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Readingomnivore Reviews

A MATCH MADE IN MAYFAIR is April Floyd's novella-length variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is available in free or inexpensive digital format.

Unable to abide Hunsford after refusing Darcy's proposal and learning Wickham's true history, Elizabeth Bennet uses concern for Jane, still mourning Charles Bingley's desertion, to excuse her early return to London. There, she is surprised by an unannounced call by Anne de Bourgh, visiting the Darcys in London, to introduce Elizabeth and Georgiana. Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam have decided to matchmake between Darcy and Elizabeth and to reunite Jane and Bingley. But as the relationships develop, Lydia Bennet elopes from Brighton with George Wickham. Can Lydia be rescued without scandal ruining the Bennet family? How will her sisters' suitors react to her infamous behavior?

The main change from the canon is Anne and the colonel's active involvement in bringing Darcy and Elizabeth together. Characters except for Elizabeth are essentially unchanged. Elizabeth, determined to find Lydia herself to prevent a forced marriage to Wickham, pulls a major TSTL Overhearing Darcy and her father discussing a sighting of Wickham on the docks, Elizabeth disguises herself as a man and goes looking, endangering herself. Her rescue by the madam of a brothel e Captain Denny as leader of the patrol searching for Wickham are unlikely coincidences. I am irritated by the common fan-fiction attitude toward Lydia expressed by Mr. Gardiner: "...Lydia, foolish as she is, ought to be spared the shame before her sisters. It would not do for you to see her in a compromise."

A MATCH MADE IN MAYFAIR is quick read, nothing special. (C)
 
A TASTE FOR VENGEANCE is the eleventh book in Martin Walker's mystery series featuring Benoît "Bruno" Courrèges, Chief of Police of St. Denis in the Dordogne region of France. It was published in digital format in 2018.

Bruno has much on his mind. He's coached the St. Denis women's rugby team to the regional championship, but Paulette, his star athlete expected to be chosen for the French national team, is pregnant and refuses to name the father. He needs to locate Monika Felder, a no-show for friend Paula's cooking class. He's been promoted to head a pilot program to increase the effectiveness of municipal police in the Vézère Valley. When Monika's found stabbed to death in Patrick McBride's bathroom and then Bruno finds McBride hanging in his woods, the deaths seem a murder-suicide, but there's no murder weapon and an expensive sniper rifle is missing from McBride's home. Investigation discovers McBride's ties with anti-Irish Republican Army operations going back to the 1980s and private security forces operating in Africa; he'd worked under Monika's elderly husband Michael Felder, now dying of cancer but former director of British Intelligence Corps and founder of Special Security Services. The IRA connection brings in counterterrorism consultants from the European Union, Scotland Yard, and the FBI to find the IRA kill team before they can strike again.

The plot in A TASTE FOR VENGEANCE fails to satisfy because a major component of its conclusion is not adequately foreshadowed. I cannot say more without doing a spoiler. The subplot with Paulette is tangential to the murders, though it serves well to humanize Bruno (he is NOT the father), as do his mistakes and adjustments arising from his new position.

Walker skillfully imbeds Bruno in a culture steeped in history and bound by its geography. "National statistics suggested that this département was one of the poorest in France by average income, and yet the quality of life here didn't reflect that. Statistics could not show the reality of the local economy in a place like this, where people lived off their vegetable gardens for most of the summer, and the chickens they raised and the eggs they ate or swapped with neighbors for pots of jam and fresh-caught fish from the river. Through his hunting club, Bruno was never short of a shoulder of venison or a haunch of wild boar. The bécasse Bruno most liked to hunt, the wiliest and most tasty of game birds, were always in demand among his neighbors. In exchange, Oudinot the farmer would always let Bruno have some of his milk-fed veal. His friend Stéphane, the cheesemaker, kept Bruno in butter, cheese, milk and yogurt in return for the ducks, chickens and truffles that Bruno brought him, and the pots of blackberry jam that Bruno made at the end of summer from the abundant hedgerows at the bottom of his garden. The old ways of the barter economy remained vibrant in the Perigord and the sense of community was all the better for it." (227-8)

Food, glorious food, its preparation and consumption, are key elements in all the Bruno novels, so heed the warning. A TASTE FOR VENGEANCE may destroy a diet. (B+)
 
HER DERBYSHIRE FRIEND is the first of the variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice published by Cassandra B. Leigh in her MERYTON MEDLEY anthology. It was issued in digital format in 2016.

Following her perusal of Darcy's letter of explanation, Elizabeth Bennet is moved to write her own apology for her injured vanity that triggered her outspoken rejection. Thus encouraged, Darcy resolves to mend his ways and to court Elizabeth properly, beginning with an apology to Charles Bingley for interference in his courtship of Jane Bennet. Bingley begins to call at Gracechurch Street daily and, when Elizabeth comes from Kent to join the Gardiners, so does Darcy. In the meantime, Charles removes Caroline as an influence on his life. Both Bennet sisters are betrothed before returning home to Longbourn, soon followed by their suitors seeking Mr. Bennet's consent. And they all lived happily ever after.

