A "Pride & Prejudice" That Isn't Another Knock-off
355246
Once again Simonson displays her talent for character creation.  Whether village gossip, Belgian refugee, celebrity resident, independent woman, or soldier of the Great War, each individual lives fully on the page.  In addition to her undeniable talent at characterization, Simonson is able to create a straightforward, even simple, plot enriched by the "big" thematic questions.

Classism and societal mores go under the glass for a close examination.  Betrayals occur that lie at the root of feminist movements taking place at that time, even though the Edwardian village in this novel remains mostly untouched by them.  It is the beginning of the modern civil rights era for women who find themselves left increasingly in charge of the homeland when men go away to war.

Simonson writes a warm novel filled with delightful repartee, superbly described settings, authentic life, and meaningful tests for her hero and heroine, a pair who will remain in your memory for years to come, recollected with the same affection primarily reserved for Elizabeth and Darcy.
3776158
I'm not a big fan of most Jane Austen spin-offs. Too many of them depend on less-than-Austen-like characters and the inclusion of sex. Without the Austen back-up, they can't stand on their own. There are three authors I can think of who are exceptions: Pamela Aidan's "Fitwilliam Darcy: Gentleman" trilogy, Anna Elliott's two volume "Georgiana Darcy's Diary," and all of the books by Shannon Winslow.

"Return to Longbourn" tells the story of Mary and Kitty Bennet, the remaining unmarried Bennet sisters. Mary is employed as a governess by the new family at at Netherfield. Kitty remains at home with her mother. Mrs. Bennet is determined that Kitty will fulfill her earlier plans and will marry Tristan Collins to secure the family home. Mary, though finds him very attractive and has dreams of her own. The book is very well written, the characters attractive and well-developed. Mary is admirable in her determination to stand on her own two feet. When her defenses begin to crumble and she begins to believe a man might find her attractive, you are thoroughly engaged.

Highly recommended.
957635
This is a an outstanding Pride and Prejudice variation that probes deep into the personalities and motives of the main characters. There is quite a lot of suspense and much analysis of character. I normally do not like variations where Lizzy and/or Darcy has been married before and has children, but I did very much enjoy this one, though I figured out the mystery rather quickly. Lizzy loved her first husband and grieved for him, but it was a young love without the strong passion of her love for Mr. Darcy after they got to know each other, she resisted the transition, and discovered a growing passion that was much deeper for him.  I do not like the snobby Mrs. Bennett here. Lizzy is a young widow of an Earl with a twin brother (younger by an hour), and she is hiding in Meryton as the country girl she was before she was married while the Gardiners hide her son until she can return to society. Pay attention to clues, that may seem insignificant. Darcy and Lizzy marry, but after a short time of bliss, questions open up that threaten to destroy their happiness, and an investigation into the mystery insues while Lizzy and her son are ripped away. Some questions do arise. As much as Lizzy loved her son, it does seem strange she could go back to Merryton and not check back more with the Gardiners. She does not care for social gatherings, balls, and the like, which makes sense. Darcy is attracted to her, but snubs her in Meryton as Miss Bennett even though attracted to her, but he is immediately ready to form a relationship with her as Lady Elizabeth, a widow; thus she lets him know about snobbery there.--she is a close acquaintance of his aunt and uncle who put Darcy and Lizzy together in London. This is quite a complex story, but it can be figured out. I give this 5 stars. It would make a wonderful movie. I sure hope to see more books by this extremely talented author. I think I have read other of her unpublished works. I highly recommend this book.
4219424
My daughter gave me this book and I really enjoyed it. There are lots of modern retellings of Pride & Prejudice and some are better than others.  This is definitely one of the better ones.  The characters of Lizzy and Darcy in their modern setting are interesting and believable.  Having hiked some of the same parts of the Appalachian Train, I enjoyed revisiting trail sites as they made their way along the AT.  The book is humorous and stands on its own as a good story even if one is not familiar with P&P.  I am looking forward to reading more books by K C Kahler.
786295
Honestly, if I had not read Pride & Prejudice first, I would have thought that I did not like Jane Austen's writing style.  Emma is extremely slow to begin with though it picks up about half way through.  The story centers on Emma Woodhouse, the unmarried daughter of a man obsessed with ailments to be potentially caught from drafts, rich foods and just about anything that is part of ordinary life. Consequently he does not go out (as a rule) and depends on Emma substantially for companionship and general well being. Despite his eccentricities, he is well loved by the community and is a very genial character.  Emma, resolved not to marry, takes up matchmaking after her governess, Miss Taylor, marries friend and neighbor, Mr. Weston and Emma feels that she had contributed to making the happy union come about.  Against the advice of family friend and mentor, Mr. Knightly, she "takes under her wing" a young girl at the local school to groom and bring out into good society in hopes of finding her a husband - specifically Mr. Elton of the vicarage.  Despite her unknown parentage and lack of good expectations, Emma convinces the girl, Harriet Smith, to aim high in her expectations of a husband and to reject the advances of those of her natural social set in preference for a gentleman.
This goes on for so long that I was convinced that this was going to be the whole of the book.  Joyfully, though, the Mr. Elton angle blows up catastrophically and simultaneously several more interesting characters are introduced.  The icily reserved Jane Fairfax comes to visit her grandmother and aunt before hiring out as a governess. Though she had been taken in by the Campbells and raised very genteelly along side their own daughter, she has no fortune of her own. The same age as Emma, they are expected to be fast friends but Emma's resentments of Jane's superior abilities and deportment do not bode well for this.  Then Mr. Weston's son, Frank Churchill, who was raised by his aunt and uncle after his mother's death, comes to meet his new stepmother and makes a splash in Highbury society.  Mrs. Weston has designs for Emma and Frank. Emma meanwhile has designs for Harriet and Frank.  No one can figure out Jane's designs though Emma suspects improper attachments between her and her benefactor's daughter's new husband. Mr. Elton then brings in a new wife whose forceful manner and arrogant air threaten to turn everything upside down against Emma when Mrs. Elton tries to force a relationship as Jane's  benefactress.  Similarities between Emma's presumptions with Harriet and Mrs. Elton's presumptuous behavior with Jane  are unavoidable and provide a relatively subtle irony.
In this last half as the intrigues play out, the story takes on the flavor of Pride and Prejudice and becomes infinitely more interesting.  Though the first part was slow, it did serve to really build the character of Emma and she becomes very real through her actions in the second half. It also serves to humanize Mrs. Elton's character to some extent while softening Emma's.
This really is a  very, very good book and I would have given it 5 stars except for how slow it was in the first half.  A patient reader will enjoy this but readers who don't have patience with character studies or slow bits would do better to read Pride and Prejudice.
212980
It has to be said from the outset that Impulse & Initiative is not an Austen sequel. Rather, it is an Austen variation. Allow me to explain the difference: an Austen sequel continues beyond Austen's end to a novel; a variation re-tells the novel, playing the "what if?" game.

Impulse & Initiative is a retelling of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice. This time, though, what if Mr Darcy had not retreated after Elizabeth Bennet refused his first proposal of marriage and instead followed her to Longbourn to pursue her affections? I mean really pursue. And what if Elizabeth capitualated in a most 2008 manner? Yowza.

Now I'll admit that I haven't read a true romance-genre novel since I was a teenager and the forbiddeness of it led me to purchase about 50 of them from a local used bookstore and read them in the family treehouse. (Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series notwithstanding, but I classify that as historical fiction to retain my dignity.) I'll just say this: Abigail Reynolds sure knows how to steam up a page! Think Jane Austen writes a bodice-ripper.

The result? Surprisingly fun and a tad eye-popping racy. I say surprisingly because one of the endearing traits of Ms. Austen's stories is the return to a time when morals and values defined your place in society. I was prepared to dislike any storyline that messed with that basic principle. In reality, and perhaps indicative of the times we live in today, I couldn't put the book down. The style and wit of Ms. Austen are compellingly replicated and the dichotomy of the early 19th-century eloquence with 21st-century romance is spellbinding. Kudos to Ms. Reynolds!
964363
When I re-read Pride & Prejudice as an adult, my first impression of Mr Darcy was that he was socially retarded. That impression came back to mind as I read this story.

But first  I believe that most P&P readers wonder what exactly happened in Ramsgate between Georgiana Darcy and George Wickham. Jane Austen leaves this episode rather vague so we are left to our own imaginations. Until now. Suzan Lauder gives us every smarmy detail of the nefarious plot and its players.

Fortunately, this time around we have Lizzy Bennet coming to Georgianas rescue, albeit anonymously. The letter referred to in the title brings Lizzy and Mr Darcy together, and at first all proceeds well between them. But the road to happily-ever-after is by no means smooth for our dear couple. There is plenty of angst in both their hearts and sufficient mutual misunderstandings to satisfy even the most die-hard of P&P fans  Pride and Prejudice being the ultimate tale of angst brought on by misunderstandings, mostly caused by (of course) the pride and/or prejudice of our hero and heroine.

And for his part, this is where the socially retarded Mr Darcy enters the picture.

Fortunately (again), this time Georgiana saves the day  and is the vehicle for reuniting our dear couple. Their reunion could almost be the equivalent of a meet cute  well, youll have to read the story to see what I mean.

I very much enjoyed this carefully-written story; even my anal reading eye could not uncover more than one or two minor text errors. The story flows well while taking the reader on a journey of non-canon relationships and interesting new characters.

What I liked most: The cover. It is simply gorgeous.

The Hunsford proposal. It is absolutely brilliant. Gut-wrenching, and a bit more deliciously amatory than the original  although this is still a clean read.

The letter that followed the proposal is likewise brilliantly constructed.

What I liked least: The scenes that take place at the Exeter Exchange zoo and references to Chunee the elephant. I really did not need a reminder of the horrendous prison-like menageries that existed until recent times. And still exist in some places, such as roadside zoos. Nor of the reminder of Chunees horrifying end. (To be fair, this detail was presented separately in authors notes. But it was a jarring note after such a pleasant read.)

The authors conclusions about disguised handwriting. Having studied the psychology of handwriting for a number of years, I was not completely convinced that the subterfuge would have been successful. On the other hand it wasn't completely out of line so for the sake of the plot line I let it pass and suspend disbelief. Sometimes the reader has to do that or you end up never enjoying a story, and just drive yourself nuts.

In short: An enjoyable read with just enough wretchedness amongst the characters to remind you that you're reading a P&P variation! I gave it four stars out of five. (I'd give it 4.5 stars but they don't let you do that.)
1068307
This book, based on the BBC/A&E mini-series, starts where the mini-series leaves off with Darcy and Elizabeth leaving on their honeymoon.  While Austen purists will hate this book I'm sure, it's one possible follow on to the story so many of us love.  How many people who have read Pride & Prejudice or seen the mini-series have wondered what happened after the book finished or the credits ran off the screen?  Berdoll takes a run at showing us the ever after of this fairy tale.  The author tries to stay with the language and style of Austen's book but soon it becomes difficult to wade through and some of the convolutions are actually funny.

It's also obvious that this is based on the mini-series rather than the book, as many of the characters are continuations of the series rather than having the characteristics assigned to them by Austen.  The book is rather choppy as the story moves along and then backs up to fill in the missing segments from a chapter or more back.  The central romance of Elizabeth and Darcy hums along and whenever the plot slows there is a steamy sex scene to fill up our time while waiting for the plot to get off break and come back on track.

The book is an interesting continuation of the original story.  It's got most of the characters from the book and in some ways it's a wish fulfillment book since it sees some characters saved from their mistakes or errors in judgment.  While it definitely is not Austen or even a true continuation of Pride and Prejudice, it is enjoyable on the level of an overblown period romance with modern sensibilities and a visit with characters we enjoyed knowing in the original book.

Enjoy it for what it is, a fan fiction wish fulfillment novel.
1546855
What I did after reading this book was look online for the varying opinions of readers who've read 'Pride and Prejudice' before reading this book verses the ones who have not. I was one of the have nots. It seems both are very close the same. For the most part, I felt Altman did an outstanding job of subtly filling in the gaps. The characters where very well rounded. There were only a couple of places I felt left out of the back-story.

In THE DARCYS & THE BINGLEYS, the story opens shortly before double wedding of Fitzwilliam Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet and Charles Bingley to Jane Bennet. Bingley is seeking out Darcy's expertise of a "delicate nature." It seems at the same time Jane and Elizabeth are getting schooled on what will be expected of them the night of their wedding day. Bingley has way better luck than the ladies, because Darcy hands him a copy of The Kama Sutra.

In this early part, the author is setting up the relationship between the couples and I am getting to know the personalities of not only them, but family members as well. Having not read Pride and Prejudice, I think the author is doing a great job of this. I don't feel I am missing out on anything at this point. What does stand out is the lack of drama. I wasn't aware of how much I need this in a story until now.

In part two of the book, after the weddings, the birth of both couples' first born, and after Jane was well into her second pregnancy did the story pick up with Lord James Kincaid wanting to wed Caroline Bingley. It seems the man isn't what he appears to be.

Charles and Darcy didn't trust the guy. It wasn't something they could put their finger on, but more of a feeling. They also noticed the two didn't seem to be in love. In the end and with enough dramatics, the problem will be resolved.
1213031
This is one of the best Darcy/Elizabeth variations I have read.  The language has no jarring grammatical mistakes, or 21st century idioms.  I never had the feeling that I was not reading Jane Austen, unlike so many novels of this genre.  The plot is believable, although Darcy was a bit too good to be true.  The story advances smoothly and logically from the point where it diverges from P & P, with the secondary characters reacting in the new situations naturally.  I wish I still had it to read and hope that like true Austen works, it will still be an enjoyable re-read.
4580194
I'm an avid reader of author Gail McEwen and I found myself staying up all night with this book.  "Stronger Even Than Pride" is an adult retelling of Darcy and Elizabeth's story.  This is no schmaltzy story; it is not for those who want a sugary read.  This book is for those of us who want intelligent, yet flawed and believable, characters.  True to Miss Austen's character development, both Darcy and Elizabeth follow their personality arcs to ownership of their mistakes, some of which lead us down a dark path within Regency societal norms.  Elizabeth is head-strong and naive, Darcy is a man of the world.  They both recognize their faults and their contributions to the events unfolding around them.  Col. Fitzwilliam stands out as a pragmatic foil to Darcy's evolvement, while Wickham's arrogance drives the storyline.

