Away From My Mothers Watchful Eye: ...a coming of age story

Darcy saves Elizabeth from danger, brings her to his room to giver her a few moments to regain her composure and to make herself more presentable. Prior to this, the young Mr. Darcy bumps into an acquaintance, and asks for her help to provide Elizabeth with female clothing. As we know, in the Regency era, propriety precedes everything. People must observe the most proper decorum. Two unmarried people of the opposite sex must not be left alone to their own devices to avoid scandal and compromise.

Unfortunately for Elizabeth and Darcy, a resentful former flame discovers them and believes it her duty to spread the scandal all over town. Long story short, Elizabeth and Darcy must marry to avoid disgrace. The story is divided into five parts--Elizabeth's fifteenth year, sixteenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twenty first.

We are shown how Elizabeth changes from the tomboy, impertinent and 'disobedient little hellion' to the refined, beautiful Mistress of Pemberley. Elizabeth at fifteen was very much still a child. She had little regard for consequences, as seen when she ran away from home. Darcy proposed to her, she stamped and whined, and there were times when I wanted to drag her by the ear and give her a talking to.

Darcy wasn't any better. He was too serious for his age, and looked slightly ridiculous with the thin mustache, long hair, and the gaudy cravats.

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It was very entertaining to imagine him as such. Their marriage was indeed a bumpy one.

Away From My Mother’s Watchful Eye

Elizabeth would never have thought that upon marrying the same man she ran away from, the very same man would run away from her. Within the first year of marriage, Darcy goes to Scotland to tend to their estate. He again leaves for the continent when the Fitzwilliams' finances were invested under a questionable business. Despite the company of the Fitzwilliams and Georgiana, my heart still ached for Elizabeth.

She lost her father at such a young age, married a man who holds no tender feelings for her a few months later, and lost another father figure a while later. She was then thrust into the role of mistress without so much as a by your leave, and her husband was absent. She had no choice but to grow up. By the time Darcy finally comes back, Elizabeth is no longer the impertinent fifteen year old he remembered her to be. She's beautiful, refined, accomplished, and is very much the Mistress of Pemberley.

The staff respects her, and he could see how amazing she is at her role. It leaves him awed and a little confused. I love how this story was weaved. It was different from Pride and Prejudice, but the same elements were still there. There were a few nods to Austen's other works, too. Wickham was a rake of the highest order. Caroline was more persistent than ever. She knew Darcy was married yet she still tried to woo him. Charles was the usual affable and kind man. The ending was satisfying and relieving. After everything Elizabeth's been through, she deserves the best of endings.

View all 6 comments. May 30, Sheila Majczan rated it it was amazing. Hooray for Caitlin, she's done it again! This story was so captivating, amusing and in the end, sweetly romantic. Watching "the ugly duckling" change over the course of five years from a skinny tomboy who frolics with a neighboring farm boy and chops off her hair due to the plans her dear father has arranged for her to a beautiful, "accomplished" and captivating woman kept me turning pages.

The author sure does a swell job! Bennet's favorite does not mean Elizabeth gets everything Hooray for Caitlin, she's done it again! Bennet's favorite does not mean Elizabeth gets everything to go her way. Bennet arranges with an old friend, George Darcy, to take over guardianship of year-old Elizabeth upon his death Jane is going to live with the Gardiners and the other sisters are to stay with her mother in Meryton.

So Elizabeth bolts in panic. But Fitzwilliam Darcy is not about to let her scamper about the country side. Eventually he finds her and then rescues her from a robbery and worse. But in doing so and in attempting to get them back on the road to Pemberley they are observed by And I don't have to tell you how that lady might take the opportunity to wreak her revenge on the man who is responsible. So a word dropped here or there and with gossip columnists having an ear to the ground, Darcy is forced to act with honor. Darcy finally gets Elizabeth back to Pemberley where his father has returned with Georgiana and her governess.

But as the story unfolds Darcy "finds" business to conveniently keep him away, first in Scotland for a year. Then he's back for a short time due to his father's death. Subsequently he is off to the West Indies and so asks the Colonel, who is now retired due to an injury, to stay and guard both his sister and Elizabeth. This time he is gone for years. You can imagine how Elizabeth changes during that amount of time. There is no correspondence between the two; they barely speak when they are in each other's presence. Elizabeth does write her family. But she continues to have her moments of rancor towards him: She also overhears remarks again by Darcy to Richard about her.

Then there was this incident before his departure with some handkerchiefs she had embroidered for him. While he is away Elizabeth does form friendships with the governess, Miss Temple, and with Richard and becomes a dear sister to Georgiana. Meanwhile Darcy has met and befriended Charles Bingley in the Indies. It broke my heart to read of the maidservants gossiping about her wardrobe. Darcy had no thought about that and it is not until her mourning clothes are too short that anyone thinks to procure new clothes.

