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Reynolds, Abigail. 2008. Impulse and Initiative: A Pride and Prejudice Variation.

This book sets out to answer these questions, "What if...instead of disappearing from Elizabeth Bennet's life after she refused his offer of marriage, Mr. Darcy had stayed and tried to change her mind? What if...Lizzy as she gets to know Darcy, finds him undeniably attractive and her impulses win out over her sense of propriety? What if...madly in love and mutually on fire, their passion anticipates their wedding?"

I have mixed feelings on this one. I do. Pride and Prejudice is one of those books that is practically perfect in every way. One of those happy-making books that you enjoy reading with a big smile on your face. Mr. Darcy is just so perfect, just the way he is. So I've never thought about him needing improvement. Never imagined him courting Elizabeth any other way. Never thought their relationship lacked sizzle.

And this book sets out to re-imagine those beloved characters. It is a variation in tone, in character, and in plot. Mr. Darcy is madly in love with Elizabeth. But she's hesitant about his wooing. For Darcy, as Reynolds envisions him, this means that he needs to turn up the heat. If she won't respond to his true-heart-revelations, perhaps she'll respond to his touch, his kiss, his embrace. If he can make her melt, drive her wild with passion, then surely she'll consent to become Mrs. Darcy. Right?

The problem with this is that to win her that way, he has to resort to becoming everything he despises. Darcy is fundamentally a gentleman at heart. A Mr. Darcy without morals, without propriety, without thought or concern for a lady's reputation--his lady's reputation--is almost unimaginable until now. Darcy borrowing from Wickham? Really?! An Elizabeth whose reputation is in tatters, who has become the disappointment of her father, who has adopted Lydia's it-feels-so-good-it-can't-be-wrong philosophy?!

The writing. Reynolds' writing is not fundamentally bad. It's not that she doesn't know how to write, how to turn a phrase, how to write scenes that work. Stylistically, on the surface, everything about this one works. The characters. The scenes. All good--maybe not brilliantly, great (award-winning great) but not bad. Certainly entertaining. Certainly on the level of other romance novelists. But it's the fact that it's Mr. Darcy. It's Elizabeth. Their love isn't supposed to be smutty. Respect. Purity. Both qualities that they'd expect to find in the other, and hold themselves to as well.

There were enjoyable aspects of this novel. I must say that I smiled when it was Elizabeth who came home and announced that she'd married first. You know those smug scenes between Lydia and her mother and sisters. The ones where she's bragging that she got married first. That she got her man. That married life was so wonderful. Now it's Elizabeth's turn to boast.
And there are a few other enjoyable scenes as well. I like, in a way, the conversations between Darcy and Elizabeth trying to prove to themselves (reassure themselves) why it was right for them to have sex, but wrong for Wickham and Lydia. I suppose they rationalize it all by intentions. Wickham is a jerk, a lusty jerk that is selfish and only looking out for himself. And Darcy, well his intentions are honorable even if his actions aren't. And while one might think Elizabeth's own tainted (impure) experience might give her sympathy or understanding for her sister and her sister's giving into temptation...you'd be wrong. Elizabeth still feels a bit superior to her sister. Still judges her for the foolish idiot she is.

If you're looking for Pride and Prejudice with smut inserted, then this one is for you.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Are you participating in Becky's 2008 Jane Austen mini-challenge? Want to share your thoughts on what you've read or watched? Please let me know how you're doing! Leave a comment with your thoughts or a link to a post with your thoughts.

How am I doing? Well, I've seen all the PBS Austen movies. And I've read Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Sense & Sensibility. I've posted thoughts on those three. And I've also posted my thoughts on Mansfield Park the movie. I did a post in January on my thoughts of the first three movies: Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey. I haven't posted on the movies Emma, Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and Sensibility yet. Blogging books is familiar and natural. I'm not used to blogging movies yet, even if they are based on books.

It's NOT too late to join the challenge. The challenge ends December 31, 2008. There is still plenty of time to participate.

This is the last listing I've got on the Austen-challenge. If you're on the list, but not supposed to be let me know. And if you're supposed to be on the list but aren't, let me know. I'd like to have a current list. :)

