Review: "Attempting Elizabeth" by Jessica Grey ~ Petrichor

Title: Attempting Elizabeth
Author: Jessica Grey
Language: English
Genre: NA, Romance, Chick Lit.

Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.

One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.

After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?

As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.

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Goodreads

I admit that, as a good Janeites, this book struck me since its blog tour (I also believe that I have made a request to participate as much I was curious). The main plot deviates from the usual retelling of Pride and Prejudice that I read during this year-long blog and, a few weeks ago, I finally had time to read it.

She snatched the book out of my hands and waved it in front of my face. “Really babe, Pride and Prejudice again? This thing is going to warp your brain.”
“It’s not going to warp my brain.”
“Hmm.” She flipped through the book for a moment then looked up with a disturbingly evil glint in her blue eyes. “Let’s go find you a real-life Mr. Darcy.”
“I somehow highly doubt that Scott’s party is going to have any real life Mr. Darcys at it.”

Kelsey Edmundson is a Pride and Prejudice’s big fan so much that, to overcome the breakup with her boyfriend Jordan, he decided to devote herself to the reading of her favorite book for the hundredth time. However, after meeting Mark Banes, a charming Australian who she always found everywhere, reading will take another turn and she will really immersed in the world that had originated from the pen of Jane Austen, not knowing how to get back.

“Tor, really. Go away. I want to wallow. I don’t want to go Mr. Darcy hunting. I only end up with Wickhams.”

What would you do if you were in the place of one of the characters of your favorite novel: you’d be there or would you attempt to solve the mystery and go away?
Kelsey found herself in this situation more than once in the novel, interpreteting secondary characters as Georgiana and Caroline in key passages of the novel. However, despite this great opportunity and also with the possibility of being stuck into the novel (and distorting it completely), Kelsey wants more. She wants to be Elizabeth, the real protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, but especially the one beloved by Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is the right person to interpret to ensure that a Mr. Darcy knock on her door. It matters little, the much more real, Mark Banes who always appears in her eyes, because she would be able to see him only if he was Mr. Darcy.

“If there’s one thing I excel at it’s procrastination.”

Between days endlessly repeated, because she does not commit any error which upsets the novel, and disastrous dates with Mark, Kelsey will arrive at the end to get what she wants, risking, however, to lose herself.

“Haven’t you ever read Pride and Prejudice?” I asked, horrified.

“Kelsey, I’m a guy.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? It’s classic literature! Didn’t you have to read it in school? As a history person shouldn’t you have read it for a greater understanding of the Regency era?” I was outraged. My voice was getting higher and higher with every sentence.
“Okay, okay, I’ve read it. Years ago. Maybe high school? As in, I read it one time, as required reading, at least a decade ago. I obviously do not have your level of, uhh, intimacy, with this book.”

I really liked Kelsey’s character, she is fun, amusing and a bit awkward as I expected from a twenty-three young woman (like me!) in a life crisis, who do not know what to do in life and just had a big disappointment. She has her own specific romantic ideal and Mr. Darcy has come to fill the shape of the perfect gentleman she is looking for. But Darcy is a character in a novel, and even though she knows it, she hardly admits it, because she set in him the standard that everyone else will have to overcome.

“I wish I could be that passionate about history, but real people don’t interest me as much as fictional characters do.” As soon as I said it I felt like kicking myself. Even though it was true, it sounded creepy. And rude.

Perhaps what is really missing in this book is a “strong” character as Mr. Darcy. I could not put myself in the shoes of Mark and even to imagine him as a real person. I am not saying that I didn’t liked it, but maybe I would have preferred him characterized better, so as to compete with a much beloved character like that of Darcy.

“Yes, I thought a bit desperately, something is very wrong. I’m not Georgiana, but a girl from hundreds of years in the future trapped in her body. Oh, and you’re fictional. You don’t really exist. But I’m horribly attracted to you and cursing the crappy luck that landed me here as your sister instead of the girl you love.”

Even some of the scenes in the Regency period were quite slow and sometimes I struggled to understand their motive. Indeed, I understood quite a lot of these scenes after reading it and that has left me a bit dubious. Instead, I have to say that I was not disappointed by not having a scientific justification (or of some other kind) about her travels here and there in the novel. I enjoyed the experience without making it a problem (while in other novels sometimes these things bothered me).

In conclusion, “Attempting Elizabeth” by Jessica Grey is a good novel, recommended especially to Janeites or simply to anyone who appreciates Jane Austen.

Rating:

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In italiano

Ammetto che, da brava Janeites quale sono, questo libro mi aveva colpito sin dal suo blog tour (credo anche di aver fatto richiesta di partecipare tanto ero curiosa). La trama principale si distacca dai soliti retelling di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio che ho letto durante questo lungo anno di blog e qualche settimana fa ho avuto finalmente il tempo per leggerlo.

