Just Desserts

A Pride & Prejudice Variation

By: Gruinard

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

This is the 2nd edition of this book, updated for minor typos and formatting. It is the same book as published in 2023, it is not a new book.

At the age of 13 Elizabeth Bennet met her reclusive neighbours and from that moment her life was changed forever. She learned the realities of life in Regency England for a young woman. What she learned disappointed and annoyed her, resulting in a young woman who held herself, and those around her, to a high standard.
Rather than keep her constrained like so many young women, her neighbours encouraged her to be whatever she wanted. And if she wanted to learn estate management and investing, then so be it. Society might not think these were appropriate pursuits for a young lady but what society did not know they could not complain about.
Elizabeth's intelligence and sense of responsibility is channelled into learning how to manage an estate, and to invest the surplus generated from that estate. All the while she is learning tasks presently reserved for men, she is concurrently attempting to navigate the expectations of being a young woman in that same male-dominated society.
Into all this rides our erstwhile hero, making friends and influencing people as only he can! From their first memorable meeting the battle lines are set. But his pride is repeatedly dented and her prejudice is similarly challenged to the point where they can recognise the qualities of the other.

In this tale everyone gets what they deserve, both the good and the bad. Good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour has consequences, often severe.



Warning: this book refers to sexual assault. There are absolutely no descriptions of any act but several of the characters are the victims of this crime and it is referred to as part of the story. This variation deals with the reality of life for women in Regency England.

Enjoyed!

Good story even with rather dry pedantic prose in some chapters. Plot: Longbourn mismanaged, chaotic & Lizzy outside rambling more than usual to preserve sanity. She becomes like a granddaughter to nearby estate owners who aid her character development which is essential to the story. Netherfield/Jane’s illness (canon) & when Lizzy defends herself vs Caroline B’s unrelenting barbs, Jane realizes Bingleys not going to become family. Mrs B’s vexation doubled & her vociferous disappointment blaming Lizzy when Netherfield party returns to London forces Lizzy move to Gardiners home where she reconnects w/Darcy; tentative unofficial courting has Caroline unleashing her character destroying gossip in London & plot development then plays out. I found the low level angst, an unexpected hidden refuge for mistreated women with the unexpected consequences to two offers of marriage for EB in this story very engaging. AI voice narration drags the pacing occasionally; ODC eventually gets their HEA & must say loved this author’s epilogue

Amazing Variation

I enjoyed the variation beginning with Elizabeth as a child. This gave the foundation for her foundational character. I feel that in her background education made the change in her being able to challenge the societal expectations, rules, and attitudes.
Jane was changed too but not as significantly because Jane was not exposed to the same education.
I did not like the AI - while it was better than most it still lacked the emotional feelings in the agreements, conversations, and mood. Harry Frost, Stevie Zimmerman, Elizabeth Grace, and/orLillian Rachel would have made this over the top!
However the written words came to life and kept me engaged.
I have listened to this variation more than 5 times. Kindle form, AI, and both LOL

Variation with a strong Elizabeth

I have read the book a couple of times and liked the concept of older mentors for Elizabeth. However, the story does start to drag in the second half of the book.
The virtual voice is “tolerable”.

Very Good P&P Variation - VV is Better than Usual

This was an interesting Pride and Prejudice variation (or maybe that should be Vagary). Two Main New influences in Elizabeth’s young life form her into a formidable woman who can flatten the Arrogant Ass from Pemberley. There are the usual characters, including Caroline Bingley and her brother, Wickham, Lady Catherine, etc - but the author deals with all of them. There are a lot of details to the story so this may not be for those who like the typical variations. I enjoyed the long journey for the most part. Some repetition and the VV does have mispronunciations, but on the whole it is pretty decent.

Creative story

Wonderful vagary! My favorite retelling of P&P are those that wander far from the original. There is so much more that can be explored with our dear friends. This one does not disappoint. I prefer stories where Wickham is dealt with away from the family and early on. Also, keeping Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet off the main stage for as long as
possible. There is so much more to write about than the same old story but the characters remain interesting to devotees. I find this author to be very talented and interesting. If Harry Frost or Stevie Zimmerman were narrating it would have been even better to listen to. It’s nice to see Elizabeth likable and interesting. This is a unique story that I very much enjoyed and can recommend without reservation.