The Unthinkable Triangle

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Joana Starnes

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

All is fair in love and war - or is it? What if Mr. Darcy's rival for Elizabeth Bennet's hand and heart is not some inconsequential stranger, but his dearest, closest friend? How is he to reconcile the claims of loyalty and kinship with the urge to pursue his heart's desire?

"Eyes tightly shut against the horrifying future, Darcy dug his fingers in his hair. Lost to him forever. Not merely lost, but promised to his cousin - firmly in his life, but never his! How in God's name was he to bear it and not become unhinged? How was he to have her at his table as Richard's affianced, and not betray himself? How was he to see her, time and again, and give no sign that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman? How was he to keep up the pretence, day after excruciating day?"

©2015 Joana Starnes (P)2023 Joana Starnes

Heart-wrenchingly delightful!

I'm in the midst of a Pride and Prejudice variation spree, and there are certain things I'm always looking for: the characters seem true to the originals and haven't been poorly "modernized," the language passes as fitting with the original mood and time period, and the new plot is believable. This book passes on all three accounts. The narration was also excellent! Stevie Zimmerman does a great job with both male and female voices and various accents.

While we don't get to see much into Elizabeth's perspective, or Colonel Fitzwilliam's for that matter, about how their courtship and his proposal unfolded at the very beginning of the book, what we do see, largely from Darcy's perspective, is believable. And it is, as another reviewer wrote, exquisite torture! Poor Darcy is stuck between a rock and a hard place-- or rather, between his inextinguishable and too-late acted upon love for Elizabeth and his loyalty to Fitzwilliam and respect for his and Elizabeth's obviously sincere attachment. Later on we do see more things from Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam's sides, to round out the whole story a bit more. For the longest time you'll be wondering how in the world this whole thing could possibly be resolved! I enjoyed it all with a smile on my face.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

wonderfully entangled plot

Lovely story with great lines and twists in the plot. Fantastic narration with accents in English (many), French, Spanish and Scottish. Very enjoyable. Superb author.

Surprisingly good

I was surprised at how good this book was. If you like Jane Austen FF, I recommend it.

The opening one-third or so of Austen's Pride and Prejudice is mentioned as a backstory, as the book opens with Lizzie visiting Charlotte Collins and encountering Darcy and his cousin Fitzwilliam at Rosings. Darcy is on the verge of proposing when Lizzie and Fitzwilliam announce their engagement. Naturally, Darcy is crushed and agonizes at the thought of the woman he loves being married to his dearest friend.

Fitzwilliam is on leave from the Army and must return to the Peninsula, and here is where the author begins her own plot. Events conspire to throw Lizzie and Darcy together in fairly believable ways, and Lizzie begins to see Darcy's admirable traits, even though Darcy is careful not to reveal his true feelings for her.

Fitzwilliam is a doll, though, so how can Lizzie dump him for Darcy? Fear not, this author has devised a plot that gives everyone a happy ending. As I said, it's really quite good.

Heart wrenching

Darcy is forced to bemoan his poor decisions and timing repeatedly and watch as Lizzie shows her affection for Richard. It’s a very angst ridden version, for all and sundry, at one time or another.

It is well written and, of course, Stevie Zimmerman makes it well worth the listen.

Not 5 star worthy, except for Ms. Zimmerman, but worth the credit for sure.

Agree it is exquisite torture but very satisfying

Agree it is exquisite torture but very satisfying. A love triangle, but one where you feel compassion for all parties. Although I wish there had been more insight to Elizabeth’s initial acceptance of the Colonel. The story will not disappoint! The first half is mostly from Darcy’s viewpoint and it is endearing and tortuous.
I recommend to anyone enjoying strong believable characters on a P&P variation.
This is the 3rd Joana Starnes I have enjoyed and Stevie Zimmerman is of course amazing!

I did like this!

I'm not crazy about love triangles, but I have been itching for a good P&P variation, so why not?



The story follows Darcy, Elizabeth, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Darcy is about to propose, but the Colonel beats him to it and Elizabeth accepts. What is Darcy to do? He loves Elizabeth, but how could he break his cousin's heart?



I do love how this "triangle" was played out. It really wasn't a true triangle, so that made me happy. Elizabeth had no idea Darcy loved her and honestly...she didn't realize her feelings for him either so she accepted a good match.



It was so sad seeing Darcy being in so much pain!!!!! I like the cousin too, but Darcy was a true gentleman the entire time. I wanted him to shove his cousin out of the way and take Elizabeth away. LOL. But Elizabeth needed time to realize her true feelings even though it took forever and a day. For a girl being so smart, she was super dumb here.



I do like how the author dealt with the Colonel in the end. It wasn't easy but I feel that was the best way. And I was happy he did what he did. It redeemed him for his selfish attitude at one point.



