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frompemberleytomiltonblog's review
5.0
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpress.com/2015/11/12/a-peculiar-connection/
Lately everyone has been talking about the “Let’s torture Darcy” club, and I admit I am a proud member. But despite being a member of this club, I have always been more of a “Let’s torture Elizabeth” kind of girl.
Jan Han has created a premise that is perfect for me because in A Peculiar Connection she pretty much tortures both Darcy and Elizabeth in the most wonderful manner!
What if in her visit to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine were to reveal the most torturous information? What if she told Elizabeth that she was the illegitimate daughter of late Mr. Darcy, and therefore sister to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy? How would they react to this information? Would they try to establish a relationship as siblings? Would they prefer to never see each other again? Would they give up on their love? And could fate be so harsh on them?
This premise takes us into a long adventurous journey leaded by Darcy’s hope and persistence. Even though the book is written under Elizabeth’s point of view, it is Darcy’s love and character that makes us travel through England and Ireland in search of happiness. I loved the way Darcy never gave up on his love for Elizabeth. He was just as I imagined him to be under such circumstances: supportive, constant, brooding, passionate and relentless.
As one would expect, Darcy and Elizabeth will spend a lot of time together, and the tension and chemistry between them will be overwhelming throughout the entire book. Jan Han created so many intense scenes I just wanted to carve them all in my memory to access them at any time. I started writing down some quotes, and would like to share one of them with you, it may not be the best of them all, but it touched me deeply:
“I am… no one. I am just Elizabeth, and I do not know where I belong or to whom”. I fought the bleakness welling up within me, but I could not hide my sorrow from him.
Mr. Darcy rose to sit beside me, taking both my hands in his. I turned my face away, but he commanded me to look at him. “You belong to me, Elizabeth”.
This is just one of those scenes I absolutely adored. But the great thing about this book is that it is filled with great moments, so many that it was hard to choose the ones I would mention on the review. In fact, the story is so interesting, the scenes so intense and Darcy’s character so well developed that when I finished reading the book, I just wished Jan Han had also written the Darcy POV of A Peculiar Connection. I would love to read the scene after Elizabeth leaves Pemberley in a rush under Mr. Darcy’s point of view, or to know how his encounter with Lady Catherine was, or his reaction when discovering the documents in his aunt’s house. And I most certainly wanted to read how he felt when discovering the identity of Elizabeth’s father.
We get glimpses of Darcy’s feelings through Elizabeth’s eyes, but sentences as the ones below just entice me to read more about Darcy’s inner thoughts:
“Nothing remained on his countenance other than bleak resignation and a sadness I cannot describe”
“Expressionless, the light had vanished from his eyes as surely as if one had doused a candle”.
I could continue to quote the book, but I think it is preferable for you to read it yourself. All I can tell you is when I think about the scenes in the book, I pretty much want to read them all over and over again and also under Mr. Darcy’s point of view, so I’m hoping Mrs. Han reads this review and considers that as her next novel:)
Lately everyone has been talking about the “Let’s torture Darcy” club, and I admit I am a proud member. But despite being a member of this club, I have always been more of a “Let’s torture Elizabeth” kind of girl.
Jan Han has created a premise that is perfect for me because in A Peculiar Connection she pretty much tortures both Darcy and Elizabeth in the most wonderful manner!
What if in her visit to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine were to reveal the most torturous information? What if she told Elizabeth that she was the illegitimate daughter of late Mr. Darcy, and therefore sister to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy? How would they react to this information? Would they try to establish a relationship as siblings? Would they prefer to never see each other again? Would they give up on their love? And could fate be so harsh on them?
This premise takes us into a long adventurous journey leaded by Darcy’s hope and persistence. Even though the book is written under Elizabeth’s point of view, it is Darcy’s love and character that makes us travel through England and Ireland in search of happiness. I loved the way Darcy never gave up on his love for Elizabeth. He was just as I imagined him to be under such circumstances: supportive, constant, brooding, passionate and relentless.
As one would expect, Darcy and Elizabeth will spend a lot of time together, and the tension and chemistry between them will be overwhelming throughout the entire book. Jan Han created so many intense scenes I just wanted to carve them all in my memory to access them at any time. I started writing down some quotes, and would like to share one of them with you, it may not be the best of them all, but it touched me deeply:
“I am… no one. I am just Elizabeth, and I do not know where I belong or to whom”. I fought the bleakness welling up within me, but I could not hide my sorrow from him.
Mr. Darcy rose to sit beside me, taking both my hands in his. I turned my face away, but he commanded me to look at him. “You belong to me, Elizabeth”.
This is just one of those scenes I absolutely adored. But the great thing about this book is that it is filled with great moments, so many that it was hard to choose the ones I would mention on the review. In fact, the story is so interesting, the scenes so intense and Darcy’s character so well developed that when I finished reading the book, I just wished Jan Han had also written the Darcy POV of A Peculiar Connection. I would love to read the scene after Elizabeth leaves Pemberley in a rush under Mr. Darcy’s point of view, or to know how his encounter with Lady Catherine was, or his reaction when discovering the documents in his aunt’s house. And I most certainly wanted to read how he felt when discovering the identity of Elizabeth’s father.
We get glimpses of Darcy’s feelings through Elizabeth’s eyes, but sentences as the ones below just entice me to read more about Darcy’s inner thoughts:
“Nothing remained on his countenance other than bleak resignation and a sadness I cannot describe”
“Expressionless, the light had vanished from his eyes as surely as if one had doused a candle”.
I could continue to quote the book, but I think it is preferable for you to read it yourself. All I can tell you is when I think about the scenes in the book, I pretty much want to read them all over and over again and also under Mr. Darcy’s point of view, so I’m hoping Mrs. Han reads this review and considers that as her next novel:)
jmcrockett78's review
5.0
I highly recommend this! I admit, I didn’t think I’d like it, but it was beautifully written and tastefully done.
samhend101's review
4.0
2022 - listening as an audiobook stepped the enjoyment of this up a notch.
So much angst for ODC while they both thought they were siblings!
Never a real fan of Lady C being the big bad. This was an interesting and different retelling. At least it had a happy ending ;)
So much angst for ODC while they both thought they were siblings!
Never a real fan of Lady C being the big bad. This was an interesting and different retelling. At least it had a happy ending ;)
katelennon05's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
clockworkbee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
brinastewart's review
3.0
This was a hard 2 stars until about 70% through the ebook because the angst was excruciating. Once it began to look up..., I really enjoyed therefore I gave another star because the author did not end the book just as things got better but allowed me to live in the happiness for a bit before she ended the book.
katebyroade's review
4.0
This is the second of Hahn's alternate _Pride & Prejudice_ versions that I've read. (E buys them.) This one begins with the extraordinary revelation that Elizabeth, is not, in fact a Bennett! Moreover that she is, according to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's illegitimate half-sister! So this sort of halts their romance in its tracks. It's a good, readable, very Gothic/melodramatic book such that Jane Austen enjoyed but didn't really write--_Northanger Abbey_ notwithstanding.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it to another P&P aficionado.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it to another P&P aficionado.
vesper1931's review against another edition
4.0
When Lady Catherine de Bourgh visits Longbourn and does not get the answer she requires from Elizabeth Bennet she informs her that her marriage is forbidden because Elizabeth and Darcy are brother and sister.
So starts the quest to confirm this information or find the truth.
An enjoyable tale, torturing both Darcy and Elizabeth.
So starts the quest to confirm this information or find the truth.
An enjoyable tale, torturing both Darcy and Elizabeth.
elizabaum's review
5.0
Wow. This book was intense and beautiful. Elizabeth and Darcy's pain and separation upon learning that they are brother and sister (erroneously, of course) is palpable and felt like a punch to the gut every time they were alone together and came close to voicing their deepest emotions. I loved the journey of this story and the intrigue as various people add pieces to the tale they're unraveling. I think it would be difficult to reread this, because Elizabeth's despair felt so genuine. Even as things resolved nicely, it still felt bittersweet. So many people in the story lost so much--but it was a lovely and well-written story that I'm glad I read.
Now I just need something fluffy and happy for awhile.
Now I just need something fluffy and happy for awhile.