What do you think?
Rate this book
A Look Behind the Mask: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
What if Elizabeth Bennet had an experience as a young girl which taught her that a handsome face does not mean a man is trustworthy?
As a twelve-year-old girl, Elizabeth Bennet witnesses a traumatic experience that shapes how she views men. She learns the hard way that a handsome face can mask cruelty and depravity.
This experience forever alters her relationships with her sisters, her parents, and her friends.
How will a changed Elizabeth Bennet react to Fitzwilliam Darcy's insults at the Meryton Assembly?
Can Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy overcome their altered pride and prejudices to find happily ever after?
A Look Behind the Mask is a full-length, clean Pride & Prejudice variation of 112,000 words.
**Trigger warning: the prologue shows an experience of an adult male abusing a young female teen. It does NOT go into detail, but it may be disturbing for some. If it becomes uncomfortable for you, you can skip to chapter 1 without missing any of the story.**
Praise for A Look Behind the Mask:
“I enjoyed how you used the Jane Austen characters and set them in your own story. I really enjoyed all the differences and unique plot twists. Well done.”
“Wow what a glorious story!”
“Oh my god I SOBBED during the epilogue. What a beautiful story and a beautiful end.”
“This was a wonderful story! I really enjoyed the exploration of these characters and how real they were.”
“Your story is one of the top stories I've read… Please keep writing, you have a talent that should not be wasted.”
“Just the idea of Elizabeth dumping a pitcher of water on Lydia's head is giving me more enjoyment than I ever expected.”
“What a great story. You carried the many plot lines beautifully.”
“Your story is one of the top Jane Austen Fan Fiction stories I've read.”
As a twelve-year-old girl, Elizabeth Bennet witnesses a traumatic experience that shapes how she views men. She learns the hard way that a handsome face can mask cruelty and depravity.
This experience forever alters her relationships with her sisters, her parents, and her friends.
How will a changed Elizabeth Bennet react to Fitzwilliam Darcy's insults at the Meryton Assembly?
Can Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy overcome their altered pride and prejudices to find happily ever after?
A Look Behind the Mask is a full-length, clean Pride & Prejudice variation of 112,000 words.
**Trigger warning: the prologue shows an experience of an adult male abusing a young female teen. It does NOT go into detail, but it may be disturbing for some. If it becomes uncomfortable for you, you can skip to chapter 1 without missing any of the story.**
Praise for A Look Behind the Mask:
“I enjoyed how you used the Jane Austen characters and set them in your own story. I really enjoyed all the differences and unique plot twists. Well done.”
“Wow what a glorious story!”
“Oh my god I SOBBED during the epilogue. What a beautiful story and a beautiful end.”
“This was a wonderful story! I really enjoyed the exploration of these characters and how real they were.”
“Your story is one of the top stories I've read… Please keep writing, you have a talent that should not be wasted.”
“Just the idea of Elizabeth dumping a pitcher of water on Lydia's head is giving me more enjoyment than I ever expected.”
“What a great story. You carried the many plot lines beautifully.”
“Your story is one of the top Jane Austen Fan Fiction stories I've read.”
504 pages, ebook
Published October 19, 2021
160 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Tiffany Thomas
27 books58 followersWelcome! I’m Tiffany Thomas, and I’m so glad you are here!
I’m a homeschooling mom of four with Crohn’s disease. Prior to becoming ill, I was a public middle school math teacher for several years.
My husband, Phillip, and I run the blog Saving Talents – which I definitely think you should check out!
I love chocolate, sci-fi, and Jane Austen (obviously). I’m the oldest of 10 kids (6 bio, 4 adopted from foster care).
I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka, Mormon).
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me – I love hearing from my readers! Just sign up for my newsletter and hit “reply” when you get an email from me.
I’m a homeschooling mom of four with Crohn’s disease. Prior to becoming ill, I was a public middle school math teacher for several years.
My husband, Phillip, and I run the blog Saving Talents – which I definitely think you should check out!
I love chocolate, sci-fi, and Jane Austen (obviously). I’m the oldest of 10 kids (6 bio, 4 adopted from foster care).
I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka, Mormon).
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me – I love hearing from my readers! Just sign up for my newsletter and hit “reply” when you get an email from me.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 13, 2021
This long book (422 pages on Kindle) addresses the masks many present in public and describes how one must look inside to know the true persona.
Quote from the book: “As we seek to find proper husbands, we will need to endeavor to ignore their exteriors and give greater consequence to the character of the man underneath.”
And another quote: "Lizzy’s greatest desire had only ever been to protect her sisters. She wanted them to make good matches with kind men who would not mistreat them or betray them."
The author pairs the various characters up differently then Jane Austen did in canon, even with some new actors. Plus, the author also uses many of Jane Austen's quotes and not just from P&P.
At a very young age, Elizabeth learns a hard fact of life in her era: the servant class had no rights and masters knew that. Her observations were not just that a master could "use" a servant but also that this same man presented an entirely different face (mask) to the world. Years later Elizabeth saves Jane from an abusive marriage to that man due to her knowledge of his character. But also Elizabeth does not take any new male acquaintance at face value.
Elizabeth finds various ways to determine if a man is presenting his true self to the world or if he has another man hiding inside. Servants talk to servants in other households and so can report the first-hand observations from those who are in daily contact with people/men of whom Elizabeth is attempting to learn more.
Elizabeth and Darcy take their time getting to know one another and there are some trust issues. Darcy's history with his own father and Wickham is that the treatment from each did not inspire confidence in Darcy as he matured. Thus his reticence in public plus his own issues with delving deeper into getting to know those who make his acquaintance.
