Staci@Life in the Thumb has won The Golden Hour by Margaret Wurtele

Congratulations and happy reading!

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

Meredith Pincetti has spent nearly two decades trying to forget her family and what prompted her to leave, Aurelia, the sprawling family farm in Iowa dominated by her grandmother, Lavinia Hathaway, and later run into the ground by her cousin.  When she receives a letter informing her that her cousin is dead and the farm is to be sold to pay his debts, all the memories come flooding back, and Meredith decides to return to Aurelia to get her parents’ things and make sure everything is handled properly.

The Legacy of Eden is the story of the Hathaway family and how Aurelia became prosperous and respected in the hands of its manipulative matriarch.  Drawing from her own memories and the stories told to her by a dying Lavinia, Meredith recounts her family history from 1946, when Anne-Marie Parks became Lavinia Hathaway.  Lavinia used her first husband, a much older doctor, to secure her freedom, and with Cal Hathaway, she sees an opportunity to create a dynasty.  From the moment she spills her own blood on the land of Aurelia, Lavinia does whatever it takes — even hurting the people she is supposed to love and protect above all else — to ensure the farm’s success and maintain the family’s ties to the land.

It’s hard to believe The Legacy of Eden is Nelle Davy’s first novel.  I was hooked from the beginning, and I couldn’t put the book down because I had to know how far the family would fall and what made Meredith leave in the first place.  The novel is a bit Gothic, with ghosts plaguing Meredith, Aurelia having such a hold on the Hathaways, and the mystery of why Meredith left, why she and her two sisters are estranged, and why the remaining Hathaways want nothing to do with the farm that was a part of them for so long.

Davy wisely lets Meredith tell the story, as she is not afraid to display the faults of her relatives and doesn’t shy away from admitting that a little bit of Lavinia rubbed off on to her.  The novel is paced perfectly, and there is a haunting quality to the narrative so you know that bad things will happen as the family’s secrets are revealed and the layers of the story are peeled back.  You know the family is falling apart, and all you can do is just sit there anxiously and wait for it to happen.

The Legacy of Eden is a beautifully written family saga with complex and intriguing characters.  The hint of mystery and the foreshadowing of bad things to come keep the story moving forward, and it never once lags.  Even when the characters are ruthless, readers  can see where they are coming from and how they came to be that way, making it difficult to draw the line between good and bad, right and wrong.  I like that I was able to feel for the characters even when I didn’t like them very much.  This is a must-read if you like novels about dysfunctional families and their secrets.  Davy’s debut shows that she is a gifted storyteller, and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Legacy of Eden from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations Inc. for review. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

“Macbeth with Jennifer Ehle as Lady Macbeth.  She was the actress in that BBC production Georgiana and I made you watch.”

“I thought it was the actor you guys were drooling over, not the actress.”  He couldn’t see what was so special about some uptight guy refusing to dance that drove women crazy.  He had made the mistake of saying that aloud and had been kicked out of the media room.  It boggled his mind that there were two cinematic versions of the same story.  The women in his household rapturously watched both versions repeatedly and obsessively.

“It’s not the actor.  It’s the character from the book he played.”  (from Compulsively Mr. Darcy, page 199 in the uncorrected advance copy; finished version may be different)

Compulsively Mr. Darcy is a hilarious modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, in which Nina Benneton exaggerates the personality traits of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet that cause a string of misunderstandings.  I didn’t want to put this book down, reading 300 pages in one day and only stopping because I had to go to work in the morning.

Benneton’s novel opens in Vietnam, where Dr. Elizabeth Bennet is an infectious disease specialist and Jane Bennet is helping run their uncle and aunt Gardiner’s orphanage.  Charles Bingley is in Vietnam with his sister and her husband, who plan to adopt a baby from the orphanage, and he brings his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy along because he’s the responsible one.  When Bingley’s ADHD leads to an accident that requires a trip to the hospital, Darcy butts heads with Elizabeth by demanding that Bingley be treated right away and insisting that the hospital is unhygienic.

Misunderstandings abound in Compulsively Mr. Darcy, and the more Elizabeth and Darcy get to know each other, the more I couldn’t stop laughing.  Not only does Elizabeth think their relationship cannot progress because Darcy and Bingley are a couple, she also thinks Darcy is unemployed.  Benneton’s Elizabeth is clueless when it comes to men and known for making big decisions without thinking them through.  Meanwhile, Darcy struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, and the lengths he goes to in order to keep his loved ones safe seem way over-the-top to anyone who doesn’t know why he needs to control the situation.

