MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY

Author: Abigail Reynolds ISBN: 9781402229473 1/2010 HISTORICAL Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS
Time Period: Regency

What if… The last man in the world she could be prevailed upon to marry…is her husband? In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet tells the proud Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy that she wouldn't marry him if he were the last man in the world. But what if she never said the words? What if circumstances conspired to make her accept Darcy the first time he proposes? In this installment of Abigail Reynolds's acclaimed Pride and Prejudice Variations, Elizabeth agrees to marry Darcy against her better judgment, setting off a chain of events that nearly brings disaster to them both…

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Abigail Reynolds' MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY: THE LAST MAN IN THE WORLD is a quick, entertaining read. Fans of Jane Austen will either love or loathe this variation of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. A take on what might have happened between the pair, it leaves the characters' feistiness and voices intact, which I liked. On the other hand, it points out just how uptight (and somewhat arrogant) society was during that time.

I have to be honest. While I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. As I said, the characters remained somewhat true but the idea that just because she was caught in a "compromising" position Elizabeth would allow herself to be pushed where she didn't want to be, didn't sit well with me. In all fairness, this is not Austen's view of what happened so I suppose anything might be possible in the love story. I guess it boils down to the fact that I like Elizabeth and Darcy as they were, and as I expect them to be. Sorry!

The writing is clear and crisp, the descriptions are vivid, and the dialogue is as circumspect as one would hope. Well written, this is a tale that is entertaining, even to those of us who are less open to "what ifs?"

Kay James