Friday, July 23, 2010

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart


PATTILLO, BETH
MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART

Claire Prescott doesn't understand Mr. Darcy's appeal. She's been uncomfortably dating Neil, a nice -- if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when she agrees to stand in for her sister at a Jane Austen seminar in Oxford, England, she finds herself holding a lost version of Pride and Prejudice. Scholars thought Austen's original manuscript was destroyed centuries ago, but as Claire reads the beloved author's first draft, she discovers that Austen didn't always have Darcy in mind for Lizzie Bennet.

And when a tall, dark, and dashing stranger crosses Claire's path, will she suddenly discover her inner Lizzie Bennet? Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her true romantic lead, and she discovers that finding the right hero can be more difficult than she ever imagined.

TRUE CONFESSION: I'VE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD ALL THE FUSS OVER MR. DARCY. HE WAS JUST SO STUFFY AND OVERBEARING AND SNOBBISH. I KNOW, I KNOW HE WENT THROUGH A TRANSFORMATION BY THE END OF THE BOOK, BUT FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN HIM THE CHANCE. MIND YOU, I'M MORE INTO THE SALT OF THE EARTH KIND OF GUY -- GIVE ME A GARDENER OR A CARPENTER ANY DAY. ANYWAY, THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T RESIST THE LURE OF A HEROINE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND MR. DARCY'S APPEAL.

BETH PATTILLO STUDIED IN LONDON FOR ONE SEMESTER IN COLLEGE AND I THINK SHE DREW ON THAT EXPERIENCE TO BRING AUTHENTICITY TO CLAIRE'S WEEK LONG STAY AT OXFORD. I FELT LIKE A WIDE-EYED TOURIST AS I SAW ENGLAND THROUGH CLAIRE'S EYES.

I LOVED THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF A LOST JANE AUSTEN MANUSCRIPT -- AND THE EXCERPTS CLAIRE GOT TO READ. PATTILLO DID A GREAT JOB OF INTERWEAVING THE PROBLEMS IN CLAIRE'S LIFE WITH THE PASSAGES FROM 'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'. VERY CLEVERLY DONE. THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS GENIUS.

A FRESH, WHIMSICAL, HEART-TUGGING STORY THAT CAPTURED MY FANCY AND HAD ME READING IT FROM COVER TO COVER IN ONE SITTING .


10 comments:

  1. Wow, this sounds like an interesting book! :) So glad you enjoyed it! I'm guessing this isn't really in the Christian fiction category, but is it generally clean and everything? It looks really good!

    ~Amber

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  2. Hi Amber,

    Yes, it's definitely an appropriate read. It is for sale on Christianbooks.com -- along with a number of other titles -- among them: Jane Austen Ruined My Life. LOL. I've got that one on hold at my library. The reason I didn't tag it as Christian fiction is because it doesn't involve any kind of spiritual insights or inspirational messages the way Christian Fiction usually does.

    She also has a series about a woman pastor which I also have on hold at my library. I'm excited. I really like her writer's voice.

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  3. I saw this in Borders the other day!! It DOES sound really good....lol! Reading your review didn't really change my opinion! *wink*

    Have you read The Lovely Bones? That's what I'm reading now....not the fastest read I've come across. At least not for me....

    I'm trying to figure out which books I'm bringing with me on vacation next week! LOL! I have NO CLUE what I want to bring....any suggestions?

    Talk to you later,
    Hannah

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  4. This is another one that is sitting on my shelf. I read Jane Austen Ruined My Life last year, and really enjoyed it. I also read her series on the female pastor a few years ago. It's very good too.

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  5. Oh -- glad to know you liked the other books too, Michelle.

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  6. Hannah,

    Bring LOTS of books! That would be my only suggestion. LOL. You won't want to run out half way through your vacation, would you? What kind of holiday would that be?

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  7. I'm so happy to find your blog. I'm always looking for honest and fresh reviews, and yours are inspiring. For so long I agreed with Beth about Mr. Darcy, yet this character will be around as long as romance is alive. (I found you through Seekerville.)

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  8. Welcome, Kathy! Glad to meet another not-so-into-Mr.Darcy reader! LOL. It does amaze me how he is held up as the eptiome of a romantic hero.

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  9. I just finished this one. I just came back to your blog to see what you had read lately. You read fast!! :)
    I've was never a huge Darcy fan, but I did fall in love with the Matthew Madfadyen(spelling???)version of Darcy. So now I always picture him when reading anything P&P realated. :)

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  10. I'll have to google Matthew Madfadyen because I can't place him and the only Mr. Darcy I can think of is Colin Firth. I think I stopped watching P&P after that one. There are only so many times you can live through wanting to put your shoe through the tv set. :-) Mr. Darcy is definitely not my romantic ideal. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

    And yes, I read a lot -- but I don't drive and read on the bus to and from work, plus I had holidays and the weather was beastly hot so I just languished and read, breaking into a sweat whenever I had to turn a page. Plus, I don't have a little one at home like I think you do.

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