Saturday 17 December 2011

Review: Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, The Last man in the world - Abigail Reynolds

Genre: JA variation
Pages: 288
Published 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: My own

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-What readers are saying-A highly original story, immensely satisfying.--Anyone who loves the story of Darcy and Elizabeth will love this variation.--I was hooked from page one.--A refreshing new look at what might have happened if---Another good book to curl up with- I never wanted to put it down.

My thoughts:
I think I never posted this one...so it works well in a Saturday

I have a weak spot of Jane Austen sequels, variations and just about anything. I never get tired of the story, and I do love the What if’s. I have read some wonderful ones, some strange ones, and they are always witty and amusing. 

This one was actually rather heartbreaking in a way. Lizzy and Darcy got married because she never turned him down after that first awful proposal. Colonel Fitzwilliam showed up and saw Darcy kissing her, and they were married. Mr Darcy is in love with her and thinks she loves him too, but here comes the heartbreaking part, she doesn’t. She is not happy in their marriage and tries to do her duty. And to see him so in love and clueless just tugs on my heartstrings when she doesn’t share his feelings. It’s horrible to read. 

That is the beginning of this novel, but the author would never leave us with a mess like that. The truth will come out and hearts will break. But there will also be a chance for them to build something new, something lasting and fitting the love they are supposed to share. As for old characters, this is mostly Lizzy’s and Darcy’s book, but we do meet Colonel Fitzwilliam, Georgiana, Wickham, and Bingley shows up too and he wants his Jane back.

The thing I liked best about this story was actually this great twist just because it brought so many feelings into the mix. And it gave me as the reader a chance to really root for them, and hoping that they somehow could truly fall in love as equals. Because this twist meant that Darcy still was awfully pride and looked down at her family and Lizzy also had prejudices against his sister, whom she thought of as proud. And then there is the whole Wickham angle, yes she still thought of him as the good guy.

Conclusion:
There are many JA variations around and this one was one of the more interesting ones that I have read. I would happily recommend it to fans of variations, or anyone with a love for Jane Austen. If you haven’t tried one by now then take a chance on them. They are fun to read, and it does not make the original any less of a book. 

Cover:
Eh

27 comments:

  1. I won a copy of this a while back but just haven't made time for it..love the twists you mentioned!

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  2. Staci
    The twist was so good, you will enjoy it too :D

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  3. This looks like a good one! I usually have trouble with re tellings, but I do like this author...

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  4. I like the title and the cover too. This variation does sound interesting.

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  5. There are so many Austen re-tellings, it's hard to pick one out. It's nice to know this one is good.

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  6. There's something very wrong about the proportions on that cover...

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  7. The cover is horrible but for a bad Saturday night it works ;)

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  8. Bucky
    And I love them :D And yes I do tend to like Reynold's books.


    Naida
    It was a good one because of the way it took, soooo good

    bermuda
    I know, there are sure many and it's not always easy to pick one. I guess it depends on what you want


    Chris
    I know, something if off


    Ana
    Lol, oh you are wicked

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  9. glad to know this is one of the better variations.

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  10. Out of all of this author's variations, which I've loved, this one was the hardest to read. As you said it was painful for Darcy and Elizabeth and what they were going through. They're all good, but this was my least favorite because it was just so damn angsty!

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  11. OMG! Talk about a twist. Oh that is a lot of angst that is certain.

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  12. Julie
    I liked the angst cos it was nice to feel heartache for once, true heartache. Gut wrenching


    Melissa
    This is where angst works :)

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  13. Wow. What a twist! I never really thought of what woulda happened if Lizzy agreed to the first marriage proposal. Huh. I must put this on my maybe list.

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  14. This sure sounds intriguing. What if she would have accepted his proposal. Hmm. On the maybe list.

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  15. Oohh! I love books like this! I think twists and what ifs can bring about some interesting and unique stories. I just added this one to my list. I think revisiting loved stories in new formats is exciting! Thanks for sharing!

    ~Jess
    http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/

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  16. Carole
    I always kind of wanted to know, what if. I mean he was rich, her family needed money. What if she gave up her own happiness? And now I got to find out.


    Aurian
    Aha, i tempted you, yay. It is just such a fun what if.


    Fairday
    Twists are the best and I had not read a twist like this before in the JA variations that I have coem across

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  17. I've been collecting a a bunch of Jane Austen variations but have yet to read them. I'm waiting for the right time. I'll add this one to the bunch.

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  18. Alexis
    They are such a fun way to pass the time, I love it :)

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  19. I enjoyed this one, too. I can't believe Reynolds keeps thinking up new ways to tell the same story!

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  20. Anna
    I can't figure out how she does it either, but she does :)

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  21. I think the publisher needs to fire their art department...

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  22. Cherry
    Lol, aren't you wicked today

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  23. This sounds like a variation I can't ignore, but What? She doesn't really love him. That is heartbreaking.

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  24. Missie
    *sobs* She does not love him, it truly broke me

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  25. I love Jane Austen and the variations. I think it is because I could never get enough of Darcy---he is the man!

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  26. Felicia
    He is definitely the man ;D

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