Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
81 Plays9 days ago
What if Pride and Prejudice was set in modern day America? What if Will Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet surf and fall in love in the Hamptons? What if Jane Bennet reads romantasy novels and Kitty went to business school? Melinda and Stefanie discuss a romance novel version of Pride & Prejudice that includes all five Bennet sisters and doesn’t turn Fitzwilliam Darcy into a walking red flag in Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding.
Links & Mentions
You can follow the authors on Instagram @audrey.and.emily.
And if you want spoilers, you can click here to find out the title of Book 3 in for the Love of Austen and where to buy it. We've read it: it's fabulous.
If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.
As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com.
Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading and watching is Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding and watching the companion movie of the same name, directed by Sharon Maguire. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.
Recommended
Transcript
Introducing 'Jane Austen Remixed' with a Modern Twist
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, Stephanie. Hey, Melinda. What if Pride and Prejudice were set in the modern day in the Hamptons, where Elizabeth Bennett is a surfer who runs the family bakery and the authors don't turn William Darcy into a walking red flag?
00:00:16
Speaker
I would be very impressed with their restraint.
00:00:34
Speaker
Welcome to Jane Austen Remixed, the podcast where we examine the surfy and sun-soaked world of Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I'm Melinda. And I'm Stephanie.
Exploring 'Elizabeth of East Hampton'
00:00:44
Speaker
And today we're looking at the book Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Beleza and Emily Harding. It was released in 2024 and published by Simon & Schuster. I wandered into a bookstore one day looking for another title and just happened to see this one on display. It was only that I noticed the tiny Pride and Prejudice on the cover in a pull quote that I realized this was a new release adaptation. Here is the blurb in case you would like to read this one before listening to the episode.
00:01:11
Speaker
Elizabeth Bennett has lived in the Hamptons her whole life and she can't wait to start a new life further afield. But after putting her own dreams on hold to help her family, she's still here, surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something to change.
00:01:26
Speaker
She's not holding her breath though. Not even when her sister Jane starts flirting with Charlie Pierce, the hot new bachelor in town, who introduces Lizzie to his even hotter friend. Will Darcy is everything Lizzie Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogant, and rich.
00:01:44
Speaker
Of course, money has never mattered to him, and everyone is annoying him, especially Charlie, who insists on setting him up with Lizzie Bennet. She is clearly all wrong for him. But why can't he stop thinking about her?
00:01:56
Speaker
Lizzie is sure Will hates everyone. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. But just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes and misconceptions threaten the peace.
Character Name Changes: A Hit or Miss?
00:02:07
Speaker
Between a hurricane, a drunken voicemail, and a deceptive real estate agent, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of the people they love, even if it means sacrificing their own.
00:02:19
Speaker
Oh no, however will we cope? Also, side note, before we get stuck into it, what is with everyone's obsession with keeping like Darcy's name the same, but changing Charles? Like why couldn't have Charlie Bingley? Why is he Charlie Pierce? What is happening? What's the point?
00:02:36
Speaker
I don't know. i feel like they either commit to changing all of the names or... or changing none of the names. And this book kind of does a mix of both. So I've got a few new ones to introduce to you as you go. But what do you think? How does that sound?
00:02:51
Speaker
I mean, it sounds fun. I have been to the Hamptons on like a family holiday. and We went in winter and it's like a super weird place to be in winter, but it is very beautiful. It's a weird place to be in winter because most of the people aren't there. They only live there in summer. So in winter they go other places because they're all filthy rich. I'm excited to learn about a book set there.
00:03:10
Speaker
So to me, when I first read this blurb, I thought it sounded like the setup to a Hallmark movie. And you all know my feelings about Hallmark movies. But this book is much better than that.
Judging the Book Beyond Its Cover
00:03:22
Speaker
If this sounds like your cup of tea, please support your local bookstore or library and check it out. Also worth saying, this is a romance novel, so there are a few adult scenes in this one. And now it's time for the spoiler chat.
00:03:35
Speaker
So when I first saw this book, I was guilty of judging a book by its cover. This book looks like all those romance novels you see in the shops. You know, the brightly pop-coloured cover with the simple hand-drawn characters and some fun swishy font, which again, you guys know how I feel about romance novels.
00:03:53
Speaker
But this one really surprised me. It is a romance novel, but it's also a really solid adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I had an absolute blast reading it, because while the romance takes center stage, there are other Pride and Prejudice plot points and relationships in the book. It's not just the Elizabeth and Darcy show.
00:04:11
Speaker
Would you say that you were a little bit like Lizzie and you judged it by your first impression and the first impression was wrong? book is delightful. I was very wrong.
00:04:22
Speaker
So first of all, this novel is part of a series which for comedic purposes I am calling the ACU, the Austin Cinematic Universe. Mr. Darcy, you've become part of a much bigger universe. You just don't know it yet.
00:04:41
Speaker
but else That was my terrible impression of Agent Nick Fury from Iron Man as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Steph is killing herself laughing. I'm sorry, it had to be done. It did have to be done.
00:04:52
Speaker
Nice. Nice. We are going to have to work on a new Nick Fury impression though. I feel like we can polish little bit. Oh, it I'm a aware of that. can polish that up a little bit. So the series is actually called For the Love of Austin.
00:05:03
Speaker
And the first book called Emma of 83rd Street came out in 2023. And it's an adaptation of, you guessed it, Emma. When deciding if we should cover Elizabeth of East Hampton, I decided to read Emma first. And I'm so glad I did because halfway through that book, two guys called Will and Charlie turn up as business associates of George Knightley. And I was like, huh.
00:05:26
Speaker
Those are two notable names for a pair of male characters in something that's based on Austen. Interesting. Then in the final chapter of the book, Will's last name is revealed as Darcy and it was suddenly very clear what the second book in the series was going to be about.
00:05:41
Speaker
It really is the Austen cinematic universe. You weren't kidding. There's already been a crossover. Yes! So you are correct. Because it's a series, Elizabeth of East Hampton contains an Austen crossover.
00:05:57
Speaker
That's right. Not only do Will and Charlie appear in Emma of 83rd Street, George Knightley and Emma Woodhouse appear in this novel. Stop it. It's fantastic. but So George Knightley is sort of our Colonel Fitzwilliam stand-in. He's known Will since college and they work together. Okay. He and Emma also show up for the Pemberley section to help show Lizzie Will's friendlier side.
00:06:21
Speaker
Now, I won't spoil it, but there is a name dropped in Elizabeth of East Hampton hinting to the next book. We're building to an Avengers-level Austin crossover event and I am here for it. especially if all the books continue to be this fun.
