Being Mrs Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

By: Lucy Marin

Narrated by: Harry Frost

One distressing night in Ramsgate, Elizabeth Bennet impulsively offers Georgiana Darcy aid. Scandalous rumors soon surround the ladies and Fitzwilliam Darcy, forcing Elizabeth and Darcy, strangers to each other, to marry.

Darcy despises everything about his marriage to the daughter of an insignificant country gentleman with vulgar relations. Georgiana, humiliated after a near-elopement with George Wickham and full of Darcy pride, hates her new sister. Their family look upon Elizabeth with suspicion and do little to hide their sentiments.

Separated from those who love her, Elizabeth is desperate to prove herself to her new family despite their disdain. Just as she loses all hope, Darcy learns to want her good opinion. He will have to face his prejudices and uncover the depths Georgiana’s misdeeds to earn it, and Elizabeth will have to learn to trust him if she is to ever to find happiness being Mrs. Darcy.

©2020 Lucy Marin (P)2020 Quills & Quartos Publishing

Elizabeth makes a home

Could you find happiness when force to marry a virtual stranger? Elizabeth Bennet was put in that situation to find out after going to the aid of Georgiana Darcy starts scandalous rumors. This is an enjoyable story of the Darcy household and Elizabeth’s attempt to be the wife of Darcy and the mistress of his household.

Poor Lizzy

This was not the Darcy Family we have come to know and love until about half way through the book.

They marry as complete strangers, with none of the usual backstory from the original. We don’t even see them visit Meryton until the last few chapters.

Everyone, including Mr. Bennett is rude to Lizzy for most of the story.

With all of that though, I guess as a purist, my biggest problem is that Colonel Fitzwilliam’s name is TOM. It was confusing initially when Darcy could not wait for Tom to visit, so just a heads up so you avoid my confusion. I’ve heard or read other angst filled versions with angry Lizzy or depressed Darcy so I was not worried about that aspect.

It was great to see Lizzy rise above and be strong with all that was thrown at her so by all means give it a try. Do yourself a favor and listen to it at 1.1x speed. Harry Frost has a great voice but with the pauses and staccato manner I needed to speed it up just a little.

No great parts worth re-reading

Story dragged out too long. No exciting climax to make it worth all the long explanations of thoughts. I usually want to go back and listen again to the good parts, sometimes skipping through slow sections. However, in this book I can’t think of any sections worth the time.

a great story

it does not disappoint. I have listened to this one 3 times so far. the characters were all very well developed.

Wonderful!

I read this novel in its fanfiction form and loved it then - its complexity & ultimately likability of character, innovative plot, and Lucy Marin”s fabulous prose.

So so glad that the audiobook delivers on that promise with deft editing and an ideal narrator. I listened in a single sitting despite its length.

I truly hope the author is working on the edit of her modern P&P classic - that would be an audiobook preorder for me!