Some new characters are introduced. One: the Colonel's older brother, the Viscount, becomes an important secondary character.
Some editing is needed and I did highlight some of those. It was interesting to read of the new pairings. Elizabeth's observations when meeting Wickham showed "a lesson well learned" in that she looked past his charming manners and handsome face. And we do have an epilogue.
Quote from the book: “As we seek to find proper husbands, we will need to endeavor to ignore their exteriors and give greater consequence to the character of the man underneath.”
And another quote: "Lizzy’s greatest desire had only ever been to protect her sisters. She wanted them to make good matches with kind men who would not mistreat them or betray them."
The author pairs the various characters up differently then Jane Austen did in canon, even with some new actors. Plus, the author also uses many of Jane Austen's quotes and not just from P&P.
At a very young age, Elizabeth learns a hard fact of life in her era: the servant class had no rights and masters knew that. Her observations were not just that a master could "use" a servant but also that this same man presented an entirely different face (mask) to the world. Years later Elizabeth saves Jane from an abusive marriage to that man due to her knowledge of his character. But also Elizabeth does not take any new male acquaintance at face value.
Elizabeth finds various ways to determine if a man is presenting his true self to the world or if he has another man hiding inside. Servants talk to servants in other households and so can report the first-hand observations from those who are in daily contact with people/men of whom Elizabeth is attempting to learn more.
Elizabeth and Darcy take their time getting to know one another and there are some trust issues. Darcy's history with his own father and Wickham is that the treatment from each did not inspire confidence in Darcy as he matured. Thus his reticence in public plus his own issues with delving deeper into getting to know those who make his acquaintance.
Some new characters are introduced. One: the Colonel's older brother, the Viscount, becomes an important secondary character.
Some editing is needed and I did highlight some of those. It was interesting to read of the new pairings. Elizabeth's observations when meeting Wickham showed "a lesson well learned" in that she looked past his charming manners and handsome face. And we do have an epilogue.
October 21, 2021
Well worth your time
KU read; buying for permanent collection.
Only a few sticking points mar this otherwise strong tory. The first 20% of the book has a few questionable time breaks. For example, Bingley says he’s been gone three years when it’s only been two; Darcy doesn’t correct him. Another chapter begins in April, yet a letter a few days (and pages) later is written in October. Mary’s courtship and betrothal is also confusing; we are led to believe it’s only a month before the wedding, but it turns out to be a year and five weeks. Why would you simply not have had her beau enter their lives until the following year (if that makes sense)?
Various clunkers appear throughout the books, such as this: “Do you think my uncle will be surprised to learn that years ago, a malicious faerie swapped his newborn sister with a fishwife’s daughter?”
There are a few narrative issues. As in the original, Mrs Bennet lashes out at Darcy at Netherfield. Unlike the book, she never knew that Darcy insulted Lizzy at the assembly; therefore, she would not already be prejudiced against him. Similarly,
Darcy and Lizzy’s Big Blow Up is predicated on a very flimsy accusation.
Aside from that, the story is strong and layered. I love, for example, that Mrs Bennet can no longer make the walk into Meryton because she’s birthed five children. I readily believe that childbirth could wreak that much havoc on her daily activities in an era of primitive medical knowledge. I appreciate that in this book, Bingley’s learning the ropes of running an estate is a years-long project; it certainly seems more realistic than a nine-week apprenticeship at Netherfield.
Most of the characters grow and learn from their experiences (Bingley and Jane, I’m looking at you). Ms Thomas doesn’t shy away from pairing characters with untraditional love interests, and the story is better for it.
KU read; buying for permanent collection.
Only a few sticking points mar this otherwise strong tory. The first 20% of the book has a few questionable time breaks. For example, Bingley says he’s been gone three years when it’s only been two; Darcy doesn’t correct him. Another chapter begins in April, yet a letter a few days (and pages) later is written in October. Mary’s courtship and betrothal is also confusing; we are led to believe it’s only a month before the wedding, but it turns out to be a year and five weeks. Why would you simply not have had her beau enter their lives until the following year (if that makes sense)?
Various clunkers appear throughout the books, such as this: “Do you think my uncle will be surprised to learn that years ago, a malicious faerie swapped his newborn sister with a fishwife’s daughter?”
There are a few narrative issues. As in the original, Mrs Bennet lashes out at Darcy at Netherfield. Unlike the book, she never knew that Darcy insulted Lizzy at the assembly; therefore, she would not already be prejudiced against him. Similarly,
Darcy and Lizzy’s Big Blow Up is predicated on a very flimsy accusation.
Aside from that, the story is strong and layered. I love, for example, that Mrs Bennet can no longer make the walk into Meryton because she’s birthed five children. I readily believe that childbirth could wreak that much havoc on her daily activities in an era of primitive medical knowledge. I appreciate that in this book, Bingley’s learning the ropes of running an estate is a years-long project; it certainly seems more realistic than a nine-week apprenticeship at Netherfield.
Most of the characters grow and learn from their experiences (Bingley and Jane, I’m looking at you). Ms Thomas doesn’t shy away from pairing characters with untraditional love interests, and the story is better for it.
July 21, 2022
Lizzy learns about life when she is 12
At the age of 12 Lizzy is walking and is witness to one of the netherfield tenants being taken advantage of by the steward. She learns that just because a man acts kind and is handsome does not mean he can be trusted. She doesn’t tell her parents because her mother will ruin the girl with her gossip and doesn’t tell her father because he thinks everything like that is just a joke and will do nothing.
From this point on she tries to keep her sisters and friends safe. This is a mask she hides behind to take care of others.
