Madness in Meryton

A Pride & Prejudice Variation

By: Jayne Bamber

Narrated by: Amanda S. Brown

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Jane and Elizabeth Bennet return home from Netherfield, two days of heavy rain confine them indoors with their unruly younger sisters, a mother in perpetual need of smelling salts, and the tedious Mr. Collins. When the rain clears, the ladies from Longbourn and the gentlemen from Netherfield are drawn to Meryton by the excitement of Market Day, setting in motion a series of significant events. 

That night, Mrs. Phillips hosts a card party for officers of the local militia, where the charming Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth his shocking history with Mr. Darcy, a man who has only given Elizabeth offense since coming to stay with his friend Mr. Bingley at Netherfield. 

The next day, the same thing happens again. 

And again, the day after that - and so on, for what begins to feel like an eternity. Elizabeth takes increasingly drastic measures to further the budding romance between her beloved sister Jane and their handsome neighbor Mr. Bingley. Along the way, she arranges improvements in the lives of all of her family, in a effort to end the relentless redundancy that only she seems aware of. 

As Elizabeth’s frustration turns to madness, she soon realizes that her inexplicable dilemma is somehow connected to a certain officer and a certain gentleman of her acquaintance....

Elizabeth must forge unlikely alliances and devote her considerable wit to the task of achieving a perfect day for those she holds dear, while facing familiar Fitzwilliam friends and foes, as well as all the mortification and delight of falling in love. 

©2020 Jayne Bamber (P)2021 Jayne Bamber

One of the best variations yet...

I loved this Groundhogs Day twist!! Very well written and the characters were believable for the most part. I especially loved the couple pairings at the end. Nicely done!

Divine

Simply Exquisite storyline. At first I thought it was going to be another PNP meets Groundhog's Day but it is oh so much more. Of course, the book is no where near canon but it does not retract from it's enjoyment. I highly recommend it.

Groundhog day!

Loved this story. Then again I love time travel. So this was perfect. Also Caroline Bingley has feelings too.

Very enjoyable!

One of my favorite Pride and Prejudice variations, with the interesting twist of Elizabeth channeling Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Just like in the cult favorite movie, there are some days that are so tedious and exasperating, but each one brings you closer to the perfect ending.

All of the usual PNP characters play their role, mostly in character. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Lady Catherine but there was enough of the sniveling Mr. Collins to make up for her absence. As always, some of the personalities take unexpected arcs that leave you guessing their true natures until the very end.

And the narration was fantastic! Well done all around.

Great book.

When the day repeats over and over again until they get it right. So many twists and turns. A web of things that are connected. Interesting ending. Could not foresee that. I highly recommend this book to a Jane Austen fan fiction lover.

Delightful!

This one left me with a huge grin at the end. One of my favorite endings of the JAFF genre. A truly enjoyable variation.

Excellent storyline, slightly strange narration

I really enjoyed the story, the twists and turns were amazing and I found myself shouting at the characters when I knew they'd done the wrong thing. Extremely engaging book with a brilliant twisting story that will leave you eager to listen to the next chapter!

My only complaint is that the narrator gets some English pronunciations woefully wrong - however, if you can forgive that then it IS worth it in the end!