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Connections Redux
A rewrite of Connections by Sharni with the author's own ideas interjected. Mr. Bennet is shaken by the untimely deaths of his siblings, and later his first wife. His response to these tragedies, his much happier second marriage, and the family connections resulting from it, drastically alter the trajectories of his daughters' lives.
158 pages, ebook
Published February 20, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 26, 2021
First off, the wealth presented in this story is ridiculously outlandish. The Bennet daughters have dowries/trusts of ~$700,000 each but it's put out that they only have $5,000. Darcy says his income last year was $73,000. Heck, even Mary King's $10,000 fortune is bumped up to $18,000.
Elizabeth is super obnoxious, particularly about Darcy's role in separating Bingley and Jane. His role? Asking Bingley to be sure he loves Jane and not create expectations if he can't follow through, take some time think about it. Col. Fitzwilliam tells her this. Bingley even tells her this but she puts the worst possible spin on it. Actually she puts the worst spin on everything.
She lays all of Miss Bingley's crimes at Darcy's feet. She chastises him for not curbing Caroline's worst behavior, because that must mean he agrees. However, Charles gets off with nary a word. (I hate it when Bingley gets off so easy.) She says that Darcy despises Julia, her adopted sister, when there's nothing to indicate this, though it's mentioned that he thought her unsuitable after the fact.
And really Darcy's not a bad dude. He does make the tolerable comment but he's cool with her family. He converses with her father, is nice to her brother; the excitable Mrs. Bennet has passed away and the stepmother is elegant and has connections, and there's no Lydia or Mary and Kitty's just kind of there. They dance at the Lucas Lodge party. He tells Mr. Bennet about Wickham so that's not an issue. (Lizzy didn't believe Wickham anyway but she's still pissed when Darcy tries to warn her about him.)
He just grapples with duty to family and name as he did in canon but she's really angry. But then, in this story's Hunford-like moment, she rips him a new one and in the space of three paragraphs she's giving him permission to call on her after Darcy gives a groveling speech. Her response when he tells her he wants to court her, not just call on her? 'Very well, Mr. Darcy, if you wish.' Then she tells him about her 'profound misgivings' and 'I'm unsure how I feel about you'.
One of the things about the original Hunsford moment is that it creates the opportunity that both characters need to reflect on their flaws and learn something about themselves and change. This Elizabeth is allowed her prejudice (and it's ensuing irrational anger) without being challenged to do anything about it. This Darcy's pride is supposedly beastly and horrible and he alone must strive to become a better person. It's very one-sided and, thus, unsatisfying.
Oh, Elizabeth's a genius and very accomplished and sooo perceptive and much praised. But, hey, at least there isn't the seemingly obligatory mention of crop-rotation, the JAFF shorthand for "She's not like other girls."
Elizabeth is super obnoxious, particularly about Darcy's role in separating Bingley and Jane. His role? Asking Bingley to be sure he loves Jane and not create expectations if he can't follow through, take some time think about it. Col. Fitzwilliam tells her this. Bingley even tells her this but she puts the worst possible spin on it. Actually she puts the worst spin on everything.
She lays all of Miss Bingley's crimes at Darcy's feet. She chastises him for not curbing Caroline's worst behavior, because that must mean he agrees. However, Charles gets off with nary a word. (I hate it when Bingley gets off so easy.) She says that Darcy despises Julia, her adopted sister, when there's nothing to indicate this, though it's mentioned that he thought her unsuitable after the fact.
And really Darcy's not a bad dude. He does make the tolerable comment but he's cool with her family. He converses with her father, is nice to her brother; the excitable Mrs. Bennet has passed away and the stepmother is elegant and has connections, and there's no Lydia or Mary and Kitty's just kind of there. They dance at the Lucas Lodge party. He tells Mr. Bennet about Wickham so that's not an issue. (Lizzy didn't believe Wickham anyway but she's still pissed when Darcy tries to warn her about him.)
He just grapples with duty to family and name as he did in canon but she's really angry. But then, in this story's Hunford-like moment, she rips him a new one and in the space of three paragraphs she's giving him permission to call on her after Darcy gives a groveling speech. Her response when he tells her he wants to court her, not just call on her? 'Very well, Mr. Darcy, if you wish.' Then she tells him about her 'profound misgivings' and 'I'm unsure how I feel about you'.
One of the things about the original Hunsford moment is that it creates the opportunity that both characters need to reflect on their flaws and learn something about themselves and change. This Elizabeth is allowed her prejudice (and it's ensuing irrational anger) without being challenged to do anything about it. This Darcy's pride is supposedly beastly and horrible and he alone must strive to become a better person. It's very one-sided and, thus, unsatisfying.
Oh, Elizabeth's a genius and very accomplished and sooo perceptive and much praised. But, hey, at least there isn't the seemingly obligatory mention of crop-rotation, the JAFF shorthand for "She's not like other girls."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2022
Crazy Rich Bennets
While the language is very Austenesque, that is where the merits end for this work. It is repetitive, especially accounting all the insane wealth, which everyone gets a needlessly excessive boost, and enumerating all the earls, dukes, etc they are connected to. It was all brought up ad nauseam. It is overly verbose, with many needless scenes and a bunch of transcribed ones from the original work, made even fatter by adding internal thoughts of what they ought to say, but then not saying it. It made it all a very long and headache inducing affair.
Granted, I must allow this is a free fan-fiction and is not beholden to such rigorous expectations of a published one, but I wish I hadn't invested so much time reading it, it is ultimately frustrating and worst of all it made me kinda hate ODC. They both were annoying and Darcy never got his hero's test, as he doesn't even resolve to court Elizabeth until after he finds out she is loaded. Bingley on the other hand does get his hero's test and passes with flying colors, as does the Viscount Fitzwilliam, making them both better dudes by contrast to Darcy.
I DNF'd after his request for courtship was accepted by a hurt Elizabeth who had been spewing diatribe one second and the next was all cool. Nothing was learned, and ultimately this is less a story and more an account of exorbitant wealth, you will get the same experience from reading some investment portfolio. Seriously there was even a part where Mr Bennet runs a background check on Bingley and Darcy, and instead of summing it up with a simple 'Mr Bennet found the men to be unobjectionable,' or some similar mercifully short line, we get to read a long letter enumerating all their wealth, connections, and even their past dalliances and mistress'! TMI! That is how I sum this work up: TMI !!
Also speaking of Mr Bennet, I grew so sick of his omniscience on everyones veiled motivations and desires, so not only is a he a beautiful mind who figured out how to expedite steel production, a philanthropist, related to an earl, and a business tycoon, he is also finely attuned to the human psyche- bleh! Oh and I forgot to mention Lizzy too is a beautiful mind. How perfect & boring.
While the language is very Austenesque, that is where the merits end for this work. It is repetitive, especially accounting all the insane wealth, which everyone gets a needlessly excessive boost, and enumerating all the earls, dukes, etc they are connected to. It was all brought up ad nauseam. It is overly verbose, with many needless scenes and a bunch of transcribed ones from the original work, made even fatter by adding internal thoughts of what they ought to say, but then not saying it. It made it all a very long and headache inducing affair.
Granted, I must allow this is a free fan-fiction and is not beholden to such rigorous expectations of a published one, but I wish I hadn't invested so much time reading it, it is ultimately frustrating and worst of all it made me kinda hate ODC. They both were annoying and Darcy never got his hero's test, as he doesn't even resolve to court Elizabeth until after he finds out she is loaded. Bingley on the other hand does get his hero's test and passes with flying colors, as does the Viscount Fitzwilliam, making them both better dudes by contrast to Darcy.
I DNF'd after his request for courtship was accepted by a hurt Elizabeth who had been spewing diatribe one second and the next was all cool. Nothing was learned, and ultimately this is less a story and more an account of exorbitant wealth, you will get the same experience from reading some investment portfolio. Seriously there was even a part where Mr Bennet runs a background check on Bingley and Darcy, and instead of summing it up with a simple 'Mr Bennet found the men to be unobjectionable,' or some similar mercifully short line, we get to read a long letter enumerating all their wealth, connections, and even their past dalliances and mistress'! TMI! That is how I sum this work up: TMI !!
Also speaking of Mr Bennet, I grew so sick of his omniscience on everyones veiled motivations and desires, so not only is a he a beautiful mind who figured out how to expedite steel production, a philanthropist, related to an earl, and a business tycoon, he is also finely attuned to the human psyche- bleh! Oh and I forgot to mention Lizzy too is a beautiful mind. How perfect & boring.
October 30, 2025
3.5* - deliciously OTT
Wildly over the top but lots of fun!
Wildly over the top but lots of fun!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews