Charitable Endeavors Audiobook By Renata McMann, Summer Hanford cover art

Charitable Endeavors

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

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Charitable Endeavors

By: Renata McMann, Summer Hanford
Narrated by: Kymberley Cochrane
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About this listen

Fitzwilliam Darcy's annual spring visit to Rosings is not going as planned. His aunt is behaving like a madwoman, his cousin Anne is sullen, and worst of all, he proposes to the woman he loves and is turned down quite vehemently. Darcy beats a hasty retreat to London, hoping to put the entire visit behind him, and to purge the elusive, lovely Elizabeth Bennet from his thoughts.

Elizabeth is mired in a tumultuous mixture of emotions when it comes to Mr. Darcy. He is highhanded, aggravating, and proud, but he is also perplexing, honest, and surprisingly kind to those in need. Another perplexing individual, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, gives Elizabeth the opportunity to delve into Mr. Darcy's world of charitable endeavors. Will this show Elizabeth a new side of a man she once adamantly refused to marry?

Charitable Endeavors is a Pride & Prejudice variation novel. This is an entertaining and sweet collaboration between Renata McMann and Summer Hanford, who have written over thirty variations together.

©2023 Renata McMann & Summer Hanford (P)2023 Tantor Media
Classics Historical Historical Fiction Regency
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This is a multi-trope variation that leans pretty far into alternate universe territory, especially in how some of the characters are written. The story picks up after Darcy’s failed proposal at Hunsford, and things unfold very differently from canon from that point on.

Lady Catherine is one of the biggest surprises here. She’s not the usual harsh and overbearing figure, but actually takes to Elizabeth who ends up assisting her in a way that works in the story’s context. I really liked this Lady Catherine. Lydia’s transformation is another positive, big surprise—she returns from Brighton much changed and takes steps to improve her conduct and accomplishments. Caroline is a large part of the plot—she goes off in a very dramatic direction that does tie into the title’s theme by the end of the story. Charity work connects almost every major character of this novel, including Darcy, Elizabeth, Lady Catherine, and yes, even Lydia and Caroline.

The romance felt secondary in this variation, but it does gradually build through the work they do helping others. It takes to almost the end of the book for the second proposal to finally happen.

Kymberley Cochrane does a strong narration. Her character voices are easy to tell apart, and she brings an energetic flow and natural quality to the reading. She’s a perfect example of why human voice narration is so important—she really represents. One small thing though—Darcy’s voice felt a bit too sombre, even when he didn’t have to be, but not enough to take away from the overall performance. I’d definitely listen to her again.

When Lady Catherine isn’t the problem.

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