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A review by toggle_fow
Sketching Character by Pamela Lynne
4.0
This was certainly an interesting and entertaining Pride and Prejudice fanfiction.
It made two strong departures from the "norm" or common tropes:
1. Lydia is ruined by Wickham right away and with child. She is sent away to pass her confinement in secret, so as to not disgrace the rest of the family.
2. Bad Guy Colonel Fitzwilliam!
The first incident is really the pivot point of the story. Lydia's experience with Wickham is quite different here, and she is remorseful and cognizant of the consequences of her actions right away. This happens when Elizabeth still fully believed in Wickham and disdained Darcy, shaking her confidence in her own instincts. Thus, when she goes to Hunsford and is thrown into company with Darcy more often, she is entirely less sure of her judgments.
Lydia's story is interesting. Half the time I was wishing we stayed with her. But Darcy and Elizabeth's journey is also enjoyable. It is smoother at first, given that Elizabeth already knows she was mistaken in at least one of the things she holds against Darcy, but there are still bumps in the road. This is where Bad Guy Colonel Fitzwilliam comes in. I found this to be a fascinating wrinkle! Colonel Fitzwilliam is almost always portrayed as universally likable and the voice of reason, so it was interesting to see a version of him that is ruled by more unkind impulses.
There is a lot more drama here than I think would ever make its way into an actual Jane Austen book. For instance, the carriage crash, Lydia's dramatic escape, and the courtesan and boxing gym interludes. I didn't mind this, however, and the story kept my interest the entire way through. By the time we finally got back to Lydia, I was desperate to find out what happened to her!
It made two strong departures from the "norm" or common tropes:
1. Lydia is ruined by Wickham right away and with child. She is sent away to pass her confinement in secret, so as to not disgrace the rest of the family.
2. Bad Guy Colonel Fitzwilliam!
The first incident is really the pivot point of the story. Lydia's experience with Wickham is quite different here, and she is remorseful and cognizant of the consequences of her actions right away. This happens when Elizabeth still fully believed in Wickham and disdained Darcy, shaking her confidence in her own instincts. Thus, when she goes to Hunsford and is thrown into company with Darcy more often, she is entirely less sure of her judgments.
Lydia's story is interesting. Half the time I was wishing we stayed with her. But Darcy and Elizabeth's journey is also enjoyable. It is smoother at first, given that Elizabeth already knows she was mistaken in at least one of the things she holds against Darcy, but there are still bumps in the road. This is where Bad Guy Colonel Fitzwilliam comes in. I found this to be a fascinating wrinkle! Colonel Fitzwilliam is almost always portrayed as universally likable and the voice of reason, so it was interesting to see a version of him that is ruled by more unkind impulses.
There is a lot more drama here than I think would ever make its way into an actual Jane Austen book. For instance, the carriage crash, Lydia's dramatic escape, and the courtesan and boxing gym interludes. I didn't mind this, however, and the story kept my interest the entire way through. By the time we finally got back to Lydia, I was desperate to find out what happened to her!