Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: First Impressions by Elizabeth
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Henry Bennet/Catherine Darcy (i.e. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Categories: AU, Genderswitch, Romance
Length: Long
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: n/a

Review:
When Henry Bennet, only son and heir to an eccentric country squire, crosses paths with Catherine Darcy of Pemberley, she publicly insults him and runs interference in his sister's romance. Naturally, proposals, matchmaking messes, an elopement, an abundance of mixed signals, and massive misunderstandings ensue.

I’ve always been hesitant to rec a “Pride and Prejudice” fic because it seems like there’s a very fine line between people absolutely loving them and people absolutely hating them. Having said that, this fic is just too good to resist sharing. Based in a universe where Darcy and Elizabeth’s genders are turned on their heads, this fic manages to be well-written and delightfully executed, with the author using every bit of her artistic license to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting. Which is no small feat considering how many and varied the stories in this particular fandom and with this particular pairing can be.

Though there are many enjoyable aspects of this fic, fabulous characterization chief among them, the one thing that really stands out to me is that, though their genders are reversed and, due to necessity, a few key elements are changed, the story is, at its heart, essentially the same one we know and love. That means there’s still the villainous Wickham, the ever popular proposal scene, and more misunderstandings and pride than you can shake a stick at. Despite the fact that some readers might balk at the idea of reading this, I definitely recommend it to those of you who are willing to take a chance on this new version of Miss Darcy and Mr Bennet.

First Impressions

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

Title: An Adventuresome Afternoon.
Fandom: Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Henry Tilney/Catherine Morland, Charles Bingley/Jane Bennet.
Categories: Crossover, Fluff, Friendship.
Length: Short (2119 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Scintilla10 @ AO3

Review:
The Tilneys make a return to Bath a few months after their marriage and make the acquaintance of the Bingleys.

I had never given the matter much thought, but Scintilla10 showcases very well how a friendship would easily develop between the Tilneys and the Bingleys. It is not without its bumps along the way (as their close encounter with nature will show), but perhaps because of that it is even more natural and charming. All in all this is an original and delightful piece of fluff whose only fault is not being longer.

An Adventuresome Afternoon

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

For those of you interested in finding more Austen fics, check out this post about the Jane Austen Fanfiction Index.


Title: Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Besides canon pairings, variations with Male!Jane/Caroline Bingley; Male!Elizabeth/Darcy and Wickham/Kitty Bennet.
Categories: AU, Romance, Genderswitch.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: biichan
Author Website: biichan @ AO3

Author's Summary:
"A series of what-ifs exploring in turn the possibilities had any of the Bennet girls been born male."

Review:
Fics that give the Bennet girls a brother (or that in turn exchange one of the Bennets's daughters for a son) are not particularly rare in the P&P fandom. With one notable exception, these fics have never really captured my attention.

"Five Sons" stood out for me because of the writing style (excellent) and the way each Bennet brother is portrayed (familiar, and yet not quite). The constrains of "five things" format is here more of a help than a hindrance, as I'm not sure I would have been convinced by the characterization of the younger Bennets in a longer fic (after all, the negligent education of the only son and heir to the point where he would achieve the level of silliness of Kitty and Lydia would need a very convincing explanation). In these short segments, however, I was able to suspend my disbelief long enough to enjoy them thoroughly.

All in all, this is an interesting glimpse on what might have been.

Five Sons Mr and Mrs Bennet Never Had

So lothy was kind enough to post on my behalf yesterday, but I ended up sending her the wrong rec (which had already been posted on the 15th). Here's the right one. Sorry about the confusion and thanks to anikiro for catching the double post!

Title: An Ink-Stained Year.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Colonel Fitzwilliam/Caroline Bingley.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance, Epistolary.
Length: Long.
Warnings: Oblique references to a miscarriage; chronic illness as a result of a war wound.

Author on LJ: n/a [sixbeforelunch @ Dreamwidth]
Author Website: sixbeforelunch @ Archive of Our Own

Review:
For different reasons, both Caroline Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are obliged to remain in London during the summer. The lack of adequate company and entertainment during this time of the year makes them be frequently in each other's company, giving rise to a (in the author's own words) “decidedly un-epic courtship” which is told through a series of letters from the Colonel and Miss Bingley to their respective families.

The P&P fandom usually presents two versions of Miss Bingley: an absolute shrew that resents to the end of her days having lost Darcy to Elizabeth or a young lady victim of the society of her time that eventually comes to recognize the error of her ways and becomes a better, kinder person. While both characterizations can work well, one of the things I loved about "An Ink-Stained Year" is that Caroline is neither perfectly awful nor perfectly good. She has plenty of well documented faults, but also a number of qualities which may not be obvious at first. The same well rounded characterization is granted to Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is neither hero nor rake. Add to these intriguing characters the wonderful way the letters themselves are written (full of personal touches and historical details) and you have a fic which is quite different from what you usually find in the P&P fandom, but most definitely worth reading.

An Ink-Stained Year.

So lothy was kind enough to post on my behalf yesterday, but I ended up sending her the wrong rec (which had already been posted on the 15th). Here's the right one. Sorry about the confusion and thanks to anikiro for catching the double post!

Title: An Ink-Stained Year.
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice.
Pairing: Colonel Fitzwilliam/Caroline Bingley.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance, Epistolary.
Length: Long.
Warnings: Oblique references to a miscarriage; chronic illness as a result of a war wound.

Author on LJ: n/a [sixbeforelunch @ Dreamwidth]
Author Website: sixbeforelunch @ Archive of Our Own

Review:
For different reasons, both Caroline Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are obliged to remain in London during the summer. The lack of adequate company and entertainment during this time of the year makes them be frequently in each other's company, giving rise to a (in the author's own words) “decidedly un-epic courtship” which is told through a series of letters from the Colonel and Miss Bingley to their respective families.

The P&P fandom usually presents two versions of Miss Bingley: an absolute shrew that resents to the end of her days having lost Darcy to Elizabeth or a young lady victim of the society of her time that eventually comes to recognize the error of her ways and becomes a better, kinder person. While both characterizations can work well, one of the things I loved about "An Ink-Stained Year" is that Caroline is neither perfectly awful nor perfectly good. She has plenty of well documented faults, but also a number of qualities which may not be obvious at first. The same well rounded characterization is granted to Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is neither hero nor rake. Add to these intriguing characters the wonderful way the letters themselves are written (full of personal touches and historical details) and you have a fic which is quite different from what you usually find in the P&P fandom, but most definitely worth reading.

An Ink-Stained Year.