Modern Bennet Sisters: Traits and Roles
00:06:38
Speaker
Elizabeth of East Hampton follows Pride and Prejudice fairly faithfully. The Bennett family live in East Hampton, which is in the Hamptons on Long Island in New York. Like Steph said, it's a popular holiday destination for the rich, and the population swells every summer as people from the city arrive to spend their holidays by the sea.
00:06:56
Speaker
The Bennetts do own a house there and live there all year round. It's on the small side and would probably still sell for a decent amount of money, but it's too small for the family of seven, and the girls can't afford to move out and stay in the area because of the astronomical property prices.
00:07:12
Speaker
So yes, all five Bennett sisters are in this book, which is rare for a modern adaptation. Jane is a primary school teacher and nerd who wears TARDIS earrings and reads romantic novels.
00:07:26
Speaker
Lizzie has been accepted to the Columbia School of Journalism for graduate school. but had to defer her enrollment to help her father run their family bakery. In this adaptation, Mr. Bennett had a sudden stroke and has been in rehab, so Lizzie stayed home to keep the bakery open during their busy summer season.
00:07:44
Speaker
She spends every morning surfing at dawn before work. Mary has a blue pixie cut. She is an environmental activist protesting a planned music festival. As Lizzie says, she's saving the world and has the literature to prove it.
00:07:58
Speaker
Kitty and Lydia are twins. Kitty attended business school and in a family of bakers, can't bank to save herself. And Lydia is a TikTok influencer who likes going to parties and building her luxury brand.
00:08:11
Speaker
I love this. I love that they're all still at home. I love that the characters are really involved and it seems like a really cool evolution. I don't love Mary being an environmental activist because it kind of, don't know, it gives you that idea that like environmentalists are like a total bore and no one actually wants to like hear from them. But I hope that they've rehabilitated her character. Not knowing anything about how they've made Mary in the adaptation. Weary to start. Love Lydia being a TikTok influencer. genuinely hilarious and so on brand. You know, what's that meme we saw the other day? ah RIP Lydia, you would have loved TikTok. Yes, yes, that was it. Kitty being hopeless at baking, but also doing a business degree. Very funny. And Jane and her TARDIS earrings I love as well. I'm very excited to see where this goes.
00:08:59
Speaker
And in what is, I think, the perfect, perfect character choice for a modern adaptation, Mrs. Bennett. Now, Steph, I'm just going to get you to read this quote because I think you need to discover it in real time like i did and have the same I cackled when I read this. So, Steph, off you go.
00:09:19
Speaker
The only other thing as consistent as gossip in East Hampton Village was their mother's dedication to a new multi-level marketing business every summer.
00:09:30
Speaker
No! By May, Mrs. Bennett would latch on to one that inevitably took over their entire basement for the season and then, like clockwork, it would be abandoned by September. Now their mother had decided the best way to succeed was by starting her own MLM from the ground.
00:09:49
Speaker
ah I mean, she's not wrong. So after weeks of YouTube sewing tutorials and hundreds of yards of fabric strewn all over the house, she was ready to bring her brainchild to market. Luxe leggings. The world's only leggings with a built-in belt. Oh. Oh my God. I love this. I love this so much. I'm obsessed with and MLMs.
00:10:14
Speaker
I'm obsessed. I listen to podcasts and I watch YouTube videos about MLMs. I watched the documentary about LuLaRoe, the weird legging company that started just like this oh my god it's absolutely based on lula roe anybody listeners if you haven't seen the lula roe documentary and you want to watch something absolutely bad insane it's on streaming somewhere you have to watch it So you can probably tell why I like this one so much.
00:10:44
Speaker
The characterization is strong. It's perfect. It's great. The sisters are all here and they aren't just plot devices.
00:10:54
Speaker
They have personalities. Sure, they are a bit one note at times, but they all have their own little story arcs and aren't all about guys, which is even better. Kitty is working on some business ideas and keeps trying to bake but failing.
00:11:08
Speaker
Mary keeps getting restraining orders taken out against her because she keeps throwing paint balloons at people. LAUGHTER Lizzie spends her time at the bakery reading romantic books that Jane has lent her.
00:11:20
Speaker
Jane probably has the most Guy-focused storyline because the book takes place over summer and she's not teaching during the summer. Jane is also quite strongly introverted, so her shyness with Charlie Pierce, aka our Mr Bingley, is a bit of a blocker for them.
00:11:37
Speaker
And it finally makes sense, a characterization that gets Jane right. I love all of this. But also, i love your point about the sisters not just being like window dressing for the one of the very first times in adaptation we've read. I would like to add here Meryl Streep voice, groundbreaking.
00:11:52
Speaker
The downside. We lose out on big roles for some key characters. Charlotte Lucas, the Bingley sisters, the Gardeners and Georgiana Darcy, which sounds like a lot of people.
00:12:07
Speaker
So that's like, that's like four of our favorite characters. I can't count. I count the gardeners as one character. That's fine. Maybe it's four, maybe it's five. I am so tired of everyone doing Charlotte dirty.
00:12:18
Speaker
She's such an amazing character and she just gets left in the dust. Fine, fine. The rest of this better be amazing. So I'll explain the context and then see how you feel.
00:12:30
Speaker
I agree, there are a lot of our favourite characters are missing from this adaptation. So Charlotte and the Bingley sisters do appear in the book, but Georgiana and the Gardeners do not.
00:12:41
Speaker
Charlotte is now Piper, Lizzie's best friend who is about to head to graduate school in Boston with her girlfriend and works at her dad's bar, but she doesn't really do much. Lizzie and her chat a few times, but she could be very easily removed from the story.
00:12:56
Speaker
Charlie Pierce's sisters Annabelle and Vivienne are with him and Will at the house they rent for the summer. In some ways, Emma Woodhouse's appearance with George Knightley during the Pemberley chapters sort of fulfills Georgiana's role, but it's a bit of a stretch.
00:13:11
Speaker
And Lizzie only mentions an aunt and uncle at one point, but that's it. Again with the weird name changes. Caroline is such a modern name. Why? So is Louisa.
00:13:22
Speaker
you've You've got this real fascination with the names. I know they change. I'm sorry. I'm just not interested. I get incredibly fixated on just weird details that don't make sense. Just leave the characters with the same names. If you're doing such a faithful adaptation and doing a really good job with the characterization, why bother changing the names? But fine, let's move on.
00:13:42
Speaker
Also, fun fact, there's no Mr. Collins character in this either, and it took me till the third read through to notice he wasn't even here. Ha! ha ha Yes. I mean, I was wondering what they were going to do with Mr. Collins after you said that Charlotte had a girlfriend. I was like, that saves her from Mr. Collins. Neatly done. Okay. Yes.
