Defending Elizabeth

By: Rowan Renault

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

He cannot watch her make a mistake of such magnitude.

Darcy: A woman as brilliant, beautiful, and witty as Elizabeth Bennet deserves a good match. One better than her silly cousin, or that irredeemable rake, Wickham, who I know to be much different from the image he presents to the world. Can I save her from committing herself to a disastrous marriage?

Elizabeth: Considering he finds me merely tolerable, the unpleasant Mr. Darcy is unduly obsessed with the gentlemen who wish to court me. Though I have no intention of marrying Mr. Collins, I find myself inexplicably drawn to the witty Mr. Wickham, in spite of Darcy’s objections. I cannot imagine why Darcy thinks his opinions would sway me, nor can I understand why I cannot stop thinking about the infuriating man.

©2017 Rowan Renault (P)2018 Cherry Blossom Press

Sweet Pride and Prejudice Variation

This Pride and Prejudice variation begins with Mr. Collins' arrival at Longbourn. Instead of the usual humble and simpering parson, Mr. Collins is incredibly handsome, and Lydia, Kitty, and Mary are all smitten. Unfortunately, he's still a simpleton! Mr. Collins sets his sights on Elizabeth and Wickham is trying to charm her as well. By the time Mr. Darcy enters the picture, he's competing against two rivals and his solemn manners aren't endearing him to Elizabeth. When Darcy tries to warn her about Wickham, her prejudice against him makes her ignore the warning with disastrous consequences.

This was a sweet clean read that stayed true to the original. The first half of the story was about the Bennet girls, Mr. Collins, and Mr. Wickham. Darcy re-entered the story in the second half. I loved all the extra interaction between the Bennet girls, and hearing Darcy's point of view. Although there's less interaction between Lizzy and Darcy than I'm used to in a P & P variation, this book is a wonderful choice if you like spending time with your favorite characters.

The narration was perfect for the story, Stevie Zimmerman had a wonderful accent and voices for each character. She performed male and female voices and her voice for Darcy was perfection. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

🙂

I liked it but this story seemed a little rushed. Stevie Zimmerman really helped the story.
I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much.

Interesting storyline...

I enjoyed the handsome Mr Collins plot twist, but spent more time on that than the Darcy/Elizabeth romance, which is what I missed in this adaptation.

Not Very Exciting

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It was cute, maybe for an 8-year old. With a P&P variation, I look for something different. It was quite dull. Mr. Collins wasn't a toad. Mrs. Bennett was tolerable. Lady Catherine was as she usually is and Mr. Bennett is non-existent. If there was a winner, it was Kitty.

If you’ve listened to books by Rowan Renault before, how does this one compare?

I listened to Darcy's Bride which is by far a better story than this one. Stevie Zimmerman could have made it better.

What about Stevie Zimmerman’s performance did you like?

I am a big Stevie Zimmerman fan. Her performances are wonderful!

What would have made this romance irresistible?

Darcy and Elizabeth don't interact very much. There was none of the tension that typically plays through their relationship. Elizabeth was not her witty, unabashed self. Darcy didn't have that hidden passion that makes him desirable.