‘You have tremendous power and need not be ruled over, or dictated to by any man,’ Mrs. Gardiner had insisted. ‘You may become your own woman; you may command your own ship, and you may do tremendous good, if you should choose. This is your life now, and you ought to make the most of it. Wishing for something else will not change things and you are wasting your life away if you carry on letting others take on the duties that ought to be yours.’
(from The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet)
Quick summary: The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that significantly departs from canon. Caitlin Williams tells the story of a 15-year-old Elizabeth Bennet who makes some foolish decisions after the death of her father that result in her having to marry 23-year-old Fitzwilliam Darcy, the son of her new guardian. Mr. Bennet’s death sees the Bennet sisters split up, and Elizabeth is whisked off to Pemberley, where she is isolated from her beloved sister, Jane, and married to a man who acts like she doesn’t exist. With Darcy away for the first few years of her marriage and under the watchful eye of Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth grows into a charming young woman, a true mistress of Pemberley. But just because Darcy sees her in a new light doesn’t mean she sees him differently.
Why I wanted to read it: It sounded unique in terms of Pride and Prejudice variations. I’m still amazed that authors continue to find fresh ways to retell a single novel!
What I liked: Williams certainly took time to develop her characters. Darcy and Elizabeth were not very likeable at the beginning of the novel, and Darcy continued to be unlikeable for much of the first half of the novel. While disliking these beloved characters could turn some readers off, I thought it worked in that you see how their circumstances change them over time and how they grow into a mature couple. It’s hard to imagine that anyone forced to marry under such circumstances would find happiness together right away, so it was a realistic portrayal in my opinion.
I also loved how Williams worked in various aspects of Austen’s novel but using different characters and situations, and I enjoyed the original characters, namely the governess Miss Temple and Elizabeth’s maid Rose. Mr. Wickham and Caroline Bingley still manage to be delightfully horrid, and it was nice getting to know the elder Mr. Darcy as well. Colonel Fitzwilliam was a very likeable character, and his relationship with Elizabeth was sweet and his playing middleman between Darcy and Elizabeth was entertaining.
What I disliked: I admit that it was hard to dislike Elizabeth and Darcy for some of the book, but making them disagreeable definitely furthered the story in terms of character development and evolution. But other than that, I enjoyed the story from start to finish.
Final thoughts: The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet is a thoughtful portrayal of Darcy and Elizabeth in less than ideal circumstances. Williams does a fantastic job transforming them into the characters we know and love. I can’t wait to read more of her work in the future!
About the author: Caitlin Williams lives in Kent, England, with her family. She fell in love with all things Regency as a teenager, but particularly admires the work of Jane Austen and the way she masterfully combines humour and romance, while weaving them through such wonderful stories and characters.
Pride and Prejudice is Caitlin’s favourite novel and she finds Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet so deliciously entertaining that she likes to borrow them from Ms Austen and enjoys the challenge of putting them in different places and situations.
Her debut novel, Ardently, was written as a hobby, usually with her laptop balanced on the kitchen worktop, typing with one hand, a glass of wine in the other, while she also attempted to cook dinner and keep her children from killing each other. The success of Ardently was as much a surprise to her, as it was to anyone else, and she has been thrilled and genuinely thankful for the positive responses and reviews it generated.
Her second novel, The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet, is a portrait of a much younger Elizabeth, who is thrown into an extraordinary set of circumstances due to the premature death of Mr Bennet, and she hopes you all enjoy it very much.
Connect with Caitlin on Facebook, her Goodreads author page, and Goodreads blog.
Check out The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet on Amazon and Goodreads.
Follow the blog tour:
June 13/ My Jane Austen Book Club/Launch Post/“Happy Birthday Fanny Burney & The Coming Of Age Of Elizabeth Bennet” & Giveaway
June 14/ So Little Time… / Book Excerpt & Giveaway
June 15/ Just Jane 1813/An Exclusive Interview with Caitlin Williams
June 16/ From Pemberley to Milton/Book Review & Giveaway
June 17/ Margie’s Must Reads/ Book Excerpt & Giveaway
June 18/ The Calico Critic/Book Review & Giveaway
June 19/ Babblings of a Bookworm/“The Education of a Young Lady” Guest Post & Giveaway
June 20/ Half Agony, Half Hope/Book Review
June 21/ More Agreeably Engaged/ Book Review & Giveaway
June 22/ My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice /Book Excerpt & Giveaway
June 23/ Liz’s Reading Life / “A Nod and A Wink to Austen” Guest Post & Giveaway
June 24/ Diary of an Eccentric/Book Review
June 25/ Laughing With Lizzie/ “The Young Master” Guest Post & Giveaway
June 26/ A Covent Garden Gilflurt’s Guide to Life/ “A Most Scandalous” Guest Post
Disclosure: I received The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet from the author for review.
