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Pride and Prejudice and Prudence: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Mr. Darcy is unimpressed with Meryton and not in any mood for dancing or socializing. An startling encounter with a young girl angers him at first, but he soon finds himself liking Miss Prudence in spite of her audacity and her determination to shake up his world. Under her guidance, he begins to interact with people and even manages to make up his quarrels with Elizabeth Bennet. All is rosy and bright, but then trouble arrives and Mr. Darcy has new problems to contend with.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 6, 2017
“And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody."
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them.” JA P&P
There is nothing wrong with this P&P what if that imagines a small, outspoken, precocious, girl can get the better of Mr. Darcy. But it failed to delight me. Thus 4 stars. As I mentioned in my progress report this Lizzy wasn't the charming young lady of P&P and was straight up evil. she would pick apart every single thing poor Mr. Darcy said and rearrange it to make it extra insulting. Seriously Miss. Lizzy you might have a mental disorder. And Prudence starts out cute, kind of a living Jiminy Cricket who is there to serve as Darcy's conscience and arbitrator of manners. But honestly she got on my last nerve as the story wore on. She becomes a sounding board for both Lizzy and Darcy as well as the only one who recognizes who really likes who.
The other thing that annoyed me was that Lizzy and to some part Prudence wanted to CHANGE Darcy. They encourage him to be more friendly and outgoing with the people of Meryton. Then they criticize him for not doing it properly, enough, enthusiastically. If I was Darcy I would pack my carriage and go back to London where I am allowed to brood quietly in corners and ignore people.
In canon Darcy is an introvert; that's just what he is. Trying to make an introvert into an extrovert is like teaching a pig to sing it annoys the pig and frustrates the teacher. I seriously doubt Lizzy likes and cares about everyone she talks to. I am fairly sure she finds Sir William and her aunt Phillips as ridiculous as the rest of us do, so she is demanding more from Darcy than she is willing to give. In canon she treats Mr. Collins with outright derision so who is she to judge.
And Darcy is really super nice, helping, people, climbing trees with Prudence; which would be super creepy if you didn't know he was relating to her like Georgiana.
This is one of the few books where I really wished that Darcy would decide that she was too high maintenance and marry Prudence's widowed mother. That would show her. I mean really where's Lizzy self-improvement plan for her father who hides away in his book room and insults people to their faces???
“Hmmmmmmm.......No sir, I don't like it.”
―Mr. Horse (Ren and Stimpy)
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them.” JA P&P
There is nothing wrong with this P&P what if that imagines a small, outspoken, precocious, girl can get the better of Mr. Darcy. But it failed to delight me. Thus 4 stars. As I mentioned in my progress report this Lizzy wasn't the charming young lady of P&P and was straight up evil. she would pick apart every single thing poor Mr. Darcy said and rearrange it to make it extra insulting. Seriously Miss. Lizzy you might have a mental disorder. And Prudence starts out cute, kind of a living Jiminy Cricket who is there to serve as Darcy's conscience and arbitrator of manners. But honestly she got on my last nerve as the story wore on. She becomes a sounding board for both Lizzy and Darcy as well as the only one who recognizes who really likes who.
The other thing that annoyed me was that Lizzy and to some part Prudence wanted to CHANGE Darcy. They encourage him to be more friendly and outgoing with the people of Meryton. Then they criticize him for not doing it properly, enough, enthusiastically. If I was Darcy I would pack my carriage and go back to London where I am allowed to brood quietly in corners and ignore people.
In canon Darcy is an introvert; that's just what he is. Trying to make an introvert into an extrovert is like teaching a pig to sing it annoys the pig and frustrates the teacher. I seriously doubt Lizzy likes and cares about everyone she talks to. I am fairly sure she finds Sir William and her aunt Phillips as ridiculous as the rest of us do, so she is demanding more from Darcy than she is willing to give. In canon she treats Mr. Collins with outright derision so who is she to judge.
And Darcy is really super nice, helping, people, climbing trees with Prudence; which would be super creepy if you didn't know he was relating to her like Georgiana.
This is one of the few books where I really wished that Darcy would decide that she was too high maintenance and marry Prudence's widowed mother. That would show her. I mean really where's Lizzy self-improvement plan for her father who hides away in his book room and insults people to their faces???
