively, witty, beautiful Elizabeth Bennet. Completely shocked by how she is able to draw him out of his taciturn nature, Darcy begins to realize that she is unlike any female he has ever met. As Jane and Bingley spend more time together, so do Elizabeth and Darcy. The two flourish in each other’s company, and they quickly realize that they have feelings for each other. Darcy, however, finds that he cannot voice his true feelings for Elizabeth due to the duty he feels he owes his family to marry and have a male heir. Due to an entailment upon Pemberley, it’s impossible for Georgiana to be given the estate. Therefore Darcy must have a male heir. As such, he begins showing a favor for Miss Morton prior to his trip to Netherfield. Now upon meeting and falling in love with Elizabeth, he is struck with following his heart or following what he knows to be his duty. Even though his courting of Miss Morton had not been going on long, he felt that ending the relationship abruptly would hurt Georgiana’s chances at a proper marriage. Will he be able to untangle himself from the loveless courtship he’s begun with Miss Morton and take his rightful place at Elizabeth’s side as he dreams?
Simonsen is a master at getting her readers to feel the emotions that her characters are feeling. For most of the book, I felt the angst that Darcy was feeling when trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. I felt Elizabeth’s depression, as she realized she loved Darcy, and also realized that he could never marry her due to her low social standing and lack of wealth. Simonsen’s descriptive prose flows from page to page, as you become engulfed in the emotions of her storytelling. It’s a fantastic reading experience, one I get from reading every one of book of hers.
It always amazes me how variation authors are able to create such completely different storylines just by changing one small piece of the plot. You would think that with the drastically changing plot you would get dramatically altered characters. Surprise! You don’t. I think if Austen were able to read Simonsen’s work, she would definitely approve of the new directions that her beloved characters are taking. While Austen purists might not enjoy the new plot, I think even they would be satisfied with the characterizations of the characters.
You’re definitely going to want to add this emotional rollercoaster of a book to your “to read” pile. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://austenprose.com/2011/07/03/a-wife-for-mr-darcy-by-mary-lydon-simonsen-%e2%80%93-a-review/
blodeuedd's review
3.0
More 3.75
My thoughts:
Yes I am back with another variation and this one is actually one of the best ones I have read. I really fell for this story and perhaps it was because things worked out so well.
This is a bit different in the aspect that Mr Darcy is looking for a bride and has settled on a fine young lady with noble blood. He is courting her now and then, since he is not that taken by her. It is just a duty but a duty that must be fulfilled. Until the day he meets Elizabeth. Here the book begins with him coming over to say that he is sorry for that famous comment who she was not pretty enough. So instead they flirt and become friendly and by doing that many other things do not happen. But the big cloud over their happiness is that he knows he must let her go since he is an honourable man and he will not let down the woman he is courting.
Yes I know! Horrible! Mr Darcy, noooo! He should not court another woman *sobs* but he is also so incredibly nice so he can't let her down when her hopes are up and all of London know they will wed. I have to respect him for that. I could not wait to see what happened and how he got out of this mess. Lizzy did of course find out too and got a bit mad after they met again, as was her right. I shall not tell you how it works out but come on, this is a PP variation so of course Lizzy and Darcy will get married, be happily ever after and get lots of cute babies in that awesome mansion.
The rest then, Bingley and Jane were sweet as always. Lydia has her story and I will not tell you that end. Mr Collins is an idiot as always, Georgiana has a bigger role and is really nice and wants only happiness for her brother. We also meet Colonel Fitzwilliam's brother who is a real scoundrel, but a loving one.
Conclusion:
This is the Pride and Prejudice variation to read. It was sweet and wonderful, just like a nice desert that you just savour. And it will bring a smile to your face.
Rating:
Good
My thoughts:
Yes I am back with another variation and this one is actually one of the best ones I have read. I really fell for this story and perhaps it was because things worked out so well.
This is a bit different in the aspect that Mr Darcy is looking for a bride and has settled on a fine young lady with noble blood. He is courting her now and then, since he is not that taken by her. It is just a duty but a duty that must be fulfilled. Until the day he meets Elizabeth. Here the book begins with him coming over to say that he is sorry for that famous comment who she was not pretty enough. So instead they flirt and become friendly and by doing that many other things do not happen. But the big cloud over their happiness is that he knows he must let her go since he is an honourable man and he will not let down the woman he is courting.
