Reviews

Just to Hear 'I Love You': An Alternate Tale of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice by Sarah Johnson

vesper1931's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A re-read of this Pride and Prejudice variation whereby Elizabeth and Mary as the only two survivors of the Bennet family are taken in by their Gardiner relations. In an earlier tragedy Mary has been left deaf.
On a holiday with the Gardiners at Ramsgate they met Miss Darcy, but Wickham is also there. Can she be saved and how will the meeting of Darcy and Elizabeth fare. Soon they are introduced to the Fitzwilliam family. Will both Bennet ladies have their happy ending.And what of Bingley.
This is more the story of Mary and Colonel Fitzwilliam, which is why it is a favourite of mine.
An enjoyable and well-written variation with its delightful characters.
Another re-read, again. and again.

elizabaum's review

3.0

I feel like this book tried really hard but ultimately struggled to deliver what it promises. There are so many storylines that all but Mary and Fitzwilliam's felt shallow and excessive. I would have been fine if the sole focus had been on that couple, but it diverted too often to the other characters with their own plots. Elizabeth, Mary, and Georgiana, and even Fitzwilliam's backstory were so different from their canon selves that this might as well have not been a Pride and Prejudice story at all--which makes it feel like this is only JAFF so that the characters don't need as much developing. I'm sure that wasn't the intent, but rather the way the result felt.

Some things seemed to come out of nowhere (

the way Meryton society blamed Mary

) or were forced upon me in a way that I couldn't really enjoy how they came about (

Bingley and Maria Lucas

). Lots of telling rather than showing, and the plot felt jumpy and inconsistently paced. And now that I think about it, there weren't really obstacles that the characters had to overcome to achieve their happily ever after. Sure, there was disapproval from multiple fronts, but none of it really ever threatened to stop the characters from getting what they wanted. That took a lot of the thrill out of it.

I did really like the concept behind the changes to Mary, and it's always nice to see a story where she gets her time to shine. Colonel Fitzwilliam was very well done, too. Darcy's sneaky way of helping Fitzwilliam

by giving Mary a dowry that would allow them to marry

was a fun twist. Darcy and Elizabeth's story was sort of meh, but it was fine. I liked getting to see Bingley when there's no Jane to keep his attention, and the story did a good job of showing that fickle sort of love that Darcy claims Bingley often feels but that we never get to see in the original.

I didn't hate it, and I wasn't bored, but I felt like it lacked some essentials that could have made it a truly good story. Solid 3 stars.

ravenmoon's review

5.0

So I will say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It's the first book that I've read that places more of a spotlight on Mary Bennet than any of the other characters. While I have other books that have Mary as the main character I haven't taken the time to read them. I will probably do that sometime in the future now that I actually like her as a character. I liked that she ended up with Colonel Fitzwilliam in this book. I have read another story where she ended with him as well. Georgiana was a real bitch throughout most of the book. She only started becoming a likable character when she found out her precious George got another with child and refused to marry her unless he was given the sum of Georgiana's dowry. For the majority of the book I really wanted to punch her in the face. By the end of the story everybody of importance in the story is given a HEA. I like that even though Caroline married Viscount Milton (Fitz's older brother) she wasn't really happy. He just married her for her dowry of 20,000 pounds. Fitz's parents only come to reconcile with their family just before the end of the book. And even then Lord Danver only does it because he's dying. Lady Danver wanted to be apart of her grandchildren's lives and that's why she came. I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a austenesque book or a good clean romance in general.