Review: Great Pride and Prejudice Retelling
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
I was drawn to Definitely, Maybe in Love by the cover. There is just something about it that pulls me in. I actually didn’t realize it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling until I started reading, but the parallels were obvious almost immediately. I loved Henry’s character as he was a great Mr. Darcy and really enjoyed watching his relationship with Spring evolve.Spring was nothing at all like I expected. She has braided hair (which I am actually very curious about since I had a hard time imagining them), doesn’t eat meat, hates land development, and is a sustainability major. She came across as a hippie who hates business just because she’s against capitalism and being successful. And oh my god—her attitude about rich people! I almost stopped reading.But, then there is Henry. Henry comes from a very wealthy family, studied finance undergrad, drives a fancy sports car, is going to law school for property development, and is pretty much the embodiment of everything Spring hates. Since it was clear Spring and Henry were going to be a couple by the end of the novel, I decided to keep reading. And I am glad I did! Definitely, Maybe in Love ended up being one of those books that was very hard for me to put down. As the story progresses, we move away from Spring’s earth love and detest of all things bourgeois and instead focus on her blossoming non-romance with Henry. There is clearly a lot of chemistry between Henry and Spring, although they can’t stop bickering about their ideals. They are prone to debates that challenge both of them and cause them both to rethink their positions and outlooks on property development and sustainability. While I don’t generally agree with anything Spring thinks, I do like that they challenge each other and help one another to grow and evolve. It’s an important part of any relationship.The Pride and Prejudice parallels were also fun because it was immediately obvious which characters were which and how a good deal of the plot would play out. Even though this took a lot of the surprise out of the story, it was fun. I found myself thinking “Wait til she finds out it’s Henry!” or “Can’t wait to see her reaction to...” constantly throughout the story. It was so much fun to read a modern version of a story I love so much.