These Dreams: A Pride and Prejudice Variation in Austen Variations

Oct 01, 2017 Sheila Majczan rated it it was amazing

Excellent book!

So many friends warned me and/or I read in the other readers' reviews that this story was full of angst. Yes, there is angst, but I do love angst and when I finally did pick it up, having found a day not full of appointments or activities, I found the angst bearable. I read this over two days. What I kept in mind (and remember I am a reader of approximately 1000 JAFF books - not all are reviewed as I read them long before I was posting reviews.) is that in this genre we lovers of Excellent book!

So many friends warned me and/or I read in the other readers' reviews that this story was full of angst. Yes, there is angst, but I do love angst and when I finally did pick it up, having found a day not full of appointments or activities, I found the angst bearable. I read this over two days. What I kept in mind (and remember I am a reader of approximately 1000 JAFF books - not all are reviewed as I read them long before I was posting reviews.) is that in this genre we lovers of P&P know that a HEA is a guarantee. I was trying to imagine how this couple would react when they finally do see each other again. Huge Sigh when I did come to that part.

As another readers mentioned Jane Eyre also has a connection over miles between the two would-be lovers. And so it is that we read of both Darcy and Elizabeth living for those dream connections. I was brought to tears more than once in reading of both their thoughts.

Elizabeth and the rest of Darcy's family, friends and acquaintances have been told he is dead. We do learn that the Colonel is the only one who finally doubts this but, as he has no evidence as to why someone wants the world to believe him dead or where they might have taken him, keeps that opinion/knowledge to himself.

The Fitzwilliam family acts unfeelingly and even greedily towards Georgiana, who is now worth so much more that her £30,000 dowry. I hated Lady Catherine who pushed in and intimidates Georgiana and begins to redecorate Pemberley as if she is now the mistress. Thank goodness someone locked off Darcy's study.

Then there are those women from the edges of other stories and canon: Mrs. Younge and Mrs. Annesley. My brain immediately clicked into gear and I was looking for clues as to what role they were playing.

We meet some new characters; ones whose sadism and manipulations will horrify you. Amálie is part of their world but you will come to love her and want a savior for her.

This story actually has three "couples" whose relationships are rough and whose futures are not promised to be "a walk in a rose garden". It is interesting how the author, with twists and hidden connections and/or past history, gives them happy or satisfactory futures. (I reserve my opinion on Lydia.) Lydia is like a bad penny who just keeps turning up but she is written to have more insight into what Wickham actually did do to her. And we read of her on the edge of those love/hate emotions that we know are so closely bound together.

This is a story I would recommend to all JAFF readers. It is long but so well developed. Good work, Nicole.

April 18, 2020: I just finished rereading this story for the second time and am glad I did for I found that I had forgotten some details from the first reading. Loved it all over again. ...more

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Sep 13, 2017 Joana Starnes rated it it was amazing

An epic and riveting tale of a bond that cannot be broken. Nicole Clarkson will have you on the edge of your seat, she’ll make you gasp in disbelief and terror, bite your fingernails as you devour the pages one after the other hoping and praying for the right answers against seemingly impossible odds, and sigh in perfect happiness when the world is finally put right. A gripping, profoundly original and masterfully written novel you’ll want to read all over again as soon as you’ve reached the end ...more

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Sep 25, 2017 Anna added it

Shelves: austenesque

Nicole Clarkston’s These Dreams, a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a novel I was forced to savor because of my busy schedule, but really I wanted to devour it in one sitting. This was one of the most creative — and angsty — variations I’ve ever read. I loved all the twists and turns, and even though it was hard to see my favorite characters brought so low, Clarkston does a fantastic job getting into their heads.

These Dreams opens as Mr. Darcy is orchestrating the marriage of L Nicole Clarkston’s These Dreams, a variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a novel I was forced to savor because of my busy schedule, but really I wanted to devour it in one sitting. This was one of the most creative — and angsty — variations I’ve ever read. I loved all the twists and turns, and even though it was hard to see my favorite characters brought so low, Clarkston does a fantastic job getting into their heads.

