A Hopeless Business: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By Jan Ashton

Enjoyment rating: 4 out of 5

Level 2 intimacy

TLDR: Poor Lizzy, so many proposals and so few proper suitors. Would read again.

Synopsis: This story begins the day after the Netherfield ball, immediately following Mr. Collins' ill-fated proposal to Elizabeth. After declining his proposal, Elizabeth goes out for a walk. Mr. Collins cannot take a hint - he follows her and proposes again. Mr. Darcy happens across them during this unwelcome event and begins to escort Elizabeth home. Mr. Collins then is injured and Elizabeth and Darcy, unwilling to leave him in a thunderstorm unable to walk (because they're good people) take him to a nearby boat house to wait out the rain.

Elizabeth and Darcy are well-written and believable when compared to their original characterization. Mr. Bennet disappointed me and I am having trouble discerning if its purely because I don't like his treatment of Lizzy in this story or because he is not written as convincingly as other characters when compared to the original P&P.

The numerous proposals is kind of a funny bit. However, it gets thrown in Lizzy's face so much that it loses the humor and becomes rather sad. I was relieved by the lack of Wickham. Somehow, I'm better able to tolerate Mr. Collins' ridiculous nature over Mr. Wickham's nasty streak.