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A review by percy_march
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was such an indulgent read! It was really clear that the author had a deep love for the original story, and had done copious amounts of research on the Regency Era, Molly houses, queer history, etc. There were so many delightful Easter eggs for history nerds and fans of Pride and Prejudice alike!
I wished this could have been an alternate history, though, where queer people were just a normal, cool part of society. Having gone into this book for indulgence, I didn't enjoy the constant, unending harping on the lack of acceptance that the main character faces, to the point that the entire romantic plot takes a backseat to the bigotry I'm already well-aware of existing every day. Oliver lacked a personality outside of hating being force to be a woman, not being good at femininity, feeling oppressed, and for some reason, constantly describing his breasts and chest dysphoria - and I DO mean constantly - to the point where we got an unironic "breasted boobily down the stairs." It gets a pass because I know the author is writing from experience, but it sours the taste of what would otherwise be the perfect read for me. To be clear, I say this as a trans man, who came out later in life, and loves Pride and Prejudice deeply.
The romance between Oliver and Darcy was SO cute. I was giggling and kicking my feet while they were slowly falling for each other. I was mouthing "Get his ass!" when the entire Bennet family plus Darcy teamed up to beat the shit out of Wickham and Collins.
Ultimately, why I gave the book 3.5 stars can be easily summed up by the choice to replace Wickham being a charismatic abuser who grooms Lydia into marrying him, and instead have him be this cartoonish transphobe/homophobe. The conflict of a "scandal ruining the family's reputation" became a non-problem, solved before it even came to pass. I also sincerely enjoyed in the original story how Darcy did his good deeds behind Elizabeth's back/without the expectation that it would land him back in her good graces, which was sorely lacking in this retelling.
Did I enjoy it? Of course. I binged the whole audiobook in one day, the romance was fluffy and wonderful, and like I mentioned, many of the creative choices took with the characters delighted me. The eventual unconditional acceptance that Oliver receives from his family and loved ones is heart-warming, and it has a cozy happy ending. The concept of Elizabeth Bennet being trans, and the interpersonal conflict resulting from Darcy being an autistic, book-loving gay man makes me so excited that I can't help but be disappointed in how much potential was lost in the plot's execution.
I wished this could have been an alternate history, though, where queer people were just a normal, cool part of society. Having gone into this book for indulgence, I didn't enjoy the constant, unending harping on the lack of acceptance that the main character faces, to the point that the entire romantic plot takes a backseat to the bigotry I'm already well-aware of existing every day. Oliver lacked a personality outside of hating being force to be a woman, not being good at femininity, feeling oppressed, and for some reason, constantly describing his breasts and chest dysphoria - and I DO mean constantly - to the point where we got an unironic "breasted boobily down the stairs." It gets a pass because I know the author is writing from experience, but it sours the taste of what would otherwise be the perfect read for me. To be clear, I say this as a trans man, who came out later in life, and loves Pride and Prejudice deeply.
The romance between Oliver and Darcy was SO cute. I was giggling and kicking my feet while they were slowly falling for each other. I was mouthing "Get his ass!" when the entire Bennet family plus Darcy teamed up to beat the shit out of Wickham and Collins.
Ultimately, why I gave the book 3.5 stars can be easily summed up by the choice to replace Wickham being a charismatic abuser who grooms Lydia into marrying him, and instead have him be this cartoonish transphobe/homophobe. The conflict of a "scandal ruining the family's reputation" became a non-problem, solved before it even came to pass. I also sincerely enjoyed in the original story how Darcy did his good deeds behind Elizabeth's back/without the expectation that it would land him back in her good graces, which was sorely lacking in this retelling.
Did I enjoy it? Of course. I binged the whole audiobook in one day, the romance was fluffy and wonderful, and like I mentioned, many of the creative choices took with the characters delighted me. The eventual unconditional acceptance that Oliver receives from his family and loved ones is heart-warming, and it has a cozy happy ending. The concept of Elizabeth Bennet being trans, and the interpersonal conflict resulting from Darcy being an autistic, book-loving gay man makes me so excited that I can't help but be disappointed in how much potential was lost in the plot's execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Outing, and Dysphoria