Change from the canon is minimal, the most important being the exchanges of letters between Darcy and Elizabeth. This device minimizes the angst experienced by both participants, the letters reassuring and creating hope by revealing feelings clearly. A secondary change is Mr. Bennet's decision, supported by Mrs. Bennet, that Lydia shall not go to Brighton. The circumstances of Caroline Bingley's sudden betrothal are an interesting addition. Leigh develops Jane's feelings and fleshes out the suitors' interviews with Mr. Bennet, but characters are faithful to their originals.

HER DERBYSHIRE FRIEND is a comfortable, quick read, but nothing new or suspenseful. (C)
 
PRIDE AND PATIENCE is Lorraine Hetschel's variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

The morning after the ball at Netherfield, awakened by a horrible dream of Elizabeth Bennet wed to Mr. Collins, Fitzwilliam Darcy hurries to intercept her morning walk and propose marriage. His insulting declaration earns an indignant refusal and a slapped face. Determined at least to minimize his offenses, he refuses to support Caroline's anti-Jane campaign, instead advising Charles Bingley that Jane Bennet is entirely suitable to be his wife; he asks only that, when he and Jane are married, that his friend not mention Elizabeth Bennet. He does not expect to see Elizabeth again and is devastated when Bingley mentions that Collins is newly married and that Mrs. Collins's sister and a friend are visiting Hunsford at Easter, when he and Colonel Fitzwilliam will be at Rosings. When he discovers Mrs. Collins is the former Miss Lucas, he is overjoyed to have a second chance with Elizabeth. Elizabeth has repented of the bitterness of her rejection and, not in love with Darcy but unwilling to hurt him again, cautiously agrees to become friends. Darcy, of course, wants her love and sets about earning it.

This is one of the very best Pride and Prejudice variants that I've read. The characters are faithful to Austen's creations. Elizabeth is slow to recognize her that her feeling for Darcy, while not like Jane and Bingley's emotion, is nevertheless passionate, romantic love. Darcy's initial angst is soon offset by the hope generated by his and Elizabeth's growing friendship.

The main external conflict in PRIDE AND PATIENCE consissts of the Bingleys, Darcy, and Elizabeth dealing with Lydia's elopement with George Wickham and its consequences. Lydia still escapes taking responsibility for her actions, becoming slightly more conforming but changing none of her essential nature; Wickham, for once, gets military justice for desertion in time of war.

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS~~~

I do have some issues. Homophones (reigns-reins, compliment-complement) and questionable word choice (Wickham not bribe Darcy and the colonel, Darcy washing his face with or from a trough in his room, Darcy called a conversant) intrude. Darcy and Elizabeth meet alone at dawn at the seaside in Whitstable in intimate communication (not a love scene), straight out of the 2005 film adaptation. What Mrs. Bennet knows about Lydia's situation is unclear. She takes to her bed in hysterics at news of the elopement, yet she later tells Darcy how excited Lydia will be to spend the Season in London with the Bingleys, to attend society functions where she can attract a rich husband. Does she not realize that Lydia's pregnant? The age of Jane and Lydia's daughters in the epilogue is another ambiguity. The initial description makes them seem babes in arms, then the same afternoon, one, put on the floor, walks across the room. There's one big tease in the plot--just why is Lady Catherine de Bourgh suddenly so desperate to marry Anne off forthwith, so driven that she makes no trouble for Darcy and Elizabeth?

PRIDE AND PATIENCE is highly recommended. (A)
 
DEATH SAINT is the sixth book in Rich Curtin's police procedural series featuring Deputy Manny Rivera of the Grand County, Utah, Sheriff's Department, in the Four Corners region. It was published in digital format in 2016-7.

When Rivera is called to the beside of a dying woman, he's given the information needed to reopen a 15-year-old closed case. An anonymous tip led to a young man dead of a gunshot wound to the chest, with no identification, no vehicle, and no physical evidence besides the bullet; Sheriff Leroy Bradshaw did a thorough investigation but got nowhere. Faye Foster reveals that her husband had found the body, stolen the man's backpack and hidden it, then reported the body. The backpack's contents identify the man as David Archuleta, of Santa Elena, New Mexico. What was Archuleta doing in the LaSal Mountains, so far from his home, when he lived in the Tusas Mountains where indigenous species were the same? To uncover his life and potential suspects, Rivera goes to Rio Arriba County, whose longtime former sheriff has recently been imprisoned for corruption, where the interim sheriff advises Rivera not to visit the isolated villages without backup, an area steeped in tradition and feudal loyalty to its principal citizen Don Fernando Dominguez. Rivera soon discovers two other deaths and a disappearance in Santa Elena. Young Angie Pacheco went over a cliff two days before Archuleta's body had been found, her death not investigated but ruled a suicide. Constant companion Juan Baeze had been shot in the back two days after Archuleta, his death ruled a hunting accident without effective investigation. Archuleta and Baeze's close friend Victor Sanchez disappeared at the same time. Can this all be coincidence? Is Sanchez also dead, or did he flee because he killed his friends?

