Pride, Prejudice & Secrets

By: C. P. Odom

Narrated by: Katherine Anderson

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the turning points in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is Miss Elizabeth Bennet's passionate refusal and denunciation of the equally passionate but infinitely more repressed Fitzwilliam Darcy. However, unforeseen events can lead to the most unexpected consequences.

During a visit with her friend, Charlotte Collins, at Hunsford, Elizabeth falls prey to illness for almost the first time in her life just as Mr. Darcy comes to call. Befuddled by her illness, she misinterprets his proposal of marriage, and a simple nod of acknowledgment is mistaken for acceptance of his suit by a joyous Darcy.

By the time Elizabeth regains her health, it seems every one of her acquaintances - and many outside of it - accepts she is engaged to the last man in the world she would ever consider. Elizabeth knows that her life will be forever changed, and the consequences will spread further than she imagines.

From the author of A Most Civil Proposal and Consequences

©2015 C. P. Odom (P)2019 C. P. Odom

Lovely story!!! One of the best!

One of my top five P&P variations! Wonderful story, very interesting and satisfying, without a lot of angst like other variations. Truly enjoyable read/ listen!

WWJAD: What would Jane Austen do?

The premise of this Pride and Prejudice reimagining was to see how Jane Austen would have continued the story, if one key moment at the beginning went differently. Turns out, everything would have gone a lot smoother! Not that Elizabeth lost her prejudices easily, it was more of an internal thing in this version. Less drama :D And many other characters got a bit more satisfying storyline. Caroline Bingley, especially.

It was an enjoyable listen, I recommend it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good variation.

I would have liked this story more if there had been some conflicts between ODC. Lizzy’s ire with Darcy, how it’s resolve, and how they come together are the JAFF I like best. This has some of those elements but not enough to tempt me to give it 5 stars. It was nice to hear minor character stories. Worth the 10 hours if you are an Austen variations fan.

Fun book. Never get enough of Pride and Prejudice

So the book is great. I love Pride and Prejudice retellings. This one is done very well and keeps in mind how the original characters would react in situations. Nice to see how Darcy and Elizabeth end up together, but also an alternative reality for the other sisters. This book is well thought out and plotted. I very much enjoyed it. The narrator on the other hand, well I don't know if this is her first book but I heard every breath she took, her stomach gurgles and spit in her mouth. The story was enjoyable enough that I just gritted my teeth with all the unprofessional noises. I would still recommend this story if not the narrator. I've never really came down on a narrator this much, but its was beyond a few breaths here and there. I've listened to dozens of audiobooks, never have I heard a stomach rumble until now.

My Thoughts on Pride, Prejudice and Secrets

I'm a huge P&P fan so this book already got my attention with that tie in alone. But I'm a fan of not only the original but several variations as well. I've tried contemporary, I've tried zombies, I've tried a lot of variations. This was one of the good ones.

I loved the premise of this version in which Elizabeth said yes to the first proposal. I liked how it was written, it seemed believable the way the "acceptance" came about. And then the way things unfolded after was really well done also. There were some twists that I didn't see coming and changes I'm still not sure I liked. But overall I think the author did a really good job.

The narrator had an excellent voice and I felt like her performance helped my enjoyment of this story a lot. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to more by her in future.

Like Sliding Doors for P&P!

Such a fascinating book! Loved hearing this alternative reality for all of the characters from Pride and Prejudice. Some have similar storylines while others go in a very different direction. Which “villains” obtain redemption and which do you continue to dislike? In many ways, it’s a more satisfying conclusion since you get to find out more of what happens to each character - from Georgiana to Collins to Wickham. Even with a different author and different ending, all of the characters seemed to stay true to their personalities and styles, and it was easy to picture this as the way Jane Austen may have wished their stories to be.
The only criticisms I have are that the book doesn’t really contain the wit that Jane Austen’s version had, and the narrator at times stumbles over the words and at other times seems bored. There isn’t much differentiation between the character voices either, but overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to any Jane Austen fans out there!

Pretty good but plodding at times

This book starts out quick and compelling enough, with Elizabeth ill and in a dreamlike daze when Darcy proposes and she says yes without thinking. Things proceed from there, though it does drag a little after Elizabeth decides she wouldn't mind marrying Darcy. Still, even as the plot winds down, it's a nice slice of life look into the characters' lives.

What makes this variation sparkle is that it's not just a take on the Elizabeth and Darcy relationship, giving other background characters needed development. I especially appreciate how Caroline and Wickham are humanized without overlooking how they were also pretty terrible, ending up with happy endings of their own.

I think, if there's anything I want to hold against this variation, is that it does seem to not give Darcy the character development he had in the original. Mild spoilers, but his role in breaking apart Bingley and Jane goes largely unaddressed, and Jane even winds up with an original character she's attracted to for his decisiveness, a marked departure from Bingley. I don't have a problem with the last point, but even though the narration kind of makes a point at the end how it wasn't important for Elizabeth to know and acknowledge that Darcy did this, it still bothers me. Still, I was pretty happy with this review copy and enjoyed listening to it.

a new twist to the story

This story is also in book form. The narrator did a great job with the story. She brought the story of life for me. I like this version of Elizabeth and Darcy story. The story revealed the secrets of each characters in the story Pride and Prejudice.

U received a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

Cute but repetitive...

I found myself enjoying this novel but was often distracted by the repetitive narrative and the narrators stumbles. It was an easy story line to follow. Everyone gets a happy ending. Not bad, not great, just a cute and light P&P variation.

DNF. the narration is dreadful and the pace slow

DNF. The narration is dreadful and the pace so slow. do not recommend. maybe if you read it, it's more manageable.