First Impressions: A Modern Retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

By: Ruby Cruz

Narrated by: Trish Mckinnley

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Lizzy Bennett always told herself she was too busy for love, especially since she was working full-time as a nurse at Meryton Medical Center and helping to care for her young niece. When her sister, Jane, catches the attention of young medical resident Dr. Charlie Bingley, she does everything she can to help her sister find happiness - even if it means enduring the presence of Charlie's arrogant friend, Dr. William Darcy.

In this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, familiar characters are reimagined but the overarching question remains: will Lizzy and Darcy overcome their personal and social contrivances to find true love?

©2014 Ruby Cruz (P)2015 Ruby Cruz

Great modern Jaff

I really liked this story. I normally read regency Jaff. But it was well written and the narrator did a great job. Recommend it.

No emotional investment in the characters,

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love P&P variations, so will usually read anything available, however I don't remember ever yelling "oh good grief" and rolling my eyes so many times.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This is the first time I have read a modern P&P story so I was hoping.

Could you see First Impressions: A Modern Retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

The script would need more something. I never felt that Lizzie and Darcy really even cared about each other.

Any additional comments?

I wanted to love this book but had to restart a half dozen times, I kept falling asleep.

Feminism grade: B+ Terrible narrator Great story

The narrator is very robotic and sounds very off the whole time which really bugged me but otherwise, the story was great!

Average story and narration

the story was average and the narration was tough to get through. the cadence of the narration seemed broken and awkward at times.

Nice Idea/Poor Performance

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better narrator! The narrator was amateurish. She was not at all adept at conveying emotion and differentiating the characters. She also mispronounced some words and was uncomfortable pronouncing others. Her performance almost made me stop listening.

The story was good but I was disappointed in the writing. Placing these well-known characters in a medical setting was clever, but the characters were not well developed, although I did get a better appreciation for how hard nurses work. Sadly, the narrator's performance didn't help - no added texture or depth came through.

Would you be willing to try another one of Trish Mckinnley’s performances?

No.

What character would you cut from First Impressions: A Modern Retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

I wouldn't cut any of the characters but the writer didn't do a good job at making any of them come alive for me.

Any additional comments?

The idea of retelling this classic story for a modern audience seemed good at first glance and I liked the medical setting. But this book is not worth listening to for all the reasons given above.

Couldn't suffer through the book.

This is a great disappointment to anyone that has a love of Pride and Pejudice. To put it in modern times is one thing, to completely detroy the integrity that made Jane Austen's book a classic is unforgivable. Save your money and time, just reread P and P. You'll be much happier.