“The Fire at Netherfield Park” the final installment of McMann’s and Hanford’s season of smoke and fire, opens with Charles Bingley’s famous ball. Smoke soon seeps into the room, rapidly turning the event from frivolous to dire. Determined to save everyone, Darcy enlists Elizabeth’s aid in urging the disbelieving assemblage to depart. Darcy and Elizabeth prove as noble as one might expect, but … who else will rise to the ranks of hero, who will escape the fire, and who will perish? When the smoke clears, what will become of those who escaped the fire at Netherfield Park?
This Pride and Prejudice variation has approximately 70,000 words.
Renata McMann and Summer Hanford began writing Pride and Prejudice Variations together in 2014 and have since become immersed in the amazing world Jane Austen created. Whether you’re a fan of Darcy and Elizabeth specifically or of clean Regency Romance in general, you will enjoy both McMann’s ability to imagine variations of this classic love story and Hanford’s skill in turning these variations of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet and their enduring love into entertaining stories.
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In this Pride and Prejudice variation, a fire strikes Netherfield Park on the night of the Bingley ball. There is one major character death, which throws the entire Bennet family into disarray. (It is not Elizabeth or Jane, let me just say that, since they are my favorite Bennets.) I love this one because it has many twists and turns but mostly the people are in character. Of particular interest to me is Wickham, who is not as evil as usual. He is not particularly stellar either. He is a flawed character of interest.
Ambivalent…like the 3rd Matrix, I haven’t figured it out yet:
This was the strangest book. I guess we go into JAFF with certain expectations and then, every once in a while, we run into something completely different. That was the feeling I got when I read this story. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just different.
Take all the things you know and feel about P&P, shake them up and rewrite a completely new story, but use all the props and characters from the original. That is the best way to describe this story. I didn’t dislike it, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I would probably have to reread it in order to decide and I am not sure I can do that right now. This is a story that has to percolate in your head for a while until you can absorb it, make sense of it or understand all that the authors were trying to convey. It was good story telling; I am just trying to absorb it. I have read the other stories in the fire series and this is the strangest…rather the most unusual take on the subject. Sort of like trying to understand the third Matrix. I still don’t get it.
In a time of crisis there are heroes and zeros. In this story you have both. Times of stress and anxiety will push emotions and feelings to their extreme, and cream will always rise to the top. Those who have it in them to be great will shine and those who are not…well, their character is exposed to all those around them.
People do the strangest things during a time of crisis. Mr. Collins is a prime example. His actions reflect on his character and his feelings for the safety of those around him. Caroline has got to be the most selfish, conniving, self-centered, jealous, self-serving, devious, resentful, diva… there are not enough adjectives to describe this b***h. OMG!!! She was absolutely horrid to the extreme. I actually liked this part. I like seeing her at her worst. She was awful [consistent, but awful].
Well, Longbourn will never be the same. In looking at the situation, it was a good move on Mr. Bennet’s part, hard on the family, but a good move. He had to do something in order to keep Collins from the entail. There was no other way. In looking at it from a practical point of view, it was a good match.
Problems: I really struggled with Wickham and Darcy. This armistice or cease-fire between these two warring factions really gave me pause. Were the authors trying to show that there are redeeming qualities in all of us? This story was the strangest take on Wickham that I have read in a JAFF. I still haven’t figured it out yet. His outcome was so unusual. You will have to be the judge.
Elizabeth: I liked her in parts and parts I did not like her. To the very end, she held on to her stubborn reasoning. I wanted to shake her. It took too long and at any moment I was expecting Darcy to say his good opinion was lost and lost forever. Was this woman worth the effort it was taking in order to win her? Dang, woman what’s your problem?
I don’t want to spoil it so there are parts I can’t discuss because #1 I haven’t figured it out yet, and #2 I will give away the reveal. Man, this was a strange story. I wanted to finish the series and I am glad I did. The Caroline story is worth the read, as well as the plans regarding Collins and how to rescue Longbourn from the entail. For those romantics [me] the romance between our dear couple was set at naught, although, there was minimal steam in looks and touches. I really missed that in ODC.