Mr. Darcy Broke my Heart by Beth Pattilo






by

Beth Pattilo








Book synopsis:  "Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister’s behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn’t looking for Mr. Anyone. She’s been dating Neil, a nice — if a bit negligent — sports fanatic. 

But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice — in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy — leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author’s own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil’s unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire’s journey to finding her own romantic lead. 

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn’t logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places."

I enjoyed "Mr. Darcy broke my heart."   Claire is a wonderfully drawn character and you really get to know her well throughout the story and as it gets closer to the end you are sitting there with bated breath and at the end, let it out with a sigh.   There's a story within the story for Claire.  She has sacrificed her whole life for her sister since their parent's death.   She's recently been laid off and is at loose ends with her life. Her very pregnant sister talks her into taking her place at a week long seminar on Pride and Prejudice in London and presenting her paper for her.  She thinks her sports nut boyfriend Neil doesn't seem to know she exists half the time and is pretty sure he won't even notice she is out of town. 

While in London at the seminar she meets James, mister tall, handsome and sophisticated. Everything Neil isn't and he seems to be interested in her.   She also meets Harriet Dalrymple, supposedly a distant cousin of Jane Austen and part of the Formidables society, the keeper of Jane Austen's secret.  It seems she has the original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice and shares it, one chapter at a time with Claire.  Eleanor, the leader of the seminar just happens to be Harriet's daughter and tries to impress on Claire, that Harriet is senile and she isn't to be believed.   Through her experiences, Claire receives a few surprises that teach her to listen to her heart and be true to herself.   Truly delightful story and highly recommended.

Thank you to Cristina from Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with an review copy of the book. 

Pages:  272
Publisher: Guideposts
Released:  February 1, 2010
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Other thoughts:

Lisa at 5 Minutes for books:
"Whether you’d consider yourself a Jane-ite or otherwise, I think anyone who enjoys the fun and charm of a chick-lit novel set against the backdrop of Oxford will find Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart an amusing and entertaining diversion."

Deborah of Books, Movies and Chinese Food:
" was totally swept into the story, both in present day Oxford and then in the imagined manuscript. I'm not normally a big fan of fan fiction but Pattillo's version of an imagined version of the first manuscript of Pride and Prejudice was wonderful."

Yvonne at Socrates Book Review Blog:
"Humor, sweetness, and romance are sprinkled throughout this fast-paced book about a modern day woman facing the same relationship problems that women faced for many centuries."

  
note: In accordance with FTC Guidelines, I do not receive any compensation for reviews on my blog. the reviews are based solely on my opinion of the story and extremely subjective


4 comments:

  1. This looks like my type of book!

    I have an award for you!!:
    http://lovingbooksandmore.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-awards.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds fun and good one for me -- since I'm a huge P&P fan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay. I have not read ANY Jane Austen, or any of the Austen-inspired fiction. Are you telling me I'm missing out on something big?

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  4. Swimmer: Thanks doll!


    Beth: I really think you'll enjoy it. I usually don't like chick lit, but this one was interesting. Books based on stories around books get a thumbs up from me.

    Susan: Chick lit book of the week!

    ReplyDelete

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