In A Folly of Youth Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth meet in London when she is only 16 years old, but the circumstances they meet are not ideal. They both attend a scandalous ball in which Mr. Darcy ends up compromising Elizabeth in order to save her from a worst situation. However, as they had just met, none of them wishes to marry the other, so they enter a strange type of engagement with none of them wishing it, but both being forced to accept it.
They spend the following years without even seeing each other and the narrative starts many years later when Mr. Darcy, desiring to marry a woman of his choice, decides to join forces with Elizabeth to escape their forced engagement.
There were many aspects I loved in this book, especially the writing, which was exquisite, but I also want to stand out Elizabeth’s maturity and her character growth in this novel. I don’t like books in which Elizabeth is flawless, but I don’t like to see her as a completely irrational person moved by her hate for Mr. Darcy either. In A Folly of Youth we have the perfect balance in her characters personality, Elizabeth has learned from her past mistakes and has grown to be an intelligent, caring, and intuitive person who has her insecurities and fears but is observant, kind and able to can make mature analysis of situations and people’s behaviors.
Although the treatment Elizabeth receives from her family throughout the years seemed a bit excessive, it didn’t bother me because the book is truly centered on Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship, and the manner through each of them coped with the situation they were in. It is clearly a character driven book and I loved it’s execution.
As always with Amy D’Orazio’s books a subplot revolves around Lord Saye, in this case, in his personal search for a wife, and even though I always love this original character, in this book I would have preferred to have the attention fully focused on Darcy and Elizabeth because their relationship was very special and the plot strong enough to flourish without additional plots.
One of the aspects I mostly loved in this book was the romantic journey that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth took together. They start out as strangers with a common goal but also a common dislike of each other because of the situation they found themselves in, but as they work together towards their goal they start talking and sharing their souls to one another. They start realizing how the entire situation was difficult for each one of them, and that they are, in fact, perfect for each other. I loved seeing these characters go from dislike to mutual regard, and finally a passionate love. Every stage of their relationship appeared authentic and natural without cliches, and I loved it.
Summing up, A Folly of Youth is a beautifully written romance in which the main characters go trough a difficult path of self-discovery that leads them into their happily ever after together. It is character driven and centered in the path the characters need to take to discover their love for one another. I recommend it to all readers who love great romances.
You can find A Folly of Youth at:
and Audible
From Pemberley to Milton 
I’m definitely a fan of a wiser Elizabeth. I’m no longer fond of her hating Darcy and mindlessly believing Wickham! So, this is definitely a book high on my list. I can cope with Saye’s story as he’s a definite favourite character in Amy’s books. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this story Rita.
LikeLike
I read and reviewed this story. One of my favorite authors.
LikeLike
You can see some of Lydia’s behavior in this young Elizabeth before she learns a few hard lessons. Darcy learns a few things too and of course Saye – what else needs to be said.
LikeLike
I love this author’s work and this was such a twist to the P&P storyline. I loved it.
LikeLike