00:14:04
Speaker
But also that's quite funny. You didn't notice. Did not notice at all. Least favourite character alert. So adapting a beloved story is tricky business, right?
00:14:14
Speaker
You can get criticism for keeping characters and plot points in when they don't make sense for the setting of your adaptation, and you get criticism for taking them out. And I've been critical of stories on this podcast that have not included some of these exact characters.
00:14:29
Speaker
But this story feels like Pride and Prejudice more than some of the adaptations we've looked at. And I think that's the key. Yeah, they're doing the hard work so they can move things around without it feeling strange because they've gone to the effort to make a faithful recreation in a new setting and sort of open the story up in a modern way.
00:14:49
Speaker
But here's the thing. i don't miss Charlotte and Georgiana in this book, which is a weird thing to say as a Charlotte and Georgiana fan. I think the reason is that the sister relationships are here and that makes up the female friendship quota. Yes. Great point. I think that when Charlotte is missing in other books, there is also no female friendship. So the lack of Charlotte really, really stands out.
00:15:15
Speaker
Whilst in this with all of the sisters here, you've still got the other relationships and not just the romantic focus. And it's also quite nice here too that Annabelle Pierce, so our Caroline, is not a romantic rival for Lizzie either with Will Darcy.
00:15:29
Speaker
Annabelle is a businesswoman who ends up helping Kitty, but there's no romance for her at all. And also, who's going to miss Mr. Collins? We've glad he's gone. That's kind of refreshing for Caroline, whatever her name is. I'm not going to remember her name. is I'm just going to call it Caroline. oh That's refreshing. That's a refreshing change for Caroline. We'll allow it.
00:15:47
Speaker
And now for our romantic heroes. Will Darcy and Charlie Pierce own a mergers and acquisitions firm for green tech companies. So they're loaded with a capital L, but like it's the good type of rich people because they look after green tech. No such thing as good rich people. Moving on.
00:16:05
Speaker
Charlie Pearce is an adorable nerd who loves the movie Point Break and has a history of falling in love with women way too easily and quickly. Point Break. Oh my God.
00:16:16
Speaker
And his business partner and friend, Will Darcy, is the practical one who must step in to distract Charlie and help put his broken heart back together. Will spent most of his summers by the ocean at his parents' beach house in Montauk. Yeah, Montauk. I've been there too.
00:16:31
Speaker
So he's a real surfer, and not just a poser from the city. The downside is to Will that I wouldn't call him proud. He's a planner and an organiser and likes to be in control to protect the people he cares about.
00:16:45
Speaker
He asks George Knightley at one point if he's overbearing, while George says yes, he says Will steps into every room, takes charge and gets stuff done, which George doesn't see as a negative.
00:16:57
Speaker
But of course, that doesn't really work when pursuing a romantic relationship. Thankfully, he never tries to control Lizzie. There's none of that in this adaptation, which is great because there has been in some of the other
Will Darcy's Modern Persona
00:17:07
Speaker
ones. But there are lots of moments where he provides what Lizzie calls unsolicited criticism. So Will is direct and rude and a massive workaholic, but he's not proud.
00:17:18
Speaker
Interesting. I wonder if that is the approach that they took deliberately so that they could sort of modernize him without making him into a massive walking red flag.
00:17:29
Speaker
I genuinely think that's probably part of it. I think just that slight change of ego. He's still got an ego, but I think it's just changed slightly and that helps the adaptation a lot. Yeah, so control freak as opposed to proud, which is fine. It makes sense. Love that there is no weird controlling behaviour with Elizabeth because we come across that way too much in these adaptations and it's genuinely scary. It sounds like they've made an interesting build to his character that modernises him but still keeps the essence of the character. Which I think really sums up what the authors have done with all of this, which I think is why it works so well.
00:18:06
Speaker
So as we've discussed, massive win for this adaptation, the authors don't turn Will Darcy into a walking red flag. He is rude to Lizzie and other people, but he later apologizes.
00:18:17
Speaker
And later in the book, as well as apologizing for his rudeness, Will gets called out on his behavior. When Will comes clean to Charlie towards the end about how he kept Charlie distracted with his work to keep him away from Jane, Charlie gets angry, which Will notes he has only seen three times before, including once when he found out they were remaking Point Break. but Oh, that's really sweet. That really brings the puppy dog energy, which is what we love about Charles.
00:18:48
Speaker
And yes, he does need to be called out more on his behavior. That's one of the things I did enjoy about the 1995 adaptation. There is a scene where he gets mad. It's brief and he forgets about it immediately because he goes and proposes to Jane.
00:19:02
Speaker
But there is a scene where he gets mad. Yes. So Charlie calls Will out. He says, Will is a fixer and gets involved in sorting out everyone else's messes, but doesn't take time to process his own.
00:19:15
Speaker
As Charlie says, life is messy and complicated, and he needs to learn to deal with it, which Will takes on board. Yay! Also, in a fun twist, this Will Darcy is not tall, dark, and handsome, or at least he's two of those things.
00:19:30
Speaker
So this Darcy is a blonde? Oh my God, it's like when they made James Bond blonde and everyone freaked out. Which is fantastic fodder for the authors as they make jokes about Lizzie being unable to take a male main character in a romance novel seriously if he's a blonde.
00:19:47
Speaker
but And Lydia is the first person to actually hit on Will at first before saying, no, sorry, blondes aren't my type, even though her sisters then list off for Chris Hemsworth and Charlie Hunnam and all the other blonde men she likes.
00:20:02
Speaker
It's very funny. Yes, win for the Charlie Hunnam fandom here, which I am absolutely a part of. I love it. I mean, who can take a blonde man seriously? I say it's the mother of a blonde son.
00:20:15
Speaker
So in terms of characterization, we have a well-rounded cast of characters who grow across the story. Hooray, massive win. Yay. And the plot of adaptation also works really well too.
00:20:26
Speaker
And here are some of the highlights. The Bennet sisters meet Charlie, his sisters, and Will Darcy at the local dive bar called Donato Lodge, which, Stephanie, I'm just going to need you to read the introduction to this place because it also contains a very famous Pride and Prejudice reference.
00:20:44
Speaker
It was a truth universally acknowledged that Donato Lodge was awful, but that was part of the appeal. From the lingering smell of room temperature beer to the stained burgundy carpet only partially hidden by the dim overhead lights, it was the unassuming second home of much of East Hampton.
00:21:02
Speaker
We love it. It was great. It's a very visceral description, is it not? It is. I've absolutely been in this bar slash pub in different towns all over Australia. It's a vibe. So Donato Lodge is owned by this book's Lucas family. So the Donatos. Piper is the bartender there.
