First Impressions

~Lately, I've been working on a project for school involving Jane Austen's classic novel: Pride & Prejudice. This is the second post in my JA Book Review Series {JA being Jane Austen}. Please bear with me as I am working out the kinks in my reviewing style.~

First Impressions 

Author: Debra White Smith

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year: 2004

Synopsis:                                                                                    

When Eddi Boswick is cast as Elizabeth, the female lead in a local production of Pride & Prejudice, she hesitates. Dave, the handsome young rancher cast as Darcy, seems arrogant and unpredictable. Accepting the challenge of playing opposite him, Eddi soon realizes that he is difficult to work with on and off the set.                                        
But when a tornado springs out of nowhere, Dave protects Eddi...much to her chagrin. And he is shocked to discover an attraction for the feisty lawyer he can't deny. Sparks fly when Eddi misinterprets his interest and discovers the truth he's trying to hide.                                                                           
Will Eddi's passionate faith, fierce independence, and quick wit keep Dave from discovering the secret to love...and the key to her heart?                                                                                            

Review: 

 I was so excited when I started this book, and my excitement stayed throughout the entire thing. For those who don't know, I am a Texas girl- born and raised in the Lone Star State. I can honestly say that there is no state I would rather live in.  One of the coolest things about this book is that it takes place in a small Texas town. The setting is London, Texas. In case you've never seen it, here is a picture of the post office. 
   
     Quick side-note: I am a HUGE fan of Jane Austen's original work and over the past 3 months or so, I have made myself a critique on the modern takes of Pride & Prejudice.  So when Mom gave this book to me, I naturally accepted the challenge of making sure it stayed true to the heart of  the novel. Luckily, by the end of the book I did not find myself wanting to toss it into the fire. I would much rather curl up with it in FRONT of a fire.

 Similarities between P&P and FI:

1. Eddi--Elizabeth: Minor detail, but both names start with an 'E.' Not significantly important but neat nonetheless
2. Eddi & Elizabeth act rather similar...if Elizabeth Bennet had been in modern times, I think she just might have been able to pull off the lawyer look. She's definitely smart enough for it
3. Eddi & Elizabeth are both their father's favorite daughter and find their mothers rather silly
4. Eddi & Elizabeth both have preconceived ideas of Dave Davidson/Fitzwilliam Darcy and Rick Wallace/George Wickham
5. The storylines of P&P and FI are rather similar, just with a setting and time change occurring

Differences between P&P and FI:  "SPOILER ALERT!!!!!"  *only read if you're okay with a couple of spoilers*

1. Texas Tornado...you would never see that in England in the 1800s. You can't have Texas Tornados anywhere but Texas.........hence the 'Texas' part of Texas Tornado
2. Fitzwilliam Darcy didn't have giant black friends to reinforce his power against George Wickham
3. Lydia was not pregnant...its amazing how much the times have changed
4. There were 5 Bennet sisters and here there are only 3 Boswick sisters....although their mother is jsut as silly and their father is pretty much the same too
5. The relationship between the parents is more developed in First Impressions than in Pride & Prejudice
6. Fitzwilliam Darcy didn't have a hidden ministry 
7. Faith is much more of a central idea in First Impressions

One of the things I liked most about this book, was that even though it was modern, it was still clean. It was a wonderful story, not original of course, but I still had lots of fun reading it. This story had so many great points that did separate it from Pride & Prejudice, one of which was the ending. I would hate to ruin it for anyone, so I'll just say that the closing scene of the play gave a lot more than I expected. 

Speaking honestly, this is one of my favorite takes on Pride & Prejudice and will most likely make my top list of books inspired by Jane Austen.  I would recommend this book to every fan of Pride & Prejudice who just might also love the Lone Star State. I give it a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯✯.

Until my next post,
          Farewell!!!!!