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Compulsively Mr. Darcy, by Nina Benneton – A Review

11 February 2012 by Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)

spacer Guest review by Kimberly Denny-Ryder

I’ve often wondered what modern day psychiatric medicine would say about some of my favorite literary characters.  Are they bi-polar?  Do they suffer from ADHD, depression, or a form of autism?  Author Nina Benneton explores what a modern day Darcy would be like, suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder in her debut novel Compulsively Mr. Darcy

Benneton’s tale is a break from tradition right from the start, as we find our beloved characters in Vietnam, with Darcy and Bingley traveling to help their good friends, the Hurst’s, finish an adoption via an agency run by Miss Jane Bennet .  All is running well until Mr. Bingley takes a fall and suffers a broken leg as he humorously attempts to ride a bike.  After being taken to the local hospital, Darcy decides that he will accompany his good friend, yet will not enter the hospital building itself.  Darcy is incredibly frightened by the sight of blood and is unable to deal with germs, making a hospital a difficult place for him to be.  Enter Dr. Elizabeth Bennet.  Darcy, sick of waiting outside for Bingley, storms into the hospital and determines Elizabeth has been helping other patients for far too long and demands help for Bingley.  His outburst on Bingley’s half causes Elizabeth to assume that he and Bingley are a couple.  Before Elizabeth has a chance to respond to his outburst, he sees the blood on her smock from a recent surgery and passes out.

After this less than perfect first meeting, Darcy and Elizabeth are thrown into each other’s company after Elizabeth is hired to work as the doctor for their resort.  Thinking she is safe from any type of relationship (since she assumes Darcy is gay) she feels free to be herself and begins spending more time with him.  The two grow increasingly fond of each other and quickly strike up a friendship that may turn into something more.  Although a relationship with this man is the farthest thing from Elizabeth’s mind at the moment, a surprising chemistry and connection forms between the two, leading to quite the romance.  What will happen when Elizabeth finds out Darcy isn’t gay?  Will his OCD come between them?

I’m always amazed at how many new situations authors can drum up to place Elizabeth and Darcy in.  Even with all these new ideas, Benneton’s story tops my list of most creative.  Giving Darcy OCD makes complete sense to me.  In the original Pride and Prejudice Darcy takes it upon himself to feel guilty over everything that Wickham does and he also feels the need to protect Bingley from fortune hunters.  Not only this, but he is also under a tremendous amount of stress that the running of Pemberley and guardianship of his sister causes.   It doesn’t surprise me that our modern-day imagining of Darcy would have OCD with that load.  What’s fascinating about giving Darcy OCD is the amazing side of Elizabeth that comes out.  Sure she still makes rash assumptions at first, but the unconditional love she has for Darcy (ALL of Darcy) is inspiring.  She looks beyond Darcy’s OCD to see the man deep inside who isn’t riddled with an incessant need to wash his hands and control everything around him, and loves him.  She accepts him just the way he is, a trait hard to find in people sometimes.

Not only does Compulsively Mr. Darcy give us a peek into what life with OCD is like, but we get to experience new cultures!  I for one had not a clue what life in Vietnam was like, whether it be about their cuisine, fashion, or rituals.  Benneton does a great job at infusing tidbits of knowledge about these things into the storyline in an intriguing manner, making the reader want to pick up a book and study the culture more.  (I’ll also admit that her descriptions of the landscapes and landmarks there have made me add Vietnam to my bucket list of must visit places)

Benneton’s unique and inventive story is a wonderful addition to the Jane Austen fan fiction world.  However, Compulsively Mr. Darcy is definitely not for the Austen purists out there.  A more mature audience will appreciate this romantic, sensual new retelling of our favorite duo, Elizabeth and Darcy.

4 out of 5 Stars

Compulsively Mr. Darcy, by Nina Benneton
Sourcebooks (2012)
Trade paperback (352) pages
ISBN: 978-1402262494
Nook: ISBN: 978-1402262500
Kindle: ASIN: B006IBFYGU

Kimberly Denny-Ryderis the owner/moderator of Reflections of a Book Addict, a book blog dedicated to following her journey of reading 100 books a year, while attempting to keep a life! When not reading, Kim can be found volunteering as the co-chair of a 24hr cancer awareness event, as well as an active member of Quinnipiac University’s alumni association.  When not reading or volunteering, Kim can be found at her full-time job working in vehicle funding. She lives with her husband Todd and two cats, Belle and Sebastian, in Connecticut.

