Darcy was ready with a heated retort, then thought of Elizabeth. “I am sorry if you have felt as if I do not value your opinion, because I certainly do,” he said, as close to humility as he could manage at the moment. “It is not my intention to be arrogant.”
The colonel looked askance at him. “Darcy, I did not say you were arrogant, though you are in the habit of doing whatever you please.”
“You may save your breath — I have had this lecture from Elizabeth already, and believe me, she did not mince her words,” said Darcy wearily.
(from Mr. Darcy’s Undoing, page 176 in the ARC; finished version may be different)
Mr. Darcy’s Undoing (previously published as Without Reserve) is another retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in which Abigail Reynolds asks readers to imagine “what if?” — in this case, what if Mr. Darcy had a rival for Elizabeth Bennet’s affections? Reynolds opens the novel after Darcy’s disastrous proposal at Kent. By the time Darcy convinces Bingley to return to Netherfield and rekindle his romance with Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, Elizabeth has already accepted a marriage proposal from James Covington.
Darcy had followed Bingley in the hopes of winning Elizabeth’s love, and he is shocked and dismayed upon learning of her engagement. That doesn’t stop him from hanging around, though he tells himself that if he knows for sure that Elizabeth is in love with Covington, then he must let her go. Meanwhile, Elizabeth feels an attraction to Darcy and must force herself to consider all the reasons why her marriage to Covington makes sense for her and her family. Besides, there’s nothing she can do about the situation now — not without ruining her reputation and her family’s standing in the community, especially considering the damage already caused by Lydia after she runs away with Wickham.
In Mr. Darcy’s Undoing, Reynolds gives readers what they have come to expect from her Pride and Prejudice variations — different twists and turns as Elizabeth and Darcy navigate the same misunderstandings and plenty of heat as they skirt the bounds of propriety and often cross the line as they find they cannot keep their hands off each other. Although Reynolds briefly brings in the wit and playfulness of Mr. Bennet, most of Austen’s secondary characters sit on the sidelines in Mr. Darcy’s Undoing. Elizabeth and Darcy, their bantering, and their serious discussions about their relationship are the focus of the novel, and while I missed the tension typically supplied by Wickham, Caroline Bingley, and Lady Catherine, I enjoyed Reynolds’ take on a scandalized Elizabeth and a more emotional and seductive Darcy. There also was some amusement to be had with Darcy’s jealousy and pain, as he goes so far as to chaperone Elizabeth and her betrothed.
I am always amazed at how many ways Reynolds can re-tell the same story. She manages to keep the story fresh, throwing new obstacles in Elizabeth and Darcy’s path to happiness and making it so that readers almost wonder whether the two will live happily ever after. While Mr. Darcy’s Undoing isn’t my favorite of Reynolds’ variations, it was a page-turner that I would recommend to readers who want a spicier Pride and Prejudice retelling.
Check out my reviews of other Abigail Reynolds books:
Pemberley By the Sea
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World
To Conquer Mr. Darcy
Mr. Darcy’s Obsession
What Would Mr. Darcy Do?
Disclosure: I received Mr. Darcy’s Undoing from Sourcebooks for review.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I’ll be reading this at the end of the month. Glad to see its another good one from Reynolds.
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So far, I’ve enjoyed all of Reynolds’ variations. Looking forward to your review.
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Reynolds sure keep them coming, how does she do it? The same story in a million ways
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She must eat, drink, and sleep P&P!
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Anna, I can’t believe this is your twentieth book for two reading challenges! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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It’s not hard for me to read that many Austenesque novels. I’m not doing so well in some other challenges.
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I briefly scanned your review because I will be reading this one soon!! I’m glad that you enjoyed it even though it wasn’t your favorite by her.
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My favorite is What Would Mr. Darcy Do, but I hope it shows in my review that I did enjoy this one as well. I’ll keep an eye out for your review.
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It sounds like Reynolds is a master at Austen re-tellings.
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She certainly is!
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Sounds wonderful.
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I liked it. 🙂
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[…] Comments « Review: Mr. Darcy’s Undoing by Abigail Reynolds […]
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It is amazing how the same general story can be retold in so many different and entertaining variations!
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And it’s even more amazing to me that I haven’t grown tired of them yet. I just can’t get enough of them.
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It sounds as if Abigail Reynolds has written a terrific page-turner here! I love that Darcy has competition for Elizabeth and I’m interested to see what happenhs because their attraction is so strong. It also interests me that the secondary characters take even more of a back seat in this book. This seems like a risky move but from reading your wonderful review it works out well since we have to focus almost all of our attention on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth.
Thank you for a great review of Abigail Reynolds new Pride and Prejudice spin-off. I’m intrigued after reading your thoughts, Anna!
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The secondary characters are there, but they aren’t as prominent as other Austenesque novels. I wish there had been more tension with Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr. Covington, but it’s not like we don’t already know how it will play out. 😉
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Adaptations like these are so important, to give modern fans an outlet to engage with the classics. Without Austen being around today, to participate in media interviews and go along to book signings – its great that we have another way to connect with the characters in new ways. Thanks Abigail!
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Very true! And it means we never have to say goodbye to Austen’s characters after we’ve read all of her novels.
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