Richard makes his own decision to remedy some of this situation but when he allows a visit to Meryton he didn't expect Wickham to be in the neighborhood. And then there are all those birthdays to which Darcy pays no attention. Could it get any sadder? You may be surprised. Darcy invites Charles Bingley and his family to Pemberley. There his relationship to Elizabeth has many an arched eyebrow.

He learns from a maid that Elizabeth is not abed but busy with estate affairs early in the morning. When did she take up the reins of household management? In this story there are some other happenings with secondary characters: Richard is smitten, Miss Temple tells of her lost love, Charlotte offers advice and Elizabeth solicits Lady Catherine for some help.

Darcy was going to place our Elizabeth at Pemberley and she was going to be forgotten basically like an annoying gnat. Funny how all that changed with her "coming of age". I want to reread this and soon. I did so enjoy it. I know I do not deserve it, I have done you a thousand wrongs, but be generous, please. Such a delightful story View all 32 comments. Jun 22, Sophia rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was well pleased when this one was chosen for me during one of our reading group challenges. I have truly wanted to read it since I heard of it, but Anyhoo, there was a lot of talk for this one and I started to get high expectations as a result.

Let me end the suspense, this book more than lived up to the talk and expectations. First of all, this truly is a coming of age story. No little mild awkwardness and barely any flaws pretending to be coming of age stuff. I I was well pleased when this one was chosen for me during one of our reading group challenges.

It was painful to read because it was the real, conflicted, unstable stuff of a teenage girl who just lost her beloved father and her world is coming apart when she gets caught up in the repercussions of a scandal. It is also painful because a young man who a little older, is no less troubled must face unrequited love and betrayal by two people close to him only to be saddled by a wild, unbridled petulant mess of a young female. And then, it doesn't just poof and vanish. Early mistakes and trauma stay with this pair for a long time to come.

My heart was breaking and I had to take breaks with other fluffy rabbits and rainbows stories between. But I kept coming back because of the masterful handling of the story and characters the author wrote. All that was worth it because, sa-woon, oh so swoon on the finish which still had outbursts of conflict and angst. I enjoyed the long denouement that was a good counter-balance for all that came before. I'm just going to toss this in. I'm not one for high-angst these days. But then authors started abusing it with the manipulative stuff and the undo angst that was not organic in the story- just there as filler.

The Coming of Age of Elizabeth Bennet gave me new hope that an angsty story can still appeal to me. View all 15 comments. It's another one of my favorite posts of the year! Thank you to all of my Goodreads friends who have already visited to share your comments. I love reading your comments! View all 7 comments.

Jun 09, Joana Starnes rated it it was amazing Shelves: An amazing, gripping story, so poignant, so full of deep, human, wrenchingly real emotion! She feels lost in a suddenly alien world and, in her overwhelming hurt that comes at the most vulnerable and unsettling age, she naively makes a decision that would alter her entire life. She runs away from home, only to be rescued quite dramatically from very dangerous circumstances by a year-old Fitzwilliam Darcy, and thanks to a spiteful acquaintance this sparks a scandal that leads to their early marriage.

I loved how he vacillated between wanting to throttle the fiery year-old Elizabeth and showing his true nature with thoughtful gestures of kindness the Haddon and Pemberley dinner scenes were so adorable! I loved the relationship Elizabeth established with the matriarch of Haddon Hall and especially that the Countess was not glossed into a picture of perfection and, while extremely kind to Elizabeth, she still maintained some very realistic and very strong class prejudices. How he became the brother she never had, and the unwavering support that Darcy was not there to give her, particularly in a dreadful circumstance that could have ruined them all.

It was also a huge relief to see Elizabeth and Darcy reacting so sensibly to angst-y moments that could have caused a great deal of pain if misinterpreted and blown out of proportion. They were hurt, but had the good sense to explore the hidden meanings and talk to each other, rather than fly into temper tantrums and jump to conclusions. I could have honestly strangled young Mr Darcy for his domineering manner and especially for deserting his young wife for such a length of time — 3 years??

What was he thinking? But I can see that he had to be absent for very long, otherwise Elizabeth would not have had the chance to grow into the poised and capable mistress of Pemberley he found on his return.

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From his return, it was unstoppable delight. Mr Darcy was faced with the startling revelation that the hellion had matured into a perfectly behaved young woman who could deliver an impeccable set-down quite as smoothly and effectively as he. A poised lady of the house who takes no nonsense from anyone, least of all himself.

And moreover, shockingly attractive. Their gradual opening towards each other was wonderful to read and deeply moving. To all this, add exquisite Regency language and beautifully crafted prose and you have an absolute must-read. I could keep listing so many scenes and nuances I loved, but I really should let you discover them for yourself.