“Hmmmmmmm.......No sir, I don't like it.”
―Mr. Horse (Ren and Stimpy)
October 19, 2017
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” Robert Fulghum
This is a story with very little to no angst… other than that which happens between lovers as they work out their differences. It is clean and… as slow as molasses. Expect OOC [out of character] behaviors, slightly off canon as it deviates from the P&P timeline. Things happen but in a different way, and slightly out of sync with the story we know and love. However, it did not take away from the basic story. There are also extra characters that we meet and grow to love.
The Bingley party arrives at Netherfield, and they attend the Meryton Assembly. We have the usual behavior of Darcy and the Bingley sisters… yada, disdainful looks, yada, insulting remark, yada, refusal to dance, ya— bam! Someone kicks Darcy’s leg. He turns and looks and there stands a young girl looking at him. What an impertinent child! She had kicked Darcy for his rude comment and told him that he hurt Lizzy’s feelings and should apologize… plus he should ask her to dance.
“Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.” Black Elk
Her name is Prudence, of an indeterminant age. I don’t think I remember her age being mentioned. She is old enough though. I figure about 9 or 10, perhaps. Old enough to be wise in her observations and feelings, and yet, young enough to still enjoy climbing trees. Mr. Darcy had to kneel down in order to talk to her. He is rather tall though, so that may not mean much. Prudence is the driving force in this story. She is the tool by which the story moves and she directs the actions.
This story is totally centered around D&E getting their act together. We spend a lot of time in their heads as they sort out their feelings. In many JAFF stories, I have been disgusted with how quickly the climax and resolution came about between our dear couple [ODC]. One minute Lizzy hates Darcy’s guts and the next she is madly in love with him. That did not happen in this story. I’ve never seen it evolve like this before. You can see the gradual work on ODC as they chip away at their dislike and haughty demeanor. It was amazing how the author slowly brought us to the point where you could see the subtle changes in the feelings of all concerned. That included Bingley and Jane, along with Darcy and Elizabeth. There were other couples involved and they are such a surprise, so I won’t mention them as a spoiler.
We have villains of course. Caroline Bingley did everything in her power to sway her brother and Mr. Darcy from their objects of admiration. She needed to get them out of Hertfordshire and back to London immediately. She thought Darcy’s attentions were in another direction totally different than canon. That was hilarious. Our dear Colonel arrived on the scene and he is always welcomed in a JAFF story. I love him.
Wickham was the forked-tongue, sleazy, conniving lowlife as usual trying to make life difficult for Darcy and any woman with two pennies to rub together. He quickly saw where his former friend’s attentions were and make every attempt to make him jealous and unhappy with his attentions to Elizabeth. She had no idea of Wickham’s past and was surprised at Darcy’s behavior. She quickly learned the reasons.
Lady Catherine rushed to Longbourn to make her sentiments known. Darcy had a few words for her. She had a few words for him and her parson. Collins was so disgusting… he is certainly a toad of the lowest order. Perhaps I shouldn’t disparage toads by associating them with him.
The epilogue was delightful and I loved the pairings. Such a great story ending. Darcy’s handing of the younger Bennet sisters was the best I’ve seen in a while. He was so good about that. It is exactly what was needed and I love it when an author steps up the plate and addresses it. ‘Failure to inform’ and ‘failure to correct’ always leads to trouble. Darcy, as a man of business, knows how to handle situations. He’s a take charge kind of guy where he makes plans and plans for contingencies. In the end… it paid off in a big way. Let’s just say he knows Wickham all too well. Oh-my-goodness! Did it ever pay off. Way to go Darcy. Loved it. Loved this Prudence. She is a jewel.
Revised 10-18-17 to add the following:
There were a couple of questions that I had... where was Darcy's horse? He is known as a connoisseur of horseflesh and yet, he walked everywhere... I mean everywhere. Also the distance between Longbourn and Netherfield is not 5-miles but 3-miles. I forgot to mention these.
This is a story with very little to no angst… other than that which happens between lovers as they work out their differences. It is clean and… as slow as molasses. Expect OOC [out of character] behaviors, slightly off canon as it deviates from the P&P timeline. Things happen but in a different way, and slightly out of sync with the story we know and love. However, it did not take away from the basic story. There are also extra characters that we meet and grow to love.
