What I once spurned, I would now give all my wealth and status to have. … Through my own stupidity, I have thrown away my best chance of happiness.
(from Understanding Elizabeth)
Robin M. Helm’s latest novel, Understanding Elizabeth, is a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice told entirely from the point of view of Mr. Darcy. The novel opens at Netherfield, with Elizabeth Bennet in residence as she cares for her sister, Jane, whose illness is more serious than originally believed. When Darcy stumbles upon Elizabeth’s journal entries tucked into a book, he succumbs to the temptation to read her thoughts and get to know her better.
Unfortunately, he learns that Elizabeth, her family, and all of Mertyon are aware of the insulting words he said about her to Mr. Bingley at the Meryton Assembly, and he wishes he could take them back, especially as he has come to appreciate Elizabeth’s beauty and intelligence. As he fights an interior battle between wanting love and doing his duty to his family and estate, he is given the opportunity to secure his heart’s desire, but there is a serious price to pay, and Darcy must learn what it truly means to love someone in order to make the right choice.
Understanding Elizabeth follows a similar timeline as the original novel, but there are plenty of differences to hold readers’ interest. I especially enjoyed seeing Darcy balance his desire for Jane to recover with his frustration at a potential rival for Elizabeth’s affections in Dr. Stedman, and bringing Mr. Bennet to Netherfield for the duration of Jane’s illness gives him a chance to tease Darcy and observe his true character and his changing opinion toward the Bennets.
Helm does a great job bringing the secondary characters to life, creating a more steady and observant Bingley and a more confident, take-charge Georgiana, and there were several intriguing original characters, my favorite being Watkins, Darcy’s perceptive valet. There was plenty of drama involving Darcy’s otherworldly offer and, of course, Wickham, and plenty of tender moments with Elizabeth. But where the novel shines is in its first person narrative, as readers get to experience Darcy’s realizations of his perceived character, his efforts to change those perceptions, his weakness amidst a feeling of hopelessness, and his determination.
I felt like I really got to know and understand Darcy, but Helm also does a good job of letting readers get to know Elizabeth through Darcy’s close observation of her. There were so many scenes that brought a smile to my face, from the chess games with high stakes to Darcy’s soul-bearing conversations with Georgiana and Richard. Understanding Elizabeth is a thought-provoking take on Pride and Prejudice and the lengths people are willing to go to find love and happiness.
****
Giveaway
Robin is generously offering 2 copies of Understanding Elizabeth to my readers: a Kindle copy (international/domestic) and a print copy (U.S. only). To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your email address and your desired format should you win. This giveaway will close on Sunday, February 26, 2017. The winners will be chosen randomly and announced in the comments section of this post. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received Understanding Elizabeth from the author for review.
My favorite books are these … told from Darcy’s point of view! Thanks for the giveaway….i prefer print but either is fine. savvyverseandwit at gmail
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I really enjoy them as well. I think you’d like this one.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book after you’ve read it.
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I really enjoy stories told from Darcy’s point of view and so look forward to reading this one. I am hoping he manages to win Elizabeth without resorting to’help’ Thanks for the lovely review Anna and to you and Robin for the chance of a giveaway. If I am lucky enough to win I am in the UK so would.love the e-book. glyniswhitelegg (at) gmail (.com)
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Thanks, Glynis! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Thank you, Glynis!
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Great review. Sounds like a book I would enjoy. If I win, I would prefer ebook but am fine with either. jadseah4 (at) yahoo (.com)
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Thanks, darcybennett! I hope you get a chance to read it.
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Thanks for commenting, darcybennett!
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Fun that the secondary characters really shine, too. Looking forward to this one.
sophiarose1816 at gmail dot com
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I love when the secondary characters get their moment in the spotlight!
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Thanks so much, Sophia Rose! I always love hearing your comments.
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I love Robin’s new book and the cover is awesome. Thanks for featuring here here. Jen Red
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I agree about the cover. Glad you enjoyed it, too!
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Ah! The cover! My favorite of all my books, of course. Thanks JenRed!
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Lovely review! Don’t enter me in the giveaway as I already have it!
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Thanks, Carole! Glad to hear you enjoyed it, too!
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Would love to read this. Thanks for the giveaway.
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You’re very welcome, Priscilla. Good look!
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Doggone! No edit feature for me. I meant, Good luck!
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Thanks for stopping by, Priscilla!
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Wonder why Darcy never apologies for his words at the Meryton assembly
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Hi, Vesper. Maybe Darcy is a little like me. When I say something over and over in my mind, I sometimes forget I haven’t said it out loud. I actually didn’t realize he never apologized to her. I thought he did.
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Vesper, you’ll have to read it to find out how that turns out!
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Thank you for hosting yet another wonderful book giveaway! I will add this giveaway to my blog’s sidebar, to share with my readers. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, Anna. Terrific review! In case I win, I’d prefer a print copy.
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Thank you so much, Suko! I really appreciate your sharing this review and giveaway. 😉
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My pleasure, Suko! Thanks for spreading the word about the giveaway.
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I also read and enjoyed this book as I have all of Robin’s other books. Her daughter is so lovely.
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Thank you so much for your continuing support, Sheila. I agree with you about my daughter. Now I’m pillaging my older daughter’s portraits from when she was 21.
