Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling by Lara S. Ormiston

Late last year, I finally got around to reading a classic, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Why, you might ask? Well…

There haven’t really been a lot of good romantic comedies out in the last few years, so I was looking around for something worth watching. When I saw the poster for the 2005 movie starring Keira Knightley, I thought ‘how bad could it be?’. I mean, Keira looks absolutely delicious, no?

The movie turned out to be a very well produced period piece which I thoroughly enjoyed. I decided to read the original, figuring the book is usually better than the movie, right?  So why am I telling you all this?

Sadly, Moby has become something of a fan of Mrs. Austen’s work, I suppose. The book is a classic for a reason, I now know.

It’s all about the characters, I think. I wanted to read more about them, know more of what they were thinking, feeling, etc…I wanted….more. I knew that there were unofficial sequels published, I had seen them available in audio format on audible, but when I got to looking into what was out there my mind was blown just a bit. Turns out Moby is not the only one who really likes Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam.

There is A LOT of ‘alternative’ Pride and Prejudice out there folks. Besides the aforementioned ‘sequels’, there’s also fanfiction, variations, ‘What if…?’s, retellings, and more. A veritable plethora of Austen-ish work, eh?

I was excited about the prospect of revisiting Longbourn and Netherfield Park and picked out what looked like a promising ‘variation’ on Audible, To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds. From the summary:

In To Conquer Mr. Darcy, instead of avoiding Elizabeth after his ill-fated marriage proposal, Mr. Darcy follows her back to Hertfordshire to prove to her he is a changed man and worthy of her love. And little by little, Elizabeth begins to find the man she thought she despised, irresistible….

So…

Let us just say that there turned out to be some kissing. Then more kissing. After that, there was a bit of kissing, followed by Mr. Darcy feeling up Elizabeth behind some trees or bushes. Yeah…not what Moby was expecting.

It seems that there are different sorts of variations and retellings (and so on) with some being truer to the original, and other having the characters involved in slightly out of character heavy petting near the hilltops.

Now, Moby is no prude…I got a good laugh out of the very existence of dino-erotica, remember? This sort of ‘variation’ might work for some, but Moby was looking for something closer to the original book. You know, with the original character’s virtue intact and stuff or something.

So looking at other Pride and Prejudice inspired titles, I spotted one with a prominent review that promised “No sex just a great story”, and “Just hints of physical love and desires.” I figured I would try one more…and I am really glad I did.

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Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling

by Lara S. Ormiston

This was a great read (listen on audio, actually). It was what I had hoped for: a revisit to the places and characters in Austen’s original, with a twist.

Here’s a bit of the summary for Unequal Affections:

When Elizabeth Bennet first knew Mr. Darcy, she despised him and was sure he felt the same…she never troubled herself to believe he was anything other than the worst of men – until, one day, he unexpectedly proposed.

Mr. Darcy’s passionate avowal of love causes Elizabeth to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about him…

Diverging from Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice at the proposal in the Hunsford parsonage, this story explores the kind of man Darcy is, even before his “proper humbling,” and how such a man, so full of pride, so much in love, might have behaved had Elizabeth chosen to accept his original proposal.

The story flows steadily, giving us an insight into what Elizabeth might have been thinking, what might have made her change her mind and decide to accept Mr. Darcy after all. But it is not that simple. Mr. Darcy thought that Elizabeth was at least aware of his affections, possibly even flirting with him in their constant repartee. Once he realizes that he was mistaken, and her feelings lie quite distant from where he presumed…will he still want her?

Ms. Ormiston has done a wonderful job of keeping depth to the characters, not allowing them to become facades of those in the original. The propriety required of them that prevents them from blurting out exactly how they feel also allows for time to heal months of prejudice and for the true inner persona of each to shine through.

Both main characters are handled well. We get an insight into Mr. Darcy, so full of pride and not realizing just what an ass he has been (or is being at times) coming to realize that his wealth and connections will not win this prize for him. Elizabeth is equally well handled in this retelling, but with a much harder role. It would be easy to smite the proud Darcy with his failings…but taken aback by his fervent avowal of love and realizing his vulnerability, she just cannot find the desire to hurt him, to crush him at that moment. She see’s that he is not at all the man she thought she knew…

My only complaint is that I may have just found the best retelling/variation available, one all others will pale in comparison to. It’s that good. I’m afraid I might never find another as well done.

The book is getting a lot of great reviews and recommendations, and Moby concurs: No sex, just a great story.

Unequal Affections: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling is available at Amazon and on audio at Audible.

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PS: My apologies to Ms. Abigail Reynolds. If anyone cares to recommend another of her variations with more story and much less snogging, Moby would be thankful.