00:21:21
Speaker
So she supplies the Bennetts with free alcohol and snacks. In fact, Donato Lodge is known for two things. And Stephanie, I'm also going to need you to read out this next quote, which was a delight to read for the first time. For context, this is Lydia speaking to Lizzie.
00:21:36
Speaker
Best Lydia voice. I can't believe I wore my new Prada top and there aren't any hot guys here. Lydia huffed, landing on a stool beside Lizzie. What are men to beer and tater tots?
00:21:47
Speaker
Lizzie said wistfully, raising her pint glass as if it were a liquid ablation. Ablation? I think it means offering. I love this quote so much. My new Prada top. It's very legally blonde.
00:22:01
Speaker
Don't you tap your last season Pradas at me. These aren't last season. Huh? Belinda's looking at me very confused. No, I know the quote. I'm just fascinated because you didn't find the bit funny that I found hilarious the first time. Oh, my God. What are men to beer and tater tots?
00:22:18
Speaker
but ah ah What are men to mountains? And we've got what are men to beer and tater tots? yeah Yes, okay. I got distracted by the Prada top.
00:22:33
Speaker
That was not the reaction I was expecting you to have. I'm so sorry to disappoint you.
00:22:41
Speaker
Oh my gosh, okay. I cackled aloud when I heard beer and tater tots for the first time. It was a very good quote. I enjoyed both parts of it, but I was distracted by the Prada top.
00:22:55
Speaker
Also, like, Prada not always known for being sexy, so I'm just very intrigued by what what season Prada we're talking about here. Melinda's looking at me like I'm insane. I'm sorry, the book does not go into what season Prada.
00:23:10
Speaker
I'm just kidding. Well, maybe it should. I've made Melinda cry. i literally had a friend message me when she read that and went, in all caps, what are men to beer and tater tots? This is the best line in history. And I was like, yes, step will be on totally on board with this.
00:23:29
Speaker
Failed you. and lookedop at This is very funny. I mean, I did find it funny, but just not the bit you. So, One night at Donato Lodge, when Charlie spots Jane Bennett's TARDIS earrings across the bar, he spots a fellow nerd and they hit it off.
00:23:46
Speaker
Will Darcy insults Lizzie over text message. Charlie is not so subtly trying to set Lizzie up with Will while he flirts with Jane. But Charlie...
00:23:57
Speaker
does a no-no and leaves his phone face up on the bar next to Lizzie and she happens to see Will's text to Charlie that says Lizzie's a mess and he's not interested. Ooh, excellent adaptation.
00:24:12
Speaker
I'm not always like a big fan of text messages and stuff happening in books, but this is an excellent build on the overhearing the conversation. Modern, relatable, and believable. Absolutely.
00:24:24
Speaker
And Lizzie's also not interested in Will. Not just because he's been rude to her, but because he's an out-of-towner, or so she thinks. Lizzie mentions how too many locals get caught up in well-willed summer romances with people from the city on holidays. That it becomes a fantasy and the locals get left behind when the holidays end. And Lizzie doesn't want to be collateral damage.
00:24:44
Speaker
For our Jane is at Netherfield and Lizzie comes for a visit section. Jane gets stuck at Charlie Pierce's overnight thanks to a tropical storm. She's there on a date, but the storm surge floods the road, so they're stuck together overnight. The following morning, instead of walking through the mud, Lizzie surfs up the beach to check on them. She's out riding the storm surge, which is a little dangerous, and Will Darcy is watching from the shore, wishing he had his board with him, and wonders who this amazing but risk-taking surfer is.
00:25:14
Speaker
So our Netherfield Ball is a themed 4th of July party. As they tend to do, the Bennett family embarrass themselves during the night. Lydia flouts the no photos rule to stream the quote, best night of her life on TikTok. Oh, Lydia.
00:25:31
Speaker
Mrs. Bennett is trying to sell her leggings. Kitty is pitching business proposals to Annabelle Pierce. And then Mrs. Bennett gets drunk with Piper's mum and dances loudly to Blondie.
00:25:41
Speaker
In response to the embarrassment, Lizzie just nopes out of there. This is so on brand for all of them and i love it. Of course, Jane and Charlie have been hitting it off until Charlie tells Jane he loves her while watching the 4th of July fireworks, which is a little fast. Oh, lordy. Yeah, Jane is an introvert, panics and leaves, which is completely understandable reaction. That is such a realistic reaction to that. As someone who's not an introvert, I would still have that reaction. That's very soon. And wow, yeah, correct. Extremely correct reaction.
00:26:16
Speaker
And Charlie goes straight to Will. Charlie has a history of falling in love fast and getting his heart broken by women who just want his money. While Jane doesn't fall into that category, he fell hard. So Will swoops in and schedules tons of meetings back in New York and uses their work to distract him. It's the tactic he's used
Tristan Cole: The Modern Wickham
00:26:34
Speaker
before.
00:26:34
Speaker
This adaptation even includes a Wickham storyline and it's quite good and has a great resolution. So Wickham here is named Tristan Cole. Okay, that's an F-boy name if ever I heard one. It's perfect villain name, isn't it?
00:26:51
Speaker
I love it. I will allow it. He is a party and events promoter. Oh, Lord, no. Again, perfect characterization for a modern day adaptation.
00:27:03
Speaker
Spot on. It's fantastic. So he's hired by Piper's dad to consult on this music festival that he's trying to get started. This is the runner throughout the book that Mary's activist team are trying to prevent the festival because it will negatively impact the ecosystem.
00:27:20
Speaker
But Tristan has the connections to get this festival off the ground, or so he says. He can contact Bono, Beyonce, even Taylor, and he's partied with Leo in Saint-Tropez. For anyone who doesn't know The Man by Taylor Swift, you're welcome. Yes. One of my favourite Taylor Swift songs. So Tristan swans in and chats up Lizzie at the bar.
00:27:48
Speaker
Tristan clocks that Will likes Lizzie and even tells her. And Lizzie's like, no way. Other than an almost kiss behind the bar with Tristan that Will witnesses, nothing romantic happens with Tristan.
00:28:03
Speaker
They try to set something up, but Tristan ghosts her. Very on brand. Especially for a party and events promoter who can contact Leo and Bono. Bono is such a weird reference.
00:28:16
Speaker
I'm friends with Taylor Swift. Oh, and yeah, that really old guy Bono as well. I don't know if you've heard of him. Tristan says his disagreement with Darcy comes from the fact that Will has money and Tristan doesn't.
00:28:27
Speaker
That Darcy Sr. had been supportive and gave Tristan a job at his company. But once Darcy Sr. died, Will had fired him. Of course, we'll come back to how much of that is true or not.
