Scan barcode
booksthatburn's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
MOST ARDENTLY is a retelling of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, where Oliver is a trans boy whose family still thinks his name is Elizabeth. When he meets Darcy originally, Oliver is dressed as a girl and the other boy is very dismissive of him. A day or so later, he's at a local fair as himself and ends up spending the day with Darcy and Bingley. As the two sides of his life collide, soon he has to choose whether to declare himself or to let nefarious actors force the issue for him.
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Classism, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
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!
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.
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!
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.
More...