One of the strengths of this series is Curtin's ability to provide historical and geographical context for the plots. "Santa Elena was originally a Mexican land grant o 47,400 acres. Then after the treaty [Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848], the U.S. government took the communal lands--they now exist as part of Carson National Forest. Only 3,200 acres of the original grant remains in private hands. ...the people who live in Santa Elena feel a strong resentment toward the government. In some cases, it's a quiet hatred that will probably erupt some day in violence... It's a small tight-knit community in the foothills of the Tusas Mountains ... about ten miles northeast of Canjilson. If you don't know how to get there, it's a little hard to find. There's some farming there and a little ranching. Some of the ranching is carried out secretly on the national forest lands, illegally of course. People don't want to pay for grazing permits on land they feel was stolen from their ancestors. It's a long story but the people have a legitimate beef." (62-3) Information on the Penitente cofradia is well integrated, and the plot develops unexpected yet believable ramifications.

Manny Rivera is an appealing protagonist, humanized by doubts about his current job (Sheriff Denny Campbell is an incompetent jerk) and his relationship with Dr. Amy Rousseau, who's leaving Moab to pursue her career in botany. An outstanding investigator, Rivera uses traditional techniques rather than advanced forensics: "Rivera had never liked loose ends. On one of his cases when he was a less experienced deputy, he'd allowed a seemingly minute detail to slide by without taking the time to thoroughly understand it. That instance of intellectual laziness had turned out to be a big mistake, unnecessarily delaying his investigation several days and almost allowing a killer to escape. He'd broken that bad habit and now, in his investigations, he delved into every detail until it made sense to him. 'I've learned when you don't know what's important and what isn't, it's a good idea to treat everything as important." (145-6)

Because the series is character-driven, it's better to read the series in order. I highly recommend DEATH SAINT. (A)
 
MASTER UNDER GOOD REGULATION is Kara Louise's unique variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is available in digital format, copyright 2003 and 2006.

MASTER UNDER GOOD REGULATION is unique because its first-person narrator is Sir Reginald Ascott Hamilton Darcy, aka "Reggie," the English Springer Spaniel puppy chosen by fifteen-year-old Fitzwillam Darcy to become his hunting dog and companion. Conscious of his master's grief over the recent death of his mother and his father's insistence on absolute emotional control and acceptance of duty, Reggie dedicates his life to provide comfort and happiness in the lives of both Fitzwilliam and Gegorgiana Darcy. When Reggie meets Elizabeth Bennet at Netherfield, he recognizes that she is the wife his master needs and begins his own campaign to bring them together, first in Hertfordshire, then at Rosings, Pemberley, and again in Hertfordshire.

I am of two minds about MASTER UNDER GOOD REGULATION. On the one hand, it's too long. Details of daily life begin when Darcy chooses the dog and, while Reggie provides insight into Darcy's shyness and discomfort with strangers, go on forever. It's often repetitious. Scenes from the canon, such as Darcy and the Bingley sisters' confrontation with Bingley over Jane, are fleshed out, but there is little new action once Elizabeth and Darcy meet. The only important external conflict involves Wickham in the elopements, both quickly settled with Reggie's help in literally sniffing out Wickham. Darcy's angst is the main component of the plot.

On the other, characters are reasonable extrapolations of Austen's originals. Darcy, more aloof and judgmental in company, plays a leading role in separating Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet. Bingley, in modern terms, is at least borderline ADHD. I like Reggie's referring to Lady Catherine de Bourgh as "Lady Cat," because all her feathers remind him of a cat who's caught and eaten a canary. I will confess to tearing up when Reggie dies of old age, leaving behind newlyweds Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy and a promising litter of young puppies. The epilogue, also first-person, comes from Reggie's son Sir Reginald Ascott Hamilton Darcy, II, aka "Scotty," some ten years later. (B+)
 
"What Comes Around" is one of Madeline Kennet's short story variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It a published in digital format in 2018.

What if, before Fitzwilliam even knows of Elizabeth Bennet's existence, he overheard frank comments about his character and behavior? Gentlemen at his club pronounce him not tolerable for cards because he's dull and tedious. At Ramsgate he hears Wickham condemn him for not showing affection to Georgiana. He hears a scared young maid describe him as gruff. Though she plans to marry him, Caroline Bingley describes Darcy as passionless, just what a respectable man should be. Georgiana makes Darcy see that perhaps fate is giving him the opportunity to change, leading him to amiable behavior as he meets Bingley's new neighbors in Hertfordshire.

"What Comes Around" is boring. Its only change from the canon is Darcy's overhearing and correcting the criticisms before the assembly at Meryton. Angst is minimal on his part, more hurt feelings than anguish. Elizabeth is attracted from their first dance at the Meryton assembly. I do like the final comment that motivates Darcy's change--he overhears someone attribute his behavior to his being the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Otherwise, not worth the time. (D-)
 
A TALE OF TWO COURTSHIPS is Jann Rowland's latest variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

What if neither Jane Bennet nor Fitzwilliam Darcy were in Hertfordshire when Charles Bingley comes to Netherfield without Caroline and the Hursts? This is the opening premise for A TALE OF TWO COURTSHIPS. Jane is in London visiting the Gardiners, Darcy hasn't yet arrived, so Bingley dances the first dance at the Meryton assembly with Elizabeth. They enjoy each other's company, leading Mrs. Bennet to expect a courtship, but they soon decide they are suited for friendship, not love. Elizabeth does, however, believe Bingley a good match for Jane, and she's curious about Bingley's arriving guest, Darcy. Thrown together in the whirl of social events welcoming Bingley and his guests to the neighborhood, Elizabeth and Darcy come to know each other quickly; Jane returns to Longbourn, and Bingley is immediately smitten. Within a month, Elizabeth and Darcy are engaged, with Charles and Jane well on the way to courtship. Then Caroline learns that Darcy and Georgiana are at Netherfield; she and the Hursts descend unannounced and uninvited. Unsuccessful in dividing Darcy and Elizabeth, Caroline campaigns to prevent Bingley's marrying Jane. Elizabeth and Darcy promise each other not to interfere but, when Caroline's behavior becomes increasingly hurtful to Jane, Elizabeth goes to war in defense of her sister.