The Bingley party arrives at Netherfield, and they attend the Meryton Assembly. We have the usual behavior of Darcy and the Bingley sisters… yada, disdainful looks, yada, insulting remark, yada, refusal to dance, ya— bam! Someone kicks Darcy’s leg. He turns and looks and there stands a young girl looking at him. What an impertinent child! She had kicked Darcy for his rude comment and told him that he hurt Lizzy’s feelings and should apologize… plus he should ask her to dance.
“Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.” Black Elk
Her name is Prudence, of an indeterminant age. I don’t think I remember her age being mentioned. She is old enough though. I figure about 9 or 10, perhaps. Old enough to be wise in her observations and feelings, and yet, young enough to still enjoy climbing trees. Mr. Darcy had to kneel down in order to talk to her. He is rather tall though, so that may not mean much. Prudence is the driving force in this story. She is the tool by which the story moves and she directs the actions.
This story is totally centered around D&E getting their act together. We spend a lot of time in their heads as they sort out their feelings. In many JAFF stories, I have been disgusted with how quickly the climax and resolution came about between our dear couple [ODC]. One minute Lizzy hates Darcy’s guts and the next she is madly in love with him. That did not happen in this story. I’ve never seen it evolve like this before. You can see the gradual work on ODC as they chip away at their dislike and haughty demeanor. It was amazing how the author slowly brought us to the point where you could see the subtle changes in the feelings of all concerned. That included Bingley and Jane, along with Darcy and Elizabeth. There were other couples involved and they are such a surprise, so I won’t mention them as a spoiler.
We have villains of course. Caroline Bingley did everything in her power to sway her brother and Mr. Darcy from their objects of admiration. She needed to get them out of Hertfordshire and back to London immediately. She thought Darcy’s attentions were in another direction totally different than canon. That was hilarious. Our dear Colonel arrived on the scene and he is always welcomed in a JAFF story. I love him.
Wickham was the forked-tongue, sleazy, conniving lowlife as usual trying to make life difficult for Darcy and any woman with two pennies to rub together. He quickly saw where his former friend’s attentions were and make every attempt to make him jealous and unhappy with his attentions to Elizabeth. She had no idea of Wickham’s past and was surprised at Darcy’s behavior. She quickly learned the reasons.
Lady Catherine rushed to Longbourn to make her sentiments known. Darcy had a few words for her. She had a few words for him and her parson. Collins was so disgusting… he is certainly a toad of the lowest order. Perhaps I shouldn’t disparage toads by associating them with him.
The epilogue was delightful and I loved the pairings. Such a great story ending. Darcy’s handing of the younger Bennet sisters was the best I’ve seen in a while. He was so good about that. It is exactly what was needed and I love it when an author steps up the plate and addresses it. ‘Failure to inform’ and ‘failure to correct’ always leads to trouble. Darcy, as a man of business, knows how to handle situations. He’s a take charge kind of guy where he makes plans and plans for contingencies. In the end… it paid off in a big way. Let’s just say he knows Wickham all too well. Oh-my-goodness! Did it ever pay off. Way to go Darcy. Loved it. Loved this Prudence. She is a jewel.
Revised 10-18-17 to add the following:
There were a couple of questions that I had... where was Darcy's horse? He is known as a connoisseur of horseflesh and yet, he walked everywhere... I mean everywhere. Also the distance between Longbourn and Netherfield is not 5-miles but 3-miles. I forgot to mention these.
September 7, 2017
This is a very pleasant what-if that starts right at Mr. Darcy's overheard insult of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. It's overheard by Miss Bennet, as we know, but in this case also a by a sprite with a temper who repays his comment with a swift kick. Prudence is the sprite's name, Elizabeth is her good friend, and she won't let anyone get away with saying something so mean about her friend.
While Darcy at first is appalled that a child would be so poorly behaved, he's quickly convicted by her accurate observation that HE's the one who behaved poorly. Considering his close relationship with his sister, I could understand why he ends up more comfortable speaking with Prudence than with any of the strangers of Meryton. This is a clever and promising beginning.
