Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard by Belinda Roberts

Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard: A Tale of Tide and Prejudice by Belinda Roberts (Rated: C)
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402246937
Published June 2011
Trade Paperback, 224 pages

Mr Darcy Goes Overboard is a comical chick-lit rendition of Pride and Prejudice. It's light and fluffy, perfect for the beach this summer. The story follows the original P&P closely but summarizes and condenses the scenes and makes for a quick, short read that resembles a slap-stick comedy movie—you know, the exaggerated humour, bumbling mishaps and frolicking good fun.

Roberts cleverly uses the exact situations but with a contemporary seaside holiday setting, making me smile when she includes some of the same famous lines from the Jane Austen version. For some readers this may backfire, though, as the problems and issues of the 18^th century are transferred to the 20^th century, and of course, could not hold the same relevance, like when Mr Collins came on the scene as Mr Bennett's cousin who would inherit everything and leave the family penniless when surely Mr Bennett worked in his lifetime. However, because of the genre, it still works, even the formal dialogue and the young people addressing each other as Mr or Miss. Kitty and Lydia were the most authentic with their teen talk and behaviours. Mr and Mrs Bennett were a riot as well as Mr Collins.

The narrative was filled with British expressions, some of which were lost to the Canadian in me, but others, such as the author's use of witty puns and hilarious exclamations in some of the dialogue, perfectly reflected the British culture.

In this way it differs greatly from Austen's depth of character development and serious topics, but it's well understood that this is what Roberts was aiming for—a funny, fresh version of a much-exploited story. It reminded me of the exaggerated humour in The Princess Bride. Actually, this novel would make a really funny summer movie!

If you would like to win this book, visit my Splash Into Summer Giveaway Blog Hop post. Giveaway ends tomorrow, May 31st. Also, stay tuned for a guest post from the author on June 6th.

Disclosure: Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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