An Ever Fixed Mark

by AMarguerite

One would think that having the name of one's soulmate appear on one's wrist on one's sixteenth birthday would make matrimony much less complicated. It mostly does not. And not at all for Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourne.

Genres: Fan Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

650 pages, ebook

Published October 28, 2017

Reviews

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

In this Regency world one's soulmatch's name appears on one's wrist as one turns 16 or so. BUT the name might be the surname and it just might be one's Christian name. Fitzwilliam can belong to the colonel or his cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy. And one's soulmate can also be of the same gender. This can be controversial...even in some modern societies, families or neighborhoods.

Most keep the name hidden under a shirt sleeve (for the men) or under a bracelet (for the ladies).

When Elizabeth Bennet is drawn to Richard Fitzwilliam in Kent and Fitzwilliam Darcy begins to tell her that he is not right for her, she believes it is all a matter of snobbery.

SPOILER: Our Darcy is fated to look on as that relationship plays out to a natural result. Then
Richard goes off to war and Elizabeth becomes a camp follower.

This is another "triangle" story. The author was very creative in how she wrote this premise in contrast to several other popular triangle stories I have read over the last several years. I enjoyed it and recommend it to other.

[Sam H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating concept, if the story is somewhat mixed messages.

I found the theoretical debate regarding the marks so interesting. Less so was the sadness endured by Lizzy after her loss, after finally giving the Col peace of mind.
I see there are 2 spin offs, but with this writers works being so wordy, not sure I can face them at this time.
Also interesting were the tiny tidbits of "orthodox/Judaism" sprinkled here and there.

While Lizzy's personality was slightly different from canon, it was consistent. Darcy was amazing and sooooo patient!

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this is 200k of Pride & Prejudice fanfiction, and I have absolutely no regrets about reading, and it was an utterly amazing read. Basically this author brought an amazing depth of knowledge of a) Jane Austen works b) historical and social contexts of the novels c) military history d) deeply feminist and queer take on story and characters, and then they put all that into a fascinating analysis of a very popular fanfiction trope ("your wrist spells the name of your soulmate"). What follows is on the one hand a deeply satisfying story about friendship and romance that follows our heroine through the course of her life, and on the other hand an absolutely fascinating philosophical debate on how this whole concept would translate into society, and how to interpret these names. What does soulmates even mean? What happens if you meet multiple people with the name on your wrist? Should a simple name dictate who you can and can't love? What pressure does this concept put on people and their relationships? There are no easy answers, and this story is utterly glorious in that it doesn't pretend that there are.

[Anna Fitzwilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was very interesting, but the story is sooooo long and there's sooooo many characters, sometimes I got distracted (and while I understand many people are ok with that, the only reason I read PP variations is because D&E. I confess I skipped several parts). There's almost no romance between D&E till the end, not to tell that we have several alternative endings, where Elizabeth is paired with different people. It's kinda disheartening.

[Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - it was amazing

This review is for the alternate ending “That Looks on Tempests,” which diverges from An Ever Fixed Mark at chapter 10. The canon ending with Darcy is also fantastic, but Tempests particularly enthralled me and will be what I re-read in the future.

—

I’ve read over a hundred P&P variations and few have provided the same shortness of breath and cheek-hurting smile that I experienced while reading An Ever Fixed Mark. This novel deconstructs the soulmate trope by setting these familiar characters in a world where, at age 16, each person develops a name on their wrist. In England, society believes this name is a soulmark pointing to a destined mate. So, then, who is Elizabeth meant for when she develops the name “Fitzwilliam”— Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy or Col Richard Fitzwilliam?

In this variation, she chooses the latter, something that will frustrate many readers accustomed to Darcy. While I view Darcy and Elizabeth as one of the strongest couples in English literature, An Ever Fixed Mark completely convinces me of the romance between Col Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, particularly by pondering various philosophies about what a soulmark can mean. Is it a destined romance, someone who will mean a lot to you, a sign you get along more with Sarahs, or completely meaningless? The author intertwines these questions with a believable, captivating courtship story, showing the characters forging their own path. It is a clever approach to a fandom that takes it as sure fact that Elizabeth is “destined” for Darcy. I LOVED this because it demonstrates that a true match is not just that initial attraction, but the years of mutual learning, hardship, and experiences after “I do.” We get to see the first few years of Elizabeth’s marriage and how her relationship grows.

What makes this variation a 5/5 for me is that it stands on its own as a fantastic novel and romance without its connections to P&P. The early courtship, Napoleonic War, political intrigue, and LGBT commentary are all interesting plots. My favorite parts were after the marriage, when Elizabeth “follows the drum” and accompanies the British military to the continent. The author’s understanding of the early 1800s and Napoleon made for fascinating reading.

While standing on its own merits, this book also impressively keeps every character true to canon. I never feel as though Elizabeth is acting uncharacteristically; rather, the author imagines how she might behave in marriage and new situations.