Darcy and Prudence develop a friendship during his stay in Hertfordshire. But I started wondering how old this girl is. I don't believe her age is ever mentioned. In the first scene, she's short enough that when he turns to see who kicked him, he doesn't notice her. I picture a child of no more than 7 or 8, and most likely younger than that. Even a very short 9- or 10-year-old should have caught his eye without any difficulty. But the more the two converse together, the more she sounds as though she's at least 11 or 12, and an unusually brilliant one at that. It moves far from "out of the mouths of babes" territory and into insights that even most adults wouldn't have. The girl ought to hang out a shingle as a 21st century shrink.
While I can see why Darcy might be charmed by Prudence's perspicacity, I didn't believe that he would be so willing to follow all of her directives. This is a man who gives orders rather than taking them, and certainly not from a child.
Aside from this (and, unfortunately, that's a pretty large "this"), I enjoy the way the story plays out. I especially love the resolution for Mrs. Merivale, which is especially appropriate. The writing is very good, as is the editing.
I liked this very much but didn't love it.
While Darcy at first is appalled that a child would be so poorly behaved, he's quickly convicted by her accurate observation that HE's the one who behaved poorly. Considering his close relationship with his sister, I could understand why he ends up more comfortable speaking with Prudence than with any of the strangers of Meryton. This is a clever and promising beginning.
Darcy and Prudence develop a friendship during his stay in Hertfordshire. But I started wondering how old this girl is. I don't believe her age is ever mentioned. In the first scene, she's short enough that when he turns to see who kicked him, he doesn't notice her. I picture a child of no more than 7 or 8, and most likely younger than that. Even a very short 9- or 10-year-old should have caught his eye without any difficulty. But the more the two converse together, the more she sounds as though she's at least 11 or 12, and an unusually brilliant one at that. It moves far from "out of the mouths of babes" territory and into insights that even most adults wouldn't have. The girl ought to hang out a shingle as a 21st century shrink.
While I can see why Darcy might be charmed by Prudence's perspicacity, I didn't believe that he would be so willing to follow all of her directives. This is a man who gives orders rather than taking them, and certainly not from a child.
Aside from this (and, unfortunately, that's a pretty large "this"), I enjoy the way the story plays out. I especially love the resolution for Mrs. Merivale, which is especially appropriate. The writing is very good, as is the editing.
I liked this very much but didn't love it.
December 10, 2022
Entertaining, but.....
This book seems like a lark on the part of the author, sort of like an exercise is seeing what she can get away with in terms of premise and characters. The book summary let's you know right away that the premise is ludicrous. Darcy is accosted at the Meryton assembly by an adolescent girl named Prudence who kicks him in the shin after overhearing his infamous insult about Elizabeth. We never learn exactly how old Prudence is, but apparently she must be old enough to speak freely and articulately to an adult man. She lays into Darcy about being an arrogant snob, and starts demanding that he clean up his act and start being a nice person, advice that he immediately takes to heart. Yeah, I'm sure that this is likely (wink, wink)!!
Alright, in the spirit of a light and fluffy story, this girl is supposed to be cute and amusing, but she's so precocious that it becomes a bit scary. And to make it even harder to swallow, I don't like Elizabeth at all in this version. She's a major witch (with a capital B) to Darcy, so much so that I didn't even want him to fall in love with her. Talk about a shrew!!
Under the influence of Prudence, Darcy becomes this silly man who is not recognizable. On a very short acquaintance, he agrees to some pretty heavy and highly personal requests made by Prudence's mother. He becomes endearingly sappy around children. He confides his most horrifying secrets to Prudence, even though she, as a young female, shouldn't be hearing about such sensitive subjects. In other words, it's ludicrous.
This author is a good enough writer, but this book reads like the work of a beginner. There are several editing errors, but not enough to become a distraction. If you don't mind a very silly story, then this is for you. As for myself, I can't really recommend it.
This book seems like a lark on the part of the author, sort of like an exercise is seeing what she can get away with in terms of premise and characters. The book summary let's you know right away that the premise is ludicrous. Darcy is accosted at the Meryton assembly by an adolescent girl named Prudence who kicks him in the shin after overhearing his infamous insult about Elizabeth. We never learn exactly how old Prudence is, but apparently she must be old enough to speak freely and articulately to an adult man. She lays into Darcy about being an arrogant snob, and starts demanding that he clean up his act and start being a nice person, advice that he immediately takes to heart. Yeah, I'm sure that this is likely (wink, wink)!!