I loved Compulsively Mr. Darcy for a number of reasons.  I liked how Benneton handled Elizabeth’s acceptance of Darcy’s OCD, never belittling the seriousness of the condition even while portraying it in a lighthearted manner.  Benneton also uses Austen’s secondary characters in surprising ways, from Mary Bennet as a tree-hugging computer hacker to Anne de Bourgh as…well, you just have to see for yourself.  Most of all, Benneton doesn’t follow Pride and Prejudice too closely, so I never knew what was going to happen next.  Beware of a few graphic sex scenes, and prepare to laugh out loud!

Disclosure: I received a copy of Compulsively Mr. Darcy from Sourcebooks for review. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

“So you liked her?” Sophia asked.

“Yes, I did.  But whether I liked her because she contrasted with her family, whom I did not like, is yet to be known.”  (from Captain Wentworth Home From the Sea, page 29)

In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Captain Wentworth returns from the war against Napoleon with lots of money and lots of resentment toward Anne Elliot, who broke his heart eight years prior by ending their engagement because her family did not approve.  Mary Lydon Simonsen rewrites the reunion of Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot in Captain Wentworth Home From the Sea.  In this charming novella, Simonsen has Captain Wentworth come home from the war with a head injury that has wiped out most of his memories.

Frederick’s sister, Sophia, and her husband, Admiral Croft, make arrangements to lease Kellynch Hall, the Elliot family estate.  While Anne’s father and older sister head off to Bath to ignore the fact that the family’s financial situation is dire, Anne is left behind to make sure the Crofts and Captain Wentworth get settled in.  When she realizes that Captain Wentworth has no memory of her or their broken engagement, she puts off a visit to her whiny, attention-seeking sister, Mary, and renews her friendship with Frederick.

Frederick’s injury has changed him, basically making it hard for him to hold his tongue, and he says things that are rude yet extremely amusing.  He finds that he likes — but does not love — Anne, and he wonders about the chestnut haired woman in his foggy memory.  As their relationship progresses, Anne knows she needs to tell Frederick the truth, but she can’t stand to lose him again.

Like Persuasion, Captain Wentworth Home From the Sea is a sweet story about second chances.  Simonsen’s Captain Wentworth is brusque at times but a good man.  Her version of Anne Elliot is delightful; she won’t be ordered around by her family, and she won’t let her late mother’s close friend, Lady Russell, stand in the way of her happiness this time.  The novella focuses solely on Captain Wentworth and Anne, and the only supporting characters who really make an appearance are the Crofts and the Harvilles.  While that means there isn’t a whole lot of drama or tension, I am glad Simonsen chose to leave Anne’s annoying family in the background and focus on the reunion of Frederick and Anne.  I loved this book and was sad that it was so short, but that’s the nature of the novella.  I’d love to see this book expanded into a full-length novel!

Disclosure: I won Captain Wentworth Home From the Sea in a giveaway on Austen Authors. I am an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

We talked about whether Lord Henry was symbolic of the devil in putting ideas into Dorian’s head and whether Basil, the painter, was symbolic of God in that he tried to steer Dorian down a more moral path.  We discussed how Oscar Wilde droned on in parts, whether or not the book was autobiographical (well, aside from the gothic elements of the story), and the frustration some of us had (me included) about how certain details were left out (particularly the contents of a blackmail letter) while other scenes included so many unnecessary details (like all of the instruments and fabrics Dorian accumulated during his lifetime).

There are tons of things to discuss in The Picture of Dorian Gray, from the complexity of the characters and how much influence someone really has over another person to how much of a role a book given to Dorian by Lord Henry played in Dorian’s downfall.  One of the members didn’t really buy the whole idea of the painting containing Dorian’s soul, and another member wanted details as to how exactly the painting was able to change.  It was interesting to see the similarities in our thinking about the book and at the same time the differences in terms of which scenes stood out the most or which parts of the structure or plot didn’t work for us.  At one point, we thought we were done with the discussion and started talking about other books and movies, and then the discussion someone turned back to Dorian and went on some more.