© 2007 – 2012 Kimberly Denny Ryder, Austenprose

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  • Posted in Book Reviews, Jane Austen Contemporary Inspired Book Reviews | Tagged Book Blogger, Book Reviews, Books, Compulsively Mr. Darcy, Fiction, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Sequels, Nina Benneton | 6 Comments »

    Midnight in Austenland: A Novel, by Shannon Hale – A Review

    8 February 2012 by Christina B.

    spacer Guest review by Christina Boyd

    Best-selling author of Austenland, and soon to be motion picture of same, Shannon Hale, takes us on another retreat to England in her latest offering, Midnight in Austenland.

    When the nice American Charlotte Kinder married a nice man named James in a nice wedding, later giving birth to and raising two nice children, it surprised everyone when she started her own web-based company and was also discovered to be a clever, successful business woman. Her picture perfect world soon turns topsy-turvy when her husband divorces her for another. One particularly “thin and drab” weekend when the children are away with their father, she finds temporary solace, and even heart pounding sensations long forgotten, while reading Jane Austen’s masterpieces.  Seeking further escape from her non-fiction life, Charlotte flies to England in retreat to a country manor house catering to the total immersion of a Jane Austen experience, “Pembroke Park, Kent England.  Enter our doors as a houseguest come to stay two weeks, enjoying the country manners and hospitality—a visit, a dance or two, a turn in the park, an unexpected meeting with a certain gentleman, all culminating with a ball and perhaps something more…” p.12. No one would suspect that Charlotte Kinder was about to become the heroine of her own life.

    After completing a questionnaire declaring Pride and Prejudice her favorite novel, but also a particular enjoyment in Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, Charlotte’s total immersion Austen vacation seems tailored specific to her whims and desires, complete with an affectionate brother, a jovial Colonel and even her own brooding handsome gentleman of mystery. Although she is fully aware that everyone is playing a role, including herself, the lines between reality and fiction quickly become gossamer thin.  But when a spontaneous hide-n-seek like game called Bloody Murder is suggested, Pembroke Park’s promise of a possible flirtation is not what initiates Charlotte’s heart to pound.  “Lightning filled the window, piercing the room with an X-ray flash.  And she saw.  It seemed to be… it couldn’t be but it sure looked like… a hand.” p.91.  Obvious parallels to Northanger Abbey leave Charlotte questioning her own sanity as she attempts to accept the fantasy and play along.  Because what could be wrong with a little, harmless flirtation?  But is all of this intrigue and horror real or just part of the story line?

    Shannon Hale does a capital job of weaving an intricate web of Charlotte’s past realities with her current situation (or is it imaginings?) at the Park.  Each new chapter begins with a memory or instance of her former self before stepping into this make-believe Regency England, endearing to Charlotte’s real life anxiety and disappointments from almost the beginning. Charlotte’s journey from sad, cuckolded creature to a strong, vibrant Incomparable is heart warming and enchanting. I was cheering as she finally opened her eyes to all she is and what she had not seen in her marriage.  So was the mystery and romance she experienced at Pembroke Park real?  I would not tell you for the world.  But let’s just say Midnight in Austenland left me with a happy heart and wondering where do I make a reservation?  Perfect escape for the blahs of winter, I totally accepted this blatantly contrived happy ending—because we all know, happy endings were one of Jane Austen’s specialties.

    4.5 out of 5 Stars

    Midnight in Austenland: A Novel, by Shannon Hale
    Bloomsbury USA (2012)
    Hardcover (288) pages
    ISBN: 978-1608196258
    NOOK: ISBN: 978-1608196401
    Kindle: ASIN: B006WXUK3Q

    • Read Christina’s review of Austenland

    Christina Boyd lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her dear Mr. B, two youngish children and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Bibi.  She studied Fine Art at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Salisbury University in Maryland. For the last nine years she has created and sold her own pottery line from her working studio. Albeit she read Jane Austen as a moody teenager, it wasn’t until Joe Wright’s 2005 movie of Pride & Prejudice that sparked her interest in all things Austen.  A life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, visiting Jane Austen’s England remains on her bucket list.

    © 2007 – 2012 Christina Boyd, Austenprose

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  • Posted in Book Reviews, Jane Austen Contemporary Inspired Book Reviews | Tagged Book Reviews, Fiction, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Sequels, Midnight in Austenland, Shannon Hale | 15 Comments »

    A Charles Dickens Devotional, edited by Jean Fischer – A Review & Giveaway!

