Mr. Bingley: Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be

by Brandon Dragan, Ben Fensome (narrator), Quoir (publisher)

For centuries Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, has been dearly loved he world over. However, few people know the hidden truth about Mr. Darcy's closest friend, the affable Mr. Bingley—who is much more than he appears on first impression.

Mr. Just as a Gentleman Ought to Be is the previously untold story of a young man who unwittingly uncovers an evil cabal among the British Empire's aristocracy. Bingley finds himself confronting an enterprise so nefarious, he cannot help but act to redress it, even if it costs him his own reputation and the love of his life, the angelic Miss Jane Bennet.

Follow Mr. Bingley down a rabbit hole of intrigue and corruption, as he fights to protect the country's most vulnerable alongside friends old and new. Can he set things right before he loses Jane forever?

Audible Audio

Published February 4, 2025

About the author

Brandon Dragan is an attorney in Tennessee and winner of the American Bar Association Journal's 2021 Ross Writing Contest.

His writing draws on a wide array of influences from modern novelists such as Cormac McCarthy and Richard Yates to classic writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jane Austen.

He enjoys a good cigar, road cycling, and is an avid supporter of the Arsenal Football Club.

Visit: BrandonDragan.com

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3.

I got the Audible version because, like many others, I was excited about Ben Fensome narrating it, so let me start there: the voices are wonderful and I expected nothing less - they were distinct, consistent and very funny at times. Unfortunately, there were quite a few instances of words being mispronounced - I completely blame the editor here who should have caught these. I hope Ben Fensome will narrate many more audiobooks in the future.

The story itself is lackluster: the plot is very far fetched but this wouldn't have bothered me so much if there had been some more background laid out. We never really learn why Bingley is on this mission: was he ordered by someone or did he take it upon himself? Why not hand the perpetrators over to the justice system (like he does with the very last one), why go on a vigilante mission? None of this is clear and because it is the basis of everything that follows, it throws a shadow over the whole work.
I enjoyed seeing new sides to Mr Hurst and even Wickham, and seeing some of the most famous scenes from P&P from the men's perspective. Some of the gaps in P&P are filled in very nicely and subtly. Unfortunately at the end all subtlety went out the window and the reader is being told that such and such a scene was much better described "in another work".

All in all, I got most of my enjoyment from the narration; if that hadn't been good then I probably would not have finished this.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. Spoiler Alert re Plot/Story. For me, the best thing about this audiobook was Ben Fensome's narration; he is so adept at doing a variety of voices convincingly, and he is such a great reader! Dragan's story itself is hilarious in that it gives Bingley a totally outrageous backstory (he is sort of a Secret Pimpernel, bringing about 'justice' through the murder of villainous, powerful, characters), thereby providing a reason all of Bingley's 'unexplained absences' from P&P. Interestingly, the author also gives characters like Wickham and Hurst some sympathetic characteristics. One could also argue that by highlighting the condition of young, vulnerable women and by portraying working class people as heroes, Dragan moves the story firmly into the 21st century.

[Derie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story is far fetched for Mr. Bingley, I enjoyed the author's imaginative thoughts about him. I eagerly awaited this book to be released on audio book due to the narrator. I think I enjoyed Ben Fensome more than anything.