View all 8 comments. Aug 13, Talia rated it it was amazing. This is my new all-time-favorite JAFF book. I just loved it. Elizabeth was everything I always want her to be and more. The author got everything exactly right. I loved her first book so much but this one blew me away. There is nothing I would change except that she only has two books. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. May 31, J. Garrett rated it it was amazing Shelves: It was so perfect in conveying a younger version of ODG [our dear girl] Elizabeth. To readers of this story…you cannot speed read this.

I tried to speed read through a scene I assumed would be tedious and missed several important facts and had to go back and reread the scene again.

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Besides, in the very last chapter Darcy reflects back on these early scenes. When our story opens, ODG is a mere child [small for her age] of 15 years grieving over the loss her father, her rock, foundation, source of comfort and companion. Though she was not the son they longed for, he delighted in her abilities, willingness to learn, her quick mind and wit and she soon became his favorite.

All that changed with his death. His beloved study and estate was now the province of their odious cousin the elder Mr. He had the entail and all the Bennet ladies has to remove themselves from his house as soon as they could. Darcy of Pemberley, Derbyshire. It was too much for her sensibilities and in her youthfulness she made foolish and rash decisions that would change her life forever. Most children [myself included] at some time or another have contemplated or attempted to run away.

They simply run as fast and as far away from the problem as they can. There is no reasoning, rationale or awareness of consequences, their basic gut instinct is to simply run…and that is what she did. Elizabeth was no different. This work was the coming of age of Elizabeth Bennet. Williams allowed us to walk with her as she traveled through the crucial periods of her life.

I liked how Ms. Williams took us through those stages in chunks. We were there when Elizabeth finally realized that if she wanted things to be different, then she had to be different. When she became Mistress of Pemberley, she did not have Mrs. Reynolds and the servants welcoming her with open arms, she had to earn their respect and loyalty. I loved the nods to other Austen works. Those little nuggets were a delightful surprise when I would come across them interspersed throughout this work.

Williams was creative in how she used Austen dialogue and scenes from canon and moved and adjusted them to fit in this adaption.

Such surprises were thrilling whenever I would encounter them. The transitions were smooth and seamless. We have the Fitzwilliam family at Matlock. I loved the Countess Matlock. Our dear Colonel Fitzwilliam and his mother were a hoot. She was a powerhouse to be reckoned with and was a big help to Elizabeth throughout her life.

After the eldest son and heir to Matlock made disastrous financial decisions that could have ruined the Fitzwilliam family, Darcy had to go to the Indies in order to sort it out and redistribute the family fortunes into safer ventures. Our dear Colonel stayed at Pemberley and looked after Georgiana and Elizabeth.

The Bingley connection occurred while Darcy was the Indies. How delicious she was in her attempts to garner his favor. The dialogue was different but still funny. The younger Collins was nearing taking his orders into the clergy and had turned his eye toward taking Jane as wife. Williams was so creative in getting him out of Hertfordshire and into the benevolence and condescension of Lady Catherine de Bourgh who needed to fill the living in her gift. The rest, as they say…was canon. Wickham was a rake and scoundrel of the highest order. Everything he thought Darcy owned or coveted he attempted to taint or destroy.

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He was awful, nothing was sacred to him…profligate, gamester, seducer, and the list goes on. The reveal to the depths of his seduction was a shocker and a…not too graphic sex scene…but close enough that will raise eyebrows and an OMG moment. This was why I cautioned readers to not speed read. Those early encounters, that set things in motion, were due in part to what happened right here. This is long enough. If the other reviewers and I have not convinced you to read this, nothing will.

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Just take it slow as it is worth it. I would have liked an epilogue to know what happened to everyone and there were those pesky editing problems. View all 4 comments. Bennet passed away he made arrangements for Elizabeth to live at Pemberley with his good friend George Darcy and be raised alongside the eleven-year-old Georgiana. But Elizabeth wants none of it! She goes to Pemberley most unwillingly, and in a desperate attempt to avoid this preordained fate she runs away…repeatedly.

Not just because of the pressure that I should be taller and more charming by now, but because by the age of sixteen, Aurora had already snagged her happy ending, and her story was over. And now this planet is lousy with aliens. As the neurotypical twin, Sam has always taken the lead in making sure no harm comes to her brother, who displays traits consistent with being on the autism spectrum.

Schoolyard bullies are one thing, but the aliens are… unexpected. These aliens have taken over the earth by capturing all humans between the ages of 16 to 65, except for a few. Those younger than 16 and older than 65, and those who are the correct age but have a disability, are deemed not to be useful.

So now Sam and Wyatt are hiding out, trying to use alien technology to find out where everyone, including their parents, has been taken. And Wyatt, who had a hard time dealing with the world even before the aliens, must learn to take charge and protect others. There are people out there that need all of us to look and act in very specific ways, which means that some of my students are at a severe disadvantage.

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