A Man of Good Fortune

A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

By: Ali Scott

Narrated by: Harry Frost

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A ride on a stormy day has disastrous consequences for Fitzwilliam Darcy, who finds himself grievously injured and bedridden–and with no memory of Elizabeth Bennet, the woman to whom he has been married for several years. Recovery is slow as his head injury has made it difficult for him to read and write, and a suspected fracture in his leg has made walking painful.

As Darcy’s recovery progresses, snippets of memory begin to plague him, and questions arise. He begins to suspect that his wife and those around him know more about the time leading up to his accident than they are telling him. Why was he riding on such an inauspicious day? And why does he keep dreaming of his mother’s brooch?

As the days pass, he finds he is increasingly beguiled by Elizabeth. She draws him in despite his concerns for her loyalty to him. He wonders if he can trust her love even as he finds himself learning to be in love with her again. Will the shadows in the past and the obstacles they have overcome defeat them? Or will he find happily ever after once again with his Elizabeth?

A Man of Good Fortune is a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and takes place several years after the marriage of Fitzwilliam Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet.

©2022 Ali Scott (P)2023 Quills & Quartos Publishing

Surprising and delightful

Told from Darcy’s point of view with Harry Frost narrating is delightful. The story is true to character, some mystery and angst. Enjoyable, but somewhat abrupt ending. The explanation of why events occurred is full of judgments and misunderstandings and a little silly. Overall, I will listen to it again in future.

Brilliant story

There’s a mystery here that we learn smarter pieces of bit by bit but isn’t fully revealed until the very end. Great writing. Sad and painful, and heartbreaking in places. But even though Darcy’s accident causes more damage and suffering than just to his body he falls in love with his Elizabeth all over again.

Highly recommended. A keeper and a candidate for frequent re-listening.

High angst but worth it

Darcy takes a ride in a horrible storm. He's thrown from his horse. Colonel Fitzwilliam finds him battered, bruised, seriously injured and when Darcy comes to...the memory loss of 6yrs of his life. Darcy doesn't know Elizabeth. He doesn't recall having a child. So many questions are left unanswered by Elizabeth and to an extent, Colonel Fitzwilliam.

When I first read this on ebook, I was frustrated with Darcy so angry all the time, untrusting and Elizabeth not willing to share secrets that would only upset him. Being an angst weenie I powered through because the writing is so good. Of course seeing Harry Frost narrating the audio book.... a definite must have for my collection. Harry is such an amazing narrator. You can always recognize the characters. not to mention his Darcy rendition is sigh worthy.

A great variation from Darcy's POV

Six years married and a riding accident leaves Darcy with no memory of meeting Elizabeth, their marriage or child. Elizabeth is devoted and devastated. Fitzwilliam tells Darcy he sent a note seeking his help, due to a "betrayal". Ending is abrupt and there is no Epilogue!

P&P Sequel With a Dramatic, Secret-Laden Comeback

This Pride & Prejudice sequel asks ‘what if Mr. Darcy was in a riding accident and lost the memories of his entire life with Elizabeth? And, what if he slowly realizes there is a mystery involving his actions right before his accident and his wife is keeping the truth from him? Talk about dramatic ‘what if’s! I wasn’t listening for more than five minutes when I was properly hooked by this new to me author’s book as told by a long-time favorite narrator.

A Man of Good Fortune isn’t my first P&P sequel or variation involving the amnesia element, but I think it is the first one with Darcy experiencing it. I loved how it showed the endurance and character of Darcy, offered a riveting mystery as he tries to work out what Elizabeth and others are hiding from him, but also catches up on what has happened with all the principle characters since the ending of Pride & Prejudice. There is a solid look at the inside of a couples’ life in the after the Happily Ever After period.

I will confess right now that I’m not a fan of secret-keeping from a relationship partner. This sort of story set up, therefore, stretched my tolerance and patience greatly, as a result, because the secrets don’t get answers until well into the last third of the story and by then, Darcy was well enough to go searching and get those answers and not because his wife would ever have dealt him into the game.