Yes I know! Horrible! Mr Darcy, noooo! He should not court another woman *sobs* but he is also so incredibly nice so he can't let her down when her hopes are up and all of London know they will wed. I have to respect him for that. I could not wait to see what happened and how he got out of this mess. Lizzy did of course find out too and got a bit mad after they met again, as was her right. I shall not tell you how it works out but come on, this is a PP variation so of course Lizzy and Darcy will get married, be happily ever after and get lots of cute babies in that awesome mansion.
The rest then, Bingley and Jane were sweet as always. Lydia has her story and I will not tell you that end. Mr Collins is an idiot as always, Georgiana has a bigger role and is really nice and wants only happiness for her brother. We also meet Colonel Fitzwilliam's brother who is a real scoundrel, but a loving one.
Conclusion:
This is the Pride and Prejudice variation to read. It was sweet and wonderful, just like a nice desert that you just savour. And it will bring a smile to your face.
Rating:
Good
kimal25's review
3.0
I liked this book for the premise more than the actual story. having mr. Darcy already involved in a courtship when he starts to fall for Elizabeth sounds like a good premise yes. However in reality the characterization of all of the major players was not what I expected. Bingley, Jane, Elizabeth, Darcy and others were not true to their actual characterization. The only character that was acting herself was Lydia and perhaps mrs. Bennet. for me this greatly took away from the actual story and had me cringing at times because I felt it could have been done better. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy the storyline because I still did. Georgianna, Lord Fitzwilliam, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne were still quite enjoyable. I love reading variations Pride and Prejudice so I did still enjoy it.
clarabooksit's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
mrsdarcy1813's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
1.0
serenaac's review
4.0
A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen continues the slew of Pride & Prejudice spinoffs and continuations coming from Sourcebooks. In this version, Simonsen explores what may have happened had Mr. Darcy apologized to Elizabeth Bennet after the Meryton Assembly for calling her beauty only tolerable. Would the connection between them be as strong? Would Lizzy and Darcy cast aside their assumptions and simply enjoy one another’s company? But what if Darcy also had been seen in the company of another young lady in London and her father had political plans following the match? All of these questions are explored and more.
Simonsens writing is as close to Austen’s as you can get, but it is modern at the same time, with sexual intimacy talked about, but never shown explicitly. The wit of Austen is here as well, though with a more modern sensibility. Readers will enjoy this creative exploration of these characters, the introduction of new characters, like Sir John Montford and his daughter Letitia and Bingley’s older sister and her brood the Crenshaws. One of the most amusing scenes in the novel is when Jane takes on the task of taming the savagery of the Crenshaw children, who are prepared to survive any apocalypse.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/07/a-wife-for-mr-darcy-by-mary-lydon-simonsen.html
Simonsens writing is as close to Austen’s as you can get, but it is modern at the same time, with sexual intimacy talked about, but never shown explicitly. The wit of Austen is here as well, though with a more modern sensibility. Readers will enjoy this creative exploration of these characters, the introduction of new characters, like Sir John Montford and his daughter Letitia and Bingley’s older sister and her brood the Crenshaws. One of the most amusing scenes in the novel is when Jane takes on the task of taming the savagery of the Crenshaw children, who are prepared to survive any apocalypse.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/07/a-wife-for-mr-darcy-by-mary-lydon-simonsen.html
isalavinia's review against another edition
2.0
I have to say, I was ready to give this book 3 stars for most of its reading, but the last third of it...
Throughout the whole book there were innumerous historical inaccuracies, to be fair the plot was engaging enough to allow me to, if not completely ignore them, tolerate them.
The dialogue, for the most part, was witty and engaging. It was actually the book's strongest point. And had it kept at that for its entirety it would have been a solid 3 stars.
But the last 3rd...The plot was quickly solved in the most anticlimactic way, and with its resolution most of the dialogue went from witty to sappy. The most saccharine, drippy love letters and declarations, and dull descriptions of things that had no point at all, since the plot was pretty much finished. And let me tell you, once the witty dialogue disappeared, all those historical inaccuracies were all I could see.
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