Reviews tagging 'Acephobia/Arophobia'

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

1 review

purplepenning's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

What an absolutely lovely surprise! I've read a fair few Austen retellings — some in contemporary settings, some with diverse or inclusive characters, some with murder mysteries (take that Wickam!), some with dragons, etc. The hardest bit always seems to be keeping enough of the classic beats and characterizations while allowing room for new directions and developments without making the narrative feel too contrived and contorted. Most Ardently walked the line nearly perfectly, with ingeniously redirected plot points and thoughtful emotional truths. 

And what emotional truths! A queer, trans, historical, coming of age, coming out story beautifully handled by a transmasculine author familiar with the history and conventions of the time. Were many of those conventions historically unfair to women and was that a blind spot in this story? Perhaps a bit of nearsightedness there, yes, but every story has a scope, and the sexism of the time was acknowledged if not satisfactorily addressed in this one. (And let's be fair: that nod to discontent is very much in keeping with the original.)  

If I have one criticism, it's that I wanted a bit more emotional depth and development from the Oliver-Wickam-Darcy situation.

More misplaced infatuation, more arch Lizzie Bennet-style disapproval, a more poignant revelation of error, maybe more pining and ardent feelings though the kissing scenes were quite nice.

). But again: scope and length constraints are real. I would never consider a YA novel "less than" (easier reading can require much harder writing) but I also wouldn't expect a YA adaptation to be quite as long or heavy as the original, and the page real estate here was well spent on conveying the joys and struggles of Oliver's life and trans experience.

To conclude a ramble: I would highly recommend this to historical fiction/period piece fans and readers wanting to gain perspective and empathy for trans experiences. It was a pleasure to read and I finished it in a single day.

Also, I can't believe this is the NINTH installment in the Remixed Classics series and the first that I've read — despite having several others on my TBR without knowing they were part of the same series. Guess I'll be remedying that!     

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Sexism, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy

From the author's note: "Most Ardently" is Oliver's story, and in some ways it was mine as well. You'll find in these pages a trans boy who has not yet come out to his family navigating a rigidly cis-heteronormative society. The nature of this story means that Oliver's deadname is used repeatedly, he frequently experiences dysphoria, and his is misgendered by characters in the book (though never by the narrative). For many of us, these are wounds that can be painful to revisit, so while I did my best to broach these difficult moments with empathy, you know what you can handle best.