00:28:38
Speaker
Now this version of the first proposal happens after a prompt from George Knightley, who, unlike Colonel Fitzwilliam, is an excellent wingman. George was out in the Hamptons helping Will run interference with Will's aunt, Bertie Carrington.
00:28:54
Speaker
and invites Lizzie to join them for dinner. Lizzie accepts to try and find out information about Charlie for Jane. The dinner does not go well, mostly because Bertie insults Elizabeth a lot. Bertie is, of course, our lady Catherine, and is the deceptive real estate agent mentioned in the book's blurb.
00:29:11
Speaker
Stop it. Because I, and probably everyone else listening, assumed that the deceptive real estate agent was going to be our Wickham character. But of course, no, he's a useless party boy. Wow. She's the real estate agent. Okay. Color me intrigued as to how that's going to go.
00:29:28
Speaker
But also, I'm just going to stop you right there because I will not hear you say anything bad about Colonel Fitzwilliam, our perfect himbo. He's amazing and perfect and as dumb as a pile of bricks, and we love him.
00:29:44
Speaker
Colonel Fitzwilliam was trying really hard to convince Elizabeth, I think, that Darcy liked her or was a good person. Yes, Unfortunately, he did so by unveiling his deepest, darkest secrets that happened to involve her sister.
00:30:01
Speaker
He was absolutely like wingmanning his little himbo heart out. He's like, he cares about people. He cares about people so much that he just saved his best friend from this terrible marriage.
00:30:12
Speaker
Oops, didn't know that was your sister. My little dumb as a pile of bricks himbo. We love him. He has a good heart. He's a great character, but he's a bad wingman. And George Knightley is a good wingman. I stand by that opinion.
00:30:27
Speaker
So Bertie is rich and out of touch and says things to Lizzie like, Lizzie could succeed and afford the local real estate if she just worked hard or if she had a little ambition and applied herself. Oh, bootstraps, bootstraps, whatever, whatever. Shut up, rich people. At this dinner though, Lizzie and Will do find out some more info about each other. Lizzie learns that Will has this house in Montauk that Birdie wants him to sell. And Will learns that Lizzie had to defer her enrollment at Columbia.
00:30:59
Speaker
After Lizzie leaves, George tells Will that he can't continue throwing himself into work to avoid his feelings and that maybe he should share with Lizzie how he feels.
00:31:11
Speaker
That sounds dangerous. but George Knightley, good wing man, trying to help his bro process his feelings and sees it and knows what's up.
00:31:21
Speaker
Talk to your bros. Talk to your bros about their feelings. They can't just keep grinding their way through life and not acknowledging their feelings. You ought to talk to your bros. Of course, Will stuffs it up, but that's Will's fault. That's not Georgia's fault.
00:31:34
Speaker
The next day, Will Darcy turns up at the bakery while Lizzie is there on her own and declares that he can't stop thinking about her, that she is a problem for him and a massive distraction. Not the smoothest line ever. Pretty dodgy, really. ah But he does turn it around enough that they start making out.
00:31:53
Speaker
Why? Why? have whiplash. Huh? I think this is where the little romance trope would come into it. They're fighting and they start making out. It sort of makes sense at the time, but he turns around it enough that at least Lizzie seems responsive to what's happening. she responsive to that or to his abs?
00:32:12
Speaker
I don't think there's any abs in this scene. I'm very confused. Oh boy. Of course, once the making out starts, Will does start failing very quickly. He starts muttering that he hates how much he needs her, which is, of course, is terrible. Like I said, George Knightley, great wingman.
00:32:32
Speaker
Will Darcy, terrible at processing his feelings. Terrible execution of pickup maneuver. Oh my God. Between Charlie confessing love way too early. And this is a borderline confession of love. Let's be honest. I hate how much I need you. That's like three seconds before you're like, I love you so much. Terrible thing to say. Also, I'm assuming Lizzie's going to run a mile. And that is also a very valid reaction to hearing that.
00:32:57
Speaker
But great adaptation of a first proposal. So Lizzie stops it and is understandably upset. And Will uses the whole, but I was being honest and telling you how I was feeling and thinking excuse. He doesn't insult her family, but he's rude to her. And Lizzie calls him out that being honest is not an excuse for rudeness. And she won't be collateral damage for someone from the city.
00:33:19
Speaker
She asks where Charlie is because Jane is heartbroken. And Lizzie declares she hates Will for what he did to Jane and Tristan. Okay, good. That works. The making out is still a little weird and janky. It's a romance.
00:33:32
Speaker
So after that disaster, Will drives to his house in Montauk and begins drinking. Between downing half a bottle of scotch, staring at the giant trees in his yard and getting existential, Will Darcy decides that now is the perfect time to defend himself with this book's version of Darcy's letter. Great. I cannot wait for this. Is it an email?
00:33:53
Speaker
which is a drunk voicemail message on the Ben Bakery's ancient answering machine. Yes. yeah
00:34:02
Speaker
Oh, awesome. So much better than an email. All right, let's go. It's established earlier that he and Lizzie hadn't swapped phone numbers and that Lizzie is the only one who checks the answering machine. So Will attempts to use Google and find the phone number. That's such a good Chekhov's gun.
00:34:21
Speaker
Like placing that earlier in the book. Lizzie's the only one listens to The Answering Machine. Yep, it's great. Love it. All right. my God, what does it say? So Will explains to The Answering Machine and us that he had been friends with Tristan all throughout high school. He'd suggested his dad hire Tristan so he could save up money for college. Once Darcy Sr. and his wife died suddenly five years ago,
00:34:45
Speaker
Will discovered that Tristan had manipulated his dad for more and more money. He made up sad backstories and took advantage of Darcy Sr.'s generosity and then didn't even bother coming to their funeral.
00:34:56
Speaker
So naturally, Will cuts him off. Yep, well deserved. It's Wickham, he always deserves it. But no, that's particularly egregious. And also kind of touches on that elder abuse stuff that we've dipped into before with Wickham in and some other adaptations. Pretty solid.
00:35:11
Speaker
As well as Tristan getting cut off, Will then gets cut off too. In a very funny moment, the answering machine cuts out about halfway through Will's message, so he has to call back.
00:35:21
Speaker
Yes. ah I love it. That used to happen to answering machines. For those of you who can't remember, for people that have only ever experienced voice notes, answering machines used to cut out.
00:35:33
Speaker
He continues saying that he'd seen Charlie fall in love fast before and was trying to protect his friend's heart and money when it came to her sister. And he'd do that again. But in real time, as he's getting existential under the influence of Scotch, He realises that his actions had hurt Jane and Lizzie as well.
