Me and Mr. Darcy

Title: Me and Mr. Darcy
Author: Alexandra Potter
Pages: 368
Published: 2007

“After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with love. She’d much rather curl up with Pride & Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, thought, the company aboard the tour bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love To Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across the field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But what’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. And suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality.”

I was pretty disappointed with Me and Mr. Darcy. The premise looked good but rather turned out to be a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice with a predictable plot line.

The only original part of the plot line was that Emily meets, and falls in love with, Mr. Darcy himself and that part seemed to be well thought out and without any questionable flaws. However, the book as a whole took forever to get through.

The premise that Emily interrupts Darcy’s courtship of Elizabeth, to the point that he proposes to Emily, would make any Pride & Prejudice fan put the book down in disgust so I wouldn’t recommend to everyone. However, the book does have some redeeming qualities like it’s lighthearted tone and Emily’s reaction to Mr. Darcy’s proposal.

Rating: 2
Balance of Opinion: Stephanie’s Written Word