by Kristine Cuer

Created on: April 20, 2009

I was a bit skeptical to read this book. After all, how many authors had actually tried to use the names of the timeless characters that Jane Austen had created and had made a total fool of themselves? Jane Austen is incomparable. I don't think any body could be at par with the way she actually presents her characters or how she would develop her stories. Mixing romance with some social satire is something not all authors, before and now, had ever been successful of.

But I guess when the author, Alexandra Potter had conceptualize the story of Me and Mr. Darcy, she had never and will never I guess intends to be compared with Jane Austen. After all, she is just borrowing a character that Jane had made. With that reason alone, we could say, still nothing could beat the original.

Of course before I've read this book, I've already read Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy had existed. And definitely Mr. Darcy is one of those fictional male characters that a lot of female readers would definitely swoon over. Me and Mr. Darcy had depicted what these female readers had most likely dreamed about: meeting Mr. Darcy himself. Of course there could be the obvious question: Is Alexandra Potter referring to the Mr. Darcy in the Pride and Prejudice book or had she created a modern Mr. Darcy? Well, this book will give you both worlds.

This is a story of Emily Albright, a 29 years old single woman who had decided to go on a trip to England together with other Jane Austen fans. The trip was (not) surprisingly compose of "old" people aside from her self and Spike Hargreaves who is simply on that trip because he is writing an article about why Mr. Darcy had emerged to be one of the men that most women had dreamed to meet. But although they are technically the only persons who are in the same age bracket, they did not get along (well, at first of course). It was more like the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy in P&P.

The whole plot of the story is of course basely rooted on the plot of Pride and Prejudice. Which could possibly be the reason why if you are a great follower of Jane Austen, you can say that this book had spoiled the authenticity, the characters and the morals brought about by Jane. I won't argue with that. But in all honesty, I had actually found this book entertaining and if there's one advice that I'd have to give for those who would most likely read this book, that would be to never compare it to Jane Austen's work. If there's one thing I could just possibly complain about the book is it's predictability. But if you'd ask me if there's any brilliance in this book, I'd say yes. This book will actually make you realize that Mr. Darcy is a thing of the past. Or it is more correct to say that he lives in the past but in a little twist of fate, there could be a little Mr. Darcy in our men these days.

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