Charitable Endeavors

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

By: Renata McMann, Summer Hanford

Narrated by: Kymberley Cochrane

Fitzwilliam Darcy's annual spring visit to Rosings is not going as planned. His aunt is behaving like a madwoman, his cousin Anne is sullen, and worst of all, he proposes to the woman he loves and is turned down quite vehemently. Darcy beats a hasty retreat to London, hoping to put the entire visit behind him, and to purge the elusive, lovely Elizabeth Bennet from his thoughts.

Elizabeth is mired in a tumultuous mixture of emotions when it comes to Mr. Darcy. He is highhanded, aggravating, and proud, but he is also perplexing, honest, and surprisingly kind to those in need. Another perplexing individual, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, gives Elizabeth the opportunity to delve into Mr. Darcy's world of charitable endeavors. Will this show Elizabeth a new side of a man she once adamantly refused to marry?

Charitable Endeavors is a Pride & Prejudice variation novel. This is an entertaining and sweet collaboration between Renata McMann and Summer Hanford, who have written over thirty variations together.

©2023 Renata McMann & Summer Hanford (P)2023 Tantor Media

Charitable Endeavors

When it comes to Pride and Prejudice variations, I really look for a story that varies widely from the original story. This book does that. Setting the story around the charitable institutions the Darcy and deBourgh families established is imaginative and instructive. I never gave any thought to the training involved for these servants, especially those taken in from London’s poor areas. The evolution of Caroline’s character from nasty social climber to caring human was well done. I kind of wish she had whacked Wickham with the fire poker, though! Plus, I always enjoy a Lydia that has an epiphany before running off with W, and a Lady C who isn’t tethered to an imagined social rank. It was also nice to have Jane show some steel against Mrs B’s wedding breakfast. The narrator was new to me, and performed very well.

When Lady Catherine isn’t the problem.

This is a multi-trope variation that leans pretty far into alternate universe territory, especially in how some of the characters are written. The story picks up after Darcy’s failed proposal at Hunsford, and things unfold very differently from canon from that point on.

Lady Catherine is one of the biggest surprises here. She’s not the usual harsh and overbearing figure, but actually takes to Elizabeth who ends up assisting her in a way that works in the story’s context. I really liked this Lady Catherine. Lydia’s transformation is another positive, big surprise—she returns from Brighton much changed and takes steps to improve her conduct and accomplishments. Caroline is a large part of the plot—she goes off in a very dramatic direction that does tie into the title’s theme by the end of the story. Charity work connects almost every major character of this novel, including Darcy, Elizabeth, Lady Catherine, and yes, even Lydia and Caroline.

The romance felt secondary in this variation, but it does gradually build through the work they do helping others. It takes to almost the end of the book for the second proposal to finally happen.

Kymberley Cochrane does a strong narration. Her character voices are easy to tell apart, and she brings an energetic flow and natural quality to the reading. She’s a perfect example of why human voice narration is so important—she really represents. One small thing though—Darcy’s voice felt a bit too sombre, even when he didn’t have to be, but not enough to take away from the overall performance. I’d definitely listen to her again.