My 4- to 5-star reads for April 2023. Note, some of these books may only be available from Amazon and/or as Kindle ebooks.
Nonfiction
April was a busy reading month for me. Most of the nonfiction books I read were books on crochet and other yarn crafts. I posted about those on my yarny blog, Swatches Yarns and Frogs in a post titled, 8 favorite crochet books. Please visit there if you’re interested in those.
Writing
On Writing and Failure by Stephen Marche
The main part of this short book is a long essay by Stephen Marche on the conundrum of writing failures, successes, and a deep look at why we write, the answer to which is of course different for each person who writes. My brief description can’t come close to covering what’s inside this book. I read parts of it twice, and I will read it again, because it’s that thoughtful and that interesting, though also in places depressing, at times seeming unnecessarily so, even though he’s relating actual history.
It’s a book every aspiring writer should probably read at some point, but I would warn that there are probably good times in one’s development as a writer to read this and others when it might be too discouraging. Perhaps the best time is the one mentioned in the beginning of the book, when one begins to question, “Does it ever get easier?” That question, in the book, is asked about the submission process. I wish such a book had been available when I began writing, especially when I got to the point of submitting my work. Much of what I heard and read back then was either unrealistically encouraging or discouraging in all the wrong ways.
There’s also material here that many long-time writers will nod their heads over. It should perhaps also be read by some non-writers who love books and wonder about the experience of writing.
But some of this is only relevant to those writers who are actively seeking publication or recognition. As I mentioned to someone online the other day, I’m of the mind that even the books that never get finished or never get read are still well worth the writing. The process of writing is important too, putting all those thoughts in order for oneself, finding things in one’s own mind that one didn’t know were even there.
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Fiction
I had the great pleasure of reading quite a few high-quality Jane Austen variations this month. Sometimes this fan fiction sub-genre can disappoint, because there are a lot of newer writers, people writing in it more as a hobby and self-publishing without much editing, and so forth. But this month I came across many exceptional Pride and Prejudice variations with superb story lines and writing. First I’ll list the books with title and author, and my reviews will follow to be browsed as you wish.
10 best Jane Austen variations read in April
I Never Knew Myself by Melanie Rachel
Like Father, Like Son by Lyr Newton
The Fire at Longbourn by Laraba Kendig
Death of a Clergyman by Riana Everly
Happier Than We Deserve by Melissa Halcomb
Allow Me to Tell You by Monica Fairview
Unfounded by Jessie Lewis
Mr. Darcy’s Comfort by Leenie Brown
In League with Mr. Darcy by Laura Hile
Dangerous Magic by Monica Fairview
Reviews
I Never Knew Myself by Melanie Rachel
Elizabeth Bennet has known since she was fifteen that she isn’t really a Bennet, though she has no idea who her real family is. Her not being a Bennet at all is a secret between herself and her father. What neither she nor her father know is that she was kidnapped as a child. He rescued her not from an abusive family, but from people unrelated to her who meant her harm. The rest of the family believes she’s the daughter of Mr. Bennet’s younger brother James, who lived for many years in India, and that she was sent to her relatives after her mother’s death. But when Mr. Bingley and his guests arrive at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy finds Elizabeth Bennet to be vaguely familiar, and meeting her reawakens nightmares of his extended family’s tragedy, a kidnapping many years earlier. It takes some time for the whole story to unfold, because there are many complications.
The research of the era is impeccable, the writing is impressive, and the author seems to provide a deep understanding of what the impact of such an abduction might be on not just one family but every family involved in or touched by the event and its aftermath, even people who weren’t born yet when it happened. The emotional impact of this story is significant, and I found it deeply touching at times.
This could have been written as an original, standalone story and been every bit as good. It’s written instead as a variation on Pride and Prejudice, and that’s probably why I came across it, because I would not otherwise have looked for a story precisely like this. I’m, a bit selfishly, glad the author chose to make it a P&P variation for that reason. Highly recommended!
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Like Father, Like Son by Lyr Newton
A Pride and Prejudice variation that’s a bit different. The timeline is shortly after Mr. Collins’s arrival and Lizzy getting to know Wickham a little, but several days before the Netherfield Ball. The author may have stretched out that time period a bit in order to make the story work, which is fine, and works well for me as a reader.
Lizzy and Mr. Bennet walk home early from a party at Lucas Lodge, in a wild storm. Mr. Bennet is not happy that he let Lizzy talk him into walking, while the weather just keeps getting worse.
The banter between Lizzy and her father provides entertaining reading, but grows more serious when they find Mr. Darcy, thrown from his horse when thunder spooked it. He’s badly injured, but they are able to help him. Several things happen in that first chapter that cause this story to take interesting turns away from the original. Lizzy rushes back to Lucas Lodge for help, and Mr. Bennet has a chance to talk to Mr. Darcy alone, an opportunity that hasn’t arisen before now. Bennet verifies what he has suspected since the younger man’s arrival in Meryton, that Darcy is the son of Bennet’s old friend from his Cambridge days. He also learns that although Lizzy dislikes Darcy, the feeling is not mutual. Once help arrives and they all go their separate ways, Mr. Bennet questions Lizzy’s reasons for her dislike of Darcy and her admiration for Mr. Wickham, which gets her to thinking.
This is a short novel that goes quickly, and it’s one I enjoyed quite a lot.
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The Fire at Longbourn by Laraba Kendig
One reason I love this Pride and Prejudice variation is that it provides a character arc for Lydia Bennet, who seems to me to be high spirited, young, and spoiled, even a bit naive, but more a victim of her own errors than an intentionally bad person. In this variation her carelessness touches off the initial twist in the story, which changes many characters’ lives quite a lot, including her own.
The story begins soon after Mr. Collins’s arrival at Longbourn. The Bennet sisters, all but Mary, walk with him into Meryton, and Collins already seems to be claiming Elizabeth for himself, which irritates her. They make Mr. Wickham’s acquaintance on the street. While they are talking, shortly after Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy ride up and greet them, a stable boy from Longbourn rides up with the news that Longbourn is on fire. Then they all see the plume of smoke rising from the house in the distance. Mr. Darcy, who had been about to ride away in disgust after spotting Wickham, turns and takes charge of first the immediate situation, the sisters’ reactions and their safety, and then the situation at Longbourn.
I don’t want to go into more detail, because this story has a complex plot, and I’d have to butcher the events a bit to provide a synopsis of them without spoilers. It’s all much better taken in organically from the story itself, and well worth reading for anyone who loves P&P variations. I don’t usually enjoy epilogues, but I found the one provided here fascinating and touching.
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Death of a Clergyman by Riana Everly
This is one of those mysteries I could not put down. It’s written as a variation of Pride and Prejudice, and there is romance going on as well, and all the usual characters, with the addition of Alexander Lyons, an investigator whom Mr. Darcy hires to look into a murder for which Elizabeth Bennet is the prime suspect. Darcy wants Lyons to clear Elizabeth of this crime.
Mary Bennet is one of a few point-of-view characters in this variation, and she has been doing some investigating of her own, before Lyons even arrives in Meryton. Soon she, Lyons, and Darcy join forces to solve this compelling and most puzzling murder.
I love Mary Bennet in this story. I’ve read some other books by other authors with her as an investigator, but this one outshines them all. She goes through a lot of growth in this story, and gets the opportunity to be more than the nearly invisible, forgotten middle Bennet sister. It’s refreshing to see her so appreciated. There is some humor here as well, which I found delightful.
It’s a complex mystery, and for that reason some of the evidence being retold here and there seems a bit repetitive, and I got confused about a few events. But it wraps up well at the end, and made me look forward to other books in the series.
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Happier Than We Deserve by Melissa Halcomb
This is a low-angst Pride and Prejudice variation, in which I took great delight in the humor. There were also some touching developments, especially for Mrs. Bennet.
In this variation, Mr. Bennet, unknown to his wife and daughters, inherited a lot of property and money from an uncle when Jane and Elizabeth were very young. He kept it a secret from his wife because he feared she would spend too much of it, and he wanted this fortune as a dowry for his daughters, as well as something for his widow to live on after his death. So it’s a great surprise, after his death, when the Bennet ladies find themselves rather wealthy.
I’m not sure I like how Jane’s character changes in this version, but I can understand it. The humor becomes the star of the story for me. I can’t believe how much I laughed, especially at a particular letter, which prompted me to laugh so hard it disturbed my spouse. So, while it’s not the best P&P variation I’ve read, and even though some fairly serious events occur in it, this manages to be one of the most fun versions I’ve read.
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Allow Me to Tell You by Monica Fairview
This is a wonderfully funny and romantic variation on Pride and Prejudice, in which Mr. Darcy decides to propose by way of a letter, thinking he can express his feelings better in writing. If only he would. His letter, handed to Elizabeth just after Colonel Fitzwilliam has unwittingly revealed Darcy’s part in separating her sister Jane from Mr. Bingley, infuriates her even more. But she doesn’t get a chance to finish reading it before it’s snatched out of her hand by Mr. Collins and after both she and Darcy give chase, it’s handed off to Lady Catherine.
The madness only escalates from there, resulting in Darcy’s, Elizabeth’s, and even the Collinses’ lives being upended by the dragon lady of Rosings. Things settle down a bit, for a while, and Darcy is able to arrange a meeting between Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley, hoping to gain Elizabeth’s forgiveness, but that reunion doesn’t seem to take.
I love this variation, and I think most people who love P&P variations will too. Although it’s a medium-length novel, it’s so fast-paced it seems to read as quickly as a novella. I definitely plan to read this one again.
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Unfounded by Jessie Lewis
This longer-length Pride and Prejudice variation is told partly from the point of view of Mrs. Reynolds, the woman who has served as housekeeper of Pemberley for a quarter of a century, and who helped raise its master from a small boy.
It opens when the Gardiners and Elizabeth Bennet arrive to tour the great house. Elizabeth does so reluctantly, fearing to meet up with Mr. Darcy, after she has so harshly rejected his proposal. But they are assured he won’t be home.
Mrs. Reynold feels she has an important stake in Mr. Darcy’s happiness. She would balk at nothing he asks of her, nor does she want him to mistakenly marry the wrong woman, someone who would make him miserable. She’s been preparing for his homecoming, and the arrival of his guests for a house party, and she’s a bit annoyed when the tourists show up at such a busy time, asking to see the house.
Meanwhile, the great house at Pemberley is in grave danger. A crack has appeared in the great stone structure, visible from the outside of the east wing of the house, and Darcy is on his way to Pemberley a day early, to consult with the steward and the architect who has been hired to find a way to prevent it from becoming worse, and hopefully to repair it.
I find this story to be incredibly touching, in the alarm it raises about the fate of Darcy’s beloved Pemberley, as well as that of his love for Elizabeth Bennet, and with the exploration of Mrs. Reynold’s character. There are two mysteries here, one the reason Pemberley is showing damage, and the other the outcome of the machinations of a woman who should know better, who does know better, but whose love crosses several boundaries of propriety. We learn the measures she would take, the lengths to which she would go, and when she overreaches in a way that hurts a beloved character, it’s easy to begin to hate her.
A deeply touching story that explores the nature of love and of forgiveness. This is yet another that kept me awake reading, and one that I will likely read again.
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Mr. Darcy’s Comfort by Leenie Brown
This is a short variation on Pride and Prejudice which can be read quickly, and it’s a sweet and romantic story, but not light reading. It involves loss and grief.
As the story opens, it’s the period of time when Elizabeth Bennet is staying at Netherfield to care for her sister Jane, who is ill. In this variation, Mr. Darcy is betrothed to his cousin Anne de Bourgh, and he cares for her a great deal, though not romantically. Their engagement is more a matter of duty, and it has not been announced. They plan to announce it soon, though, and to marry in the new year. But now Darcy is staying with Bingley at Netherfield, and he finds himself falling in love with Elizabeth Bennet. He’s not sure what to do about it and is writing to his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam about his conflicting feelings, when Fitzwilliam himself shows up unexpectedly at Netherfield with the news that Anne has died.
Elizabeth dislikes Darcy, but his sudden loss and her own familiarity with grief provide a starting point for her to experience empathy for him, and for her feelings and perceptions about him to begin to change.
It’s a sweet, if tragic, story. I found it a satisfying variation on P&P. There’s a different seeming Mr. Collins in this story, too, which is refreshing. Good for an evening’s read.
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In League with Mr. Darcy by Laura Hile
This Pride and Prejudice variation is a lighthearted romp, involving Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in a conspiracy to help Bingley meddle in his sister’s romantic life. A couple of characters are brought into the story from two of Jane Austen’s other novels, Emma and Mansfield Park, and that only increases the fun. It’s a low-angst romance, but great reading, if you’re in the mood for something light and sometimes even silly.
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Dangerous Magic by Monica Fairview
This is a Pride and Prejudice variation that is also a magical fantasy as well as a mystery. The world-building is very good, though there are aspects of the world of the story that one has to figure out as one goes along, and sometimes guess at, or where things are hinted at rather than explicitly explained. But that’s fine. I like to get to stretch my imagination and curiosity while reading engaging fiction. This is the first in a series of two books. I’ve only read this first in the series.
The story opens with Fitzwilliam Darcy complaining to his friend Charles Bingley about being expected to marry, “for the sake of King and Country,” a woman named Elizabeth Bennet, whom he knows nothing about, when he’s already engaged to his cousin, Anne de Bourgh. He is grateful at least that the engagement to Anne hasn’t been announced yet, so she won’t suffer humiliation over it. But he feels he’s sacrificed enough, and his hand should not be forced. He wants to refuse the arranged marriage.
Next we find Elizabeth Bennet sitting comfortably at home, reading a novel, when some Royal Mages visit Longbourn unannounced, and want her to come away with them to be married to another mage, Fitwilliam Darcy. She is to become magically bonded to him as what’s known as a Janus Mage, which is very rare. A Janus Mage is one of a pair of mages who are able to increase their power by joining forces, or bonding. The purpose of this pairing is to help defend the Royal Mages against attacks by Bonaparte’s mages. In this story the Napoleonic Wars are being fought both physically by soldiers, as well as magically by mages of various sorts and talents.
The story is told alternately through both points of view, and we learn as it goes along that Darcy’s former partner, Cuthbert, was killed in a magical battle, and Darcy is still grieving him as well as dealing with feelings of guilt over his death. Darcy, as usual, starts out behaving as arrogant and condescending. He seems to think he’s better than Elizabeth in every way, and she’s not at all happy about needing to prove herself to him, and seemingly to every mage in the Guild House.
The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth takes place within days, and they are then supposed to be able to form their Bond so that they can perform their very necessary duties. But they find that they can’t form the Bond.
It’s a mystery, and although I sort of figured it out early on, it still kept me reading, wanting to find out what would happen. There are villains, pawns, and just plain trouble makers, and a world populated by people who can do all sorts of magic.
I enjoyed this story a lot, and found the magic to be described in ways that helped me understand the sensations and experiences. There is also romantic angst as the pair move from hostility into love. Quite intriguing, and I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, magic, or P&P variations. I plan to read the second in the series.