In An Inconvenient Courtship, Miss Bingley’s jealously forces the Bennet sisters to remain at Netherfield a little longer. After Jane’s recovery, the sisters are ready to return to Longbourn but Miss Bingley’s reckless actions cause Elizabeth to have a severe head injury, and the story will progress from there.
With Elizabeth’s life at risk Mr. Darcy is forced to admit his feelings much earlier than in P&P, and this is a deviation from the original that I really like, however, some details in this initial scene, such as Mr. Darcy calling Elizabeth by her first name in front of everyone, made me a little reticent with the book.
It turned out to be a clean and quick novella that can easily be read in an afternoon, which is definitely a positive aspect, but I did have several quibbles with it. In my opinion, all characters were too outspoken, and some of them even out of character. Having Bingley chastise Darcy because Elizabeth is beneath him is something that is neither in line with Bingley’s character, nor Darcy’s at this point. I also found Georgiana’s intimacy with Elizabeth too sudden as they start calling each other by their given name 5 minutes after getting to know each other, and without even being introduced. This was actually a recurrent fact as Richard also talked to Elizabeth without being introduced.
Another fact I wasn’t particularly fond of was Wickham’s viciousness in the end of the story as I considered it completely unnecessary for the narrative, and a detail that would only be relevant if the book had further pages. This plot has a lot of potential but the amount of details that are added to the story do not match the books size. I believe the story would have been better if the author had developed it more; nevertheless, it is a romantic and clean story that may appeal to those who prefer fast paced short stories.
Audiobook Narration:
Mary Bennet’s Level
I wasn’t overly impressed with the narrator of this book who seemed to struggle with the differentiation between male and female voices. The delivery seemed somewhat forced and unnatural even if the narration itself wasn’t unpleasant, so I consider this audiobook’s narration to be at Mary Bennet’s level.
You can find An Inconvenient Courtship at:
and on Audible
Beautiful cover. I can understand the quibbles in the review in relation to canon and characters.
denise
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I also like the cover Denise and it was’t my cup, but it is fast paced and a short read, so I think it may please some readers.
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It’s hard when the behavior doesn’t seem to match the period. Fun that it had an interesting variation plot.
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The premise is very interesting and that’s what caught my attention, but unfortunately I could not get over with some of the quibble. But it is a fast read and some readers may enjoy it. I haven’t heard of many people who have read it, which is a pity because I would love to hear other opinions.
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I read this a few years ago and would have preferred some more pages of story, but I did enjoy it! (Although in my opinion Elizabeth was too forgiving of Miss Bingley! I always prefer it when she’s sent away to relatives in the North! 🙂 )
Great review Rita.
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Thanks Glynis, I agree with you, if this story had a few more pages it would have suited me better, and yes, the North would also suit Miss Bingley better 😂
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Hi Rita,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book.
I understand your quibbles and think they’re justified.
I think I’ll pass on this story.
Stay safe and strong. 🍀
Mary.
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Thank you Mary, you too 🙂
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Thanks for sharing your honest opinions here.
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I’ll always try to do that Sheila 🙂 Sometimes what is not my cup can be someone else’s, so hopefully I was objective with my quibbles.
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Great review, Rita! It sounds like a premise I would love to explore, but like you, I am not a fan of characters acting too forward for their time period or personality.
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Thank you Meredith! As you know, these are never easy to write, especially without having major spoilers in it, but I did my best. I did like the premise, it was very interesting, and I think that a second revision could improve this book in my opinion 🙂
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