The Zephyr

A Variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

De: Grace Gibson

Narrado por: Annabelle Hyde

You are looking at the last man on earth who should ever find himself making love to a lady behind an old hay wain and offering her a clandestine promise upon some nameless day. And yet here I am.

WHEN MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY RETURNS to Hertfordshire a year after last seeing Elizabeth Bennet, he is surprised to find that she has taken up careering around the countryside in a brand new curricle. Even more surprising is the manner in which their verbal sparring turns to good humor, banter, and flirtation. So much so that her neighbors begin to wonder if their attachment is more than just friendly.

WHILE ELIZABETH BENNET IS ENJOYING the freedom that her little Zephyr brings to her, another young lady is not so fortunate. Bound by the strictures of an unforgiving society, the lady is helpless…at least until Elizabeth’s tender heart demands that she provide aid to the hapless miss. When an impulse of compassion turns into another dreadful secret and places her squarely in trouble’s way, she is forced to drive as if her life depends on it, and her last, best hope lies in Mr. Darcy’s willingness to help her through the adventure of a lifetime.

The Zephyr is a variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is an enemies to lovers, second chance romance. The content of this book is clean/kisses only and low angst.

©2024 Grace Gibson (P)2025 Quills & Quartos Publishing

Good narration

I thought this book had an interesting dynamic between Darcy and Elizabeth. Love sneaks up and Darcy just waits around for Elizabeth to figure it out. They are flirtatious and Lizzy has some fun teasing her neighbor about that Zephyr. Wickham plays a role in the story but it happens differently than canon. I loved watching Lizzy stand up for what is right and that her sisters help along with the Hills even though they aren't happy about it. Luckily, Darcy is willing to help too. And even Mary King gets an ending that isn't your typical happily-ever-after but she probably is happy anyway.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was well done.

Excellence in Writing

I adored The Zephyr in print—it’s one of my favourites from a favourite author—but, unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the audiobook as much. Annabelle Hyde’s voice is nice to listen to, but I didn’t feel she quite captured the tone of Grace Gibson’s unique humour or prose which is the very magic of her writing. The banter, which I loved in the book, just didn’t come through in the same way for the audio version.

Darcy’s voice, up until ODC become engaged, made him sound particularly morose. Maybe it was meant to be dry or reserved, but for me, it didn’t quite work. Elizabeth, too, was hit and miss. At times her voice felt just right, but then she would sound out of character and blend into the narrative portions. Other characters I thought were done quite well with a semblance of flair, making them distinct from the narration. Pacing felt too fast—insufficient pauses where they were needed made the narration feel rushed or as though it all ran together. And the cadence had a slight lift at the end of many sentences, which was distracting and pulled me out of the story waiting for the next instance of it.

In short, while the story is still very strong, and an excellent Pride and Prejudice variation, the narration didn’t quite do justice to the tone and rhythm of the original text. I believe this narrator has a lot of potential—she’s very good, and she definitely had a lot to live up to for this writer’s particular style, so I still give her a well-deserved four stars, and hope the review is taken constructively. It is kindly meant.

Quite different

I was unsure of the first person view, but it works well for this story. I became more interested in the story as it went along. I'd definitely recommend it and enjoyed the Lydia story as it was also pretty different.

Lovely Story from Great Writer of P&P Variations

Excellent variation, as breezy as the title. This author has written a few other variations and I have enjoyed them all. She writes terrific dialogue, especially between Darcy and Elizabeth. And she always brings in a different, creative, element that makes the variation feel fresh. In this one, she has Lizzy driving about in her little zephyr (curricule). I enjoyed this story very much and will be re-listening to it. The narrator is new to me, but I thought she did a very good job. A few other reviewers didn’t care for her, but perhaps that is due to being spoiled by the more well-known narrators like Stevie Z and Harry Frost. We get used to the way Stevie Z does Darcy and then other readers seem “off.” Annabelle Hyde’s Darcy is different, but I liked ‘his’ voice in this audiobook.

Fantastic

This is one of the best Austen variations I’ve ever heard. The writing is excellent and the dialogue is great. The performance is remarkable good. I HIGHLY recommend this book

Wonderful

The dialogue between Elizabeth and Darcy is witty and fun. The story is very engaging and thoughtful at times. The narration by Annabelle Hyde fits the story perfectly.

Witty and Winsome

Elizabeth and Darcy at their bantering best. The narrator captures their dry tones exquisitely. The story is unique, with some heavy undertones lightened by the pacing and perspective of the storyteller - our dearest, loveliest Elizabeth.

AMAZING book - ok narration

ok - I avoided buying this book because of the reviews - I'm way too picky about narrators to spend money on a book if the narration isn't amazing. Then the book was free, so I'll definitely listen without guilt.

OMG - this story is seriously SO GOOD!!! the writing is incredible, the dialogue is smart and engaging, the story is completely unique, there are so many incredible moments in this book.

The narration - meh. The narrator has a beautiful voice and I can see her narrating some amazing books. NOT this book - her reading made all of that incredible dialogue and storytellin really flat and dull, it almost felt like every scene just sort of mushed into the next without dramatic points. It's not horrible, it wouldn't havve been an "I'm returning this book because it's so bad" moment (which i have done) it's a "wow, this book would have been a top fav" had the narration matched the beautiful writing.

Since it's free - it's worth a listen.

Loved the Story

I’ve enjoyed all of Grace Gibson’s books. When I read this book last year, I absolutely loved it. After the Netherfield party’s departure, it was refreshing to steer the story off the original path with the Zephyr and a carefree Elizabeth. I liked the life-altering change to Lydia and the family’s reaction to her near tragedy. As much as I found the written dialogue between Darcy and Elizabeth to be witty and flirty, unfortunately it just did not come through in this audiobook. To my ears, the narration seemed flat and in need of some spark, as if the words were just being spoken aloud.

Totally entertaining story

Terrific narration. Entertaining story. Clever characters and reimagining of Pride & Prejudice. The narrator is lovely, especially her Elizabeth Bennet interpretation.