© 2016 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Having read this book twice I am just dropping in to say it is a fascinating novel. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did and I will read it again in the future.
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Thanks, Sheila. So glad you liked it, your ‘good opinion’ means a lot
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So glad to hear you enjoyed it, too, Sheila!
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What a fabulous quote you chose to start your review with! It is a true and good advice not only for a literary 15-years old heroine from regency times, but for a modern life and much older reader as well:) I have got an impression that the whole book, if carefully read, will provide a lot of food for thoughtful musings. Thank you for lovely review which I liked and read with interest!
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Thanks oloore, it is a long book and there is, I suppose, a lot to digest. I hope you will give it a go.
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I loved that quote so much! This definitely was a deeper P&P variation, and i loved that it was about more than just romance.
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If I only had more time to read, I would have been on this blog tour in a heartbeat. Alas, I had no more room in my schedule, but I’ll be picking this up when I next have $ to kindle shop!
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Thanks. I wish I had more time to read too. There are so many great books out at the moment. I have them all stacked up on my kindle.
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You should see the list of books (mostly JAFF) that I want to buy with my next round of Kindle $. It’s always too much to read and so little time. Boo!
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I too loved loved loved this story. So much that I immediately downloaded her previous book “Ardently” and stayed up the next night reading it through too!
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Thanks, Christina. They are very different books to read, and were very different experiences to write. This one was much harder work. I’m so pleased you enjoyed them. I’m hoping you’ll like the next!
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Ardently is on my list of books to buy next time I am on a book-buying spree!
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Thanks for a lovely review. You summed up the story really well. I know the characters are not always rational or likeable at the beginning, but it’s about changing and growing. I really appreciate your time in reading and reviewing, and for being part of the tour.
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You’re very welcome! I admit that it was weird to not like them at all for so long, but it really does work with the story you’re telling.
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The more I read about this book the more I want to read it.
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I do hope you get the chance!
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I loved the quote you pulled here, it’s such a pivotal moment!
I thank you for your time and energies in supporting this blog tour! I appreciate everything you’ve done to share your love for this book.
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My pleasure! Thank you for inviting me to be part of the tour!
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You nailed it, Anna! I didn’t exactly dislike the characters early in the book because I recognized them as reasonable younger imaginings of their older selves in Austen’s novel. I sure rolled my eyes at them a lot, in between smiling at Caitlin Williams’ genius idea of young Elizabeth and Darcy with these typical characteristics of youth as well as her ability to show how they tick so clearly and maintaining those annoying traits in so many scenarios. She matured the two in a logical sequence, providing examples of life lessons that would shape them into the Darcy and Elizabeth we know better in a story that flows well over the long time line. I think authors should give Caitlin all their most outrageous, different plot ideas, as it’s clear she has the skills to wrangle them into a believable tale that keeps one away from life’s responsibilities for a day or two! Thanks to both of you.
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Haha, thanks Suzan. Unfortunately I have enough wild plot ideas going around in my head as it is. I don’t think I could cope with anyone else’s!
Hope you’ll check out tomorrow’s post at Laughing with Lizzie. I’ve written a little vignette where we go further back in time and see Darcy at fifteen.
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Thanks, Suzan! I agree it’s very well done.
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I like this premise
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I think you’d really like this book!
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This sounds like a very enjoyable variation of P & P! Excellent review, Anna! (I still have my P & P post up on my blog!)
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I saw that post! How fantastic to see P&P in person like that!
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Seems to me you read my review and I’m flattered that your review sounds just like mine…in any case we both enjoyed the book!
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Hmmm, I actually didn’t see your review but I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the book as much as I did!
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It was on Amazon and it’s almost word for word in one sentence… But whatever
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Oh, I don’t read Amazon reviews. I guess we’ll have to chalk it up to coincidence!
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Enthralling book! From the moment I started reading it I couldn’t put it down! Thanks for a wonderful read, Caitlin, and for the great review, Anna. It reminded me just why I loved it so much 🙂
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I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did, Joana!
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