Serena and I have longed for a book club comprised of people who are willing to give any genre a try and just show up willing to talk, whether about what they loved about the book or why they couldn’t finish it.  This club has a mix of women (5) and men (3) from different occupations and education levels, and some of us are bookworms and some of us aren’t.  Some of us like to talk more than others, but we all respect each others’ opinions and take the time to listen.  I think all of those characteristics are important.  Even more so, we found that we  get along outside the book club and left the meeting to have dinner and a round of Wii Rock Band at Serena’s place.  (Of course it helps that one member is a co-worker and another is my friend from junior high, but still.)

I can’t wait for the March discussion on Star Wars and Philosophy:  More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine edited by Kevin S. Decker and Jason T. Eberl.  Since I’m not a huge Star Wars fan and really only saw the first movie (meaning the first one released, not the first one in the chronological storyline), falling asleep during the subsequent films, this should be interesting.  Good thing I’m ready for the challenge!

Disclosure: I am an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

Here’s what I received:

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear, from HarperCollins for an upcoming blog tour (Amazon/IndieBound)

In the summer of 1932, the career of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs takes an exciting new turn when she accepts an undercover assignment from the British Secret Service.  Sent to pose as a junior lecturer at a private college in Cambridge, she will monitor any activities “not in the interests of His Majesty’s government.”

When the college’s controversial pacifist founder, Greville Liddicote, is murdered, however, Maisie is directed to stand back as her colleagues in Scotland Yard spearhead the investigation.  But she soon discovers that the circumstances of Liddicote’s death appear inextricably linked to the suspicious comings and goings of faculty members and students under her surveillance.  To unravel this web, the investigator must overcome a reluctant Secret Service, discover shameful hidden truths about Britain’s conduct during the Great War, and face off against the rising power of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei — the Nazi Party — as the storm clouds of World War II gather on the horizon.  (publisher’s summary)

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear, a surprise from HarperCollins (Amazon/IndieBound)

Early April, 1933.  To the costermongers of Covent Garden — peddlers selling fruits and vegetables on the streets of London — Eddie Pettit was kindness itself.  A little “slow,” he was a gentle soul, more boy than man, with a gift for calming the most challenging horse.  His recent death in a violent accident has shocked his friends and neighbors.  They believe Eddie was the victim of foul play, but the police won’t investigate.  Their only hope of finding the truth is Maisie Dobbs.

Maisie has known these men from childhood, when her father, Frankie, worked alongside them.  Determined to do right by Eddie, she plunges into the investigation.  The search for answers begins amid the working-class streets of Lambeth, where Eddie lived.  But before long, Maisie is following threads of intrigue to a powerful press baron, a “has-been” politician lingering in the hinterlands of power named Winston Churchill, and to the doorstep of a writer who is also the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla.

The story of a London affected by the march to war years before the first shot is fired, and of an innocent victim caught in the shadow of power, Elegy for Eddie is one of Jacqueline Winspear’s most poignant and affecting novels yet in her superb bestselling series.  (publisher’s summary)

A Wedding in Haiti by Julia Alvarez, unsolicited from Algonquin (Amazon/IndieBound)

**I recently started purging my shelves of unsolicited review copies that I don’t plan on reading because they don’t interest me.  From here on out, I will let you know when that’s the case, though I will continue to spotlight these books here.  This book will be finding a home with my husband’s co-worker, who loves to read as much as I do.**

Julia Alvarez has been called “a one-woman cultural collision” by the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and that has never been truer than in this new book, a story about three of Alvarez’s most personal relationships — with her parents, with her husband, and with a young Haitian boy known as Piti.  A teenager when Julia first met him in 2001, Piti crossed the border into the Dominican Republic to find work.  Julia, impressed by his courage and charmed by his smile, has over the years come to think of him as a son, even promising to be at his wedding someday.  When Piti calls in 2009, Julia’s promise is tested.

To Alvarez, much admired for her ability to lead readers deep inside her native Dominican culture, “Haiti is like a sister I’ve never gotten to know.”  And so we follow her across the border into what was once the richest of all the French colonies and now teeters on the edge of the abyss — first for the celebration of a wedding and a year later to find Piti’s loved ones in the devastation of the earthquake.

As in all of Alvarez’s books, a strong message is packed inside an intimate, beguiling story, this time about the nature of poverty and of wealth, of human love and of human frailty, of history and of the way we live now.  (publisher’s summary)

The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker by Janet Groth, unsolicited from Algonquin (Amazon/IndieBound)

**This book also will be going to my husband’s co-worker.**

If Mad Men were set at the offices of The New Yorker magazine and told from the point of view of the receptionist, it would mirror Janet Groth’s seductive and entertaining look back at her twenty-one years (1957-1978) at that legendary institution.