Now...I did struggle a little bit with this at the beginning. Not sure why. Maybe it was because it was dragging on a touch? I'm not sure, but after a certain scene, I could not stop listening.



The narrator was good. I liked her voices. I would love to listen to more with her.



Overall, I did like this. I was pleasantly surprised the love triangle didn't annoy me like it normally does. The author did an excellent job of avoiding the a-typical triangle pitfalls. I did struggle to get connected at the beginning, but it turned around after a certain scene. I will stamp this with 3 stars.

Loved this book

I always wanted a love triangle story between these three. Got what I wanted and more. Many P&P variations hint at Colonel Fitzwilliams feelings for Elizabeth but nothing ever happeneds between them because he needs to marry well. Alot of the book is through a heartbroken Mr.Darcys POV. If your looking for a Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam love story this is not it. You see most of their relationship through Darcy. Even though I felt bad for Fitzwilliam. Darcy is just too passionate and so sweet throughout the book so of course she falls in love with him

Really fabulous P&P variation

I’ve bought all of Ms Starnes P&P variations and this is one of my favorites. My advice is to read (or listen to) this one third or forth, so you’ve already formed an attachment to Mr Darcy’s favorite cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam. One of the best aspects of Ms Starnes’ books is the depth of character development, resulting in the reader/listener getting to know the main characters deeper with each piece.

That said, this is a love triangle among Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and Richard Fitzwilliam. The book is filled with a mix of romance, angst, edge-of-your-seat drama, and the reader truly doesn’t guess the outcomes of the many twists.

There are scenes where I couldn’t put this book down. It’s that good.

Another aspect of this book is getting to know minor characters and how their influence plays into the actions of the main characters. The reader can draw conclusions to the original P&P based on what we learn from the characters in this and other variations from Ms Starnes.

I especially applaud the author for how she portrays strong women (Specifically Elizabeth and Anne) in a time when women weren’t permitted much of a voice at all.

Such angst

I agree with other readers this is heart wrenching but it does have a HEA. Darcy is so kind and wonderful and Colonel Fitzwilliam is amazing. Please listen it so worth it. Stevie Zimmerman is worth the 5 star rating.

Heart wrenching

The emotion in this is powerful and the character development, especially Richard’s brings to light there’s not always that happy ending you think

Unthinkable to give anything less than 5 stars!

Would you listen to The Unthinkable Triangle again? Why?

I would listen to it again.... I listened to it after the reading the book a few months prior. This story is so brilliant, I read it far too quickly as a book. The audio version gave me the chance to listen properly. It's a long, detailed story. Definitely one of my favourites in this genre.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth and Darcy which is why this makes for such a heart breaking tale. I wanted them all to be happy... but clearly someone is going to be disappointed. Joana Starnes writes in a way that makes the reader these characters are known to them. You hear all their thoughts meaning you understand them. Very skilfully done, the characters ponder all their experiences, giving real insight into their feelings and behaviour.

Which character – as performed by Stevie Zimmerman – was your favourite?

I like Colonel Fitzwilliam - despite the author being female, he has the tone, accent and inflection I'd expect if he walked into my sitting room for a chat!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is long! There is no way you could listen to it all in one sitting... but if I had the chance that us just what I would want to do. I found myself driving to work (and back again) slower and slower so I could listen to a bit more!

Any additional comments?

This book will not be for everyone. There is a lot of internal dialogue and issues are never quickly resolved... personally, I prefer this as it feels more realistic. When I get to the end of one of Joana Starnes books I feel exhausted and drained... but always completely happy and satisfied with the conclusion.

The idea of Colonel Fitzwilliam proposing before Darcy is just brilliant, but be prepared for the happiness, the heart break, the agony and the adventure!!

Exceeded my expectations

This was my 2nd audiobook by Joana Starnes. I made my way through it with avalanche speed. 5 minutes into the book and I was totally hooked to the storyline. I listened to the book every free minute and at night time I went to bed with my audiobook. I found myself setting it for 1 hour, only to set it for another hour. I just couldn't get enough.

I loved the part of Monsieur DuPont, the dancing instructior, it doesn't half let Stevie shine as a narrator, or the Scottish doctor, or a Spanish accent.

My favourite part in the book is whenever D & E gaze at each other or their glances meet for a second. At those instances, and with the narrator's ability to read well, you can feel the electricity in the room.

Another favourite moment is Elizabeth's moment when she realizes to whom her heart belongs. Just divine.

Excellent

A very different and enjoyable spin off. The writing is fluent and the narration does it full justice.

Great.

Good story. Brilliant narration by s zimmerman as always never fails with her portrail of the characters