Sweet Caroline: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Mary Alice Alexander

When Caroline Bingley first arrives in Meryton with her brother's household, she dismisses the local society as entirely beneath her notice—until she realizes Mr. Darcy's growing fascination with Elizabeth Bennet poses a threat to her own carefully laid plans. Determined to prevent any possibility of a match, Caroline orchestrates her brother's departure from Hertfordshire to sever his attachment to Jane Bennet, believing this will remove the entire Bennet family from their circle and bring her one step closer to becoming the future Mrs. Darcy.

Armed with her imported French perfumes, carefully rehearsed curtseys, and the ingenious assistance of her lady's maid Adèle, Caroline launches a calculated campaign to secure the most eligible gentleman in London. But as her schemes meet with increasingly frigid responses from Mr. Darcy and quiet resistance from his household, Caroline begins to question whether her machinations serve anyone's happiness—including her own. When her most extreme manipulations fail to capture her prey, she must decide if being mistress of Pemberley is worth the cost to those she claims to hold dear, especially herself.

Told from Caroline Bingley's perspective, this 50,000-word novella offers a fresh look at Pride and Prejudice's most notorious social climber. While Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy's romance unfolds in the background, Caroline's journey takes center stage as she navigates the glittering ballrooms of London society and confronts uncomfortable truths about herself. Through witty social commentary and moments of painful self-reflection, Caroline discovers that perhaps the greatest obstacle to her happiness is not Elizabeth Bennet's rural charms, but her own carefully constructed facade.

Reading This novel focuses primarily on Caroline Bingley's character development and personal journey, with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy appearing only as secondary characters whose famous romance serves as a backdrop to Caroline's story. Readers seeking a fresh take on a familiar tale will find themselves unexpectedly sympathizing with one of literature's most misunderstood social climbers.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2024

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve discovered that I do love a Caroline redemption. This one is particularly enjoyable with ODC only appearing as minor characters.

[Carole (in Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.5* rounded up to 4*

“Do you wish to be viewed as a shrew?” (quote from the book)

I love where Ms. Alexander got her true inspiration and challenge for this story. It is not often where Miss Caroline Bingley is redeemed in a story. Seriously, ‘sweet’ is almost an oxymoron when next to her name! However, I did enjoy the path of redemption given to Caroline.

The story is told from Caroline’s point of view with her acerbic wit from the time of their appearance at Netherfield Park. This is more than a glimpse of her mean-spiritedness; we are in her thoughts from beginning to end. What she says and what she thinks. At times funny but mostly cruel…think ‘mean girl’.

As this isn’t a long book, I won’t go into much detail. The cause of her path to redemption was believable. Her own pride made her take a journey that opened her eyes helped on by Mr. Darcy’s continued besottedness in Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s ‘fine eyes’.

This is the first time I have read one of this author’s book. I did have a few quibbles with it. There were some errors that should have been caught and at times it felt a bit too modern. However, I did still enjoy the story and look forward to reading more of her variations.

[Mariska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!!

Seeing Caroline Bingley slowly growing into a person who is worth knowing was a true treat. I enjoyed her personal journey greatly.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pride and Prejudice variation where Caroline Bingley arrives at Netherfield. But can she overcome her character and finally find herself, and possible happiness.
An entertaining and well-written variation.

[Terri M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun Caroline Bingley redemption tale. It begins with plenty of her bad behavior that makes her such a wonderful villain. Her mighty efforts to catch Darcy’s attention and his total indifference to her every maneuver is classic. Her mental asides to conversations and situations are very entertaining. I also enjoyed the “easter egg” additions of the lyrics to “Sweet Caroline.” A nice, low angst, fun read.