Darcy must always be on guard to not be compromised when he at a social event. This scowl is a mask he wears to protect himself and Georgiana.
Can either Lizzy or Darcy let down their masks for love? Letting the masks down can be dangerous.
Good story, interesting what-ifs.
At the age of 12 Lizzy is walking and is witness to one of the netherfield tenants being taken advantage of by the steward. She learns that just because a man acts kind and is handsome does not mean he can be trusted. She doesn’t tell her parents because her mother will ruin the girl with her gossip and doesn’t tell her father because he thinks everything like that is just a joke and will do nothing.
From this point on she tries to keep her sisters and friends safe. This is a mask she hides behind to take care of others.
Darcy must always be on guard to not be compromised when he at a social event. This scowl is a mask he wears to protect himself and Georgiana.
Can either Lizzy or Darcy let down their masks for love? Letting the masks down can be dangerous.
Good story, interesting what-ifs.
December 15, 2021
3.5*
While there was much that was sweet about this book, there was also much that had me scratching my head.
The Bennet sister's growth and relationship was awesome.
The Mr. Collins that shows up at Longbourn is redeemable, especially with Mary's help.
Following the opening scenes I thought for sure this was going to be a dark tale. However, there was so much personal reflection and growth for all of the primary characters, that by the time everyone ended up at Meryton everyone was half way toward their goal. It ended up being a very sweet, goody 2 shoes, kind of story.
That just left the pairing off of individuals in to couples be they in love, in esteem or nearly there.
Peppered with Lydia (eye roll) Wickham, Lady C, and a surprising Anne.
My pet peeve hung around, with unnecessary repetitions and over explaining.
There was also a lot of very young women being paid off at 15 and 16. That was kind of disturbing.
Overall an entertaining read. More of an ensemble book rather than focusing mainly on ODC.
While there was much that was sweet about this book, there was also much that had me scratching my head.
The Bennet sister's growth and relationship was awesome.
The Mr. Collins that shows up at Longbourn is redeemable, especially with Mary's help.
Following the opening scenes I thought for sure this was going to be a dark tale. However, there was so much personal reflection and growth for all of the primary characters, that by the time everyone ended up at Meryton everyone was half way toward their goal. It ended up being a very sweet, goody 2 shoes, kind of story.
That just left the pairing off of individuals in to couples be they in love, in esteem or nearly there.
Peppered with Lydia (eye roll) Wickham, Lady C, and a surprising Anne.
My pet peeve hung around, with unnecessary repetitions and over explaining.
There was also a lot of very young women being paid off at 15 and 16. That was kind of disturbing.
Overall an entertaining read. More of an ensemble book rather than focusing mainly on ODC.
November 9, 2021
A young Elizabeth Bennet unexpectedly witnesses evil in a man which helps her realize that not all things are as they seem. As she and the 4 oldest sisters mature, their shared encounters add to the things they look for to determine who someone really is.
While the story doesn't follow cannon at all, the author does manage to get most of the major pieces into the plot (just not where you would expect them). Fitzwilliam Darcy is more introspective, Bingley and Georgiana end up a couple, Wickham is his usual self, Lydia reaps what she sows, and Mr. Collins improves with longer acquaintance. In the end, Elizabeth and Darcy have to let each other see their true selves, without their emotional mask, to find their happily ever after.
While the story doesn't follow cannon at all, the author does manage to get most of the major pieces into the plot (just not where you would expect them). Fitzwilliam Darcy is more introspective, Bingley and Georgiana end up a couple, Wickham is his usual self, Lydia reaps what she sows, and Mr. Collins improves with longer acquaintance. In the end, Elizabeth and Darcy have to let each other see their true selves, without their emotional mask, to find their happily ever after.
June 6, 2022
3.5 stars, marked down mainly due to some large sections with editing issues and some large swaths of quoted canon that bogged down the already too long book. Otherwise, this story had quite a lot to offer in the way of being unique, new, and different, and I commend the author for taking a chance on the readership accepting the twists. Some may not like some of the changes, and too bad for them, because they're going to miss an enjoyable read due to fanon prejudices.
That's the end of my subjective comments for a while because I write a technical review, trying to pull out the issues that irritate the average reader into dropping stars in their reviews.
The plot was formed of an excellent prequel (just over one third of the book) and a variation of canon. Because a number of canon items were affected by changes in the prequel, "canon" was shorter. The difficulty was that at 60% of the way through the book, the author chose to quote large passages of canon with barely a change, and this continued on and off to 75%, thus making for some tedious reading (I skimmed) because not only was this not new material, but it added nothing to the story arc.
The flow was steadily forward, with two flashbacks represented by italics. The first one (85%) surprised me and I thought the italics were a formatting mistake. It would have been good to date the flashbacks to make it clearer. Pace was moderate to slow, with some dramatic tension in a couple of places to pick it up (with a bad guy!). The balance of narrative to dialogue is the culprit for the pace, and the book would have been more interesting if the author had chosen to take some of the narrative and turn it into dialogue.
Point of view is Omniscient Narrator, allowing the author to get away with changes in character point of view because we aren't in their heads, rather, we're being told by someone outside of the story how they feel.