Alright, in the spirit of a light and fluffy story, this girl is supposed to be cute and amusing, but she's so precocious that it becomes a bit scary. And to make it even harder to swallow, I don't like Elizabeth at all in this version. She's a major witch (with a capital B) to Darcy, so much so that I didn't even want him to fall in love with her. Talk about a shrew!!
Under the influence of Prudence, Darcy becomes this silly man who is not recognizable. On a very short acquaintance, he agrees to some pretty heavy and highly personal requests made by Prudence's mother. He becomes endearingly sappy around children. He confides his most horrifying secrets to Prudence, even though she, as a young female, shouldn't be hearing about such sensitive subjects. In other words, it's ludicrous.
This author is a good enough writer, but this book reads like the work of a beginner. There are several editing errors, but not enough to become a distraction. If you don't mind a very silly story, then this is for you. As for myself, I can't really recommend it.
September 4, 2017
Lovely story
I don't consider myself a child, but I enjoyed this story very much. I especially enjoyed the resolution to Wickham and Lydia eloping. And all because Mr Darcy got kicked at an assembly.
I don't consider myself a child, but I enjoyed this story very much. I especially enjoyed the resolution to Wickham and Lydia eloping. And all because Mr Darcy got kicked at an assembly.
December 6, 2017
This Pride and Prejudice variation contains a small voice of reason between Elizabeth and Darcy, in the form of a young girl named Prudence. They each evaluate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors with her unspoiled point of view to find their happily ever after.
October 31, 2017
Surprisingly delightful!
I have to admit that I didn’t think I was going to like this book. The idea of a child giving such sage advice about live, life, good manners etc... to an adult seem a little unlikely. Once you get past the first couple of chapters AND the idea of a mini Dear Abbey, it is well written and the characters are well developed. It is somewhat of a powder puff story, as there is no attempted elopement or other such crisis, instead it focuses on the misunderstandings and subsequent enlightenment of the true nature of each character.
I have to admit that I didn’t think I was going to like this book. The idea of a child giving such sage advice about live, life, good manners etc... to an adult seem a little unlikely. Once you get past the first couple of chapters AND the idea of a mini Dear Abbey, it is well written and the characters are well developed. It is somewhat of a powder puff story, as there is no attempted elopement or other such crisis, instead it focuses on the misunderstandings and subsequent enlightenment of the true nature of each character.
July 31, 2022
Cute and sweet
An adorable non-canon child and a few other non-canon characters spice up this alternate universe. A very cranky and obstinate Elizabeth quarrels constantly with an arrogant and disdainful Darcy until they begin to understand each other, assisted by young Prudence. A few more misunderstandings, a little villainy, lots of lessons learned, and some sweet romance.
An adorable non-canon child and a few other non-canon characters spice up this alternate universe. A very cranky and obstinate Elizabeth quarrels constantly with an arrogant and disdainful Darcy until they begin to understand each other, assisted by young Prudence. A few more misunderstandings, a little villainy, lots of lessons learned, and some sweet romance.
December 11, 2023
Prudence is habit forming!
I read this variation a couple of years ago, but I am 89 years old, with failing memory, so it was like new. If I live, a third time is in the offing. Just the right number of new characters. I am so glad that Lydia got her comeuppance when she did.
I read this variation a couple of years ago, but I am 89 years old, with failing memory, so it was like new. If I live, a third time is in the offing. Just the right number of new characters. I am so glad that Lydia got her comeuppance when she did.
September 13, 2017
Fun read
I found this book to be very entertaining and gladly give it a 5 star rating. The addition of non canon characters was very well done.
I found this book to be very entertaining and gladly give it a 5 star rating. The addition of non canon characters was very well done.
August 25, 2021
2.5 rounded up.
August 2, 2022
Cute
Nice low angst story. However it read like a young adult (or younger) book. Glad it was available on KU.
Nice low angst story. However it read like a young adult (or younger) book. Glad it was available on KU.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews