I found A Change of Fortunes at the same time as I found Miss Gardiner, but I decided to read the other first. Still, I started this one before I even wrote the post about the other.
This has the traditional cast of characters- Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Fitzwilliam Darcy, etc, except instead of Lydia, Mrs. Bennet gives birth to twin boys. Right before she goes into labor, she goes to the church to plead with God to grant her prayer that she have a boy. Well, her prayers are answered as she gives birth to twin boys- Thomas and James. Due to the birth of the boys, Mr. Bennet no longer stays in his study, but spends time with his family. He also has a close relationship with Reggie Fitzwilliam, Earl of Matlock.
The changes in Mr and Mrs Bennet cause a complete change of fortune. Mr Bennet is not indolent, but rather invests with his brother-in-law. The Bennets grow up with the Fitzwilliams to the point that Richard is in love with one of the Bennet sisters.
Brief Summary (while trying not to give everything away)
In A Change of Fortunes, the Bennet’s fortunes have changed. No longer the impoverished, they are now the leading members of the local society. The Bennets have increased their land holdings, etc. No insult for Elizabeth in this version. Darcy falls head over heels at first glance.
Recommendation?
A Change of Fortunes- oh how do I put this. It had such potential. I love this premise. However, the characters were not well developed. What do I mean by that? Each villain, Caroline, Wickham and Lady Catherine, all suffered under delusions. There was no complexity to their villainy at all. There was no conflict in this story after about the halfway point. My husband complains about the original Pride and Prejudice and nothing happening, but this one is close to that. There’s lots of marriages and lots of immediate pregnancies. They travel from one side of England to the other. It gets rather monotonous. On the whole, this is one that I would say to skip. This one is on Kindle Unlimited.
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And in case you hadn’t figured it out, my plan for 2021 is to write a blog post for each book I read. Last year, I read 150 books. We’ll see how I do this year.
Want to see all the books I read this year? Check out my kit here!
