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A review by bannisterb
The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy: A Modern Pride & Prejudice by Sara Angelini
Did not finish book.
Let's get one thing clear: this book has nothing to do with the events in Pride & Prejudice, despite claiming to be a contemporary version of it. That alone would be enough to mark off a few stars (but not doom it). However, reviewing it simply as contemporary chick lit doesn't bode well for it, either.
I made it about 2/3 through, but I knew I was giving up much sooner. The lack of substantial content and interesting conflict ("Oh, no, my feelings for this person are too strong" is not interesting or real conflict) remind me of many bad fan fiction attempts that eliminate conflict early on in an impatient attempt to see a couple together as soon as possible, resulting in a slice of life that is painfully dull and boring. I've read plenty of fan fiction (from a variety of fandoms, bad and great and everything in between) and the construction, plot, and characterization in this book are poorer than most amateur stories posted to fan websites. I've no interest in reading about a perfectly happy couple encountering only perfectly happy situations, and that is what this is. You could replace the characters' names with those from other fandoms or even something original, and the result would be the same.
In this particular modern alternate universe "adaptation," Jane and Bingley (called Charley) are also intwined in a similar conflict-free adoration of one another. Various supporting characters are cute, endearing, and even when set up to oppose a main character, sympathetic. The dialogue is often disjointed and choppy, the changes in point-of-view are abrupt and brief, and long stretches of the book (multiple chapters in a row) are dedicated to detailing one day after another of idyllic and love-filled days of dating and sex. I should have known better early on; Darcy and Elizabeth were, of course, established as rivals quickly. But soon after, the narration jumped forward several months, and in a few paragraphs quickly summed up that Darcy's feelings had changed in that time, with very little evidence as to why.
Blah, skip it.
I made it about 2/3 through, but I knew I was giving up much sooner. The lack of substantial content and interesting conflict ("Oh, no, my feelings for this person are too strong" is not interesting or real conflict) remind me of many bad fan fiction attempts that eliminate conflict early on in an impatient attempt to see a couple together as soon as possible, resulting in a slice of life that is painfully dull and boring. I've read plenty of fan fiction (from a variety of fandoms, bad and great and everything in between) and the construction, plot, and characterization in this book are poorer than most amateur stories posted to fan websites. I've no interest in reading about a perfectly happy couple encountering only perfectly happy situations, and that is what this is. You could replace the characters' names with those from other fandoms or even something original, and the result would be the same.
In this particular modern alternate universe "adaptation," Jane and Bingley (called Charley) are also intwined in a similar conflict-free adoration of one another. Various supporting characters are cute, endearing, and even when set up to oppose a main character, sympathetic. The dialogue is often disjointed and choppy, the changes in point-of-view are abrupt and brief, and long stretches of the book (multiple chapters in a row) are dedicated to detailing one day after another of idyllic and love-filled days of dating and sex. I should have known better early on; Darcy and Elizabeth were, of course, established as rivals quickly. But soon after, the narration jumped forward several months, and in a few paragraphs quickly summed up that Darcy's feelings had changed in that time, with very little evidence as to why.
Blah, skip it.