I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
First Impressions by Debra White Smith Series: Jane Austen #1
Published by Baker Books on April 17, 2018 (December 31, 2004)
Genres: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, General, Romance
Pages: 336
Source: NetGalley
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads
First Impressions: A Contemporary Retelling of Pride and PrejudiceLawyer Eddi Boswick tries out for a production of Pride and Prejudice in her small Texas town. When she's cast as the lead, Elizabeth Bennet, her romantic co-star is none other than the town's most eligible--and arrogant--bachelor.
I have to admit something and I need you to promise not to panic. Or yell at me. Or string me up. Or declare me not a human. Or the opposite of a lady. *deep breath* I have never read Jane Austen. I’ve not read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or ‘Sense and Sensibility’ or ‘Emma’. Now I’ve probably doubled the depth of my lack of humanness for someone as I left off their favorite Jane book. I can’t give just one good reason (or excuse depending on your viewpoint) why I haven’t. I mean, while I appreciate this time period now, this isn’t my go to time period. I’m not certain it’s even a top five, maybe. It’s one I can appreciate but I’ll always reach for Civil War or even early 20th century before I go all historical England. I can’t say why I’ve never read the books but there’s my big reveal for the day. And, I’ve never watched the movie adaptations either. Though to be fair, I’m not a huge movie person outside a couple of favorites that I can quote. If you must chastise me, please, try to do so gently.
Earth shattering revelations aside, there’s a few that are not so polarizing with this book. And one of the bears the brunt of why I’m only giving it four stars. This book is a re-print. Originally released in 2004 it was refreshed and updated in 2018. Technology (or at least the acquisition and creation thereof) plays a significant role in this novel. Having read reviews from before the re-release things like palm pilots and internet servers would have to be refreshed in order to stay relevant. However, in refreshing a few things fell flat and some loose ends didn’t quite tie together seamlessly. There was some ambiguity regarding the cell phone thing and the home phone thing and even the computer and internet thing. This is the draw back of contemporary fiction, especially such that heavily include pop culture. Not that technology is pop culture but you know what I mean. Ten years from now what of our current life will be relevant? It was a valiant effort to bring this up to speed with this novel but it jangled awkwardly and didn’t quite update seamlessly. Technology aside, I also got a little tired of everyone jumping to conclusions about everything. There might have almost been insta-love but I was saved with conclusion-jumping. Still gotta say insta-love is a bigger pet peeve so there’s that.
The opposite side of this is that I really did enjoy this book. Yes, the characters were a bit all over the place. I’m still trying to figure out how Eddi managed to keep a law practice afloat and travel to visit her family so often and do the play and and and. The same for her sister traveling such a long distance on the regular just to do a play. The community felt disorganized and jumbled with their mixed up technology while using the home phone more than the cell phone. See what I mean? The flip side of that is they are endearing and they really do try to just do the next right thing, best as they can decipher what that might be. Dave, probably stepped over a line or twenty when it came to his cousin and Eddi’s baby sister, but he was just doing the ‘next right thing’. ‘First Impressions’ is really all about the dangers of conclusion jumping and doing the next right thing. I don’t know much about ‘Pride and Prejudice’ but I do know that this book is a great settle in for a cozy weekend read. I’m intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the series, updated or not.
About Debra White Smith
Debra White Smith is a seasoned author, speaker, and media personality who has 54 published books to her credit, both fiction and non-fiction. Her best-selling titles include: The Divine Romance: Experiencing Intimacy with God; Romancing Your Husband; The Tie that Binds: A Marriage Revolution of Love; The Jane Austen Fiction Series; and the Lone Star Intrigue Series. Debra is also the author of the newspaper column, “Ask Debra,” that ran from 2011-2013 and offered biblical wisdom for everyday life. Debra’s passion is to apply the whole Bible to ordinary life and inspire people to encounter God’s revolutionary power in every aspect of their lives. Whether she ministers through the written or spoken word, through hilarity or tears, her goal is to encourage people to cling to God and implement practical, vibrant biblical truths that will empower them and change their lives.
Debra has been blessed with over 1 million books in print. Her work has appeared on various bestseller lists, and she has been repeatedly voted a reader favorite. Debra has earned a B.A. and M.A. in English and an Ed.S. in Leadership and Organizational Management. She is also a Ph.D. candidate at Northwest Nazarene University, where she is earning a doctorate in Educational Leadership. After finishing the rigorous requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene, Debra was ordained an Elder in 2014. Debra and her husband, Daniel, also an ordained Elder, currently co-pastor a Nazarene church in East Texas. For years, Debra’s award-winning writing, entertaining humor, and biblical knowledge made her a much-sought-after conference speaker.
Debra has been a popular guest on radio and TV across the nation, including The 700 Club, At Home Life, Harvest, Getting Together, His Place, Moody Broadcasting, ABC Radio, Midday Connection, Fox TV, USA Radio Network News, as well as a vast array of regional media spots. She has also been the featured relationship specialist on the Fox News radio show, Plain Jane Wisdom. Her favorite hobbies include fishing, shopping, and attending movies and theater productions with her family. Debra also vows she would walk 50 miles for a scoop of German Chocolate ice cream.
Wanna share your thoughts? Leave a comment!