Alias Thomas Bennet

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

De: Suzan Lauder

Narrado por: Jacq Ainsworth

Of most interest to Bennet was Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.

When Fitzwilliam Darcy attends the Meryton assembly, he befriends a quiet, intelligent gentleman. In frequent visits to his friend’s home, he becomes acquainted with the Bennet family of Longbourn. Yet Mr. Darcy is distracted by a strange feeling of having met some of them before.

This is a different Bennet family from the cleverly crafted one in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. This Mr. Bennet is a responsible gentleman who takes an active role in the education and upbringing of all five of his daughters, manages Longbourn to be prosperous, and displays loving guidance toward Mrs. Bennet - a gentle, caring mother and wife.

There is a mystery lurking at Longbourn - a secret unknown even to Elizabeth Bennet - and Mr. Darcy is entangled in its extraordinary revelations.

Who is Thomas Bennet?

This book contains one brief scene of nonexplicit sexual violence that may be concerning to sensitive listeners. The sexual violence does not include Elizabeth Bennet.

©2013 Suzan Lauder (P)2020 Suzan Lauder

A JAFF Favourite

This book is a definite all-time JAFF favourite of mine. I love this variation’s storyline. Between the ebook and the audiobook, I’ve now read it four times. We see minor glimpses of canon, but the story is oh so different. There is a touch of mystery without the angst. Good dialogue. I hated to see this one end.

I think the narrator’s performance of the characters is good, but I feel like her cadence for the narrative parts of he book sound a bit too sweet and a mite sing-song like. I thought her Lady Catherine was spot on.

There is a rape scene in this book, so be warned.

Twist and turns

I really like the twist and turns of this story. I am glad you changed key moments from the regular story like the proposal

One of my favorite stores

I have loved this story and was so happy to have it in audio book form.
Mr Bennet is more than he seems. Mrs Bennet is bit flighty but not horrible.
The meeting of Darcy and Elizabeth still take place at the assembly. It’s the Bennet history that makes the story. You won’t be disappointed.

A very new twist

Indeed, a very new twist, but often hard to listen to for several reasons.

There is a rape early in the story, not one of The Bennet Girls, and not overly explicit, but still difficult to hear.

The narrator uses a robotic voice during the narration portions as well, which can be off putting.

They bounce a bit in the time frames as well, and add huge amounts of detail, which was rather dull,especially in a robotic voice.

If you can hang in until the story finally makes sense and comes together it’s a good story.

Really lovely story

Very well written and what an adventure they had. I was so entertained that I could hardly put the book down (or my iPhone while listening) it was so good. I highly recommend this book to a Jane Austen fan fiction lover.

Very enjoyable - a very different take!

I have been listening to many of the "Pride and Prejudice" variations, and there are quite a lot of them. The being said, some of them fall short immediately based on the narrator. However, it's not the case with this book. Great narration, truly a unique take on the story. Truly a Thomas Bennet we always wished fro when reading the original. Ditto for Mrs. Bennet.

And the flashbacks and twists and tunrs made for a great read.

Interesting twists to original!

I like the less angst variations of P&P. This version did not disappoint. I highly recommend it to any Jane Austen enthusiast!

The Mysterious and Enchanting Bennets and Romance!

Variations can be such fun adventures off the map. This one asks the question 'what if Mr. Bennet was a different person?' How would this effect the P&P story? And folks, let me tell you, the answer to that is A LOT. I enjoyed the mysterious atmosphere around the Bennets that led to some amazing reveals as the story progressed.

I loved exploring a Bennet family and household where Mr. Bennet is not just clever, but dutiful, loving, industrious, firm, and has a lot of secrets. There was the trickle effect of a wife who has a tendency toward nerves, but keeps them well regulated with his help and thus can focus on her children, of a home and estate in much better condition so that the family circumstances aren't as bad, of daughters who are fundamentally the same, but have been guided and taught so that the good traits and skills learned shine.

The author let the sequence of events parallel events in the original story- the arrival of the party at Netherfield, the Assembly, arrival of Wickham and Collins, the Netherfield party departing to London, Hunsford, misunderstandings answered, Lady C and Wickham drama again.

But, not only does each scene alter greatly because the players are altered, there are also situations that arise. Because think if Lizzy and Lydia do not succumb to Wickham's wiles, he will turn them on someone else. And there are other changes that set off a new chain of events. It was clever how the author incorporated these with events that are recognizable.

And lest you think everyone is perfectly perfect and we don't have any pride or prejudice in sight, not true. Darcy has his pride though it isn't as severe because the Bennet aren't so objectionable. Lizzy has her prejudice toward Darcy's pride though she's not as blind as to not see through Wickham's woes and flirting. Caroline, Lady Catherine, and Mr. Collins are still amazingly full of folly to keep one entertained.

I think my favorite part of the book was Thomas Bennet. Shazam! He gave Darcy a run for his money in the hero department. This was definitely his story.

The story clips along at a good pace with moments of drama and suspense to keep things interesting. There are some disturbing elements of classical gothic darkness like the blackhearted ravishing Marquess in the beginning who is the catalyst for all that comes after. Wickham is much more dastardly, too.

I will say that the romance elements have some decided spice to them. Darcy and Lizzy are lustier versions though they keep to the correct side of the line. I enjoyed all the storylines that even include a romance for Mary and the continued romance of the older Bennets.

This was my first time with narrator Jacq Ainsworth and I delighted in her rendition of the character voices. She caught the tone of the story and captured gender, class, and individual traits in the characters so well that I was entranced and reluctantly set the story aside when I had to.

All in all, I had a fabulous time with this story that greatly varied from the original to do a fascinating 'what if' exploration of Mr. Bennet. Austenesque fans should really give it a go.

had potential but fell short

I do not like to give bad reviews and I did give this book a chance to keep my interest but I can't make it to the end. The story had good potential in the beginning but the author could not quite put it together well. The mature scenes are too awkwardly written and the narrator did not help either. It's really a shame because the story line /plot seems to be a good idea.

trigger warning ⚠️ RAPE

What the actual hell!?! Just after all the Bennett family is introduced in a lovely way, there is a flash back to Mrs. Bennett's coming out party where a detailed account of her being RAPED is forced upon you the listener. I don't care what it adds to the story line later on. I'm done. Do not come at me with that garbage with no warning. Bullshit.