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Her daughter is a perfect cover model! I need to finish the rest of the Yours By Design series, since I really enjoyed the first one.
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Such an enjoyable read! You’re right, Anna. Robin does first-person narrative really well. I already own this book, so don’t enter me in the giveaway.
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Thank you, my friend. You are such an encouragement to me.
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The first person POV made it hard to put down! It’s always interesting to get inside Darcy’s mind.
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Thank you for this giveaway. The secondary character feature is unusual.
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Hi, Mystica. You haven’t seen the last of Mr. Stedman or Mr. Jones. Watch for Understanding Mr. Darcy, the companion volume to Understanding Elizabeth. I’m writing it now.
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I can’t wait to read the companion volume!
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How interesting that it’s entirely from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. I also like when authors have good secondary characters.
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Hi, Laura! I would love to have you review Understanding Elizabeth as well. Let me know if you’re interested.
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I’ve always enjoyed the variations that spend more time with Austen’s secondary characters and create interesting original characters.
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I am looking forward to reading this lovely book!!!
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Hope you enjoy it!
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Have been reading a number of P&P variations told from Darcy’s viewpoint lately. Looking forward to including this one.
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Hope you enjoy it, Janis!
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What a great idea-an opportunity to see everything from Darcy’s perspective!!
Am looking forward to seeing the result of the perceptiveness of Darcy’s valet, to what exactly Darcy was thinking while in the midst of one of his numerous brooding silences and of course to seeing the tender moments between ODC!
Great review and sincere thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of the book.
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Thanks, Mary! I do hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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I love seeing things from Darcy’s point of view. I would enjoy a chance for the paperback. Thanks for the giveaway.
saganchilds(a)gmail.com
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Thanks for stopping by, schilds!
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My first time to join in this book experience online. I’m very excited.
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Hi Emily! Welcome, and thanks for checking out my post.
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I love reading books from Darcy’s point of view. Thanks for the lovely review, Anna. I always enjoy reading your thoughts. This book sounds good and I adore the cover! Robin’s daughter is a beauty and makes a gorgeous Elizabeth go grace the cover. Thanks for the opportunity to win a paperback!
Congratulations, Robin, on the release of this book.
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Thanks, Janet! I love the cover, too. I think she does make a great Elizabeth.
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I’ve already added this one to my wish list, so winning a copy would be wonderful. Thanks for the giveaway!
Beautiful young lady on the cover, Robin! 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Pam!
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This is now on my TBR list Anna, I think I’ll love it. It is told from Darcy’s POV and he has a rival, what could be more perfect?
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I think you’d really enjoy it, too, for exactly those reasons. 😉
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What a lovely review, Anna! I was fascinated by the premise ever since the cover reveal (and what a fantastic reveal it was, AND what a cover!!). Thanks for writing this lovely book, Robin, and the very best of luck!
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Thanks, Joana! I’d been excited to read it since the cover reveal post, too!
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After reading this review, I can’t wait to read “Understanding Elizabeth”. I’m a kindle addict and have been spotting this book with its catching cover for the past month. This review gave me much better understanding of the story than the description in the Amazon. Like the other readers, I love to read variations from Darcy’s POV. I have read a few, and they were all fine and well executed but left me with wanting more. I am looking forward to see more of Mr. Bennett’s involvement. I come from a family with 3 daughters in a society that women were undervalued. My father was very influential in shaping me to who I am now and it breaks my heart to find Mr. Bennett too passive in many variations that I have read. If I’m ever so fortunate to win, I prefer Kindle version. Regardless of winning or not this book is going to be in my near future reading list.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the author for taking the time and creating a new variations to the hundreds that currently exist. I started the quest of reading all the 4 stars and above P&P variations about a year ago and have finished 177 so far. I have enjoyed my secret life in P&P realm so much and always have anxiety about the time that I finish them all! So, dear author, thank you for extending my entertainment.🤗
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Thanks for the kind words about my review, and for sharing a bit about yourself. I hope you get a chance to read it and stop by again some time!
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You can add my name to the list of Darcy POV fans! I’ve quite a number of them in my collection and all of them count amongst my favourites. I’m still blown away by the cover picture, featuring your daughter, Robin. She’s just so right as Elizabeth.
Thanks for a lovely review, Anna, and to Robin for the giveaway.
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Thanks, Anji! The cover is perfect and fits the book so well.
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This is a gorgeous cover
Kindle or paperback. No preference. Patkf2007@hotmail.com
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Thanks for stopping by, Patricia!
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Thanks for the chance! Either would be fine by me tresha_7@msn.com
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Thanks for stopping by, Tresha!
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Have read several variations from Darcy’s POV and they’re always so enjoyable. Looking forward to this one as well. (Even if I did not vote for this cover, it’s still beautiful!).
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This was the cover I voted for, but they were both lovely. Thanks for stopping by, Janis!
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I love stories from Darcy’s point of view. Thank you for the give away.
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Thanks for checking out the post!
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Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my review and leave a comment. I really appreciate it!
The winners of the giveaway are Janet Taylor (paperback) and Patricia Finnegan (Kindle). Congrats and happy reading!
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Congratulations. Enjoy.
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