Language was not bad for attempting a Regency feel, with a minimum of modern expressions, though "process her feelings," "sort through her emotions," and "give his friend some space," all took me out of the story. Americanisms toward, gotten, "we will," and "I will" were used incorrectly. A few contractions were used, and "don't" was used as much as all the contractions in P&P in total. Words and phrases used in a non-Regency way included the following: compromise/compromised/compromising, "taken aback," "all right"/alright, snorted, modiste, reaction/reactions, check/checked/checking, fiancé, assess, normally, décolletage, share/shared, bric-a-brac, interacted/interactions, condescending/condescendingly, bored, staff, gingersnap, head/headed, "wedding breakfast," trousseau, and debutante. This is quite a long list for a JAFF novel, but the book is long. "One another" was used for "each other," "loathe" for "loath," and "alit" for "lit." The expression "tête-à-tête" was used without proper punctuation.
There were some canon misspellings: Mrs. Young, Georgina, and Bennett.
Technical errors included use of fibromyalgia and Canada. Fibromyalgia wasn't discovered until 1820 when it was called fibrositis. Canada wasn't a country until 1867; prior to that there were several independent colonies of which two were called Upper Canada and Lower Canada. They would be called "the colonies" if lumped together.
Prior to 12% in the book there were a ton of annoying punctuation errors: spaces prior to a period, double periods, space before a comma, hyphens used for em-dashes, missing periods, missing commas, and missing closing quotation marks. There is also a double period at 55%. This is bad enough to warrant a complaint to Amazon if it was the whole book. But magically, the problem ceased to exist for the rest of the book.
I found some continuity errors: Mr. Bennet said no pin money until January, then didn't object to the ladies spending money in October. Elizabeth at first said the courtship would last two months to Darcy and then six months to her father. There was confusion over who was going to Kent: excuses were made for people not listed as going (Jane, Mrs. B.) yet not for Mr. B., who was listed as going, but didn't. Was this a typo?
The author used elaborate dialogue tags that took away from the dialogue, e.g., "inquired," "intoned reservedly," and "said" plus an adverb. Dialogue tags should rarely be more elaborate than "said," and even then, the author should try to cut out "said" and have minimal dialogue tags at all. Let the dialogue itself show the emotions, etc. The author also spoonfed emotions rather than showing them.
Scene setting was well done, with all the senses engaged.
From my standpoint, there was good research done on many subjects, as we didn't have many questions, yet there were many technical, historical, and sociological aspects to this book that had to have been checked out before writing the story. One good example is that there was no such thing as an official adoption in the Regency, but the author cleverly worked her story around that fact.
The author made frequent use of filter words (such as "felt" or "saw") and though in ON POV this is more acceptable than in deep POV, it's still better to show instead of tell what's happening.
Some Regency errors included the reference to two sets when the author really meant two dances. It's two dances per set. There was no such thing as a permission to court, the gentleman merely calling on the lady meant he was courting her, and he would continue that way until something happened to end the courtship. This idea of permission to court is a brand new one that's shown up in recent Regency romances and I don't know who invented it first, but I'd bet it was in the last 5 years.
Canon inconsistency errors are to have Colonel Fitzwilliam in the militia, though it worked for the story; the concept of hedgerows, which is an Andrew Davies idea; and calling Elizabeth "Lizzy" in the narrative--Ugh!
Characterization was complex and it didn't need to be. Elizabeth was not as likeable as she should have been, and she was drawn as so different than the large breadth of canon options one has to choose from that she was hard to place as the same character. She was impulsive, irrational, self-righteous, and even rude at times. She was like Lydia without Lydia's sexual energy. Darcy was far too responsible and wishy-washy for his own good. He flitted from one fire to another where canon Darcy was far more controlled and thoughtful. Like I say, Austen gave a lot of breadth to these characters, and it was possible to select parts from them, so it wasn't necessary to totally re-write them. The villain was well done.
On the theme of characters, some matches (mini-spoiler alert) were non-canon, and this was so exceptionally well done, I don't know how anyone could object to them.
The cover is nice without addressing the title directly. This is a good thing, as readers may think of physical masks where the story's defining thread is the metaphor. The artwork is nice, the layout and size of fonts are good for a thumbnail on Amazon, and the whole thing is pleasing to the eye.
This book was really long, and yet I can't say there were crutches such as redundancies that made up any part of that. If the canon quotes weren't there and some narrative became dialogue, it would seem more quickly paced, but it would still be a long novel, and the topic matter deserved this treatment. I got great enjoyment out of my read of this novel and support the non-fanon aspects as something the book did extremely well. The theme was applied throughout and assisted in consistency. I wish the errors had been corrected, though. A good editor is worth their weight in JAFF novels. The author can get to this right away so future readers don't stop reading at 10% because of all the punctuation errors and miss a good book.
Disclaimer: I'm a JAFF author, and some might say this review is a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. I write them for the benefit of both the reader and the author.
That's the end of my subjective comments for a while because I write a technical review, trying to pull out the issues that irritate the average reader into dropping stars in their reviews.
The plot was formed of an excellent prequel (just over one third of the book) and a variation of canon. Because a number of canon items were affected by changes in the prequel, "canon" was shorter. The difficulty was that at 60% of the way through the book, the author chose to quote large passages of canon with barely a change, and this continued on and off to 75%, thus making for some tedious reading (I skimmed) because not only was this not new material, but it added nothing to the story arc.
The flow was steadily forward, with two flashbacks represented by italics. The first one (85%) surprised me and I thought the italics were a formatting mistake. It would have been good to date the flashbacks to make it clearer. Pace was moderate to slow, with some dramatic tension in a couple of places to pick it up (with a bad guy!). The balance of narrative to dialogue is the culprit for the pace, and the book would have been more interesting if the author had chosen to take some of the narrative and turn it into dialogue.
Point of view is Omniscient Narrator, allowing the author to get away with changes in character point of view because we aren't in their heads, rather, we're being told by someone outside of the story how they feel.