    7 February 2012 by Br. Paul Byrd, OP

    spacer Guest review by Br. Paul Byrd, OP

    Hidden like gems among the pages of [Dickens’] novels are numerous religious images and biblical references: in Great Expectations, Pip praying for the Lord to be merciful to Abel Magwitch, a sinner and formidable criminal; in Bleak House, the image of Christ ‘stooped down, writing with his finger in the dust when they brought the sinful woman to him’; in Little Dorrit, adoration of wealth described as ‘the camel in the needle’s eye, (introduction).

    As if A Jane Austen Devotional were not enough, fans of 19th century British Christian piety have a chance to sit and meditate on some of the most memorable and beloved stories of English literature with Jean Fischer’s A Charles Dickens Devotional, a collection of over one hundred vivid and engaging passages from nearly every fictional tale Dickens composed, including the ever popular David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations along with the important, but perhaps lesser read masterpieces Bleak House, Dombey and Son, and Little Dorrit. And just as with the Austen devotional, each Dickens passage is paired with a short reflection and scripture quote meant to inspire meditation on a particular moral principle or virtue.

    As Fischer writes, “[Dickens] was recognized as a nineteenth-century advocate for the poor and the oppressed,” (210)—the result, of course, of Dickens’ own experiences of poverty and child labor. Indeed, he often supported the underdogs of society in his stories—children, women, the poor—and exposed the structures of society that oppressed the weak and allowed the greedy to exploit others even as they maintained a “Christian” front. Like Jane Austen before him, Dickens knew the power of the pen in exposing hypocrisy and upholding the virtuous. Through a keen observation of human nature—the good and the bad—and through his excellent descriptions, Dickens brings to life characters that are themselves parables; none more so, perhaps, than Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser turned saint and hero of A Christmas Carol.

    One of my favorite chapters in this devotional takes its passage from Dickens’ last and unfinished work The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Outside the New Testament, I do not think I have ever read a more scathing description of false philanthropy. How it cuts its subject to the quick and thus, as Fischer points out, challenges the reader to search his or her own conscience. Unfortunately, not all the meditations are equally strong, and I found one in particular that I thought was rather dangerous. In the chapter “Bad Company,” Fischer writes in her meditation “In this world, every day, we come in contact with both Christians and non-Christians. God does not forbid this, but rather He desires that we not get too close to unbelievers and risk being pulled into the enemy’s snare,” (77). I understand the best possible interpretation of that statement, but I still found it overly simplistic and unhelpful, especially in a time when it is becoming ever more important for Christians to dialogue with each other and non-Christians.

    That said, this is a devotional, not a theological work, and so readers are expected to bring their own faith with them, using what they find in the book, if they can, and leaving what is unhelpful and uninspiring. If you are afraid that you will be lost in a sea of unfamiliar characters and plots, don’t be; Fischer’s book is designed for the Dickens expert and the lay reader alike. The Dickens framework is merely meant to spark contemplation. If it sparks your literary interest and leads you to read the novels, as well, so much the better. I am sure that fans of Austen and Dickens, will find much to enjoy in this helpful little book, so I give it four stars.

    4 out of 5 Stars

    A Grand Giveaway of A Charles Dickens Devotional

    Publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc. has generously offered a giveaway contest of three copies of A Charles Dickens Devotional. To enter a chance to win one copy, leave a comment stating which quotes from Charles Dickens you think are inspiring, or which of  Charles Dickens’ characters would greatly benefit from this devotional, and why by 11:59pm PT, Wednesday, February 22, 2012. Winners to be announced on Thursday, February 23, 2012. Shipment to the US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck!

