The Story of Elizabeth and the Woman who Stood in Her Way

A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen
In some ways I'm not sure if I'm the target audience for this book since I haven't actually read Pride and Prejudice. But I have the seen the movie (Keira Knightly version) as well as parts of the Colin Firth mini-series so I at least know the basic story. I was thinking this would be somewhat of a sequal, and was surprised that it was almost a retelling of the novel. I'm not exactly sure how it compares to original, but if I had to guess in this we have a much better idea of what Mr. Darcy is actually thinking.

Reading the book I was surprised at how certain scenes turned out, and had to question myself as to whether I remember the story wrong. But after a little research, I realized the book does change a few plot lines. In a way it gives several characters a much happier ending, which I could see wanting to see that happen as a reader, but I'm not sure what it adds to give everyone their own happily ever after. I do think the book reads in a way to make you think this is what really happened in "real live," and Jane Austen's book is the literary interpretation of it.

Overall I did enjoy the book, but I do think a lot of that it the actual Pride and Prejudice, story and can't neccessarily be credited to this author. I also think that if I was more familiar with the story, I might be upset at some of the changes made to the plot. But reading this does make me want to read the original, and if the goal is to get more people introduced to Austen's work, it definitely meets its mark.

3.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.