Beautiful!!

I loved this story. I loved it for so many reasons it's going to be hard to summarise and do justice to the story. This book is long... almost 14 hours on audio book but it's worth it!

We start at Huntsford where, still knowing and believing everything she did about Darcy as Jane Austen told us, Elizabeth responds to his proposal for asking for some time to consider. In that time they talk, she asks so many questions and he answers them all. In the end she accepts and things go well until they return to Hertfordshire - where he is a pompous arse and she us constantly biting her lip! As the story unfold and they get to know each other, the disappointments and disputes become more emotionally charged. As Darcy reflects more on his own behaviour, it's hard to not agree with him that he was completely arrogant and insufferable whilst obviously still adoring him for all his other lovely qualities! And yet Elizabeth has also made some massive mistakes and behaved quite unfairly towards him.

The reader is privy to so much dialogue between Darcy and Elizabeth it's unusual but made all of their uncertainties and misunderstands much more real and less frustrating than when we are dealing with pages and pages of reflection. The pace is slow... it follows a month long engagement but nothing is rushed. Elizabeth does not know the man she has agreed to marry, and he doesn't really know her. We see all of their relationship developing and changing whilst still being very in keeping with the times. Darcy's relationship with Mr Bennet is fascinating. I also loved the part where Darcy confesses to Bingley and he has done exactly what he encouraged Bingley not to do. Bingleys reaction is priceless... he just doesn't get it, and neither does Darcy.
!! There is some lovely gentle humour which was lovely.

Usually I am left thoroughly dissatisfied by Epilogues. As a rule I hate them. This one was short, very short but absolutely beautiful and finished the book perfectly. This will definitely be going on my list of favourites!!

The narration is generally very good - some of the pronunciation was a bit 'off' at times and I thought might be a bit distracting, Rosings was pronounced 'Rozzings' for example - but overall, the voices were distinctive and the tone generally reflecting the conversation. Jane's 'voice' was a bit pathetic and annoying but lots of narrators portray Jane in this way. The pace was excellent. I'd definitely recommend this one!

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Wonderful Austin inspired story.

A wonderful story created out of a ‘sliding door’ moment , at the point when Darcy proposed. With all the style and poise of the original Austin pen, this delightful love story explores Lizzie’s relationship with Darcy from a reverse perspective. My only reservation was the voice - which did not match the bold, brave and forthright Lizzie .

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Absolutely loved this

Great alternative story. Loved it and narration was perfect which is so important to make it easy to listen to

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If you like Pride & Prejudice you’ll enjoy this

This is an in depth exploration of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett during the period between their engagement and marriage. Very well written, and read, I laughed out loud regularly at its cleverness.

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Melancholy but compelling story

This is rather a sad story in a way. It's not eventful but more of a character study. Darcy and Elizabeth both go through a lot of angst.
Lots of people have commented they don't like the narration but I really like her voice. She does great female voices especially Lydia and Mrs. Bennet.

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A beautifully written alternative

This is my first foray into Pride and Prejudice retelling and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ormiston makes a very good attempt at replicating Austen’s style and if you didn’t know otherwise you’d barely notice.

This retelling is absolutely packed with dialogues between Elizabeth and Darcy which some readers will love (as there just isn’t enough in the real thing!) and others may find tiresome. Dialogue and reflection definitely overtake action and there seems almost no plot advancement at times but that is probably the point given the book’s aim to address the matters of the heart. It’s really very satisfying at times to consider “what if” and to delve further into the personalities of all the characters.

The story is read beautifully by Carmela Corbett, the voices are subtly different, but consistent, and some conjure up the characters from either of the well-known on-screen adaptations. The story probably peaks before the end, I struggled to stay as engaged in the final chapters.

Read it slowly, reflect on each of the major dialogues, and enjoy! A great one for when you’re stuck in bed or isolating. Thank you Audible.

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A totally unexpected gift of a book.

As a passionate Jane Austen fan, I decided to read this book with considerable trepidation. But I need not have worried, because from the very first page this book was an absolute joy to read. I truly think that Miss Austen herself would have enjoyed it. I simply can’t recommend it enough.

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A quite probable alternative...

... although I don't think Lizzy would have ever said yes to that earlier wedding proposal.

I felt at times frustrated with her personality during the book. It felt improbable and disappointing as her honest outspoken personality is one of the best things of Pride and Prejudice but, I think the author put it together very well in the end.

I recommend it for the lovers of Pride and Prejudice's story.

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A lovely reworking of my favourite book

This was read beautifully and a very good alternative tale to the one we know and love.

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Great story

Would you listen to Unequal Affections again? Why?

Read it yes, listen to it no unless read by somebody else.

What other book might you compare Unequal Affections to, and why?

Fidelity and Affection. Loved that book.

Any additional comments?

The reader sounds too harsh. No real sentiment or passion put into the different characters. At times it was even robotical. I nearly quit the book because of her performance.

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5 people found this helpful