00:35:51
Speaker
He apologises for hurting them and for calling Lizzie a mess. Halfway through saying a list of things he'd wish he'd told her, the answering machine cuts off again. It's a very well done version of the letter. I loved this.
00:36:04
Speaker
I appreciate the slapstick as part of it. it's It's normally such a serious scene and quite angsty. So the fact that he is a drunk, and B, he has to keep calling back on a landline.
00:36:17
Speaker
No notes. Of course, Lizzie hears the messages and after some brief internet sleuthing, she realises that Will is right. While Tristan appears in endless social media posts at the latest hotspots, there are no recommendations for his professional work online.
00:36:33
Speaker
Will Darcy isn't on social media, because of course he isn't, but appears in a few news stories and professional articles, which highlight his business skill and his generosity with several charities.
00:36:44
Speaker
We love a bit of online stalking. Not gonna lie, if we were Elizabeth in this scenario, we absolutely, probably would have Googled him before this. Probably, but she was pretending she didn't like the guy. Well, to be fair, she didn't like the guy at that point.
00:36:58
Speaker
I mean, I would have hate Googled him, but anyway. Our Pemberley Ark takes place up the road in Montauk. Lizzie is out surfing and ends up being carried by the tide way down the beach, further than she'd ever been before.
00:37:11
Speaker
Just so happens she washes up outside Will Darcy's place and runs into him on the beach. Things are awkward, but he invites her to dinner that evening. Dinner is with George Knightley and Emma Woodhouse, who are of course delightful.
00:37:26
Speaker
Emma immediately starts trying to matchmake them because of course she does. She's Emma Woodhouse. Yes. Okay. Excellent. We got to keep some semblances of the original characters and all know Emma cannot help herself under any situation.
00:37:44
Speaker
And it's very funny because George Knightley is seeing exactly what's going on and is trying really hard to backpedal out of the situation. It's quite amusing. Yes, yes, Knightley, run away.
00:37:55
Speaker
Lizzie Bennet and Will Darcy start to realise how similar they are, that they are the ones that people rely on. They like to be in control of situations and they tend to focus on the needs of others and not themselves.
00:38:07
Speaker
Will's focus is on work and sorting out his friend's issues, while Lizzie puts her dreams on hold to keep the Bennet Bakery afloat. Lizzie and Will decide to do something for themselves and take the rest of the week off. They spend the whole week together, surfing near his house, exploring local eateries and landmarks and chatting. And it's at the end of that week, as many modern adaptations tend to do, that the two of them hook up.
00:38:30
Speaker
At least in this adaptation, though, it feels earned. They actually talk and get to know each other. And it's not just a, oh, well, this is the Pemberley Ark and how do we show that they like each other now? We must hook them up.
00:38:46
Speaker
No, you're right. It is. I love the way he phrased that. It is so perfunctory in some of them. He's like, oh, okay. We're just going to jam this in here. it It sounds like it's earned. Actually spending a week together and establishing a relationship in a modern sense before taking that next step.
00:39:03
Speaker
That seems realistic. And it's at this moment that Lizzie gets a panicked call from Jane announcing the Wickham scandal. So, Stephanie, who do you think causes the Wickham scandal?
00:39:17
Speaker
I'm going to let you take a guess and leave a gap here for everyone to take a guess as well. Well, that leading question makes me think it's not Lydia. So clearly it must be Mama Bennett and the leggings and the MLM.
00:39:35
Speaker
So it's not Lydia that causes the scandal. It's Mary. um i lose. it wasn't the MLM. oh my God. Okay. What does she do?
00:39:52
Speaker
So the whole book, Mary has been protesting this music festival that Tristan's consulting on and had thrown a paint-filled balloon at him earlier. Mary turns up at an exclusive party Tristan's holding in the city and uses spray paint to vandalise an expensive piece of modern art.
00:40:11
Speaker
It's a party of influencers and wannabes, so everyone has filmed it and it gets posted everywhere. But also, if you look at the Just Stop Oil protests who have been doing the same thing, dumping cans of soup on artworks and stuff, that's the point.
00:40:30
Speaker
The point is to get out there and to get publicity. Why is it bad? Tell me why it's bad. What have I missed? Well, what's wrong is Mary gets arrested and Tristan files charges of vandalism against her.
00:40:43
Speaker
And because of the harassment, Tristan backs out from helping with the music festival and refuses to refund the consultancy for he was paid. The East Hampton community blames Mary for destroying their shot at Hampton Fest, and they start boycotting the Bennetts' bakery, which starts making things financially unsustainable.
00:41:02
Speaker
Okay, yes, that is the link that I needed. It's interesting to me that this is the tack that they chose because like it's something that's been in the news so much. Like the Just Stop oil protests in the UK where people like glue themselves to the road.
00:41:19
Speaker
They vandalize paintings in art galleries and they do all of these things and they know they're going to get arrested and that's the point.
Scandals and Character Growth
00:41:26
Speaker
So it's interesting. Yeah, I mean, Mary's been throwing paint field balloons at people and, you know, getting restraining orders. So she knows that, but it's still a bad thing to destroy someone's artwork. and It is bad that they've started boycotting the bakery. That's awful. That sucks. When it comes like commercial stuff, that is a really good like version of like social pariahhood. i like that. I think that's been translated really well to like a modern situation.
00:41:53
Speaker
So I think this adaptation works really well in many of the ways that it does in the original. So there is a Bennett who does something wrong within the story's context, Mary in this case, that causes a scandal that impacts the reputation of the entire Bennett family within the community. It also has repercussions on both their financial and social standing. Regardless of the fact that the protest is probably a good thing, she vandalized a very expensive piece of artwork and gets arrested and it's a felony. Like she's looking at jail time for this.
00:42:27
Speaker
No, I think it is a great way to adapt how someone does something wrong and then there's this and the social contagion that then causes massive issues for the family. I think that's been really cleverly translated because you have that small local community that can inflict this sort of social death on someone that then has commercial repercussions for a business. I think it's really clever.
00:42:51
Speaker
So, miraculously, two days later, customers suddenly start coming to the bakery again. Mary's been released from jail and Tristan has dropped the charges and I'm using air quotes here, Tristan has repaid his consultancy fee, thus restoring the Bennett family's reputation. Oh, Tristan repaid his money. Yes.
00:43:17
Speaker
Of course, we know before Lizzie does that Will Darcy is behind it all. He finds out about Mary because Lizzie is with him when she gets Jane's call. Will offers to help her, but Lizzie says that she must fix things for her family. She leaves without talking to him properly or getting his number, but Will decides to help anyway, and he does acknowledge that this is going against her wishes. With another assist from best wingman George Knightley and his social media scrolling, Will finds Tristan at a city bar. He offers to pay Tristan off to drop the charges against Mary.
