Review: Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy by William Codpiece Thwackery

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Why did her heart race, and her bloomers quiver, at the thought of submitting to Mr Darcy’s every whim?
When Mr. Elliot Bingley comes to court Lizzy Bennet's sister, she meets his mysterious, grey-eyed friend, a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. After only a couple of balls, Lizzy is lured into Darcy's secret world of lascivious practices and lusty urges.

MY TAKE:

I like parodies so even if I've never read Fifty Shades of Grey, I just had to get this one.

In Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet is sucked into the kinky world of the billionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy. At the same time, she's worrying about her sisters who have to navigate the crazy world of Victorian/modern England.

I never got around to reading the Fifty Shades series because after skimming the book at a bookstore, I realized that it's just not my kind of writing. Some of the descriptions did not feel sexy at all. I'm not anti-S&M or anything, but there's a way to write these kinds of books that doesn't turn off people who aren't into the lifestyle.

The idea of mashing up Fifty Shades of Grey with Pride and Prejudice worked out better than expected. It helps that there's already animosity between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy so the plot feels a bit more organic. For those looking for Elizabeth and Darcy sexy time, though, there's not much here and what's here is nowhere near as graphic as Fifty Shades.

I enjoyed the occasional references to modern ideas and technologies. Purists might not like that, but it's alright for me since it makes it more accessible and funny.

I'm not too sure about the characters' breaking the fourth wall, though. If these were comics, I would be fine with it, but in a novel, it can be distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pocket Star for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You get to see a weirder, funnier side to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
2. You get two stories in one.
3. The book makes Victorian England sound exciting and fun.

THE BAD:

1. Purists won't be happy with the references to modern-day ideas and technologies, which tend to break the illusion that you're reading a kinky Pride and Prejudice.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Mr. Darcy fidgeted impatiently. 'Just skip to the dirty bits,' he urged. 'That's  what everyone else does.'

READ IT IF:

1. You liked Fifty Shades of Grey, but didn't like the kinky descriptions.
2. You liked Pride and Prejudice and Fifty Shades of Grey, and you're looking for a good laugh.
3. You've wondered what it would be like if literary characters from classics were a lot more like modern men and women.

RATING:


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