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILER~~~

I like this variation. Kitty and Lydia play little part in the story. Early on Kitty's throwing herself into Lieutenant Denny's arms leads Mr. Bennet to bundle the younger girls off to a strict school in Bedfordshire. This provides scope to develop Mary Bennet as a strong, independent-thinking young woman close to her older sisters. Mrs. Bennet is calmer and more restrained; both Bingley and Georgiana are stronger. Darcy, Elizabeth, and Caroline are faithful to the originals, especially the viperish Caroline. Rowland attributes Caroline's obsessive social climbing to bullying by higher status girls at school. It's gratifying that she does not get away with her egregious behavior. Rowland is economical with new characters, each with a definite function in the plot and all individualized. Angst, except for Caroline's anger and self-pity, is absent.

There are a few anachronistic word. Darcy repeats the "incandescently happy" comment from the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. "Here! here!" (command to come to a particular location) is used in place of "Hear! hear!" (listen, pay attention). These are minor problems that do not diminish the overall quality of A TALE OF TWO COURTSHIPS. (A)
 
HUNSFORD DAY is a novella published by Cassandra B. Leigh as part of her MERYTON MEDLEY anthology of variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2016.

HUNSFORD DAY is a reprise on the 1993 film Groundhog Day, with Elizabeth Bennet caught in the time loop, condemned to repeat Thursday, 9 April 1812. That's the day of Fitzwilliam Darcy's disastrous proposal and her furious condemnation of his manners and behavior. Unable to account for the repetition of days, she alters her actions, trying to elicit information that will enable her to "unstick" time.

I'm whimsy challenged, so I did not find this variant successful. Elizabeth is slow to recognize that Darcy isn't the only one who needs to change. The time loop lasts too long, so that the repetition with minimal alterations becomes tedious. Interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth is minimal; her information about Darcy's manner, his history with Wickham, and his feelings for her come mostly from Colonel Fitzwilliam. Even if one accepts the "do over" premise of HUNSFORD DAY, it's a cop-out to try to lend verisimilitude by having another character also aware of the repetition. I don't think it's worth the time. (F)
 
EARNING DARCY'S TRUST is Jennifer Joy's variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2015.

In 1800, George Darcy, father of sixteen-year-old Fitzwilliam Darcy, is shot to death at Pemberley. Two weeks later in Hertfordshire, Elizabeth and Jane Bennet find a starving eight-year-old boy hiding in the hayloft of their barn. The boy has no family left, so kindly Sir William Lucas find a tenant family to foster him, and he becomes a farm laborer in Meryton. Fast forward to late summer 1811 when now adult Darcy goes on impulse to visit Georgiana at Ramsgate, just in time to foil her elopement with George Wickham and "ruin forever her chance for happiness." She pours out her heart in a journal she keeps secret from her brother. Both unhappy in London, Darcy decides they will rusticate with friend Charles Bingley at Netherfield Park, where they soon meet Elizabeth and Jane. Things go well until Caroline Bingley and the Hursts arrive uninvited and unannounced, to begin an anti-Bennet campaign that comes to include George Wickham. Just how far will they go?

In EARNING DARCY'S TRUST, Lady Anne Darcy survives her husband until just after Fitzwilliam comes of age, leaving him as guardian to Georgiana. Darcy is guilt-ridden at his failure to prevent his father's death and to protect Georgiana from Wickham; he's self-satisfied that he''s avoided the social and moral mistakes common among his peers. He's oddly passive in his dealings with Wickham, reluctant to trust anyone else's insights or actions. Darcy does, however, foster Bingley's relationship with Jane, pointing out the need for Bingley to control his household before taking a wife. Elizabeth is quick to jump to conclusions, quick to judge, and quick to speak without thinking. Behavior is often more modern than Regency. When Darcy literally runs into Elizabeth in the street, they introduce themselves and carry on an extended conversation.

The key action in the external conflict is ending the threat to Georgiana Darcy's reputation posed by the Bingley sisters and Wickham. Its solution depends on the fortuitous coincidence that Danny Dixon, some decade before, chose the Bennets' barn for shelter. Georgiana's diary never becomes more than a plot device; she's been cautioned about keeping it secret, she is suspicious of the Bingley sisters' motives and behavior, she promises Darcy that she always keeps it with her, yet she waltzes off to Meryton for the day, leaving it behind. Is anyone surprised that the wicked sisters strike? Still, EARNING DARCY'S TRUST is one of the better Austen variants. (B+)
 
MR. DARCY PLAYS HIS PART is Sophia Woodford's 2018 novella variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is available in free or inexpensive digital format.

