I saw a conversation on twitter a while back between some friends, and they were discussing a scene in The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds. I had read the book a few years back, and I couldn’t remember the scene. So I thought, wow, I really should re-read it, and I did!
In this Pride and Prejudice variation...what if, Elizabeth is compromised by Mr. Darcy during his proposal at Hunsford? Assuming Elizabeth will consent to the marriage Darcy kisses her before she has a chance to answer. Just at that moment Colonel Fitzwilliam comes along and witnesses the kiss. Elizabeth is horrified, but to protect her sisters she marries Darcy. With the resentment Elizabeth feels toward Darcy, their marriage is bound to have problems!
Because Elizabeth never rejects Darcy, she never receives that letter he writes her while at Rosings. As a result, she still believes Wickham’s lies. It was breaking my heart that Elizabeth didn’t love Darcy. As she gets to know the good man that he is, she begins to fall in love with him, but will it be too late?
Georgiana is at Pemberley with Darcy and Elizabeth. Witnessing their odd behavior and not understanding what is going on between them, poor Georgiana is so confused! If this is what it is like to be married, she would rather be a spinster!
This time I enjoyed the story a whole lot more! You might ask," Why would that be?" Well, I’m not sure. It might be that I can handle the angst much better than I used to. Oh, the rejections and heartache! First, I want to shake some sense into Elizabeth, then I want to throttle Darcy! The story is so good!
What I love about Reynolds’s writing is that she really knows how to make you feel the emotion of her characters. She always pulls me into her stories. It had been a couple weeks since I had read this and I wanted to re-read something real quick before I wrote my review, and I was pulled right back in!
If you haven’t already read Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, you need to do so quickly!
(Originally published as The Last Man in the World)
5 out of 5 stars.
I bought my copy of The Last Man in the World.
Buy a copy here. (Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link, I will receive a small commission.)
No time to read? Get the audiobook! Available at Amazon, Audible and itunes! Narrated by Rachel Hurley. I listened to the sample - she sounds lovely!
Connect with Abigail Reynolds:
This completes my fourth selection for the P&P Bicentenary Challenge 2013.
Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!
This is one of my favs from Abigail (but I still like Impulse & Initiative best - AND I got her to sign it! Yes, I'm still a JAFF nerd at heart - LOL!)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Me too! I brought my favorite, From Lambton to Longbourn, to the AGM for Abigail to sign! I would have brought all her books with me, but I knew I'd be bringing a bunch of new books home with me! Definite JAFF nerd here! :D
DeleteI had to read this one a second time to appreciate it better. I think that the emotions got to me so much the first time that I just wanted to hurry and see what would happen so the angst would end. The second time through I could take my time and just appreciate the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Sophia Rose! (I love your name!!) I think that's what was happening to me...I liked it before, but I loved it the second reading! :D
DeleteI just loved this book! I could hardly put it down, and once I finished it I needed to read it again. It surprised me a bit that I liked it so much because it's not a happy read for much of the book but I think Abigail Reynolds does uncomfortable emotions really well. My stomach was in knots while reading this, I felt awful for them both. Once Lizzy had been compromised the marriage to Darcy was inevitable - to make her life happy she had to keep him happy so it made perfect sense that she would lead him to believe she was happy with her fate and you feel awful for him because he has married believing Lizzy loves him when in fact she doesn't want to be married to him at all, and they both feel so guilty about what they've done to each other.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way that many of the same things that happen in P&P also happen here, but in come about in different ways, such as Lizzy finding out about Wickham's lies, what he tried with Georgiana etc.
And the bits with Georgiana really made me smile, she is completely bewildered by her brother's marriage, one moment they are hardly speaking then constantly together and she can't understand it at all, bless her!
Ceri! You've said it perfectly!! So many emotions! I couldn't put it down either - read it in one sitting!
DeleteI loved your comment! Thank you! And yes, bless Georgiana, poor girl. ;)
There is a lot of angst in this book - and I'm not usually a girl who likes angst in her stories. What I loved about it was the fact that Elizabeth seemed to hate him even more after she started to fall in love with him. It rang so true!
ReplyDeleteHi Angie! Oh me either! I've been known to put down a book with too much angst.
DeleteI can't wait for tomorrow! Exciting!
Thanks for the lovely review, Candy, and I'm glad you were moved to read it a second time. I'm still a bit baffled as to how I came to write it!
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail! You're welcome! I'm glad I re-read it too, although I've read many of your books more than once! ;) I should have given it a second chance sooner! Well, however it came to be, I'm glad you DID write it!
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed this, Candy. I love this book! You are right though- oh, the angst! But the story os oh-so-good! :)
ReplyDeleteHI Jakki! Yep! It's oh-so-good! ;)
DeleteI too enjoyed it much more the second time around and I think my angst tolerance has risen quite a bit since I first started reading JAFF. The scene that sparked the conversation on twitter (chapter 5 I think) was angsty but I actually thought what came after was worse. I was surprised that I had forgotten from my first read how far Lizzy was contemplating going to solve their dilemma.
ReplyDeleteHi Monica! I thought so too - the chapters after were worse. Elizabeth was in the depths of despair that's for sure. Then it turns around, and of course it has a very happy ending!! Loved it!
DeleteI adore this one! For me the more angst the better... and this one sure has a ton of it. I go back to this one whenever I need a fix. Even after many readings I get that tightness in my chest and the lump in my throat at certain parts. Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting premise for a book. This sounds like a great read. Adding this to my list to read also. Thanks, Candy.
ReplyDelete