Mistaking Her Character

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Maria Grace

Narrated by: Lesley Parkin

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lady Catherine de Bourgh is prepared to be very generous when it comes to medical care for her sickly daughter, Anne - generous enough to lure noted physician Dr. Thomas Bennet to give up his London practice and move his family to Rosings Park. But his good income comes with a price: complete dependence on his demanding patroness’s every whim. 

Now the Bennet family is trapped, reliant on Lady Catherine for their survival. Their patroness controls every aspect of the Bennet household, from the shelves in the closet to the selection of suitors for the five Bennet daughters. Now she has chosen a husband for headstrong Elizabeth Bennet - Mr. George Wickham. 

But Lady Catherine’s nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is not so sure about his aunt’s choice. He is fascinated by the compassionate Elizabeth who seems to effortlessly understand everyone around her, including him. Lady Catherine has other plans for Darcy, though, and she forbids Elizabeth to even speak to him. 

As Anne’s health takes a turn for the worse, Darcy and Elizabeth are thrown together as Dr. Bennet struggles to save Anne’s life. Darcy can no longer deny the truth - he is in love with Elizabeth Bennet. But Lady Catherine will do anything to stop Darcy from marrying her - even if it means Elizabeth will lose everything she loves.

©2015 Maria Grace (P)2019 Maria Grace

Dark Pride and Prejudice Retelling

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, Mr. Bennet isn't a gentleman with a small estate, he's a talented doctor hired by Lady Catherine to take care of Anne de Bourgh. Lizzy acts as his assistant and tries to anticipate her father's every need before he expresses it, as he's quick to anger and she is often the target of that anger. When Mr. Darcy visits his aunt, he meets Lizzy and admires her, but Lady Catherine has other plans for the two oldest Bennet sisters.

I really enjoyed this retelling. Why is it so dark? Every character, except for Darcy and the Gardiners, are magnified versions of themselves. Normally I prefer the characters to have the same personalities, and just the circumstances to be different, but this variation works in its own way. Mr. Bennet isn't just a lax father, he's verbally abusive and cruel. Mrs. Bennet wants to get rid of her two oldest step daughters to make way for her biological children, and Lady Catherine? She isn't just overbearing and interfering in this retelling, she actually intends harm. Jane loves her sister, but is indifferent or unseeing of her suffering. Lizzy's self esteem is damaged by a lifetime of harm by her family, although she still retains her own sparkle. Watching Darcy work to heal her heart was cathartic. This is a great variation and I'll be looking out for more by this author!

The narration was well done, perfect for the story. I really enjoyed her accent, and it was a great performance.

Very Entertaining

Though the characters were very different from what I had known in past variations, I thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn. I especially enjoyed the inner dialogue of Elizabeth and Darcy during their interactions. I will definitely re-read this book in the future!

Encore!

I absolutely loved this version. it was beautiful! the plot was amazing, it keeps you hooked. I will definitely be listening to this again. it's now one of my favorites!

Great....

I really enjoyed this book. I did read it some time ago, but listening to it now made it feel brand new. The "normal" characters are a little different, making the story original and new feeling. Narration was exceptional.