Both Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are devotees of the plays of William Shakespeare. This shared love and an impromptu evening's reading aloud at Netherfield is the mechanism that leads them to recognize their feelings for each other.

At least ten of Shakespeare's plays are alluded to, but only very brief quotes are given. The longest, and key to Darcy's epiphany, is Elizabeth's reading of Rosalind's "Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love," from As You Like It. Elizabeth, in turn, is profoundly moved by Darcy's power in reading Oberon. The Shakespearean speech Woodford gives each reader reflects that person's nature, adding depth to characterization.

Editing is good. I have two minor quibbles. One is Woodford's use of Eliza instead of Elizabeth; Lizzy is her family's nickname, but Eliza in the canon is only used by Caroline Bingley. The other consists of two reference to Hampshire, one of Darcy's presence there and another to Hampshire's gardens. Hertfordshire, maybe? Confusion, rather than angst, is the dominant emotion. The Bingleys stay in touch with Jane over the winter, Elizabeth does not meet Wickham, Collins is mentioned only in passing.

Though it is a pleasant enough read, MR. DARCY PLAYS HIS PART adds nothing new to the canonical characters. It's bland as cold oatmeal. (C)
 
A CAST OF FALCONS is the third book in Steve Burrows's Birder Mystery set in north Norfolk. It was published in digital format in 2016.

When the story opens, DS Danny Maik is temporarily officer in charge of investigating the decapitation murder of Philip Wayland, former chief researcher for the Old Dairy Carbon Capture and Storage Scheme funded by Old Dairy Holdings. Wayland had left Old Dairy a year before to continue his research at the local University, so why had he been alone on a public footpath through the Old Dairy property at 7:30 PM? DCI Domenic Jejeune has hared off to Ullapool, Scotland, where a book bearing his name was found on the body of a hiker fallen off a rock face; there he meets up with his older brother Damian, acquainted with the dead hiker. Returning to Saltmarsh and the Wayland case, JeJeune resumes his suspicion of Prince Yousef el-Haladin, de facto head of the Old Dairy operation, but Yousef's protected by the power of his older brother Prince Ibrahim; besides, Yousef has an unshakeable alibi. Damian Jejeune ties the dead hiker with illegal trade in gyrfalcons, a passion of Prince Ibrahim, who at Old Dairy maintains a mews of fourteen of the birds of prey; Darla Doherty, his falconer, dies when she's supposedly attacked by a gyrfalcon she's training. Is Wayland's death tied with the black market in exotic animals? Or is the motive more prosaic--the £1 billion prize in the CCS Commercialisation Programme?

I enjoy Burrows's characters. Dominec Jejeune is interestingly complex, many of his idiosyncrasies, including his ambivalence toward his police career, explained in A CAST OF FALCONS through the backstory given by Damian. The relationship between Jejeune and Maik is intriguing: "From what Maik could gather, Jejeune seemed to rely exclusively on his girl-friend's acquaintances for his social interaction, resulting in nights like this where she was comfortable with everybody and he was just that half-step removed. It came as something of a shock to Danny to realize he was probably the closest thing to a friend the DCI had in these parts. Even to him, their relationship seemed more akin to an iceberg bouncing off a granite wall every once in a while than to anything approaching genuine camaraderie." (164) Supporting characters, especially others of the North Norfolk Constabulary, are well-developed.

Sense of place is outstanding. "Maik looked around the glade now, seeing the last remnants of the police incident tape flapping from one or two trees and the fresh bark chips on the trail that replaced the blood-stained ones gathered as evidence. It seemed inconceivable that this spot could have been the scene of such violence and brutality a scant few days ago. Shafts of light were beginning to filter through the leafy canopy, dappling the forest path into tawny patterns. Beneath the giant beeches on both sides of the path, patches of bluebells awaited the warmth of the early morning sun. This was a place of tranquility again now, a place that seemed to have gathered up the horrors of the past and laid a blanket of quiet over them. Nature providing a balm for the crimes of humans, forgiving them once again, as it alway did." (16-7)

Though Burrows's introduction of birding as a major element is skilled, the plot remains problematic. The gyrfalcon element and the Old Dairy research element are not well-integrated. The identity and motive of Wayland's killer is not foreshadowed; others' activities are unexplained. Domenic Jejeune's quandary in dealing with his brother is genuine without being realistically resolved. The conclusion itself feels like "let's get it over with." (B)
 
MASTER OF LONGBOURN is the latest to date in Leenie Brown's series of variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

Brown's version of William Collins is much different from Austen's original. His mother having died giving him birth, Collins grew up the victim of a physically and verbally abusive father whose kindest description of his son was "lumpy pudding." He'd made some friends at school who helped him to a valuable living at Hunsford and, though not a gifted student, enjoys learning. Uncomfortable in company and apt to talk too much when nervous, he is neither fool nor toady to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When Mr. Bennet is incapacitated with heart disease, Collins is summoned to assist the only family he has known; he promises Mrs. Bennet that she and her unmarried daughters will always have a home at Longbourn. (Elizabeth and Darcy are already engaged, Jane and Bingley's betrothal expected momentarily.) Collins is in love with Kitty Bennet but despairs of winning her until he hits on a cunning plan. He will ask Darcy and Bingley to tutor him, to show him how to become more appealing. So they do.