But, for all my frustration with the secret keeping being the main source of angst, I was totally into the overall story and Darcy’s personal journey back. His injuries and his memory loss are a huge challenge to be husband and father to a wife and child he frustratingly can’t remember. He was astute and could sense that dire events were going on and there was a conspiracy involving his wife to keep him in the dark. The author took care of writing his amnesia to include common related difficulties of losing the ability to read and write and having to practically relearn these things and take help to even walk which was a tough blow to his pride. My heart broke for him through his anguish, but I was cheering him on to come back from it all.

The first part of the book focuses on Darcy’s efforts to recover at Pemberley, but then the pace kicked into high gear once they were in London. The cast of characters was greatly enlarged and Darcy was able to delve into the secrets being kept and get to the heart of the mystery. The buildup was good stuff and there were a series of climax moments.

There is a quick denouement and then an abrupt ending. The story’s central plot was complete, but I wanted to spend a bit more time with Darcy and the others when they could enjoy the downtime after such dramatic events of earlier.

Harry Frost narrated this tale so well. I’ve said it before, but his talented work brings the story into vivid life and adds depth to an already good story.

All in all, this was a deeply emotional sequel tale of struggle and triumph that was worth the early anguish to get through to the other side and see a couple find their love can survive the direst of circumstances. For those who want to find out what came next after Pride & Prejudice.

Imaginative Pride and Prejudice Variation

Always enjoy Harry Frost’s narrations. And this is an imaginative Jane Austen fanfiction. Enjoyed this very much. Great tension and emotion.

Filled with Intrigue and Delight

My DH and I had to make a long trip on Saturday; to accompany us, I chose A Man of Good Fortune from my cart by an unfamiliar author. It sounded the most intriguing to all others there, and I have a weakness for sequels and forced marriage scenarios, hoping that Darcy would have to work at his attachment to Lizzy since his memory failed him, which he did, much to my delight.

Not only was the author new to me, but so was the narrator. At first, I wasn't sure I could listen because it was a bit of a shock due to his being the first male narrator I had listened to, but after the first chapter, I was hooked and began to feel very much at home. Mr. Frost does a fantastic job moving the story along and making each character's voice distinct. I loved the older doctor's unique accent, and Georgiana's is very nice too. Darcy's is a definite win!

As for the story, it's full of energy, and what I love most is the exceptional amount of time spent with Darcy and Elizabeth. But, of course, the Colonel and Georgiana are there too, and so many others, so what's not to love? Oh, and new little people, too (adorable)! I don't want to say too much about this odyssey of Darcy's groping along without memories and with impaired health, but I found it incredibly captivating and, so many times, quite poignant. I will add in reference to Georgiana's situation; this was one of the first I absolutely adored. One scene, in particular, is my favorite: Darcy walks in to see her with the rest gathered there. It brought instant tears to my eyes — written beautifully, capturing the essence of deep devotion and love. So many times, the same overriding feeling and message are conveyed throughout the pages for what matters most.

This book is one I will turn to again. Oh, and my DH enjoyed it as much as I did. So many endearing moments or the clever wit of Lizzy brought instant smiles to our faces, as well as several laugh-out-loud moments that took us by surprise.

With a additions…would be a favorite.

Spoiler Alert! Sincerely enjoyed book, but instead of the abrupt ending Ms. Scott should have: 1) allowed Darcy to recover his memory 2) revealed it to Elizabeth in a very romantic way 3) maybe by dropping very subtle hints through his words, looks, gestures……4) re-proposes correcting his previous mistakes, gifts her a new 3 stone diamond ring symbolizing their past/ present/ future together, designs her a new dress based on his knowledge of her tastes, vow renewal at Pemberly chapel & then taking Molly with them goes on a second honeymoon to a sentimental location special to them 5) where they (Dary mostly) discuss in great detail their love, feelings, desires, dreams for one another (& family - speculating on new baby being a boy and picking out names.

Wonderful book, but I would have also preferred hearing Darcy thoroughly dress down Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine!

Great narrator!

Excellent narration by the amazing Harry Frost. The story is filled with angst but lots of thoughtful conversations and joy. Well worth a listen. I would have liked an epilogue or a less abrupt ending. Over all a very good JAFF.

High drama, well done, but needed more wrap-up

A very well written book, narrated fabulously by Harry Frost! Very serious book. I only could have wished for another chapter or an epilogue. There are many things I wanted more answers to. We don't get answers to many difficult things in real life, however, I prefer to get them when I read fiction!