These Dreams opens as Mr. Darcy is orchestrating the marriage of Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham, except he doesn’t show up for the wedding, which pains Elizabeth at a time when she thought they would have a second chance. Darcy is brutally captured as part of a complex scheme dating back generations, and his family and friends believe him to be dead. Both Darcy and Elizabeth are in dark, hopeless situations, grieving what might have been.

Meanwhile, Colonel Fitzwilliam finds himself in charge of Darcy’s estate and sole guardian of Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, who is heartbroken at the loss of her brother and pulled every which way by family members who believe they have her best interests — and that of the Darcy name and estate — at heart. Fitzwilliam enlists the help of Elizabeth to bring some light back into Georgiana’s life and help her take the reins as mistress of Pemberley, which makes it possible for him to investigate his cousin’s death and unravel the many threads to the conspiracy that ultimately rips the bandage off his wounded heart.

Clarkston did a great job crafting a multilayered story with chaos and possible scandal at every turn. It was impossible to know who to trust, and she handles the healing of these damaged souls in a tender and realistic manner. I loved how Clarkston forged a special bond between Elizabeth and her newly married sister Lydia, allowing them to find some common ground amid their trauma and giving more depth to a character who is usually written off as foolish and unrepentant. There also were plenty of intriguing original characters, especially Amália, who reminded me so much of Elizabeth in her outspokenness and strength.

I absolutely loved These Dreams, even though the pain she caused Darcy and Elizabeth was like a punch to the gut at times. I had no idea how it was going to play out, so I just went along for the ride, and it was so worth it. Trust me, Clarkston doesn’t make you suffer too, too long, and all that pain makes the outcome so much sweeter. Definitely a contender for my Best of 2017 list!

Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 Barb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: austen-fan-fiction-read, borrowed-e-book, books-i-own-audio, audio-book-listened, audible-jaff

I agree almost 100% with other reviewers. This is a very high quality JAFF with a lot of unique spins on the story starting when Darcy is arranging Lydia's marriage to Wickham in a less than desirable part of London. Darcy is attacked and presumed dead, although actually kidnapped and taken by someone looking for revenge and financial gain.

The Darcy and Fitzwilliam familys are thrown into chaos and terrible grief. Georgiana does not know where to turn and who to listen to. Elizabeth is devastat ...more

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Dec 03, 2017 Dung rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-owned-kindle-ibook, austen-inspried, favorite-austen-inspired, favorite

What an epic P&P variation! Loved it!!!

Review to come.

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Aug 20, 2019 Nicole Barton Sasser rated it really liked it

Shelves: p-and-p, kindle, kindle-freebie, jaff, audible-audiobook, author-nicole-clarkston

Status: Read August 10-20, 2019
via kindle & audible editions

Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Library Notes:

These Dreams: These Dreams: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
by Nicole Clarkston
Kindle Edition, First Edition, 732 pages
Published September 4, 2017 by White Soup Press
ASIN: B074SYW889

An Abandoned Bride

A Missing Man

And a Dream which refuses to die….

Pride and patriotism lend fervor to greed and cruelty, and Fitzwilliam Darcy is caught at the centre of a decades old international feud. Taken far from ...more

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Feb 17, 2021 Adele rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ja-ff, 2021-jaff-reading-challenge

So much angst!!!! The Goodreads book description tells you some of the why. The first half of the book is a heart breaking separation with Darcy kidnapped and presumed dead. Darcy’s inprisonment is frightening and causes so much despair.

There are plenty of villains and mystery. You’re not quite sure who are the guilty people until almost the end. It’s pretty hard to really keep those mysteries under wraps but this author was able to do that.

Bringing Darcy back to his family may have solved his ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 M rated it liked it

Great plot idea, but it was a little long and dragged at times.

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Jul 03, 2018 Staciel rated it liked it

Shelves: jane-austen-inspired

I really do like Nicole Clarkston-- she writes well and has some very good variations of both 'P&P' as well as 'North & South'.

For me, though, this one was just a bit too dark.. I am not afraid of the dark in life, but when I want that I will curl up with 'Jane Eyre'.

However, if you are one that wants more angst in your Austen, then this one is a must-read! ...more

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Mar 07, 2019 Michelle David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wonderful

Absolutely marvelous variation filled with mystery and drama inspired by Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice by the gifted Nicole Clarkston ...more

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