The largest flaw in MASTER OF LONGBOURN is its sense of being told, not shown. Interaction between Kitty and Collins is minimal. The only potential conflict is Captain Sanders as a possible competitor for Kitty, but her love for Collins is already clear. It's a comfortable quick read but with little relation to Austen's story or characters. (C)
 
"Secret Valentine" is a short story in Cassandra B. Leigh's collection of short variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The anthology was published in a Kindle bundle as MERYTON MEDLEY in 2016.

Under constant abuse from Mrs. Bennet for two months over refusing Mr. Collins, Elizabeth has taken to spending as much time as possible outside the house, walking or, in inclement weather, in the barn where she can have peace. Beginning on 9 February 1812, she daily discovers on her excursion a love poem, inscribed to her by an anonymous sender. Intrigued and pleased, she speculates on his identity. The first poem is Wordsworth; the 10 February poem is from Marlowe's Hero and Leander; the 11 February selection is Shakespeare Sonnet CIX; the 12 February is Herrick; the 13 February poem is is from Spenser; the final poem on 14 February is Give All to Love by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is not until 14 February 1813 that Elizabeth Bennet Darcy discovers with Shakespeare's Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? the identity of her secret valentine. Surprise, surprise!

"Secret Valentine" is tightly focused, told entirely in limited third person point of view, giving Elizabeth's changing thoughts and feelings as she enjoys the attention of the unknown. No angst, no conflict, "Secret Valentine" is more a character study than truly a story.

I have a quibble. Why is the Bennets' Irish wolfhound given the Russian name Dmitri? I have a major problem with use of Give All to Love as the final valentine in the first series. It was not published until 1847 in Emerson's Poems. While it may have been written earlier, Emerson was born in 1803, making it highly unlikely that it was in existence by 1812. Otherwise, enjoyable without adding anything to the canon. (C)
 
"Frog Pride" is a short story variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published with other short fan fiction in the Kindle bundle MERYTON MEDLEY, by Cassandra B. Leigh in 2016.

"Frog Pride" is a version of the Frog Prince fairy tale of the transformative power of love, with Prince Darcy of Pemberley and Elizabeth Bennet of Hertfordshire in the major roles. He'd been cursed by the evil Catherine of Kent as punishment for refusing to unite their kingdoms by marrying her daughter. It's cute, and its theme is appropriate, but what's the point? I am whimsy-challenged and prefer Austen closer to the original. (D)
 
STRANDED WITH MR. DARCY. 2nd edition, is Lin Mei Wei's variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in 2018 More accurately, it is a story using the names of characters from Austen.

Soon after her return to Longbourn following Darcy's unflattering proposal, Elizabeth is swept up in the return of Charles Bingley to Neherfield and his quickly-ensuing wedding to Jane Bennet. Invited to attend Jane on their wedding trip to Italy, Elizabeth accepts, not knowing that Darcy will captain the vessel. En route, the ship is caught in a violent storm, is blown onto a rock, and sinks. Darcy and Elizabeth survive on an inhabited island for two weeks using hunting and survival skills taught him by his uncle Sir Lewis de Bourgh before rafting to a second island where Jane and Bingley are marooned. When Darcy and Elizabeth are rescued at sea on a second raft, Darcy, gravely ill and desperate to protect Elizabeth, tells the fishing-boat captain that they are married. This claim, on the return of all to Portsmouth, causes problems as he, Bingley, and the Colonel scramble to protect Elizabeth's reputation and avoid scandal by arranging a quick marriage.

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS~~~

I have many common sense objections to STRANDED WITH MR. DARCY. To begin with, there are only six people on the ship--the Bingleys, Elizabeth, Darcy, and two seamen. No servants, no ship's officers except Darcy. When they must abandon ship, the plan is the Bingleys, Elizabeth, and Darcy use one lifeboat, the sailors the other. Would not putting an experience seaman in each boat, each carrying two of the passengers, be more practical? On the island, Darcy is able to build a fire, procure food (fish, rabbits, puffin eggs) and, using only a knife, construct a raft and manufacture the rigging ropes (supposedly from core wood, though flexible inner bark is more likely) in two weeks. With Bingley's help, the two men build a second, much larger raft in another two weeks. Even with first Elizabeth's help and later that of the Bingleys, the speed and Darcy's expertise seem unlikely.

Wei introduces relatives to challenge Darcy's claim of marriage. It has been "understood" that the Honorable Marcus Adeley, son of Lady Adeley, sister of Mr. Darcy, Senior, will inherit Pemberley if Darcy dies without a male heir. They intend to disprove the marriage. It's not clear is why Darcy is taken to their home to recuperate. In a brief Internet search I found no reference to a required seven-day waiting period between a special license being issued and the wedding performed. There's a reprise of "what Darcy is to call Elizabeth" from the 2005 film adaptation as well as repetitions of the wet shirt scene from the 1995 mini-series. Word choice and expressions are problematical: a clap of thunder lighting the skies; watched the lame through the night; a grave air reprove; moot-mute. Two-thirds of STRANDED WITH MR. DARCY covers their stranding and rescue in day to day detail, then the falling action and conclusion are rushed.

