Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Jane Austen is my favorite author and Pride & Prejudice is my all-time favorite book. I am usually happy to read any fan fiction just so I can live a little longer in the world of Elizabeth and Darcy. This book, however, was anything but a joy to read; it was actually quite painful. There are errors throughout the book. On page 79, for example, Mrs. Collins' family is described as "Sir John Lucas and his daughter Maria." He later returns to being Sir William Lucas. The reference to the book Kama Sutra was interesting. Pride & Prejudice was published in 1813. According to Wikipedia, the first known English translation of Kama Sutra was privately printed in 1883, 70 years later. So, how did a copy find its way to the library at Pemberley? I know readers have to suspend belief when reading fan fiction, but c'mon. This is a fact that could have easily been researched. The book, in general, did not seem to fit the Regency period. The author tries to put 21st century attitudes on adoption, for example, into the 19th century and it does not work. Propriety and manners were also quite different. There is a scene where Georgiana meets Alex Carrington in a milliner's shop and he asks to be introduced to her aunt. Georgiana's aunt is the wife of an Earl. No introduction would take place unless it was at the Countess's request. Recall the scene in Pride & Prejudice when Lady Catherine arrives at Longbourn. Elizabeth does not immediately introduce her mother to Lady Catherine. She waits until Lady Catherine shows a willingness to be introduced: "That lady, I suppose, is your mother?" And Lady Catherine is NEVER called Aunt Catherine. Where in canon do you see Darcy or Colonel Fitzwilliam call her Aunt Catherine? The woman had a title and that is what was used. Even an untitled woman was never called "Aunt First Name" - recall Aunt Gardiner and Aunt Phillips. The sex scenes started out interesting, but after the first 150 scenes, the novelty had quite worn off. Yes, I get it. They are a newlywed couple very much in love, but after reading about them in the woods, in the carriage, in front of an "audience," etc., it got to be a bit redundant. In addition, the language used to describe the events became cruder and cruder. I guess I just expected a variation on a Jane Austen to have a bit more taste and refinement. My imagination is vivid enough; I don't need every minute detail explained to me. Leave the crassness and vulgarity to the trashy drug store romance novels, please. So much for the small annoyances. The biggest problem with this book is the plot - there isn't much of one. There is plenty of action - stuff happens for over 400 pages. What is lacking is any type of identifiable theme. One of the reasons why Pride & Prejudice has been so endearing for almost 200 years is because of Jane Austen's use of character development. She uses a combination of action, dialog and the third person omniscient narrator to take us into the minds of her characters. Elizabeth prides herself on being an excellent judge of people's characters, yet she totally misreads Darcy. Mr. Darcy has been prejudiced by his upbringing to care for none beyond his own family circle and to think meanly of the rest of the world. Both characters must realize their faults and correct them before they can hook up in the end. The journey of their self-discovery is why we love P&P. In Chance Encounters, Elizabeth and Darcy lock eyes and are eternally in love. The author then spends 400+ pages droning on and on about how in love they are and how strong their love is. I found myself rolling my eyes thinking, "They've only know each other 4 months. New love is always perfect. Let's check back in a few years and see if they can still stomach the sight of each other." There was no change to either of the main characters. They fell madly in love at first sight and that was that. The author did attempt some character development in Mr. Bennet. First, she turned him into a total psycho. Then he had one of those "Saul on the road to Damascus" moments and turned completely around in one split second. He also was given the power to cure his wife of 20 years of nervousness with a single embrace. (Yeah, like that's believable!) Making Mr. Bennet so controlling and possessive is contrary to his original character and the other changes are too little too late. So, if you like romance novels with explicit sex and no theme, then buy this book. If you are looking for something in the same vein as Jane Austen, save your money and keep looking because you won't find it here. Yes, I have the contradictory view of this book, "...and now despise me if you dare!"