Fate And Consequences: A Tale Of Pride And Prejudice [Paperback]

Linda Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2009

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy fails to inform the populace of Meryton about the danger posed by having a rake such as George Wickham living in their midst. This was done to protect the reputation of his beloved sister; a sister who he fortunately prevented from eloping with the man. This failure leads to heartache for him and the family of the woman he loved. In Fate and Consequences, Georgiana Darcy does leave with George Wickham to elope. Darcy finds her in time to prevent the wedding, but not in time to stop the news of her ruin from spreading. Now a humbled man, he must try to find his and his sister's place in society. A twist of Fate introduces him at his darkest hour to the woman he otherwise might have resisted loving, and who helps him to restore his sister, and his wounded soul. This is a what-if story of love and reconciliation. This story ontains mature themes. Linda Wells is also the author of Chance Encounters and Perfect Fit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda Wells is a wife and mom, and has a deep appreciation for all things Pride and Prejudice. She was drawn into the world of fan fiction and spent years lurking in the background, reading and marveling over the very talented writers who put their work out for the world to see. When she decided that she wanted to contribute as well, she wrote her first novel, Chance Encounters. That wonderful experience taught her how to craft a story, and spurred her to write again. Fate and Consequences is the result.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (March 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441400516
• ISBN-13: 978-1441400512
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to my author page; let me tell you a little about myself. I worked for years in the environmental engineering world until I traded my career as a geographer for one as a mom to a challenging and really great son. One day, I saw the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice, and I was fascinated. I bought a copy of Jane Austen's novel and read it so many times, falling under the spell of her unforgettable characters and story, and I could not help but wonder what happened next for them. That led me in search of Jane Austen Fan Fiction.

I read many stories and then one of my own started nagging at me. So, I found an old notebook and started writing it down. Without it even being finished, I took the plunge and started posting. It was, and continues to be, a fantastic and rewarding experience to watch a story take shape while so many readers follow along. I have many ideas for new stories, and with luck and lots of imagining, they will be written too.


If you would like to email me, I would love to hear from you! [e-mail]


Books by Linda Wells:

Chance Encounters

Fate and Consequences

Perfect Fit

Memory: Volume 1, Lasting Impressions

Memory: Volume 2, Trials to Bear

Memory: Volume 3, How Far We Have Come

Imperative (coming in 2011)

Bench photo image © Dmitry Mikhaylov Dreamstime.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, 3 and 1/2, actually., May 29, 2009

By 

S. Potter (Mapleville, RI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fate And Consequences: A Tale Of Pride And Prejudice (Paperback)

This a great example of a "what if" piece of fan-fic. The exploration of what P&P might have been had Darcy not arrived in time to stop his sister's elopment and the resulting degradation is well carried out. A chastened Darcy, seeing that the mores of society and the upper class "ton" for what Austen knew them to be when she wrote her work is beautifully done. I read the entire thing straight through during 12 hours of plane trips and couldn't put it down.

But Darcy as the considerate lover, apathetic to the demands of society from the very start, is a bit of a jarring note, although he does allude to how he might have acted before the ruin of his sister. And that's not the only incongruity.

I realize that this is a "what if", but some of the changes seem to be stretching the familiar a bit far. Darcy's father is no longer the beloved master and father he is in Austen's work. Darcy's cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam starts as a much darker character, too. Wickham is certainly more evil than normal. And many of the other characters seem to act in ways that we would wish them to act, as opposed to the way that Austen originally framed them. But that is all in the realm of "what if", and imagining how things might have gone. So, while odd at times, it can be accomedated.

But the hardcore sex scenes, both before Lizzy and Darcy's marriage and after were not welcome. Seriously, I have no desire for explicit descriptions of what they did together; and I do mean explicit. It veered from simple "what if" fan-fic into pornographic fantasy in these spots. I am no prude by any means, but that sort of thing ruins the Auten-esque feeling of any version or sequel to P&P. And the before-marriage scenes of this sort, and the willful ignorance/tolerace of it by others, completely destroyed the image of proper behavior vs. social behavior that was the point of the original.

Still, overall, it was an excellent foray into alternative looks at the characters, changed and idealized as they often were. It's a good read, even if the main connection to P&P are the names and some of the attitudes of characters and places.

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars thank god it's over!, June 10, 2009

By 

J. Bovard "jeska" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fate And Consequences: A Tale Of Pride And Prejudice (Paperback)

I don't understand why this book got such great reviews. I am sorry to say that having recently completed reading it I find myself thinking `thank god that's over!' The book does have an interesting plot and certainly some suspenseful moments, but overall I think some of the characters are truly unlike those that Jane Austen created. Darcy would be the prime example. From almost the very beginning, he is completely dependent on Elizabeth's affection. I think the original Darcy would have put up a better fight in his own mind to prevent himself from falling for her so quickly. Then there are the laws of propriety. Or are there, because neither Darcy nor Elizabeth seem to be aware of them. A good portion of the book is one detailed description after another of some romantic escapade they find themselves on. It was a bit too descriptive for my taste and quite frankly it gets old. After the main plot did conclude I found myself with another 100 pages of the story just dragging on and yes, much of it seemed to be lifted out of cheesy romance novel. I won't say that the book is totally unworthy of reading, but I don't believe it deserves 5 stars, and there are certainly better Pride and Prejudice recreations out there. I wouldn't bother with this one.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Self-publishing gone horribly wrong, June 20, 2009

By 

DemYankee (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fate And Consequences: A Tale Of Pride And Prejudice (Paperback)

The fact that this book has characters named Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are the only things it has in common with the original Pride and Prejudice. Darcy has been reduced to a tearful wreck of a man, and there is not another character in the book who has a passing fancy with the way whey were written in the original.

This book desperately needs an editor.