Language was not bad for attempting a Regency feel, with a minimum of modern expressions, though "process her feelings," "sort through her emotions," and "give his friend some space," all took me out of the story. Americanisms toward, gotten, "we will," and "I will" were used incorrectly. A few contractions were used, and "don't" was used as much as all the contractions in P&P in total. Words and phrases used in a non-Regency way included the following: compromise/compromised/compromising, "taken aback," "all right"/alright, snorted, modiste, reaction/reactions, check/checked/checking, fiancé, assess, normally, décolletage, share/shared, bric-a-brac, interacted/interactions, condescending/condescendingly, bored, staff, gingersnap, head/headed, "wedding breakfast," trousseau, and debutante. This is quite a long list for a JAFF novel, but the book is long. "One another" was used for "each other," "loathe" for "loath," and "alit" for "lit." The expression "tête-à-tête" was used without proper punctuation.
There were some canon misspellings: Mrs. Young, Georgina, and Bennett.
Technical errors included use of fibromyalgia and Canada. Fibromyalgia wasn't discovered until 1820 when it was called fibrositis. Canada wasn't a country until 1867; prior to that there were several independent colonies of which two were called Upper Canada and Lower Canada. They would be called "the colonies" if lumped together.
Prior to 12% in the book there were a ton of annoying punctuation errors: spaces prior to a period, double periods, space before a comma, hyphens used for em-dashes, missing periods, missing commas, and missing closing quotation marks. There is also a double period at 55%. This is bad enough to warrant a complaint to Amazon if it was the whole book. But magically, the problem ceased to exist for the rest of the book.
I found some continuity errors: Mr. Bennet said no pin money until January, then didn't object to the ladies spending money in October. Elizabeth at first said the courtship would last two months to Darcy and then six months to her father. There was confusion over who was going to Kent: excuses were made for people not listed as going (Jane, Mrs. B.) yet not for Mr. B., who was listed as going, but didn't. Was this a typo?
The author used elaborate dialogue tags that took away from the dialogue, e.g., "inquired," "intoned reservedly," and "said" plus an adverb. Dialogue tags should rarely be more elaborate than "said," and even then, the author should try to cut out "said" and have minimal dialogue tags at all. Let the dialogue itself show the emotions, etc. The author also spoonfed emotions rather than showing them.
Scene setting was well done, with all the senses engaged.
From my standpoint, there was good research done on many subjects, as we didn't have many questions, yet there were many technical, historical, and sociological aspects to this book that had to have been checked out before writing the story. One good example is that there was no such thing as an official adoption in the Regency, but the author cleverly worked her story around that fact.
The author made frequent use of filter words (such as "felt" or "saw") and though in ON POV this is more acceptable than in deep POV, it's still better to show instead of tell what's happening.
Some Regency errors included the reference to two sets when the author really meant two dances. It's two dances per set. There was no such thing as a permission to court, the gentleman merely calling on the lady meant he was courting her, and he would continue that way until something happened to end the courtship. This idea of permission to court is a brand new one that's shown up in recent Regency romances and I don't know who invented it first, but I'd bet it was in the last 5 years.
Canon inconsistency errors are to have Colonel Fitzwilliam in the militia, though it worked for the story; the concept of hedgerows, which is an Andrew Davies idea; and calling Elizabeth "Lizzy" in the narrative--Ugh!
Characterization was complex and it didn't need to be. Elizabeth was not as likeable as she should have been, and she was drawn as so different than the large breadth of canon options one has to choose from that she was hard to place as the same character. She was impulsive, irrational, self-righteous, and even rude at times. She was like Lydia without Lydia's sexual energy. Darcy was far too responsible and wishy-washy for his own good. He flitted from one fire to another where canon Darcy was far more controlled and thoughtful. Like I say, Austen gave a lot of breadth to these characters, and it was possible to select parts from them, so it wasn't necessary to totally re-write them. The villain was well done.
On the theme of characters, some matches (mini-spoiler alert) were non-canon, and this was so exceptionally well done, I don't know how anyone could object to them.
The cover is nice without addressing the title directly. This is a good thing, as readers may think of physical masks where the story's defining thread is the metaphor. The artwork is nice, the layout and size of fonts are good for a thumbnail on Amazon, and the whole thing is pleasing to the eye.
This book was really long, and yet I can't say there were crutches such as redundancies that made up any part of that. If the canon quotes weren't there and some narrative became dialogue, it would seem more quickly paced, but it would still be a long novel, and the topic matter deserved this treatment. I got great enjoyment out of my read of this novel and support the non-fanon aspects as something the book did extremely well. The theme was applied throughout and assisted in consistency. I wish the errors had been corrected, though. A good editor is worth their weight in JAFF novels. The author can get to this right away so future readers don't stop reading at 10% because of all the punctuation errors and miss a good book.
Disclaimer: I'm a JAFF author, and some might say this review is a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. I write them for the benefit of both the reader and the author.
June 12, 2022
Original and engaging
I read a lot of these variations but rarely do I actively enjoy the entire book. I have found I enjoy them more when the sisters are all close and articulate, which is exactly what we are given here. In some ways, this is a more perfect progression than the original without being unbelievable or outlandish. These are real people and I loved that.
I read a lot of these variations but rarely do I actively enjoy the entire book. I have found I enjoy them more when the sisters are all close and articulate, which is exactly what we are given here. In some ways, this is a more perfect progression than the original without being unbelievable or outlandish. These are real people and I loved that.