Thanks to a successful interview with a painfully shy E.B. White, a beautiful nineteen-year-old hazel-eyed Midwesterner landed a job as receptionist at The New Yorker.  There she stayed for two decades, becoming the general office factotum — watching and registering the comings and goings, marriages and divorces, scandalous affairs, failures, triumphs, and tragedies of the eccentric inhabitants of the eighteenth floor.  And although she dreamed of becoming a writer herself, she never advanced at the magazine.

This memoir of a particular time and place is as much about why that was so as it is about Groth’s fascinating relationships with poet John Berryman (who proposed marriage), essayist Joseph Mitchell (who took her to lunch every Friday), and playwright Muriel Spark (who invited her to Christmas dinner in Tuscany), as well as E.J. Kahn Jr., Calvin Trillin, Renata Adler, Peter De Vries, Charles Addams, and many other New Yorker contributors and bohemian denizens of Greenwich Village in its heyday.

During those single-in-the-city years, Groth tried on many identities — Nice Girl, Sex Pot, Dumb Blonde, World Traveler, Doctoral Candidate — but eventually she would have to leave The New Yorker to find her true self.  (publisher’s summary)

What books did you add to your shelves recently?

Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the first pick for my new book club, and it certainly will make for an interesting discussion at tomorrow’s meeting.  I’ve owned a copy of this book since I was very young (I bought the edition pictured through the Scholastic book club in middle school) but hadn’t read it.  At least the book club gave me an excuse to clear this classic from my to-read shelves.

First published in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray is about a young, narcissistic man who basically sells his soul to look young forever.  When the book opens, Dorian is an impressionable 20-year-old being painted by Basil Hallward, who worships Dorian for his good looks and thinks his art has reached a high point with this portrait.  Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to his friend, Lord Henry Wotton, who enjoys how easily he can persuade Dorian to his way of thinking about anything and everything.

A comment is made about how sad it is that the real Dorian will age but the Dorian in the painting will be forever young.  Henry insists that beauty is more important than intelligence, though being intelligent is better than being ugly.  This discussion prompts Dorian to pray that he could always remain young, and he would give his soul for the picture to grow old instead.  Basil laments the changes in Dorian once he and Henry become close; whether Basil is actually in love with Dorian and whether Dorian and Henry are in love is anybody’s guess, though the dialogue between these characters is quite sensual at times.

An affair with an actress that ends tragically becomes the beginning of the end for Dorian Gray.  Returning home after breaking her heart, Dorian notices that his portrait has changed, that the expression on his face has altered, and that the prayer he uttered has come true.  Dorian will spend the next 18 years putting pleasure on a pedestal, living in excess, and leading other young men (and a number of women as well) down the slippery slope to ruin — all the while remaining beautiful while the portrait he has locked away displays his vile soul.

I have mixed feelings about The Picture of Dorian Gray.  I’m always worried about writing style when it comes to classic novels, but Oscar Wilde’s prose is very readable.  His characters are intriguing and complex, and the book gives readers much to think about — Is outward appearance more important than having a good soul?  How easy is it to dupe oneself into believing that we should seek pleasure above all else?  If no one can see our soul does it really matter how tainted it is?  I was delighted that I could be shocked by how far Dorian was willing to go to preserve his senses-over-soul lifestyle, as I often find that classics are so old fashioned that their shock value is diminished; not so, in this case.

However, the prose went from mildly entertaining to boring to exciting to boring to exciting again.  I wanted to throw the book across the train while reading one chapter in which Wilde goes on and on (and on) about Dorian’s excessive lifestyle.  In describing Dorian’s excess, Wilde was a little excessive himself, providing way too many details about the instruments, jewels, and embroidered fabrics Dorian acquired over the years.  In other chapters, the narration and dialogue were more statements about the characters’ lifestyles than vehicles to move Dorian’s story forward.  In fact, my husband (who is in the book club, too) couldn’t get past chapter 5 because he thought the dialogue wasn’t realistic enough for his tastes.  (“Who talks like that?” is what he actually said.)