00:43:49
Speaker
There is also this perfect, in a diabolical way, interaction where Tristan can't figure out why Will cares so much about this random woman. He doesn't even know that Mary and Lizzie are related. And when he realizes he's awful about Lizzie, he says, oh, the redhead.
00:44:10
Speaker
I thought that might make you jealous. So Tristan only went after Lizzie to get under Will's skin because he picked at the first meeting that Will liked her. Oh, that's so gross. There are some other unsavoury words used here, which I'm not going to repeat. But again, Tristan is a great Wickham.
00:44:31
Speaker
Yes, that's really well translated into a modern context. maho My skin's crawling just thinking about him. So in response to Lizzie being insulted, Will punches him in the face and tells him his lawyers will be in touch. Will then also gets his lawyers to pay back the consultancy fee to Piper's dad.
00:44:48
Speaker
The rest of the adaptation goes on. Lizzie accepts her deferred place at Columbia. When she finally tells her sisters she applied for graduate school, they all jump up and down around her and squeal about how proud they are of her, which is really sweet.
00:45:01
Speaker
Charlie Pierce confronts Will about keeping him in the city and away from Jane, And Will admits that he blew off a week of meetings to spend time with Lizzie in Montauk. This is where Charlie calls out Will's behaviour and says he needs to fix his own messes.
00:45:15
Speaker
And so Will begins to do just that. He finally tells his aunt Bertie that he won't sell the house in Montauk, which Bertie has been pressuring him to all book. And Charlie fixes his own messes too. He turns up at the Bennett Bakery apologising to Jane and asks if they can start again.
00:45:32
Speaker
Lizzie and Mr Bennett have a heart-to-heart in Mr Bennett's boat. Instead of a study or a library, Mr. Bennett has an old boat parked in the driveway that he tinkers on in his free time.
00:45:42
Speaker
That's a very ah beach town kind of thing. I like it. It's it's a cool detail. That night, Lizzie tells him that she's been accepted into Columbia. Mr. Bennett tells her it's not her job to fix the bakery, it's his, even though he's made very little effort to do so throughout the story, just like the original Mr. Bennett.
00:46:01
Speaker
Mr. Bennett gonna Mr. Bennett. Exactly right. Lizzie suggests that maybe Kitty, who, you know, studied business management, might be good help running the bakery.
00:46:14
Speaker
She may not be able to bake, but she's got the smarts. Give Kitty something to do, please. Someone. There are some odd shenanigans next, which I won't go into in detail, involving Bertie Carrington showing up to yell at Lizzie like Lady Catherine does. They aren't important.
00:46:32
Speaker
What is important is Lizzie ends up on the side of the road at night, and it's here, walking back to her house, that she realises she loves Will. She calls Jane, who's with Charlie, and gets her to ask Charlie for Will's number.
00:46:45
Speaker
She tells Jane she's in love with Will, which is news to Jane because she has no idea what's happened in Montauk, and it sends Charlie into a THEY DESERVE EACH OTHER fit for not communicating clearly.
00:46:58
Speaker
I love it. He also mutters something about Point Break to Jane, which completely confuses her. Yeah, not her fandom. that That's going to go right over her head. Lizzie texts Will apologising for how she stormed off and thanking him for saving Mary.
00:47:13
Speaker
She realises that the lawyers he referred to about his dealings with Tristan and his dad were the same lawyers that witnessed Tristan dropping the charges against Mary's, so she ended up putting it together.
00:47:26
Speaker
She also tells him that she's falling for him. She hits send on the text and arrives back to her house to find Will waiting outside reading her text message in front of her. ah oh Awkward. Awkward.
00:47:39
Speaker
He was coming to tell her about what he did for Mary because he didn't want to lie to her and also to say he's in love with her too. They reconcile and then hook up in her dad's boat, which can I just say so weird.
00:47:51
Speaker
Ew. Oh no. No. That's a semi-traumatising detail we didn't need. Well, yes, I agree.
00:48:02
Speaker
It's really weird, but it leads into something quite amusing. which I'll explain now. So the next morning, Mr. Bennett starts to go into his boat, but realises they're in there and just yells in that they should join the family for pancakes inside. Oh, oh what's worse than hooking up in your dad's boat? Your dad finding you in the boat. That's gross and weird and no thank you please.
00:48:28
Speaker
So what it sets up, a lot of these adaptations end with our Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam characters staring into each other's eyes, looking forward to a happy future together. To be fair, this adaptation does do that too, which I'll get to in a sec.
00:48:42
Speaker
But at this moment, when they've been discovered, Will wants to go inside for pancakes with her family. In what is, in my opinion, one of the book's best scenes, Will and Lizzie walk into the kitchen hand in hand and each family member has a farcical reaction to seeing them together because none of them know that they were together in Montauk.
00:49:06
Speaker
Will launches over to the coffee machine like it's completely normal he's there and just starts making him and Lizzie coffee while getting peppered with questions.
00:49:16
Speaker
This is great. This is an appropriate adaptation. This is on the level of Mr. Bennett being like, lol, look at this letter that I got from your dumb cousin telling me that you're going marry Mr. Darcy. And then Mr. Darcy turning up and them all being like, wait, what?
00:49:32
Speaker
Love, love it. It's a detail that is so often forgotten in adaptations. Stephanie, I'm going to get you to read a condensed version of the end of that scene just to really sum it up.
00:49:43
Speaker
Will took a sip of his coffee while Lydia paused to studied him unabashedly. Then her head cocked to the side. Are you seriously a natural blonde? The stillness was broken as the kitchen erupted into yelling again.
00:49:57
Speaker
Mrs. Bennett telling Lydia she was being inappropriate, Lydia telling her mother it was a good question, and Kitty telling them both to stop yelling. To her credit, Mary kept her head down, still reading her book, the sound deafening, the scene chaotic.
00:50:11
Speaker
After a minute, Lizzie turned to Will and groaned, this is chaos. That's all right, he said. Some people don't mind a mess. Aw, cute callbacks. Cute callback. But it reminds me of the ending of Pride and Prejudice, the original. How we have those final chapters where Fitzwilliam Darcy attends some family dinners after proposing and has to put up with Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Bennett.
00:50:36
Speaker
That he embraces the family he'd once criticised because they are hers. And while Will Darcy didn't criticise the Bennetts, he grows enough to let go of control and embrace the chaos.
00:50:48
Speaker
I like it. It's really sweet. It's a sweet detail that, yes, your ride so often missed because there's like the final proposal and then... that's it. Or the adaptation of the final proposal scene, they confess their love to each other, then Misty, I'd stare off into the sunset and we're done. Like that's the end.
