On Monday I had a lovely Author Highlight post with Heather Lynn Rigaud author of Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star. I loved that she took the time to answer some questions I had about how she met the challenge of staying true to the book, yet making it all her own. Now I can share my review, which I've been eager to share!
Fast music, powerful beats, and wild reputations-on and off stage-have made virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy's band into rock's newest bad boys. But they've lost their latest opening act, and their red-hot summer tour is on the fast track to disaster. Now Darcy and bandmates Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are about to meet their match...
But she's about to rock his world...
Enter Elizabeth Bennet, fiercely independent star of girl-band Long Borne Suffering. Elizabeth, her sister Jane, and friend Charlotte Lucas have talent to spare and jump at the opening band slot. Elizabeth is sure she's seen the worst the music industry has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember."
Review: Although Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star is an obvious take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, this book really needs to be considered a book that stands on its own. Purists would probably never get through the fast-paced, crazy lifestyle of rock stars on the road, which is just where we find our P&P characters. The pride is definitely there, as would be expected with a big rock star like Darcy is in the novel, who has taken on a young girl group starring Jane, Elizabeth, and Charlotte. The twist is not lost on this reader! On the flip side, Elizabeth is not feeling Darcy's snobbery about these young girls that he seems to think are there to "love them and leave them" to take their money and fame. Elizabeth is there because she's passionate about her music. Enough said. However, she can't help but notice that Darcy is pretty hot!
Much of the tension and social misunderstandings are still very present in this remake of the original. I did really like the character development that still retained a lot of the characters I knew and loved. Some characters are dropped from the story or hardly exist, such as the Bennet girls' other sisters and even their parents. Mr. Collins is also a very small part, whereas Richard steps up to play a major character in this modernization.
I really enjoyed this new take. Although the cover gives it this YA feel, I wouldn't say that this is in any way a young adult novel, with its strong "rock star" lifestyle represented through the drugs, alcohol, sex, and even abuse that played out. I'm not a prude, but I'll admit to raising an eyebrow at some of the sex scenes in the book, which are decidedly not the norm for Austen's originals. There is a lot of pheromones flying around in this book!
Although not the norm for Austen novels, this modernization is true to the character stories and pressures of the original. I love the misunderstandings in the original, and there were just as many if not more tense moments built into Rigaud's story. My background doesn't touch on the rock and roll world, but it was kind of fun to escape into that type of story. If you can handle the rock lifestyle, prepare yourself for a spicy, hot read!
Thanks to Sourcebooks and Heather Lynn Rigaud for the chance to read this new release! Check out Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star, newly released on September 1st.
*FTC Disclosure: This review was based on a review copy of the novel.
