Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard by Belinda Roberts review & Giveaway

Title: Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard
Author: Belinda Roberts
ISBN: 978-1-4022-46936-7
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmarks
Format: Trade Paperback
$9.99
How I Read It: ARC from the publishers
Rating: 4 Crowns

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a yacht must be in want of a female crew…

The balmy seaside resort town of Salcombe boasts the best in bikinis, sandcastle contests, distance swims, and as fiercely competitive squad of buff local lifeguards as Regatta Week approaches.

And if that weren’t enough excitement, Mrs. Bennet hears that the splendid villa Netherpollock has been rented out by a young man of great fortune. She is determined that he’ll go out with one of her daughters, until Mr. Darcy glides into the harbor on his stunning yacht Pemberley and she decides on the instant that he would be the better catch…

Jane Austen has never been so hilariously recreated as in this modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, complete with a Mr. Darcy you won’t soon forget.




My Thoughts:

A fun retelling of Pride & Prejudice that is aimed for more of a young to middle teen audience although it does hold amusement for adult readers, especially Pride & Prejudice addicts. I liked the fact that this book is geared for teens; I hope that this book will introduce a new generation to the works of Jane Austen. The characters actions and behavior remained true to what Miss Austen created, yet they held a modern air.

As I said before the characters as well as the plot, stays true to the original fashion of Miss Austen making the book have to feel of visiting old friends in a new setting. I still feel exceedingly sorry for Mr. Bennet, as Mrs. Bennet is still overly active and vocal. Elizabeth, or Lizzy, is still loveable. Darcy is still a bit snooty, and Bingley is still a bit daft in his own loveable way. The usual suspects are still all make appearances where you would expect them.

A fast-paced read, that will keep you hooked to the end. I found that I could not put this book down.

I would have liked to give this book a higher rating, although the events that took place in chapter 58, with Darcy pulling out a copy of P&P, made the book feel a bit off kilter. Other than that, I found this book to be perfectly enjoyable.

I do have to say that this was a hilarious novel. I found myself laughing out loud many times and the bits with Mr. Collins were almost to much to handle.

Who would I recommend this book to?
Teen or tweens who have not yet discovered Pride & Prejudice.
Pride & Prejudice addicts.
Readers who are looking for the perfect beach read.

If you are like me and love to go to the beach but prefer not to get in the water, then Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard, A Tale of Tide & Prejudice is the prefect book to bring along with them.

I just have to add that I love the beginning:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a yacht must be in want of a female crew.”

The iconic opening from Pride & Prejudice has been revised many time, yet I believe that the one above has to be one of my favorites.

I would like to thank Belinda Roberts for this guest post!

What inspired you to turn Pride & Prejudice into Tide & Prejudice?

As a family we have spent many happy holidays in the English seaside town of Salcombe and the thought that it would be just the place where a modern day Bennet family would go on holiday grew and grew. Salcombe is fashionable, sociable, the place to be seen and perfect for any mother on the hunt for a young Darcy for her daughters. In my mind the ballgowns of Pride and Prejudice started to be replaced by bikinis, Pemberley became a sixty-two foot yacht, the famous Netherfield ball the equally famous Salcombe Estuary Swim, the militia the lifeguards - the links seemed perfect and I couldn’t wait to start. My opportunity came when I went down to Salcombe to accompany my eldest daughter, Sophie, who needed some peace and quiet to write her dissertation on Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. This was a serious endeavour. We both sat at the little kitchen table of our terraced house in Island Street Salcombe, set up our laptops and started to write. I was keen that my book should follow Jane Austen’s original chapter for chapter in plot and characterisation as best I could. The combination of reading Pride and Prejudice, translating it into a modern seaside setting and trying to keep quiet was too much and I kept bursting out laughing - which was not helpful to poor Sophie! The hardest part was ‘modernising’ Lydia’s disgraceful behaviour, which of course, would hardly be noticed these days. I hope I came up with a suitably sensational solution!




I have two copies to giveaway.
Sorry Residents of the US & Canada only.
(I will be on holiday when it comes time to ship the books, so I am unable to host an international giveaway)
Giveaway ends June 29, 2011
To enter, please leave your name and a valid email address. Please note, you do not have to answer the following questions to be entered, I just added them for a bit of fun.

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