Elizabeth emotes over the supposed loss of Jane and Bingley, her doubts about Darcy, and her feelings about the marriage necessitated by their being stranded. Her feelings are reported, not felt by the reader, and most of her angst is self-imposed. Darcy declares his love for her before they leave the first island. She's aware that her own feelings toward him are changed, but she allows him to believe that she's being forced into a marriage of convenience to save her reputation. Under the circumstances, a frank statement on her part should be permissible, even given the rigid standards of the day.

STRANDED WITH MR. DARCY needs a revised, 3rd edition, to reach its potential. (C)
 
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES is another of J. Dawn King's variants on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2017.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES opens with Fitzwilliam Darcy receiving three frank appraisals of his character. Lydia Bennet at the Netherfield ball reveals to him Elizabeth and her neighbors' dislike, based on his critical remarks and sense of superiority; Charles Bingley resents his giving orders to his steward without consulting him, his assumption that he always knows best; Colonel Fitzwilliam reiterates their criticism of Darcy's high-handed behavior and attitude. Darcy is reluctant to believe their strictures, then Georgiana proves pregnant following her relationship with George Wickham in Ramsgate. Deciding to England during her pregnancy, they are at the dock to embark to New Orleans, Louisiana, on a vessel carrying its part-owner Edward Gardiner, when Georgiana begins to miscarry. The only help available is Elizabeth Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner, present to see him off. Their kindness to his sister and Elizabeth's frank assessment of his character prompt soul-searching, the decision to change, and determination to marry Elizabeth.The process is long, complicated by Darcy's lack of insight, Elizabeth's perception of him as too similar to her father, in his ignoring of duties to the community regarding Wickham, the need to prevent scandal about Georgiana, and Wickam's plotting.

~~~SPOILERS~~~

King's Darcy is more than usually obtuse, unable to see any viewpoint other than his own, convinced that his wealth, education, and status qualify him to know what's best. He's set in his ways, a slow learner. When he finally moves to reveal Wickham's character in Meryton and London and Wickham disappears, Darcy is blind to any danger that he might pose. Mr. Bennet is as bad or worse. He refuses to heed Darcy and the Colonel's warnings about Wickham, paying more attention to Lydia's approval than to the men who've known Wickham all his life. He is insulted when Darcy compares his ignoring the needs of his family for leadership and provision to Darcy's own failure to stop Wickham. I can't see Lydia as experienced in self-defense, much less teaching the techniques to her sisters. Elizabeth is too perfect, her judgmental nature justified by Darcy's arrogance.

Some things bother me. Darcy refers to himself as "Fiitzwilliam Darcy, Esquire." "Esquire" following the name designates the man as a lawyer; it was and is not a title. So, is Darcy a barrister (trial lawyer) or a solicitor (civil lawyer)? The dcctor's obstetrical discussion with Darcy about Georgiana's miscarriage is modern, not Regency. There's an allusion to the song "Tom, Dick, or Harry" from Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, in Darcy's "Mar-ry me, mar-ry me, marry-me" musings. The biggest problem comes with Darcy's travel arrangements. He plans to travel on a steamship constructed the United States and returning thence. However, the first transAtlantic crossing by a steam-powered ship was by the SS Savannah in spring 1819; a hybrid of sail and steam-power, she relied mostly on sail. The first trans-Atlantic crossing powered mainly by steam engines was the British-built, Dutch-owned Curaçao, which sailed from the Rotterdam area to Paramaribo, Surinam, in spring 1827. (Wikipedia) Within a few sentences, the ship is called a clipper. What kind of vessel is meant? Historiy used for verisimilitude must be accurate.

If you don't mind a frequent urge to smack Darcy up'side the head to get his attention, FRIENDS AND ENEMIES is pleasant enough. (B)
 
THE PEMBERLEY HOUSE PARTY is Jemima Selkirk's novella sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

THE PEMBERLEY HOUSE PARTY opens a year after Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy's marriage. Elizabeth is somewhat nervous since in two weeks she will host her first house party. It is to include the Earl and Countess of Matlock and their three unmarried sons; two aunts, their husbands, and a male cousin from the Darcy side of his family; Colonel and Mrs. Richard Fitzwilliam; and Lady Margaret, oldest of the Fitzwilliam sisters, with her ward Miss Lester. Elizabeth is acutely aware that Darcy's family disapproves of her, she senses resentment from Mrs. Reynolds and other servants in her role of mistress of Pemberley, and she's concerned that she's not yet conceived an heir. To add stress, Lady Catherine writes that she will arrive the same day as the other guests, uninvited, for a visit of unspecified length. Darcy insists that Lady Catherine be welcomed with open arms; he's critical of Elizabeth's influence on Georgiana when his sister objects to Lady Catherine's coming. To placate Georgiana and Elizabeth, he agrees that Mary and Kitty Bennet be added to the party as company for his sister. Is there anyone who doesn't see where this is headed?

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS~~~

I don't much like this Darcy. He seems almost deliberately setting Elizabeth up to fail, inviting all of both his families, most unknown to or only casually acquainted with his wife, knowing that his relatives do no get along en masse. He refuses to ask Lady Catherine to postpone her visit, insisting that she's seeking a rapprochement despite her denunciations of Elizabeth; he even blames Elizabeth for Lady Catherine's unilateral decision to visit Pemberley, since it was his wife's suggestion after their marriage, that he seek reconciliation with his aunt. He ignores her disruptive behavior and open insults to Elizabeth and her sisters, instead demanding for her the utmost respect. Elizabeth should have kept him locked out of her bedroom longer!

