***** (5 out of 5) · Books · Inspired by Jane Austen

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

PerfectlyTolerable

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl

by Christina Boyd, Tessa Dare, Elizabeth Adams, Karen M. Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes

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51329630._SY475_

Goodreads | Amazon*

*Disclaimer: All Amazon Links are affiliate links. If you purchase anything through one of my links I will get a small commission! All the thoughts and opinions in this post are mine and in no way influenced by Amazon.

I received a copy of this from Christina Boyd @ The Quill Ink in exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”
For over two hundred years, the heroine of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, ten Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In ELIZABETH: OBSTINATE, HEADSTRONG GIRL, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her—her Mr. Darcy—all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print…” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, January 1813―and we think so too!

Foreword by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Tessa Dare. Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D’Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Annotation 2020-04-12 202054

Review:

This is probably the first anthology I’ve read since college, and I realized I have no clue how to write a review for it.  Originally I was going to write a review for each of the stories, but there are 10 of them and after writing the first two I realized my overall post would have been waaaaay too long. So I am going to try and write a general review! Wish me luck.

Before Christina offered me a copy for review, I had actually already considered reading Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl, however I was hesitant because I am not a huge fan of anthologies. But when Christina offered it, it was the push I needed and I am glad I read it! Obviously there were some stories I liked better than others, but I didn’t dislike any of them.  All the stories revolved around Elizabeth but they were all very different from each other.  Some stories tweaked the original, others changed the time period in which Elizabeth lived, some explored Elizabeth’s life before she met Darcy, and some explored her life years later. It was a fun collection of stories and I loved the main character in every single one.

I love Elizabeth Bennet, with all her spunk and whit. She is smart and sassy and she knows what she wants.  She stands up for herself, but also isn’t ashamed to admit when she is wrong.  Ever since I read Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth has been my favorite character, and she probably always will be. Don’t get me wrong, I love Darcy too, but I want to be the kind of Woman that attracts a Man like him, and that is what I find so appealing about Elizabeth.

In the forward, Tessa Dare paraphrased Jennifer Lunn Barnes when she said “Readers are drawn to characters who feel ‘Just like us but awesome.'” I’ve never really thought about it before, but I agree 100% with that statement.  It explains why I love Lizzy and it explains why this book is so awesome.  It’s a collection of short stories all about Elizabeth.  How could I not love it?

23 thoughts on “Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl”

  3. Great review, and well-deserved. I loved the anthology! I, too, am typically not a big fan of anthologies, but when I saw that the Darcy Monologues, I had to read it, and I have read all of the ones in the series since.

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  9. Thank you so much for your clever review! I am glad you took the time to read the collection. And thrilled you are interested in trying other anthologies in the Quill Collective series. I think short stories like this are perfect for these strange times because they aren’t a huge investment of time but allow enough focus for short term escape. Be well!

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  10. Thanks so much for reviewing our beloved Elizabeth anthology! We are all huge Elizabeth Bennet fans too, as I’m sure you can tell – her sparkling wit, integrity, and strength make everyone want her as a “book best friend” 🙂

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  11. Oh my goodness, this sounds so fun! I also struggle with anthologies, but I think you did a great job writing your overall review; I think it’s a testament to the writing that you didn’t outright dislike any of the stories.

    Also also! I was thinking of you earlier when I checked this week’s raffle on Bookish First! They have an excerpt up for Jo & Laurie with a raffle for a possibility to win an arc. I know it isn’t Austen but for some reason, Little Women still sparked you in my mind (probably because I love Austen and LW so they are inextricably linked? idk): https://www.bookishfirst.com/books/jo-laurie

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    1. Thanks! I don’t usually like anthologies but this one was fun 😀 And you are right it really is a testament to the writing that I didn’t dislike any of them 😀

      And weirdly enough I don’t think I’ve read Little Women, though I really should! It sounds like something I would like!!! I will check out the book 😀 Thanks!

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