Tricia from Library Queue
Chris from Stuff As Dreams Are Made On ...
Ex Libris
Michelle (3M) from 1MoreChapter
Stephanie from Stephanie's Confession of a Bookaholic
Pattie from FreshBrewedWriter
Melissa from Book Nut
Debbi from My Reading Spot (? She didn't specify if she was joining the Austen and the Tolkien or just the Tolkien ?)
Ladytink_534 from The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog (She was one that was on the fence, but considering it...)
Kate (didn't specify if it was Austen and Tolkien both or just one of the two...unless I hear otherwise...I'm assuming she's in for the Austen)
Jehara
Shannan
Naida
Gautami Tripathy from My Own Reading Room
Angliophile Football Fanatic
Booklogged
Susan from Susan Loves To Read
Alisonwonderland from So Many Books, So Little Time
Curiouser and Curiouser
Webster Twelb
Alix
Chris from Book-a-rama
Historia from BiblioHistoria
Journey From An Inquiring Mind
Kirsten from Nose in A Book
Lisa
Lindy
nsr (?)
Sarah R.
KatLuvr
Marina from Book a Tea
Full time in NM
Bridget
Joy of Thoughts for Joy
April of Cafe of Dreams
Jenny up the hill
Maria
Sonya
Mandy
tvtime
Jen
sprite
Susan from You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Dewey from Hidden Side of A Leaf
Nessie from The Biblio Files

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. What can I say? I didn't love it like I loved (or loved, loved, loved) Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice. It was so different to Northanger Abbey in a way which makes it more difficult to compare. But in its favor, I didn't dislike it like I disliked Mansfeld Park or Emma. (A word on Emma's behalf. Emma, the character, annoys me. I know she's supposed to be annoying because she represents the young and foolish and rich and selfish and spoiled stereotype. But still. It's hard to like someone like that. It would be like reading a book told from Lydia's perspective. I wonder if anyone has done that???)

Sense and Sensibility is the story of the Dashwood family. The mother has recently been widowed. She's got a step-son who's inherited everything, and her own three daughters. She's also got a daughter-in-law from hell. Really. This woman would make even a saint think that. The two are somewhat indirectly pushed out the door by the couple--Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood. They're insufferable to live with. And they're rude and pushy. Contemptible really. The only good thing that happens is that Elinor meets a young man, Edward Ferrars, and falls in love. Though nothing is promised or exchanged between them.

The Dashwoods (mother and three daughters: Elinor, Marianne, Margaret) move to a cottage quite a distance away. (Barton I believe is the place where they're staying.) While there, Marianne 'makes' two men fall in love with her. Colonel Brandon, a respectable but older gentleman, and the young and dashing and ever-so-handsome Mr. Willoughby. Marianne sees only Willoughby. Brandon doesn't stand a chance. They also meet many people in the neighborhood--Mrs. Jennings, the Middletons, the Palmers, the Steeles, etc.

The story centers around the love lives of the two older sisters Elinor and Marianne. Often the two are down on their luck. Money plays a big role in the novel. But Jane Austen loved happy endings so never fear. It may take a good many pages, but Marianne and Elinor are assured of finding men that suit them perfectly one way or another.

368 pages.
Originally published in 1811.
First sentence: The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex.

Signed two Young Adult clients last week, one a Teen fantasy, the other with a Middle Grade urban fantasy, a Young Adult fantasy, and a children's non-fiction book.

It's always exciting marketing new work, but I am also amazed at how excited I continue to be about marketing all my clients work. Even manuscripts I've read dozens of times give me the same reaction when I read it again.

Which brings me to my one big point for today-- if you can't stand to read your manuscript the third time through, then I'm certainly not going to make it the first time through.

Want to know what 60 agents think?

Reading this simple post by Brian Hill and Dee Power can save you years of frustration, sitting in your house sending out thousands of unanswered manuscripts.

We get a candid look into the minds of these mysterious people who make the book world go round. The statistics and fiction intelligence are priceless. Know how this world around us works.

Check out the whole story for wisdom like this:

"In the decline letters they send to authors, agents often say they turned the author down because they aren’t enthusiastic enough about the material. A favorite phrase used by agents in turndown letters is, “I simply didn’t fall in love with the writing." (thanks to James Aach for the link)

Sorry for the slow posting these last two days. I'm in Washington D.C. covering My Very First Supreme Court Story, Ever. Very exciting. If you are into legal insider baseball, you can read my story about it here at Judicial Reports.

Are you friends with your sources?

The Huffington Post explores a tricky twist of digital-era journalism, comparing different articles about the ethics of being Facebook friends with your sources. Ben Smith at Politico says "No way," and Poynter.org and CBC agree. Nevertheless, the HP has a way to avoid the question all together:

"It appears Ben isn't at all familiar with Facebook's privacy settings, which allow you to, you know, not let others see who your friends are!"

Journalism professor Mindy McAdams writes about two newspaper journalists who maintain regular blogs, exploring the gradual convergence of print and digital journalism. 

You ain't gonna make it in this business without an agent. Jeff VanderMeer, as always, has some simple, clear advice about finding the best agent for you and your book. Here's a taste:

"The best advice I got with regard to agents was to look around at authors whose books and careers I admired–ones who I thought I could emulate career-wise–and then ask those authors who their agents were, and if they’d recommend them."