Clever Lass

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Mary Alice Alexander

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Elizabeth Bennet's world is imperiled by the unjust entail which looms over her beloved family estate, Longbourn. Her father's ailing health only exacerbates the urgency of their predicament. Determined to ensure that the odious Rev William Collins never inherits her home, Elizabeth embarks on a courageous journey to end the entail once and for all.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, an arrogant scion of wealthy lineage, accompanies his rich tradesman friend, Charles Bingley, to survey the Netherfield estate. Caroline Bingley, a woman of calculated ambition, sees Darcy as the ultimate prize. Her plans are threatened, however, when Bingley becomes captivated by the gentle Jane Bennet. Caroline's jealousy and resentment know no bounds.

Darcy finds himself irresistibly drawn to the spirited and independent-minded Elizabeth Bennet. As their paths intertwine, Darcy’s conviction that she is beneath him in fortune, connections, and station, is challenged by her character and wit. Charles Bingley, deceived by his conniving sister, must overcome societal expectations, and find the courage to follow his heart.

Elizabeth's audacious hope to thwart Collins and preserve Longbourn for her family leads her to an unexpected ally, and perhaps even love, amidst the chaos. Darcy and Bingley must confront their own shortcomings and reassess what truly matters in life.

©2023 Humble Blessing Press (P)2023 Humble Blessing Press

I love to see the villains reap their rewards.

Well written & Stevie Zimmerman’s performances are reliably excellent.
Storyline has just enough mild angst to question how things will be resolved.

Could not stop listening!

This was such a great story line. I Don't know about you, but I have grown tired of the angstyness between Darcy and Elizabeth in the same old story lines. This was not your average storyline for ODC, nor for their family and friends. Definitely worth the credit and will be a repeat listen for me!!

worth a credit

I give High marks for some creativity here. I especially appreciated the lack of soft porn. I will be so happy when I can read one of these variations that doesn't have anachronism's speech like rolling one's eyes. I have researched that it does not happen before the 1950s to mean anything except sexual innuendo

A lot going on (spoilers)

So many threads started but left unraveled. The Mr. Collins debacle needed more attention as we don’t know how that was resolved after such devastating events. Caroline’s story didn’t make sense to me at all. She had other options but chose the worst one. The crime of a supercilious young woman doesn’t merit such a punishment. Not enough information about “Thomas’s” ailment. He was highly functioning if he was a good horseman. I’ve owned many horses, trained a few, it’s not for the frail, meek or impaired. Great story but weak wind up of all the things going on. In spite of this, I enjoyed the book very much, the author has talent and the narrator was perfect as Stevie Zimmerman always is.

Changes in the characters Darcy & Bingley.

I enjoyed listening to the outcome of Carolyn Bingley but would much rather have heard more of Darcy & Elizabeth's courtship.

Absolutely loved it.

This story got me hooked very quickly. So many things happening. A sinister mr Collins. Miss Bingley :) well I will not spoil the fun of telling her story. All in all a great story. And great narrating as well. Great Jaff

Wonderful

I see a lot of review complaints about how long the book was and how much was going on. I loved that the book was long and that there were several stories to pay attention too. And of course as always Love Stevie’s narration

Clever Lass

This type of P&P variation, where the author changes many familiar events and adds new scenes, but keeps the main character’s personalities true, is my cup of tea. The story is well written for the most part, but as other reviewers of the ebook mentioned, there were several (minor) confusing timeline matters. It is also a bit overly long, however, the talented narration by Stevie Zimmerman is so very engaging that I didn’t want this audiobook to end. Ms. Zimmerman’s distinctive voice acting breathes life into each and every character; the short comedic scene featuring the Earl of Matlock, his sons, and Darcy is a golden example of this. She even adds a perfectly lecherous manner of expression to Mr. Collins’s dastardly dialogue. I’ll be re-listening to this one!

Great Story with Excellent Narration

This is a Very Long P&P Variation, but I enjoyed the trip. Some disparaged the several secondary or tangential stories within the main one, but I didn’t feel that they took anything away from this author’s book. In fact, I prefer long audiobooks to short ones - at least, I do if they are well written and this one is. And then there is the narrator. I can listen to Stevie Z for hours - and have many times. Well done. Looking forward to this author’s next book.

Too long, no logic

Too many repetitions, some parts were too detailed an then the whole action happened in 5-10 min.... I wish I could get my credit back 😩