She snatched the book out of my hands and waved it in front of my face. “Really babe, Pride and Prejudice again? This thing is going to warp your brain.”
“It’s not going to warp my brain.”
“Hmm.” She flipped through the book for a moment then looked up with a disturbingly evil glint in her blue eyes. “Let’s go find you a real-life Mr. Darcy.”
“I somehow highly doubt that Scott’s party is going to have any real life Mr. Darcys at it.”

Kelsey Edmundson è una fan sfegatata di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio tanto che, per superare la rottura con il fidanzato Jordan, decide di dedicarsi per l’ennesima volta alla lettura del suo libro preferito. Però, dopo aver conosciuto Mark Banes, un affascinante australiano che si ritrova sempre dappertutto, la sua lettura prenderà un’altra svolta e si troverà davvero immersa nel mondo che era scaturito dalla penna di Jane Austen, senza sapere bene come tornare indietro.

“Tor, really. Go away. I want to wallow. I don’t want to go Mr. Darcy hunting. I only end up with Wickhams.”

Cosa fareste se vi trovaste al posto di uno dei personaggi del vostro romanzo preferito: rimarreste lì o tentereste di risolvere il mistero e andare via?
Kelsey si trova in questa situazione più volte lungo il romanzo, finendo con l’interpretare personaggi secondari come Georgiana o Caroline in passaggi chiave del romanzo. Tuttavia, nonostante questa grande opportunità e anche la possibilità di rimanere bloccata dentro il romanzo (o di stravolgerlo completamente), Kelsey vuole sempre di più, vuole essere Elizabeth, la vera protagonista di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio, ma soprattutto l’amata di Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth è l’ideale da imitare per far in modo che un Mr. Darcy bussi alla sua porta. Poco importa che il ben più terreno Mark Banes appaia sempre ai suoi occhi, perché riuscirebbe a vederlo solo se fosse nei panni di Mr. Darcy.

“If there’s one thing I excel at it’s procrastination.”

Tra giorni ripetuti all’infinito, perché non commetta nessun errore che stravolga il romanzo, e appuntamenti disastrosi con Mark, Kelsey arriverà alla fine ad avere ciò che vuole, rischiando però di perdere se stessa.

“Haven’t you ever read Pride and Prejudice?” I asked, horrified.

“Kelsey, I’m a guy.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? It’s classic literature! Didn’t you have to read it in school? As a history person shouldn’t you have read it for a greater understanding of the Regency era?” I was outraged. My voice was getting higher and higher with every sentence.
“Okay, okay, I’ve read it. Years ago. Maybe high school? As in, I read it one time, as required reading, at least a decade ago. I obviously do not have your level of, uhh, intimacy, with this book.”

Mi è piaciuto molto il personaggio di Kelsey, è divertente, spassosa ed impacciata come ci sia aspetterebbe da una ventitreenne (come me!) in crisi che non sa bene cosa fare della vita e ha appena avuto una grossa delusione. Ha un suo ideale romantico determinato e Mr. Darcy ha finito con il colmare quella figura di perfetto gentiluomo che cerca. Tuttavia Darcy rimane un personaggio di un romanzo e, anche se lo sa, è difficile che lo ammetta dentro di sè, perché ormai ha fissato quello standard che tutti gli altri dovranno tentare di superare.

“I wish I could be that passionate about history, but real people don’t interest me as much as fictional characters do.” As soon as I said it I felt like kicking myself. Even though it was true, it sounded creepy. And rude.

Forse ciò che sarebbe dovuto davvero servire a questo libro era un personaggio “forte” come Mr. Darcy. Non sono riuscita a mettermi nei panni di Mark e neanche ad immaginarlo come una persona vera e propria. Non dico che non mi sia piaciuto, ma forse avrei preferito fosse caratterizzato un po’ meglio, tanto da competere con un personaggio molto amato come quello di Darcy.

“Yes, I thought a bit desperately, something is very wrong. I’m not Georgiana, but a girl from hundreds of years in the future trapped in her body. Oh, and you’re fictional. You don’t really exist. But I’m horribly attracted to you and cursing the crappy luck that landed me here as your sister instead of the girl you love.”

Anche alcune scene nel periodo Regency erano piuttosto lente e a volte faticavo a comprendere il loro motivo. Anzi, forse di molte l’ho capito piuttosto dopo che durante la lettura e questo mi ha lasciata un po’ dubbiosa. Invece, devo dire che non mi è quasi dispiaciuto il non avere una giustificazione scientifica (o di qualche altro genere) sul suo viaggiare qua e là dentro un romanzo. Mi sono goduta l’esperienza senza farne un problema (mentre in altri romanzi a volte queste cose mi davano fastidio).

Concludendo “Attempting Elizabeth” di Jessica Grey è un buon romanzo, consigliato in particolar modo alle Janeites o semplicemente a chiunque apprezza Jane Austen.

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