me and mr. darcy: Cute, but predictable

I love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Love the book, love the movie. Love, love, love it. That's what drew me to the cover of Me and Mr. Darcy, written by British author Alexandra Potter.

A New York bookstore manager, Emily, fed up with the whole dating routine and the impossible men she meets, decides on a whim to take a Jane Austen book tour in England to get closer to the man she really loves: Fitzwilliam Darcy himself. Brooding, aristocratic, fictional Mr. Darcy.

On the bus in England, Emily finds herself surrounded by a gaggle of old women and one man, who Emily immediately decides she detests. As they tour the countryside and all of the spots that inspired Jane Austen's novels, Emily believes she's run into the actual Mr. Darcy. While the two become acquainted over several meetings, Emily begins to discover her own Mr. Darcy right in front of her.

I know that I shouldn't expect any literary genius from a romantic novel like this, but I found the story to be quite predictable. Perhaps it's better intended for those not as familiar with Pride and Prejudice, because Potter overemphasizes the obvious similarities between Austen's novel and Emily's experiences as if the reader might not be aware of them.

Still, it was a cute story and I'd recommend it as a book to curl up with. It wasn't a book that I couldn't bear to put down, but it was a pretty easy read and good entertainment for a lazy weekend.

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