Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
Book 2 in the Adventures with Jane Austen and Her Legacy series
Book 2 in the Adventures with Jane Austen and Her Legacy series
Paperback, 272 pages
Guideposts Books
February 1, 2010
★★★½☆☆
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Source: Received for review from publicist
“Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister’s behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn’t looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil, a nice, if a bit negligent, sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy, leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated authors own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn’t logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places” .
Honestly, I have to admit up front, I am not a huge Jane Austen fan. I haven’t read any of her books and haven’t really felt a desire to. After I accepted this book, I wasn’t really sure I would enjoy it – my only exposure to Austen’s work was the Kiera Knightly Pride & Prejudice film. I am happy to admit that I really enjoyed this book and found myself interested in reading the actual Pride & Prejudice book.
One of the interesting aspects of this story was the premise that Claire finds a first draft of P & P that was nothing like what the published version was. Now of course I don’t know what the real writing was like, but I felt like Pattillo did a great job of creating her own version of what the first draft might have been like. The story was definitely different than the final version.
My only problem with the story was that I didn’t feel anything for the 2 men that Claire is forced to choose between. I really liked Claire and her felt for her, but the author didn’t seem to develop the male characters enough for me to really feel the struggle.
Interestingly I found some connections between this book and another book I read last year, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. The story was set in an academic setting with the main character searching for a book that had been passed down and hidden from someone who wants it. But I think Physick Book carried it off better.
This was a quick and enjoyable read. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the original work so that I could compare the “first draft” to the real book, but still very enjoyable. I am thinking of picking up Jane Austen Ruined My Life by the same author.
Reviews of this book by other bloggers:
One of the interesting aspects of this story was the premise that Claire finds a first draft of P & P that was nothing like what the published version was. Now of course I don’t know what the real writing was like, but I felt like Pattillo did a great job of creating her own version of what the first draft might have been like. The story was definitely different than the final version.
My only problem with the story was that I didn’t feel anything for the 2 men that Claire is forced to choose between. I really liked Claire and her felt for her, but the author didn’t seem to develop the male characters enough for me to really feel the struggle.
Interestingly I found some connections between this book and another book I read last year, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. The story was set in an academic setting with the main character searching for a book that had been passed down and hidden from someone who wants it. But I think Physick Book carried it off better.
This was a quick and enjoyable read. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the original work so that I could compare the “first draft” to the real book, but still very enjoyable. I am thinking of picking up Jane Austen Ruined My Life by the same author.
Reviews of this book by other bloggers:
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia
Also by Beth Pattillo:
Jane Austen Ruined My Life (Book 1)
The Dashwood Sisters Tell All (Book 3)
Find Beth Pattillo: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court
Thank you for your honest review. Seems odd that two books have the same premise, in academia and finding texts. But I guess that's a plot that can always be used again and again.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someday you will try P&P, and if you don't that is just fine too:)
You need to watch the version of P & P staring Colin Firth. The atmosphere of the movie is perfect. I need to read the two books mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.