Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, by Linda BerdollThis one really belongs in a blog titled "I DIDN'T Read This". That's right, it's my first DNF (Did Not Finish) since I started this blog.
I probably should've known better from the title alone. (Oh, the embarrassment.) However, I was looking for books that looked even marginally interesting in the local library's e-book collection, and for whatever reason (I like Pride and Prejudice; I was curious), I decided to give it a try. This proved to be a poor decision.
Only a few pages in, I began to have second thoughts. I glanced over some customer reviews to help me decide whether or not to continue, and the answer was clear: this was not worth my time.
Here are some spoilery things that I learned either from my few pages of reading or from customer reviews on Amazon:
- The writing is awful. The author clearly tried to sound like Jane Austen, "howbeit" did a very poor job. (The first page or so was almost unreadable.)
- Apparently, there are way-too-explicit love-making scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth, which is kind of gross to think about. I don't know why, but I feel one shouldn't think of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy doing much more than kissing and... well, discreetly fading to black when things begin to heat up. I thought I could handle a romantic sequel to P&P, but upon reflection, I find that I do not want to picture Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth getting down and dirty. *shuddersquirm*
- Everyone behaves unforgivably "out of character". The most egregious example I saw mentioned was that Mr. Bingley-- Mr. Bingley, I tell you-- cheats on poor Jane and conceives a love child. Oh! The very thought of it! I have such tremblings-- such flutterings all over me-- such spasms in my side, and pains in my head, and such beatings at my heart! Mr. Bingley would never do such a thing. It is impossible.
