Me & Mr. Darcy

Did you ever have a crush on any particular actor, singer, dance, or any kind of artists, or even fictional hero, so much that you wish that they are there in your reality? And that you dream of being with him/her? Ahem.. Admit it or not, we all have that sort of fantasy. It would be great if that wish or dream comes true, wouldn't it? *wink*

In Me & Mr. Darcy, the modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Alexandra Potter, such wish comes true to one lucky Emily Albright. Emily is a bookstore manager of a family-owned bookstore in New York. She is a die-hard romantics and has read Pride & Prejudice for the umpteenth times since young. After a string of bad dates and feeling hopeless towards modern day gentlemen, if they can even be called as such, she decides to go on a book tour to Jane Austen's country, instead of running off to Mexico for a wild week of men and margaritas for the New Year with Stella, her BFF.

Her excitement is a bit dashed when she discovers that the book tour group consist mainly of older women, except for one Spike Hargreaves, a journalist who is sent by his paper, The Daily Times to write an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date. Spike is a total antithesis of Mr. Darcy; unkempt with a slight belly which can be caught on sight here and now, foul mouthed and certainly unchivalrous. Compared to the literacy perfection of Mr. Darcy, Spike has no chance of capturing the heart of  the heroin, though Emily thought he is cute, before they got off in the wrong footing.

Just when Emily thought this is gonna be a dull and boring tour she embarked on, something great yet mysterious happened... She comes face-to-face with Mr. Darcy. Yup, it's Mr. Darcy, for real...

What would you do if your fantasy dream date is there in your reality?

Believe it or not, I finished this novel in a mere 3 days. Could be shorter if I'm not working for the most part of the days. I think it is quite a clever mashing of the most classic ever love story and modern day ones. It is also highly entertaining; you will find yourself giggling as you flip through the pages. And I couldn't help but felt warm on some part of the stories. Some parts, however, could have been better. But, for the sake of just wanting to read a light and entertaining novel, these can be discounted.

So, back to the question, what would you do if your fantasy dream date is there in your reality? Reading this novel got me thinking about this question for quite some time. Maybe I should start drafting a short story about it. ;)