    A Charles Dickens Devotional, edited by Jean Fischer
    Thomas Nelson, Inc. (2012)
    Hardcover (224) pages
    ISBN: 978-1400319541
    NOOK: ISBN: 978-1400319725
    Kindle: ASIN: B005ENBBUQ

    Br. Paul Byrd, OP is a solemnly professed friar of the Dominican Order of Preachers. Originally from Covington, KY, he earned his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Thomas More College and his master’s degree in theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology. He is in the writing and publishing graduate program at DePaul University. He is the author of the Dominican Cooperator Blog

    © 2007 – 2012 Br. Paul Byrd, OP, Austenprose

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  • Posted in Victorian Authors | Tagged Charles Dickens, Books, Nonfiction, A Charles Dickens Devotional | 18 Comments »

    In Celebration of Charles Dickens’ 200th Birthday: From Jane Austen to Charles Dickens: Guest blog by Lynn Shepherd, & a Giveaway

    7 February 2012 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

    We are basically a tried and true Janeite, but quietly confess to admiration of another nineteenth-century novelist also born in Hampshire; – Charles Dickens. His style is entirely different than the witty underpinnings of our beloved Miss Austen, but one cannot ignore his fabulous characterizations and amazing plot twists.

    spacer Today is the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth on February 7, 1812 at Landport, in Portsea, near Portsmouth, England. If Miss Austen is wholly a Regency author, then Dickens is her Victorian counterpart in popularity. He would become the most famous author of his day, writing sixteen major novels, traveling the world with his speaking tours and publishing other authors works like Mrs. Gaskell.

    Like Jane Austen, Dickens has a huge following of admirers and sequelers. I was thrilled to learn last year that Murder at Mansfield Park author Lynn Shepherd was also a fan of Dickens and had written a novel inspired by one of his most popular works, Bleak House. Published last week as Tom-All-Alone’s in the UK, Lynn’s new novel will also be released in the US in May by Random House as The Solitary House: A Novel.

    Lynn is the perfect fellow Janeite to share her thoughts on Dickens’ bicentenary celebration with us on his special day. She has generously contributed a guest blog and a very special chance for readers to win one of three advance readers copies available of The Solitary House. Details of the giveaway are listed below. Welcome Lynn:  

    spacer The last time I wrote a piece for Laurel Ann it was because I had just written Murder at Mansfield Park; I’m back now to help celebrate Dickens’ 200th birthday because I’m just about to publish a new murder mystery, inspired by his great masterpiece, Bleak House.

    It’s a very long way from the elegant ambiance of Regency country houses, to the dark and dirty world of Victorian London, so why did I decide to make the move from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens? And having made that decision, what challenges did I face?

    The first thing I realized was that I didn’t want The Solitary House to be the same sort of book as Murder at Mansfield Park. In the latter I had worked very hard to mimic Jane Austen’s beautiful prose style, rigorously checking my vocabulary to ensure it was in use at the time, and replicating the special rhythm of her sentences. But I knew at once that I didn’t want to do the same thing with Dickens. His style is almost as distinctive as hers, but I suspected any attempt to pastiche it would descend very quickly into parody.

    Likewise I made the conscious decision not to even attempt to cram in everything Dickens does – his books are astonishingly broad in their scope, with comedy and satire at one extreme, and drama and psychological insight at the other. I’ve always been more interested in the latter than the former, and I confess I do find his caricatures rather tiresome in some of the novels.  So by now I was clear: I wanted to write a book inspired by Dickens, but ‘darker than Dickens’, with no comedy, no caricatures, and in a voice of my own.

    spacer The result is a book that runs in parallel with the events of Bleak House, with some of Dickens’ characters appearing in mine, and the two stories coming together and intersecting at crucial moments.  Bleak House is, of course, the very first detective story in English, with the first fictional detective, Inspector Bucket. He appears in my story too – my young detective, Charles Maddox, was once fired from the Metropolitan Police at Bucket’s insistence, and their paths cross again as Charles’ investigation deepens.

    Anyone who’s read Murder at Mansfield Park, will recognize the name ‘Charles Maddox’ at once, but we’re now in 1850, not 1811, and this new Charles Maddox is actually the great-nephew of my original Regency thief taker. Old Maddox appears in the book as well, but he’s now an elderly man, and suffering from a disease that we recognize at once as Alzheimer’s, but which was unknown at the time. But when Maddox has lucid periods he is still one of the sharpest minds in London, and Charles will need all his help if he’s to unravel the terrible secret at the heart of this sinister case.

    One of the great delights – and challenges – of writing The Solitary House was to go back and re-create Dickens’ London. As many people have said, London is not just a setting in Dickens’ novels, but a character in its own right, and I had the opportunity to be even more forthright about the realities of life in the city than Dickens was able to be. We know far more, in some ways, that Dickens’ middle class contemporaries did, and I’ve tried to bring the 19th-century city to life in all its splendor, all its sin, and all its stink.

    gipoco.com is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.