I deeply appreciate the two sides to love featured in this novel: love gained and love lost. Darcy’s heartbreak is palpable, but never direct. Instead, you catch glimpses of it through what goes unsaid, as well as the actions Darcy takes to ensure Elizabeth is happy. Finally, you see him move on, in a satisfying conclusion to his character arc.

Overall, I can’t recommend An Ever Fixed Mark enough. It’s a definite stand out among P&P variations, especially if you’re looking for something different than the usual ending.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, ladies have you ever wanted a pride and prejudice with even more yearning and slowburn, queer characters, in-depth study of tropes, amazing writing, and a vivid grip on characters? Then you need to read An Ever Fixed Mark on ao3.

It's 19 chapters and I loved every minute of it.

I like how the author takes a roundabout, slowburn way of getting Lizzy and Darcy together cause when they finally do, it's so good!!

I like how the author also had other characters from other Jane Austen novels weaved throughout the book

[Madenna U · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Pride and Predjudice variation occurs in a Regency world where your soulmates name appears on your wrist on your 16th birthday. The name is revealed to family and only in cases of great intimacy with others. Elizabeth Bennet's wrist features the name Fitzwilliam - but is that a last name or first name? Through political turmoil, society's expectations of widows, post tramatic stress, the treatment of the LGBT community during the time period, and Darcy's never ending patient support, our dear couple does finally find their happily ever after.

[Liz H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written story with interesting plot. I enjoyed both alternate endings/sequels.

[Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well written fanfiction, and my first on Pride and Prejudice - I never thought I needed to read a variation of such a beloved book, but this ff managed to actually enrich an already great story, and expand greatly on various Austen’s characters. I really enjoyed it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I didn’t hate as much romance vs. Grief/angst etc as I might have wished, but the balance was true to the original. The scenes in the peninsula food not feel austen-y. If I had one critique it would be how unnecessarily the other characters were familiar. Why did she need to be besties with Wellington? The point of austen’s writing were that they were about people from her own social milieu, not dukes or the famous. But what really drove me crazy was how every minor character was someone we always know from the other novels. They don’t all have to know each other! And really it’s fantastically improbable that they would! I’d have rather had minor characters invented vs contrived. I mean there’s just no way that Darcy would look at miss Elliott for even an instant.

Otherwise a fun read.

[Mary Ellen]

I didn’t actually finish this, it’s Pride and Prejudice fanfiction. The concept is that everyone in the world receives a magic tattoo on their wrist on their 16th birthday that has the name of their soulmate. Elizabeth Bennet’s says “Fitzwilliam”. And she ends up married to Colonel Fitzwilliam (who has Bennet on his wrist), not Darcy.

I made it 30 percent through it? I just didn’t find it very compelling. It starts at the point of the story where Elizabeth is visiting Charlotte at her new home with Mr Collins.

I might pick it up again later.

[Neka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how to express how wonderful this is - the whole thing. Every single word, from the beginning to the end of all the additional variations, alternate version, extra bits, and everything else.

Everyone thinks that having your soul mate's name on your body would make things easier, but that's not necessarily true, is it? This explores how complex relationships can be, all set in Pride and Prejudice and with real war-time events as well.

I want this printed out and on my shelves.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Imagine Lizzy had fallen for Colonel Fitzwilliam instead of Mr Darcy, imagine the family interactions, the exploration of characters beyond the fate given by Austen. This fanfiction accomplishes all this, and keeps the formal narrative tones of P&P without sacrificing the plot for modern audiences. It was really enjoyable, and my first foray in P&P fanfiction and retelling which is one of my favourites after Cinderella retellings.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOOF. this one clocks in at over 200k words but it's also a really interesting and thoughtful deconstruction of the soulmark/soulmate trope as viewed through the lense of pride and prejudice.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful AU

[Gio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written work, with very beautiful tender moments for odc. The road to get there is full of angst, but also full of witty writing & rich storytelling. Theme is soul marks.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this was written in a way that Jane Austen, her brilliant self, would appreciate. It felt honoring to P&P while taking it a whole different direction by adding the soulmate mark, it was beautiful, and full of romantic tension, the kind that leaves you falling for the main characters and getting nervous for them. This was a clean fan fic, and I throughly enjoyed it.

[Lauren Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to give this a 4.75 star that rounds up to 5, just to give Jane Austen's original (at five stars) a slight edge. I loved this variation.

At first I thought the detour would be too weird the thought of Elizabeth embarking on a relationship with someone else before Darcy jarred, and the character death was painfulbut it was dealt with in a sensitive and credible manner.

It was also interesting to see how the soulmark trope was philosophically debated and woven through the story.

The eventual Elizabeth / Darcy pairing after a very very very slow burn romance is tremendously satisfying, maybe because it is built on so much understanding of their true natures and shared history. Some of the other characters, such as Georgianna and Kitty are also deliciously entertaining.such as their efforts to nudge their their respective siblings (who are some combination of too clueless and too reserved) closer by locking them into random locations at Pemberley

[Mythili · Rating 4 out of 5]

hot take great, VERY long and VERY involved, but i was engrossed throughout, funny to return to thinking about this after watching the p&p 2005 re-release in theaters