Read
November 21, 2021Inconsistent plot at end
The book is enjoyably different from the original P&P however, it seems to me the author lost track of those changes at the end and made references to things said in the original that were not said in this version. For example, a search of the word "tolerable" finds it only in the one place where a previous usage is implied. A search for the word "tempt" matches some form of "attempt" most frequently and "tempted" at least once but nothing before it is used to imply some reference to a memory. Darcy never insulted Lizzy at the assembly and Georgiana is the one who overheard something.
The book is enjoyably different from the original P&P however, it seems to me the author lost track of those changes at the end and made references to things said in the original that were not said in this version. For example, a search of the word "tolerable" finds it only in the one place where a previous usage is implied. A search for the word "tempt" matches some form of "attempt" most frequently and "tempted" at least once but nothing before it is used to imply some reference to a memory. Darcy never insulted Lizzy at the assembly and Georgiana is the one who overheard something.
November 3, 2021
This novel gives a different perspective on the timeless romance of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. This version compliments the original and allows the reader to relive some of their favorite moments. At the same time, the Bennett girls remind each other and every hopeless romantic to look for more from marriage than a handsome face, raging passion, or wealth.
January 31, 2023
Good story
Loved Lizzy and Darcy and goid plotline and great ending! Glad villains were dealt with correctly. Will read it again!
Loved Lizzy and Darcy and goid plotline and great ending! Glad villains were dealt with correctly. Will read it again!
October 28, 2021
Really well done Really enjoyed the sisters relationship in this story. Liked it a lot.
Read
October 29, 2021DNF
I’d write a review but honestly I really don’t know what this book was about. I just felt like every one was lecturing each other about their bad behavior and I got bored.
I’d write a review but honestly I really don’t know what this book was about. I just felt like every one was lecturing each other about their bad behavior and I got bored.
December 20, 2021
This was very admirable entry into the JAFF offerings for '21. I liked the premise of the book; an experience that Lizzy has at an early age leads her to make a decision that influences her the rest of her life and that of her sisters. Seeing a neighbor brutalize a young servant girl and with no power to help the girl, Lizzy realizes that their handsome, charming and well mannered neighbor is hiding some ugliness under a mask. Later she saves her sister Jane from marrying him with some clever maneuvers, getting Jane sent to their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London and talking her mother into thinking it was her idea all along even though Mrs. Bennet was pushing Jane originally to accept his addresses.
The book has a lot of side-character story lines, quite a few, and with the exception of Lydia's story I liked all of them, but then I rarely like any of Lydia's page time. I thought this author did a good job of juggling all those story lines, keeping them straight and meshing them together throughout the book and wrapping them up very nicely in the epilogue. Considering this is her debut published JAFF the story and her execution is quite impressive.
I agree with those reviewers who think the book was over-the-top sweet. And I have to say that this needs an editing rework. There were many too many missing words, also phrases that should've been edited out once the decision was made about which phrase was to be used, but I didn't take a star away only for that. It needs to be tightened up, an editor would've cut some things out (including an anachronism or three to make it a better story.) I hope a publishing group can pick her up and help her next publication because this story was a great idea. I hope to see more from Ms. Thomas.
The book has a lot of side-character story lines, quite a few, and with the exception of Lydia's story I liked all of them, but then I rarely like any of Lydia's page time. I thought this author did a good job of juggling all those story lines, keeping them straight and meshing them together throughout the book and wrapping them up very nicely in the epilogue. Considering this is her debut published JAFF the story and her execution is quite impressive.
I agree with those reviewers who think the book was over-the-top sweet. And I have to say that this needs an editing rework. There were many too many missing words, also phrases that should've been edited out once the decision was made about which phrase was to be used, but I didn't take a star away only for that. It needs to be tightened up, an editor would've cut some things out (including an anachronism or three to make it a better story.) I hope a publishing group can pick her up and help her next publication because this story was a great idea. I hope to see more from Ms. Thomas.
November 9, 2021
Story: four stars. Interesting premise, well-executed for (I think) a first time author. Some apparent vagaries of timeline. None of the characters were too perfect, which made them seem more real.
Editing: 2.5 stars. Definitely not like some JAFF that's hardly readable--far from it--but a handful of anachronisms ("alright" being the main culprit) and some typos/missing text that were pretty glaring ("indiscrete", "With the of technologies", "the Mr. Wickham") pulled me out of the enjoyment of the story several times.
Editing: 2.5 stars. Definitely not like some JAFF that's hardly readable--far from it--but a handful of anachronisms ("alright" being the main culprit) and some typos/missing text that were pretty glaring ("indiscrete", "With the of technologies", "the Mr. Wickham") pulled me out of the enjoyment of the story several times.
December 7, 2021
I feel like I’ve read this book before. The exact plot but it’s not marked as read so these ideas must be popular in the P&P fanfic world.
It was ok. A bit too long for my liking and dragged a bit.
It was ok. A bit too long for my liking and dragged a bit.
October 24, 2021
a good read
A really good read, would definitely recommend
To anyone who enjoys a prejudice variation. I did enjoy some of the more unconventional couples
A really good read, would definitely recommend
To anyone who enjoys a prejudice variation. I did enjoy some of the more unconventional couples
November 25, 2021
P&P as sprawling family saga
This novel begins when all our main protagonists are children. Much that is implied or unexplained in the original is delineated in detail. The pivotal moment occurs when the 12 year old Lizzy discovers the cruelty that can hide behind a congenial mask. This is the key theme: how do we learn to see behinds the masks that others present to us. In the first half of the narrative, there are key plot shifts. The latter part follows more closely to the canon, as it applies to Lizzy and Darcy—except when it doesn’t. It was an intriguing read, yet I never felt totally engaged with the characters. The intrigue was wondering what the next plot twist would bring about. As in another variation I read recently, the author tends to ride on Austen’s coattails, assuming readers are familiar with the originals. Any changes would lose their significance if we were not already primed by prior knowledge. It is a generous length, and well written.
