A nice twist added to this Austen fiction.
Poor Mr. Bennett has passed, leaving Elizabeth and the rest of the family with no home and no prospects. Elizabeth is forced to take a position as a governess. While watching a budding romance unfold between Mr. Darcy and a relative of the family she works for, she begins to see the man that she turned down in a new light. Now it's too late to even change her mind though. Her position is even lower than it was. Just as she realizes her heart's desire, she realizes it's too late to ever obtain it.
At this stage in the game, there are two major items that I judge Austen fiction on. First, is it readable and enjoyable or is it dry and a nightmare to read through? What has the author done to make this book stand out among the rest? We all know and love the characters and the settings. That doesn't normally change. Basically, it comes down to flow and creativity for me. With this book, Kara did extremely well. I can't say it's the best Austen fiction I've read, but it's right near the top of the list.
Once I began reading last night, I wasn't able to put it down. Kara kept me guessing at how everything would unfold. We have all the major beloved characters, but some of the more annoying and gruesome ones have been replaced with new ones. These new characters are created in such a way that you love to hate them. I'm not a revenge person, but I kept praying for a horrible accident to take care of these nasty creatures.
As for creativity, this is the first book I've read where Mr. Bennett dies. I'm not saying it's the only one out there, but it's the only one I've read. I can clearly see Kara sitting at the dinner table one night and her mind saying 'But...what if Mr. Bennett dies? That changes everything....' and her rushing from the table to start putting everything on paper. With one simple creative change, Kara has produced a new story from a tale retold repeatedly.
Austen fiction fans will love this. If you've not read any Austen fiction, this is a good place to begin. You don't have to know the characters to love them and delve right into the story.
Wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteI found this one hard to put down too! It was intoxicating!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review! I have to admit that I can't remember what I was doing when this idea came to me. I actually started it about 8 years ago, put it aside, wrote another book, self-published my book, and finally went back to it 2 years ago. I love your thought of me rushing from the dinner table. My husband would probably say "She's actually done that before!" Thanks again!
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