A review by karenchase
Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistible Temptation by Jane Odiwe

3.0

I am a sucker for Austen fan fiction, but this one was underwhelming. I was impressed by the author's ability to capture Austen's tone, at least in terms of grammar, structure and diction, though there were a few instances where contemporary usage crept in, and that was a little jarring. There was also something a little off with the storytelling, though that might simply have been my own dislike of how she chose to further develop these beloved characters. I know fan fiction is all about interpretation, and I guess I didn't care for some of hers. Most of the scenes between Willoughby and Marianne, for instance, seemed tortured rather than infused with a passion that had previously been denied. I understand that the author was expanding on the "he will always regret you, Marianne" theme, but the scale of his passion, bordering sometimes on stalkerish, was not quite believable. I can't tell if this was a fault of the writing or if the basic premise was flawed. Either way, it was a bit tougher to get through this than some other Austen fan fiction I've read.