00:51:05
Speaker
They've done such a thorough job on picking up on the small details that really show why Darcy is an excellent character and why he and Elizabeth work together and how their relationship blossomed in a particular way and really gets skated over in so many of the other adaptations that we've read. And I think this is why i kept saying, wait for it with the boat, wait for it with the boat. While it's weird, I think the fact that they're actually discovered and then it's like, oh, what do we do now? Oh, well, we have to go inside and there has to be this, basically have to embrace the chaos and deal with it. And I love this. Like I said, one of the best scenes in the book for me.
00:51:41
Speaker
I will forgive them for the horror of the boat scene for this because it works it works really well. And in one final twist, Will sees on his phone in a message from best wingman George Knightley that Tristan Cole has been arrested.
00:51:55
Speaker
When he shares the news with the rest of the Bennett family, everyone is shocked except for Lydia and Kitty. Yes, what have they done?
00:52:06
Speaker
It turns out that thanks to a tip-off from Emma Woodhouse, who works as an art consultant, Lydia and Kitty realised that Tristan committed insurance fraud. He said that the painting that Mary had damaged, which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, had been stolen, claimed the insurance money and then tried to claim on damages on the same painting in the charges against Get out. I love it.
00:52:34
Speaker
What an excellent twist. It's so in character for him because he's conniving, but also incredibly stupid. It's great. oh So Lydia and Kitty called the FBI and get Tristan arrested. It is a slightly wild twist, but I love it because it gives Lydia and Kitty a little bit of agency.
00:52:54
Speaker
Yes, it gives them something to do and it sets Lydia up outside of like not having her have the scandal, having her still be like a bit of an airhead and on brand in terms of being like a TikTok influencer and that sort of thing. Love all of that for her, but we also love a teenage girl not being subjected to a predator.
00:53:12
Speaker
Yes, completely agree. I think she's in her early 20s, but still young person not being subjected to a predator. Excellent use of book. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Then there's the epilogue, which focuses a little bit more on the romantic resolutions, but also has information about what the characters have been up to.
00:53:30
Speaker
It's the next summer and Hampton Fest, the music festival, is underway. They got it to happen thanks to some anonymous donations and and being sponsored by Mary's Eco Group once they found a more environmentally sustainable venue.
00:53:48
Speaker
Yes, excellent. Everyone working together for the good of the community and the environment. Kitty has saved the bakery and has launched her own online cake business, which is now worth $4 million. dollars ah Sure book. Okay, doesn't matter. You go, girlfriend. You go, Kitty.
00:54:08
Speaker
Lizzie has started at Columbia and is dating Will. And from the main stage of Hampton Fest, Charlie Pierce recruits Jane Bennett's first grade class to sing God Only Knows by the Beach Boys for her before he proposes, which when I hear that song, all I can think of is the end of love actually, which might be the reference they're going for. I'm not sure. Jane accepts and the book ends.
00:54:31
Speaker
It's a great ending to a well-adapted story. oh Oh, that's really sweet. There's also this great little runner at the end where Mary and Will have become best friends because they both really care about environmental causes.
00:54:49
Speaker
Also, she inadvertently caused the downfall of his nemesis. So, you know, props. And finally, my rating of this adaptation. Elizabeth of East Hampton is solidly fine eyes. This is a romance book that stays true to the original story.
00:55:04
Speaker
even with the amount of things they've cut out. The plot is well adapted. It makes sense given the setting of modern day America. Lots of key plot points make the cut and others are left behind.
00:55:16
Speaker
A make out session and a drunken phone call are probably the modern equivalent of a bad proposal and a letter. And it works. The adaptation of the Wickham scandal is also great. It does ruin the Bennett family's reputation, and the scene at the end with the Bennett family faffing over Will and Will taking in the chaos is so lovely, especially when it ends with Lydia and Kitty being involved in Tristan's arrest. Lots of the characters also experience growth and Will Darcy isn't a walking red flag. Hooray! yay Will realises he's rude and apologises for his behaviour.
00:55:50
Speaker
Lizzie also overcomes her prejudice and first impressions. She has bigger dreams though than just hooking up with Will. She's off to Columbia as well. The sisters also get character arcs.
00:56:01
Speaker
Kitty saves the family business, and Mary's the one that causes the scandal, but eventually works with the music festival to help put on a sustainable event. Lydia is also in a seemingly stable relationship with a guy I've barely mentioned, but he's there too.
00:56:15
Speaker
And Charlie and Jane are nerding out into the sunset with an engagement. But not all of those character arcs are about guys. Yes, it's a romance novel, but it's not just that, which is how I view Pride and Prejudice, and I think explains why i enjoyed Elizabeth of East Hampton so much.
00:56:31
Speaker
Also, the fact that there is a wider Austin cinematic universe is so fun. Emma of 83rd Street was a delight, and the fact that both Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley show up in this book and impact the plot is fantastic.
00:56:43
Speaker
We're recording this episode before it was released, but I will be definitely reading book three when it comes out in October 2025. I'm not going to share the title because spoilers, but read these two books.
00:56:56
Speaker
And if you're listening now, go and support book three.
Episode Conclusion and Next Up: 'Bridget Jones's Diary'
00:56:59
Speaker
I'm really excited to read it. I think it's going to be really interesting. And I want to get really into like the extra nuances of the characters and the scenarios because there's always like so much detail in these books that we can't discuss because we don't have enough time because we have been recording for like two hours now. Yes, we talk a lot.
00:57:19
Speaker
We talk a lot. And that's it. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Jane Austen Remixed. We love exploring this wonderful corner of the literary world with you. Please share the podcast with your friends, family, literary fans and other Janeites.
00:57:34
Speaker
and We would love it if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you are listening. This helps us reach other fans of Pride and Prejudice and build our community. You can also follow us on Instagram at Jane Austen Remixed. And if you have a question or a suggestion for a book, movie, or something you'd like us to review, drop us a line. You can email us at janeaustenremixed at gmail.com.
00:57:55
Speaker
Join us in two weeks when we examine Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding and its companion movie directed by Sharon Maguire. And now, Melinda, it's time for the most important question of the podcast.
00:58:09
Speaker
Does this Darcy dive into a lake? Well, not a lake, but the ocean because surfing. When Lizzie visits Montauk and accidentally surfs outside Will Darcy's place, there's a scene where she's sitting on the beach having gotten out of the ocean and is watching a surfer from the shore and he walks out of the water and undoes his wetsuit halfway so she gets a nice view.
00:58:33
Speaker
of the I think that counts as a wet non-shirt scene. Yeah. He's damp. It involves a body of water. It totally counts. See you next episode.
00:59:18
Speaker
you