Book Review- Pirates and Prejudice by Kara Louise
Reviewed by Amanda Kai
Pirates of the Caribbean meets Pride and Prejudice in this fun variation by Kara Louise.
After Elizabeth's rejection at Hunsford, Darcy sinks deep into melancholy. Allowing his personal appearance to grow haggard beyond recognition, Darcy is wandering the London underbelly when he is mistaken for the notorious pirate Lockerly and arrested. He is able to prove his identity, but is pressured by government agents to impersonate Lockerly in the hopes of drawing the real pirate out of hiding.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her father journey by sea to the islands of Scilly, off the coast of England, to visit Mr. Bennet's dying sister. They enjoy a pleasant visit, and Elizabeth forms a friendship with a distant cousin, David, who agrees to travel back with them to London to further the possibility of an attachment with Elizabeth.
Along the way, they are blown off course and shipwrecked on an uninhabited island–which turns out to be the hideout of the real Lockerly! After a harrowing capture, they are unexpectedly rescued by a mysterious “Captain Smith” who, despite being the doppelganger of Lockerly, is entirely unlike him in every other way. His honor and gentlemanlike manners defy the usual roughness of a sea captain, as does the softness of his hands, and his occasional slips into more “refined” speech. But Elizabeth begins to suspect the dear captain’s true identity even further when his first mate reveals that “disguise of every sort is his abhorrence.” Will Elizabeth follow the safe path of marrying her cousin David, or surrender to her heart’s desire for the enigmatic man who has invaded her dreams?
This was a unique premise and a very different way for Elizabeth to discover Mr. Darcy’s true character and come to know him apart from the usual setting. Having watched Keira Knightley play two very different “Elizabeths” on screen in both Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean, it was easy for me to picture Elizabeth Bennet entangling with pirates aboard a ship and falling for a dashing captain who is not who he seems.
I heartily recommend Pirates and Prejudice for anybody who loves a swashbuckling adventure, romance, and seeing their favorite characters in a whole new light.
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