Indisposed is the perfect short story for romance lovers who want to have all ingredients of an extraordinary novel condensed in few pages to be read in one hour.
In this story Elizabeth is already sick with a trifling cold in the Meryton Assembly, a fact that alters the interactions between her and Mr. Darcy, but the main variation in the plot is that she accompanies Jane to dinner at Netherfield, and it is her who ends up sick at Mr. Bingley’s estate.
Because the apothecary is out of town, Mr. Bingley call a physician from town to look into Elizabeth, and this man, who may very well be a disgrace to the profession, declares to all that Elizabeth is suffering from consumption and will eventually die.
Everyone in the story will know of this prognostic except Elizabeth, and this creates a series of delightful scenes! She is astonished about the reactions people are having towards her but cannot comprehend why people are acting so strangely, and everyone else just thinks she is a brave girl who is handling the situation very well.
The best reactions in my opinion were the ones of Mr. Bennet because he obviously brought some humour into the story, the ones from Mrs. Bennet, which revealed an interesting character development and Mr. Darcy’s, because obviously this was the base for the romance to be established.
Mr. Darcy is the only one to treat Elizabeth as a person and not as an invalid, and because of that, their interactions will be romantic, witty and enthralling. He is such a caring and loving man in this story that I doubt any reader will be able to resist his charms!
The novella is extremely well written, and as I said it has all the ingredients a book should have to keep the reader interested and hooked to the story. Despite the length, the narrative is never rushed, and even if this book is clearly a page-turner, which readers will not be able to let go until they finish it, it creates a feeling of cosiness and well-being that is extremely satisfying! This book is everything a novella should be and I highly recommend it!
I have read and enjoyed Love and Other Machines (which is currently FREE, by the way) from Alix James, but this novella surpassed any expectation I might have. This is definitely an author to look out for if you are interested in reading short, sweet and romantic novellas!
You can find Indisposed at:
From Pemberley to Milton 
This sounds so promising! Thank you Rita for your very thorough review– I tend to stay away from novellas because very rarely we see character or plot development. Clearly this is not the case here so I’ tempted.
To the author I wish good luck with the publication!
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This one is very good Alexandra. Because it is well written we don’t feel it is a novella 🙂
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This sounds like one I have to read. I am off to check it out.
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I’m sure you’ll like it Sheila 🙂 It is really good.
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It downloaded last night and I have already posted my review. I agree with you completely. There are romantic moments that I thought were going to melt my reading device. Heavy sigh! That conversation at the table with Darcy was… oh, dear. The dialogue between Lizzy and her father was… ah, what can I say. Man… that was good. You don’t usually hear Lizzy speaking this way. It really showed the relationship between father and daughter. I think Bennet knew what this doctor [ah-hem] was about. He knew his Lizzy. I love this author and both of her books.
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I agree with you Jeanne, one of my favourite scenes was the Elizabeth/Mr. Bennet dialogue about love. That was a faced of Elizabeth that I don’t often see this well written 🙂
I confess my favourite Elizabeth/Darcy moments were either Netherfield, and the corridor scene at Longbourn 🙂
And yes, let’s hope Alix James is here to stay :))) I love her novels.
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This is definitely one for me! Love your review Rita and I love Jeanne’s comments! (I hope your device survived? 😊)
I read Love and Other Machines thanks to your tip, and really enjoyed that so I’m now going to get this one.
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This one is much better then Love and Other Machines Glynis, I know you’ll love it!!!
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Wonderful review,Rita.
It exceeded all your expectations! What a fantastic thing to be done to say about any book.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Mary.
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I really enjoyed it Mary, it’s beautifully written 🙂
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Interesting twist on the sickness element. I’m curious to read it now. Thanks, Rita!
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What a wonderful review, Rita! Thanks, this sounds like a must-read!
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