I'm impressed with THE PEMBERLEY HOUSE PARTY. Editing is good. Characters are faithful to the originals; attitudes and situations are believable. It's a good read. (A-)
 
THE TREE ON THE GREEN is Alyssa Jefferson's variant on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

Jefferson makes two fundamental change from canon in THE TREE ON THE GREEN. The first, key to the developing relationship between Firtzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, is Elizabeth's discovery and kind care of the weeping Georgiana under an oak on the green in Lambton. Elizabeth is traveling in Derbyshire with the Gardiners, and an overwrought Georgiana has run away from Pemberley in her shame immediately after the debacle with Wickham. Elizabeth and Darcy are each much impressed with the other.

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS~~

The second change is the alteration in Darcy. Jefferson's Darcy makes Lady Catherine's pronouncements about Trade, propriety, and good connections look reasonable. He's a pompous prig, fixated on his duty to his family and the vulgarity and low status of the Bennets, making rapid shifts between conviction that his only chance for marital happiness is Elizabeth and equal disgust for her family that disqualifies her. Twice, when Elizabeth asks to speak to him privately so that she can warn him that Wickham is in Meryton, he condemns her to her face for improper behavior. He alternates between marked attention to Elizabeth and cold aloofness, leaving Elizabeth uncertain of his feelings and acutely aware that he's unlikely to propose. In contrast to Darcy's flip-flopping, Charles Bingley is steadfast in his love and intention to marry Jane, resisting Darcy's strictures on the Bennet family and his sisters' disapproval of Jane's lack of status and dowry. Bingley's engagement to Jane prompts Darcy's decision to propose to Elizabeth; even then Darcy casts it as his honor requiring that he do his duty by her. Elizabeth is much too quick to forgive.

A common sense hole in the plot involves Darcy's decisions about Georgiana's schooling. Is it likely that Georgiana would attend a London boarding school with her governess Mrs. Younge? Is it likely that the school would allow Mrs.Younge to withdraw Georgiana and install her in an apartment, without notifying Darcy? Given that failure to notify him, how likely is it that a brother so overprotective as Darcy would return his sister to the same school, then not see her again for several months? Editing leaves something to be desired. Spell Check cannot replace proofreading. Colonel Fitzwilliam's father is called Earl Fitzwilliam.

THE TREE ON THE GREEN has some interesting possibilities (Collins's choice of Lydia to wife, for instance), but its treatment of Darcy is off-putting. (C)
 
DARCY AND THE WICKED WALTZ is one of Jane Grix's novella variants of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was published in digital format in 2018.

The premise of DARCY AND THE WICKED WALTZ is Darcy with amnesia. En route to a surprise visit with Bingley at Netherfield, driving his curricle with only a footman in attendance, Fitzwilliam Darcy is robbed, shot and kicked in the head repeatedly, and dumped into a pond along with his murdered servant. The robber responsible for murder and attempted murder is George Wickham, who carefully removes all belongings that indicate Darcy's identity. Found by Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy is taken to Longbourn for medical care; his physical injuries are not life threatening, but he has amnesia. Mrs. Bennet, already at odds with her husband for overspending her pin money, believes him to be William Mitchell, a London dancing master hired for a month at Longbourn to teach her daughters the waltz; trying to avoid more trouble, she passes him off as her long-lost cousin William Hardy. With no money, no identification, and only occasional flashes of memory, Darcy accepts Mrs. Bennet's charade. For a month he lives at Longbourn, where he observes the family, teaches the Bennet girls (and Mrs. Bennet) to waltz, and falls in love with Elizabeth.

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS~~~

I don't know enough about amnesia to address the accuracy of Darcy's experience, but I have some practical objections to the premise as developed. One is Mrs. Phillps's accepting identification of Darcy as a cousin of Mrs. Bennet. As her sister, would not Mrs. Phillips know their kin? Another is Mrs. Bennet's successful seclusion of Darcy at Longbourn, even from the Bingley party until the Netherfield ball. Other than Sir William Lucas as Meryton magistrate, Charlotte as frequent visitor, and Augustus Collins as house guest, no others besides the apothecary and Longbourn servants see him, and he does not so much as walk into Meryton. Given the love of news, the excitement of a man robbed and left for dead, a stranger with expensive clothes recuperating at Longbourn, the Bennets would be inundated with curious visitors and widespread gossip.

The most important problem is how a man of Darcy's wealth and importance can disappear for over a month without being miglssed. Darcy left contact information with his valet Bowers in London, so his intended destination is known. Darcy travels without notice to Bingley, who therefore does not know Darcy's missing. Shouldn't there be letters from Georgiana and from Darcy's men of business to be forwarded with replies expected? Wouldn't inquiries be made when Darcy's responses fail to come or when his redirected mail arrives at Netherfield in his absence?

Other details are annoying. Homophones (principal-principle) slip through editing, as do problems in plurals and possessives of names. Wickham shows up in Meryton to join the militia, then disappears from the story when he's told Darcy survived. The only resolution is Darcy's hiring a private detective to find him. Too much of the plot is told, not shown. (B-)
 
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