Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

The Remixed Classics series ([b:Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix 59251247 Self-Made Boys A Great Gatsby Remix (Remixed Classics) Anna-Marie McLemore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655071538l/59251247.SY75.jpg 88888397], [b:Teach the Torches to Burn 61484873 Teach the Torches to Burn Caleb Roehrig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660239591l/61484873.SY75.jpg 88888448], e.g.) is laudable in its efforts to provide queer teens a chance to see themselves in some of the our most revered white cishet classics, but judged on its literary merits alone, Most Ardently falls short. The dialogue veers awkwardly between 21st century ally-ship and snippets of Austen's original prose. A romance between a gay Darcy and a transmasc Elizabeth/Oliver is an interesting choice, but most of the 19th century gender dynamics wittily dissected by Austen are lost in translation. The characters are inconsistent; Mrs. Bennett hews closely to her Austen behavior for 95% of the book, only to undergo a complete personality transformation at the story's climactic scene. If you want to read a cute historical romance between two boys, this isn't a bad novel, but in its well-intentioned efforts to provide a queer experience, it sacrifices most of the meaningful themes of the original. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.