The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy

August 15, 2009
It's with both elation and consternation that this reader picks up any book based on a beloved Jane Austen novel. In the latest incarnation of "Pride and Prejudice", Elizabeth Bennett is a trial attorney in Meryton, a small town near San Francisco, where she's reluctant to face the stern but well-respected Judge Fitzwilliam "Will" Darcy. But the two are brought together by Dr. Bingley and Dr. Jane Bennett during a two-week sojourn at Darcy's home in England. They fall in love but are driven apart by their work, as it's unethical for a judge to date a trial lawyer. Independently, they realize that they are only complete as a pair, but can they compromise enough to find their happy ending? VERDICT This "modern" version has that deep connection, mutual respect, and love of family that "P&P" fans crave. Minor adjustments were cleverly made by assigning familiar names to new friends and coworkers, but the most significant change comes in the graphic sex scenes. If this book were made into a TV miniseries, it would be shown on HBO, not A&E. Austen readers with delicate sensibilities, be warned.Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

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