Ms. McEwen has a unique talent to evoke anticipation from her readers with descriptive phrases.  "Before she could even begin to come to terms with his sudden appearance, she heard the approach of booted footsteps, the creaking gate, crunching on the gravel path and then a sharp rap on the door."  Can't you hear Darcy's approach, feel him drawing near? Can't you hear Elizabeth's heart beating?

Ms. McEwen states, "This is the book I wanted to write" and I'm so glad she wasn't swayed into another trite remake of Pride and Prejudice.  This book stands out as a rare find in what is usually frilly romance fiction.
1785259
A delightful retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with just enough innovation to make it a stand-alone story as well. The characters are faithful to the original while somehow also believably contemporary.
2140066
Sharon Lathan's "Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy" series is subtitled "Pride and Prejudice continues." And "Two Shall Become One" is the first book in the set. The characters, time period, and locations are instantly recognizable, and the author does a delightful job of envisioning the lead-in to a wedding, and Elizabeth's introduction to her new role as Mistress of Pemberley.

The attention to detail in the writing is very reminiscent of the original novel. But the choice of detail can be thoroughly modern sometimes, creating a somewhat intriguing mixture of feelings in the reader, as the scene veers from intimate details of bedroom entertainment to the restrained and discreet conversations that take place with guests over the dinner table. Today's bedroom scene clearly has far more variations than I'm accustomed to reading. And occasionally the word choice jarred--having grown up in England, I find it hard to imagine anyone calling a gentleman beautiful, whatever garments he is or isn't wearing. But perhaps that's just a consequence of the time when I grew up.

I did begin to wonder where the story might be going, but an exciting turn of events towards the end had me eagerly turning the pages. I found myself remembering my son's remark in high school that Jane Austen seemed determined to wait till the last third of the book to tell her story.

"Two Shall Become One" depicts a relationship based very consciously on honesty, trust and communication, as well it should, given the tale that precedes it. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth and William are still recognizably the same people, but also recognizably and delightfully a couple. They have weathered their first storm successfully, and a wonderful future beckons, already hinted at in the text. The novel makes a fitting, very modern continuation to a much-loved tale.
4710351
First of all, I have to say that I love Pride and Prejudice. Its my favorite Jane Austen novel, and Liz Bennet my favorite Austen heroine. I was a little nervous that a modern retelling of the story, complete with modern language, would be a disappointment. The author has done a wonderful job, though, of keeping the dialog as modern as possible while giving the narration a more classic feel. The story itself provides the same type of contrast, as it is easy at times to forget that this is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice, yet at other times it feels so familiar that you know just what will come next.

Cassandra Campbell as narrator does a good job of differentiating the Bennet girls voices, and is pleasant to listen to. Pleasant that is except when shes doing Mrs. Bennets voice, but I think that is to be expected.:)

While some of the situations that the girls find themselves in do seem over-the-top, I enjoyed the story, and Ms. Campbells performance of it.

NOTE: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
2801065
A wonderful version of the original "Pride & Prejudice" with social consciousness and interesting character development.
3194873
I enjoyed Ardently which is by the same author and when looking for other books by the author found Coming of Age.  I hesitated before buying it since I don't like a lot of the P&P Variations on the market and the plot of this book I wasn't sure I would enjoy.  I finally gave in and bought it since the reviews were good and I had enjoyed her other book.  I'm glad I did, since I enjoyed this book immensely - in fact I read it in one long day.  The plot is very different and there are some new enjoyable characters in the book - such as the elderly Darcy, the governess and Darcy's aunt.
2044841
I read other reviews comparing this book to a soft porn Pride & Prejudice or defining it predictable.

On one hand the heroines journey from cocooned late adolescence to womanhood in terms of both feelings and sexual response to love has nothing to do with Austens books in general let alone in particular Pride & Prejudice and the selfmade hero has nothing to do with Mr Darcy.

On the other hand, reading a romance novel and complaining about the predictability of the H/hs coming together and finding their happily ever after is quite ridiculous. Romances are predictable by definition, readers expect to see the promise of a happily ever after for H/h fullfilled right from the blurb. The authors skill lies in depicting the development of the story in a way that will capture the readers attention and entertain from the beginning to the end, and in this respect this book is a paragon of beautiful writing and fun entwined with a beautiful love story and a mistery subplot that give the right twist to the end. The scenes are so vivid and pleasurable I felt like I was watching a movie.
So, if you need some reading to boost your belief that love exists and will conquer all, do yourself a favour and grab this book, you will not regret it.