Review: Beauty and Mr. Darcy by Sarah Courtney

Source: Review copy from author

Sarah Courtney’s Beauty and Mr. Darcy merges Pride and Prejudice with several fairy tales, one for each of the Bennet sisters, as well as Charlotte Lucas and Anne de Bourgh. It’s a very creative variation, and I especially loved how Courtney brought Jane Austen’s secondary characters to life. While I enjoyed Elizabeth and Darcy’s story, it was refreshing to see the other women of Pride and Prejudice given their moments to shine.

Courtney does a fantastic job showing how all of the characters grow and evolve over the course of the novel, from Charlotte’s subtle molding of Mr. Collins into someone I couldn’t help but like to Lydia taking a different path in Brighton, one that changes her character for the better. I was impressed by Courtney’s ability to transform Austen’s characters into fairy tale heroines and seamlessly intertwine the stories. Best of all, she gives Wickham a comeuppance that I won’t soon forget in a scene that had me shocked and laughing at the same time.

It’s important to note that Elizabeth and Darcy aren’t given center stage but share it with the other characters. And to be honest, I didn’t miss them being front and center. That’s not to say Elizabeth and Darcy don’t play an important or interesting role in the novel; they do, albeit without as much angst and drama as you might have come to expect in these variations. However, Courtney’s handling of the secondary characters is fresh and clever, and it was nice to see the other women get their happily ever afters. I seriously couldn’t get enough of Kitty’s and Lydia’s stories, and it was great to see Kitty finally get her chance to go to Brighton — especially here, when she has such a love for the sea.

Courtney explains at the end of the book which characters went with which fairy tales, which I appreciated since the stories closely followed but didn’t exactly match the fairy tales. I must say I was proud of myself for figuring out most of the matches on my own. 😉

Having loved Courtney’s previous novel, the modern variation A Good Name, I had high expectations for Beauty and Mr. Darcy, and I wasn’t disappointed. I am anxiously awaiting Courtney’s next novel!