Still, I ultimately liked The Picture of Dorian Gray as a captivating character study.  The story was a bit over the top at times, but humorous, creepy, and quite sad in places as well. It certainly provides much food for thought about human nature and made me think about how society hasn’t changed all that much over the years. People still place a high value on beauty and pleasure without realizing that they aren’t paths to happiness. I can’t wait to discuss this with my book club!

Disclosure: I purchased my copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

Here are 11 questions from Kimberley:

1.  As a book blogger you obviously read a lot of books.  What is the one book you recommend to people over and over?

I recommend a lot of books, but if I had to pick one, I’d say Jane Austen’s Persuasion, especially if the person has read and enjoyed Pride and Prejudice.  I loved Persuasion even more!

2. Why did you start blogging?

In 2007, I started reading a lot of knitting blogs, mainly because I was so new to the craft and needed help.  I thought starting a blog would be a good way to keep track of my knitting projects, especially since most of what I knit I give away.  But because I read books much faster than I knit, I figured I could also use my blog as a way to jot down my thoughts about all the books I read.  The first year didn’t go so well, as I hardly blogged at all, but then I discovered book blogs and found out how much fun it is to talk about books with people who love to read as much as I do!

3. If you had all the money in the world and could travel to ONE place, where would it be and why?

Probably the Black Forest region of Germany.  My mother was born there, and she hasn’t been back since she came to the States when she was 3.  I’d love for us to see it together.

4. Who is your favorite author?

Jane Austen, of course!  But if I had to choose a contemporary author, it would probably be Amy Tan or Tim O’Brien.

5. If you had to give your blog a color to describe it, what color would you give it?

It’s a light shade of purple, but if we’re not talking actual colors on the blog, I’d like to think of it as a sunny yellow, warm and inviting.

6. What book started your love of reading?

Gosh, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading, so I don’t remember what book sparked my love for it as a child.  I do remember that Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume, which was my favorite book as a middle-schooler, sparked my interest in World War II fiction, which was rekindled several years ago when I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

7. What is your favorite genre to read?

Historical fiction, especially war-related novels and specifically those about World War II and the Holocaust.  There’s just something about that era (along with my family history) that both horrifies and fascinates me.

8. Is there a film adaptation that you think was better than the book? What film?

I liked the movie version of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook better than the book.

9. Where is your favorite place to read?

I love to read in bed because it makes me feel all cozy and ready for sleep.  But I don’t get any reading done when I’m sleeping, so I should probably say the train (and the subway…and the bus).  It helps block out the noise and makes the time pass faster.

10. What is your favorite guilty pleasure read?

Austen-inspired novels.  I can’t get enough of them.

11. Do you prefer solids or e-books?

My husband loves the Nook Tablet I gave him as a belated Christmas gift, but I just can’t get used to e-books.  I love the feel and the smell of a physical book.  There’s nothing else like it.

I’m supposed to create 11 new questions and tag some people, but my brain is still too foggy to be that creative.  So if you’re interested in answering these questions, go for it, and please link to your post in the comments!

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

“Do not say that, Jane.  I would rather swim Mill Stream than endure another evening of such company.”

“But when you called Mother, she said that Papa had remained in London with our aunt and uncle because sections of the railway were under water.  Besides, you have endured worse things than a stay at Netherfield Park.”

“Yes, but not since the armistice was signed,” Lizzy said, sighing in resignation.  (from Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy, page 63)

Mary Lydon Simonsen once again puts a creative spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  In Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy, set in 1920, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy each are working to put their memories of the horror they witnessed during The Great War behind them.  Elizabeth was a Voluntary Aid Detachment stationed in France when she received word that a childhood friend was in a nearby ward with a fatal stomach wound.  Elizabeth was with him when he died, and the loss hit her hard.  She turned to help another patient and accepted his tenderness and comfort but never learned his name, for she could not bear it if she learned later that he’d died.

Captain Darcy was just one of many soldiers sickened during the influenza pandemic of 1918.  While in a hospital in France, he called out to a nurse for water.  This nurse became an angel to him, and he is haunted by the memory of her kisses and the night they spent cuddled together in his sick bed.

Two years after the war, Darcy’s best friend, Charles Bingley, buys a crumbling estate in Hertfordshire, and the friends receive much attention from the local women.  Heavy casualties during World War I reduced the pool of eligible bachelors, and those with all their limbs and the ability to dance are in high demand.  Charles is immediately captivated by Jane Bennet, but it takes some time for Darcy and Elizabeth to strike up a friendship.  Before their relationship can move forward, Elizabeth must come to terms with the other woman in Darcy’s thoughts, the nurse who offered him comfort that night during the war.

Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy is a sweet novella about a pair of damaged souls who need to work through some issues before they can find happiness.  Darcy and Elizabeth must move beyond their awkward first encounter at the dance that brings Jane and Charles together, and then they must overcome suppressed memories and unrealistic expectations.  Simonsen shows how their wartime experiences give them a better understanding of one another and how even though Elizabeth is close to her sister, there is a distance between them because of what Elizabeth saw and what Jane didn’t.

Simonsen keeps only one aspect of the Pride and Prejudice plot intact: the misunderstandings between Elizabeth and Darcy.  And those misunderstandings make up the only storyline in Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy.  I think Simonsen does a good job putting Darcy, Bingley, and the Bennet sisters in the post-WWI setting and making Elizabeth a modern woman who holds a job and supports women getting the vote.  However, at 121 pages, the book was too short.  It felt like the whole relationship-building was rushed, and there wasn’t a whole lot of description to set the scene.  Because it is so short, the characters aren’t as well developed as they could have been, but this isn’t a big issue because readers likely are familiar with the characters from Austen’s novel.

Still, Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy was a quick and enjoyable read, and I only wish it had been longer.  I love seeing how creative authors can be in placing Austen’s characters in different time periods, and I like how Simonsen is able to take some heavy themes and create a lighthearted book.

Book 2 for the WWI Reading Challenge

Disclosure: I purchased my copy of Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

My grunt of disgust was instant.  “Look, Lucas, no one likes to be addressed like that.”

He paused for a second.  “Sorry.  I have undeveloped social skills.”

Finally!  Something we agreed on!  (from Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks, page 44)

Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice for the high school crowd, but adult fans of the classic novel also will enjoy Andrea Brokaw’s interpretation.  The basic storyline of Pride and Prejudice is there — girl and boy meet, offend one another, hate one another, get to know one another, and navigate misunderstandings until they finally come to their senses.  However, in catering to a modern (and younger) audience, Brokaw deviates from the original in many ways, making it easy for readers to get caught up in the world she has created and even forget that they are reading an Austen-inspired novel.

Darcy Bennet is a high school senior living in Meryton, New York.  She does well in school, but she only cares about curling, so much so that she is upset when her best friend, Jean, expresses interest in going to college in California — a move that would dismantle their curling team.  When Jean expresses an interest in Adam, Darcy encourages her to pursue a relationship with him in hopes that it will persuade Jean to go to Catskill College with Darcy and keep the curling team together.  Darcy isn’t sure why Adam’s friend, Lucas Fitzwilliam, doesn’t want Adam and Jean together.  She finds Lucas arrogant and annoying, and she makes sure he knows exactly how she feels about him.

Meanwhile, a fellow curler, Hunter, begins showing an interest in Darcy, and even though she thinks something isn’t quite right about him, she can’t deny that he is attractive.  She soon learns that Hunter and Lucas go way back, and they don’t have anything nice to say about one another.  Why would Lucas, according to Hunter, abandon his team in the middle of a curling competition?  Darcy can’t think of a good reason, but she also can’t reconcile the Lucas who would abandon his teammates with the Lucas who dotes on his young niece.

I really enjoyed Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks, and I don’t know anything about curling, other than what I’ve seen on the Olympics.  Brokaw, a curler herself, makes it easy for non-curlers to follow the games she describes, and she made me want to one day try the sport.  Darcy comes across as selfish and singularly focused, but I think most readers can remember being self-absorbed teenagers worried about being separated from their best friends as graduation day nears.  And while Darcy is obsessed with curling, I am obsessed with books, so I can understand her need for an outlet from the stresses of life.

Brokaw does an excellent job creating believable characters who are both flawed and likable.  I could see a little of Elizabeth Bennet in Darcy and a little of Mr. Darcy in Lucas, but I was glad that the book didn’t follow Austen’s too closely.  Brokaw’s novel felt fresh and exciting, and even though I knew how it would end, I had no idea how the characters would get there.  Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks would be enjoyable without the Austen connection, but pairing Austen and curling certainly is a good way to attract attention!

Disclosure: I received a copy of Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks from the author for review. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.

© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.