Sweet Caroline – A Pride and Prejudice Variation By Mary Alice Alexander
Caroline Bingley dismisses the local society as completely beneath her attention when she initially comes in Meryton with her brother’s family—until she sees Mr. Darcy’s developing obsession with Elizabeth Bennet threatens her own carefully arranged plans. Caroline, determined to prevent a match, orchestrates her brother’s departure from Hertfordshire to cut off his connection to Jane Bennet, believing that this will remove the entire Bennet family from their circle and put her one step closer to being the future Mrs. Darcy.
Caroline undertakes a systematic effort to secure the most desirable gentleman in London, armed with her imported French perfumes, meticulously practiced curtseys, and the cunning assistance of her lady’s maid, Adèle. But as her plots are met with increasingly cold replies from Mr. Darcy and muted pushback from his household, Caroline begins to wonder if her intrigues benefit anyone’s happiness—including her own. When her most severe machinations fail to capture her prey, she must determine whether being mistress of Pemberley is worth the cost to people she pretends to care about, including herself.
This 50,000-word novella, told from Caroline Bingley’s point of view, provides a new perspective on Pride and Prejudice’s most notorious social climbing character. While Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s courtship plays out in the background, Caroline’s journey takes center stage as she navigates the glittering ballrooms of London society and confronts uncomfortable facts about herself. Caroline finds, via humorous social satire and painful self-reflection, that the greatest impediment to her happiness may be her own well created facade, rather than Elizabeth Bennet’s rural charms.
Reading Note: Caroline Bingley’s character growth and personal journey take precedence over Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s legendary romance, which acts as a backdrop to Caroline’s story. Readers looking for a new perspective on a familiar story will surprise sympathize with one of literature’s most misunderstood social climbers.
Size : 555 KB | English | EPUB