Despite her light-headedness, she was stunned at the absence of his usual reserve and distant demeanour. Gone was the stiff, wooden expression that she associated with him. Instead, his face was suffused with obvious joy and warmth, especially when he looked at her. Despite herself, she could not completely resist the gratification of being examined in such a manner. In that state of mixed emotions and befuddled thoughts, she closed her eyes against the bright light and thus was unaware of Darcy leaping to catch her as she swooned.
(from Pride, Prejudice & Secrets)
Quick summary: Pride, Prejudice & Secrets, C.P. Odom’s latest variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, imagines what might have happened if Elizabeth Bennet fell ill while staying with Mr. and Mrs. Collins at Hunsford, and when Mr. Darcy proposes to her, albeit it in a nicer fashion, her foggy-headed response is taken as a yes. Elizabeth still views him as the last man in the world she would ever marry, but as she regains her physical and mental strength, she realizes breaking the engagement may not be as easy as she’d hoped. And as she observes Mr. Darcy more closely and gets to know his sister, she begins to think that maybe she had been too hasty in her harsh judgments. Odom takes readers along for the ride as Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship grows, showing how the secrets they keep from each other change the lives of their family and friends.
Why I wanted to read it: I’ve been wanting to read more of Odom’s work, since I loved his last novel, Consequences, so much.
What I liked: Odom is a great storyteller, and I loved how he made the wars with France and America take on a greater role in this variation. It gave more depth to a novel that remains, at its core, a love story. And in that vein, I enjoyed how Odom heated things up between Elizabeth and Darcy without being too descriptive or stepping too far outside the bounds of propriety. But most of all, I loved how Odom made Mr. Collins more likeable; took several characters down different paths, including Jane Bennet, Mr. Wickham, and Caroline Bingley; introduced another Darcy cousin, Captain Fitzwilliam; and even let Elizabeth and Darcy play matchmaker for Colonel Fitzwilliam.
What I disliked: The only think I disliked was that the story had to end, but a detailed epilogue provided a very satisfying conclusion.
Final thoughts: Pride, Prejudice & Secrets is the perfect Austen variation for readers who want a happily ever after for Darcy and Elizabeth but want something different when it comes to the secondary characters. Odom is not afraid to take risks and shake things up in his Austen variations. (His last one even made me cry!) I’ve read a lot of sweet and enjoyable Pride and Prejudice variations, but this was the first one in a long time that really wowed me and made me stay up late to find out what would happen next.
Thanks to Leatherbound Reviews for having me on the tour for Pride, Prejudice & Secrets. To learn more about the book and follow the tour, click the banner below.
Disclosure: I received Pride, Prejudice & Secrets from Meryton Press for review.
© 2015 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Wow, it made you cry and different paths for some characters…a nicer Mr. Collins…this has got to be good.
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Well, it was his previous novel that made me cry. I just love how this author plays with the characters and the story.
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This sounds like a worthwhile re-imagining of Pride and Pejudice. I still have mixed feelings about books like this. I wish I could get over my hang up so I could read one, especially one as well written as this sounds.
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Maybe the first step to getting over the hang up is to give one a try? 😉
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Wow, I would think it would take a lot for a P & P book to impress you. This must be special.
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I was just really impressed with how Odom handled the secondary characters.
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Sounds like a nice variation 🙂
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Yes! I bet you’d like it. 🙂
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What a review, Anna! I’m also a big fan of Consequences (despite the number of tissues I had to use), so a new book from Mr. Odom can only be a good thing. Looking forward to reading it.
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I hope you love it as much as I did! I’m definitely going to have to get my hands on a copy of his first book.
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Me, too, Anna. He mentioned it in a guest post he did on an earlier stop in the blog tour. It was already on my wish list, though.
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🙂
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Wow, this sounds so interesting. As does Consequences (I can’t BEAR to imagine either Elizabeth or Darcy trapped in unhappy marriages, but both outcomes were quite likely, weren’t they?). I can’t seem to find Odom at my library, so will have to seek the author out elsewhere.
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I haven’t seen any Mertyon Press books at my library either, unfortunately. I do hope you give this one and Consequences a try!
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Anna, I’m glad you enjoyed this variation to the hilt!
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I had no idea what to expect; he kept me guessing until the end, and those subplots were so unique!
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I “sort of” read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with the help of Cliff’s Notes and a discussion group as an English Major almost 50 years ago. Since then I’ve been a life-long reader of almost everything but Jane Austen. Then I came across A Most Civil Proposal by C. P. Odom. I couldn’t put it down! It inspired me to pick up the original P & P by Jane and really read it. I liked it too. Then I read Consequences and couldn’t put it down either. This may sound like heresy to the devoted Jane Austen fans, but I like Odom’s versions best. I can’t wait to read Secrets.
Del
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I hope you like it as much as I did! Of course, for me, it’s not better than Austen, but she is my favorite author after all!
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Fantastic review!
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Thank you!
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Needless to say, it is very gratifying to read such a complimentary review, Anna, but, at least to this author, it’s more important to get an outside view from a third party. When I was writing the book and then working with Christina on it, I was in kind of an isolation bubble and couldn’t get feedback and worried about how believable the subplots were going to be. Since you’ve read the book, you know that I was kind of pushing the envelope a bit. But your comments give me confidence that the readers will get their money’s worth. Thank you very much for the kind words.
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You’re very welcome! I liked that you pushed the envelope but not too much. It felt like you stayed true to the characters even while expanding on them.
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🙂
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A lovely review, Anna. I’m looking forward to reading it as soon as it is out to find out all the details you hinted at.
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Thank you! I’d love for you to come back and tell me what you thought of it!
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A book is born! Pride, Prejudice & Secrets by C.P. Odom is now LIVE on #amazon http://t.co/y9Ap6pgqdQ
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Thank you for posting the link!
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Anna, I gave it 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters and the way he wrote Wickham and Caroline. Well done!
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So glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did! The paths he took those characters down were so interesting!
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