This novel begins when all our main protagonists are children. Much that is implied or unexplained in the original is delineated in detail. The pivotal moment occurs when the 12 year old Lizzy discovers the cruelty that can hide behind a congenial mask. This is the key theme: how do we learn to see behinds the masks that others present to us. In the first half of the narrative, there are key plot shifts. The latter part follows more closely to the canon, as it applies to Lizzy and Darcy—except when it doesn’t. It was an intriguing read, yet I never felt totally engaged with the characters. The intrigue was wondering what the next plot twist would bring about. As in another variation I read recently, the author tends to ride on Austen’s coattails, assuming readers are familiar with the originals. Any changes would lose their significance if we were not already primed by prior knowledge. It is a generous length, and well written.
November 13, 2021
Sure, there were a few editing mistakes, but all books have those. This is the author's first novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 26, 2022
I ardently adored this pride and prejudice variation!
This is an interesting take on a beloved classic. I greatly enjoyed reading it. I love the different twists and turns, and seeing the characters in a whole new light. I was astonished over Lizzy and Darcy‘s argument, but then I loved how everything turned out in the end.
This is an interesting take on a beloved classic. I greatly enjoyed reading it. I love the different twists and turns, and seeing the characters in a whole new light. I was astonished over Lizzy and Darcy‘s argument, but then I loved how everything turned out in the end.
October 21, 2021
Wonderful
An absolutely wonderful and emotional variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Tiffany Thomas. I enjoyed it very much.
An absolutely wonderful and emotional variation inspired by author Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Tiffany Thomas. I enjoyed it very much.
Read
November 29, 2021Good story - from early on Elizabeth tried to look into individual character versus the looks and the outcomes are vastly different as a result - although the same HEA.
November 25, 2021
I loved this story!
It was told from such a clever angle. I don't really know of any part that I did not like. I recommend this book!
It was told from such a clever angle. I don't really know of any part that I did not like. I recommend this book!
November 2, 2021
3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
I did enjoy this book, though it could do with a bit of trimming. I found some characters unnecessary (the introduction of a random woman in Ramsgate) and some to be confusing in their backstory (the viscount). At times I felt that there many directions in which the story was supposed to go and then was directed somewhere else. And these things are minor, there is a good story here.
I did enjoy this book, though it could do with a bit of trimming. I found some characters unnecessary (the introduction of a random woman in Ramsgate) and some to be confusing in their backstory (the viscount). At times I felt that there many directions in which the story was supposed to go and then was directed somewhere else. And these things are minor, there is a good story here.
November 1, 2021
Sweet Variation
I enjoyed this variation of pride and prejudice. It was a very different turn with some of the characters and I like that approach. It did get a little wordy so that’s why it didn’t have five stars. But overall it was really enjoyable and I would encourage anyone to read it. It had a nice little how to in finding a spouse or someone you can trust :)
I enjoyed this variation of pride and prejudice. It was a very different turn with some of the characters and I like that approach. It did get a little wordy so that’s why it didn’t have five stars. But overall it was really enjoyable and I would encourage anyone to read it. It had a nice little how to in finding a spouse or someone you can trust :)
July 9, 2022
Ho letto questo libro grazie ad una mia amica su fb e confesso che è una lettura avvincente. Si tratta di una Variazione di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio, purtroppo non disponibile in italiano. La trama è avvincente, con una serie di stravolgimenti nella formazione delle coppie dei personaggi. Ne consiglio la lettura.
December 14, 2021
Just okay
My first time reading this author. She has a talent worth developing, and I hope she'll keep at it. In this version, Elizabeth witnesses an act of violence, performed by a handsome man against a servant, when she is only thirteen years old. It changes her entire attitude towards men, and she resolves never to let a man's outward appearance influence her acceptance of him, either for herself, or for her sisters. In every case of a suitor approaching one of her sisters, she insists on investigating his character, on "looking behind the mask," as the title states.
This is a worthy premise, and one obvious benefit is that it makes Elizabeth sceptical when Wickham starts in with his melodramatic story. However, in many cases, Elizabeth herself becomes an annoyance with the huge chip on her shoulder, and her almost rabid distrust of all men. She gets a little weird about it.
I'm guessing that the author is kind of new to writing. The storyline has a lot of very contrived features, such as Jane meeting Bingley and Darcy when she's fifteen, then again five years later, and then meeting Darcy's cousin in Hyde Park after that. The whole episode involving Anne DeBourgh and her scheme for escaping her mother's domination - very contrived, and even ludicrous. The very convenient way that Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and the Colonel's older brother all end up with Bennett sisters - contrived.
One other thing that makes this book seem to be the work of a beginner is the lack of proofreading and editing. The problem begins pretty glaringly right in the first pages, where Lydia is first eight years old, then seven, and then eight again. Even the foreword has errors. Throughout the book, there are many instances of missing words. A good proofreader is priceless.
This is a creative idea for a story, and it's fairly well written. There's no great romance between Elizabeth and Darcy. So much time is devoted to rooting out unworthy men, and clearing up misunderstandings, that very little text is about interactions between them. Their attraction to each other just suddenly happens, and then begins Elizabeth's process of investigating his character, leading to more misunderstandings, since we all know the road to resolution can never be smooth. I recommend the book with reservations.
My first time reading this author. She has a talent worth developing, and I hope she'll keep at it. In this version, Elizabeth witnesses an act of violence, performed by a handsome man against a servant, when she is only thirteen years old. It changes her entire attitude towards men, and she resolves never to let a man's outward appearance influence her acceptance of him, either for herself, or for her sisters. In every case of a suitor approaching one of her sisters, she insists on investigating his character, on "looking behind the mask," as the title states.
This is a worthy premise, and one obvious benefit is that it makes Elizabeth sceptical when Wickham starts in with his melodramatic story. However, in many cases, Elizabeth herself becomes an annoyance with the huge chip on her shoulder, and her almost rabid distrust of all men. She gets a little weird about it.
I'm guessing that the author is kind of new to writing. The storyline has a lot of very contrived features, such as Jane meeting Bingley and Darcy when she's fifteen, then again five years later, and then meeting Darcy's cousin in Hyde Park after that. The whole episode involving Anne DeBourgh and her scheme for escaping her mother's domination - very contrived, and even ludicrous. The very convenient way that Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and the Colonel's older brother all end up with Bennett sisters - contrived.
One other thing that makes this book seem to be the work of a beginner is the lack of proofreading and editing. The problem begins pretty glaringly right in the first pages, where Lydia is first eight years old, then seven, and then eight again. Even the foreword has errors. Throughout the book, there are many instances of missing words. A good proofreader is priceless.
This is a creative idea for a story, and it's fairly well written. There's no great romance between Elizabeth and Darcy. So much time is devoted to rooting out unworthy men, and clearing up misunderstandings, that very little text is about interactions between them. Their attraction to each other just suddenly happens, and then begins Elizabeth's process of investigating his character, leading to more misunderstandings, since we all know the road to resolution can never be smooth. I recommend the book with reservations.
May 17, 2022
A complete account of the Bennett Sisters
I enjoyed less drama from Caroline and Wickham; and more about the other characters. A very enjoyable read. I am happy I found this author.
I enjoyed less drama from Caroline and Wickham; and more about the other characters. A very enjoyable read. I am happy I found this author.
November 14, 2021
What if they learned their lessons earlier....
This was by far the most original adaptation I have read recently (and I've read a lot!). The story starts earlier with the Bennet family who have very young daughters and a young Darcy and Bingley. Elizabeth and Darcy both have young experiences that cause them to doubt the opposite sex as anything other than cruel or social-climbing. They both make mistakes along the way, but are very self reflective so many familiar scenes and conversations have very clever new meanings.
This has a bit of a shake up in the timing of some of our favorite couples as well as some previously made connections that allow this story to feel completely fresh while still letting us love our favorite characters. All the Bennet gals get married in this version, with several surprises along the way. We also get to see our favorite baddies, Lady CdeB, Wickham, and another new villain, all receive their just desserts. We also get a particularly screechy Mrs. Bennet (my least favorite in this version) and a reformed Mr. Collins.
All in all, this was a delightful story that had me laughing and giggling at the silly and sweet moments. I always leave a rating, but not always a review, but I felt like I had to sing the praises for this great variation.
This was by far the most original adaptation I have read recently (and I've read a lot!). The story starts earlier with the Bennet family who have very young daughters and a young Darcy and Bingley. Elizabeth and Darcy both have young experiences that cause them to doubt the opposite sex as anything other than cruel or social-climbing. They both make mistakes along the way, but are very self reflective so many familiar scenes and conversations have very clever new meanings.
This has a bit of a shake up in the timing of some of our favorite couples as well as some previously made connections that allow this story to feel completely fresh while still letting us love our favorite characters. All the Bennet gals get married in this version, with several surprises along the way. We also get to see our favorite baddies, Lady CdeB, Wickham, and another new villain, all receive their just desserts. We also get a particularly screechy Mrs. Bennet (my least favorite in this version) and a reformed Mr. Collins.
All in all, this was a delightful story that had me laughing and giggling at the silly and sweet moments. I always leave a rating, but not always a review, but I felt like I had to sing the praises for this great variation.
January 25, 2022
Giving this book 4.5 stars. I love the original Pride and Prejudice and went into this thinking it would be a dark version of P&P. I became pretty annoyed and almost quit reading it due to Jane and Bingley not ending up together. Jane eventually does find another love interest later in the story but I was disappointed in this. Other reviews are correct that this book has a point about the many masks people wear and this could be why J&B don’t end up together. I did appreciate Mary and Mr. Collins marrying as I always thought they would be good together. And of course Lizzy and Darcy become a couple, it just takes a while to get to that point. Overall a great book with a good message but the couples do shuffle around which took me by surprise!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2022
A highly entertaining read
This is definitely a multi layered story. Full of twists and turns it often made me think “what is going to happen to ODC next?” While not depressing there were a lot of deep themes throughout. Definitely pay attention to the trigger warning it’s there for a reason. I definitely appreciated it, I needed to be mentally prepared even though it was not graphic in anyway. There were some relationships I wasn’t so sure about but ended up being won over by their tenderness. While ODC have their traditional happy ending, this book is about all types of relationships and their own happy endings. My personal favorite is the bond of friendship between Darcy and Bingley. It’s a good read all around.
This is definitely a multi layered story. Full of twists and turns it often made me think “what is going to happen to ODC next?” While not depressing there were a lot of deep themes throughout. Definitely pay attention to the trigger warning it’s there for a reason. I definitely appreciated it, I needed to be mentally prepared even though it was not graphic in anyway. There were some relationships I wasn’t so sure about but ended up being won over by their tenderness. While ODC have their traditional happy ending, this book is about all types of relationships and their own happy endings. My personal favorite is the bond of friendship between Darcy and Bingley. It’s a good read all around.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews