Book Review by Brenda S. Cox
“’The most important consideration,’ Collins pronounced, ‘is for a man and woman to determine whether they can serve God together in whatever capacity is their lot in life.’”—A Fortuitous Fall, chapter 17
A Fortuitous Fall, by Laraba Kendig, is a delightful Pride and Prejudice variation. Bumptious Mr. Collins is dancing with Elizabeth—very poorly—at the Netherfield Ball. He trips and falls and is knocked unconscious for some time. He wakes up a different man.
Jane Austen has given us clues about Mr. Collins’s background. She tells us in Pride and Prejudice, chapter 15, “Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society; the greatest part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father . . .”
(BTW, “illiterate” does not mean he couldn’t read. Austen also describes Robert Martin and Lucy Steele as “illiterate,” and they could certainly read and write. “Illiterate” in Austen means poorly educated.)
Kendig’s alternate Mr. Collins is a genius with a photographic memory. He loves learning and can brilliantly analyze all he learns. His father, though, beat him for his love of books. Traumatized, he became the person we see in P&P. But, in Kendig’s novel, Mr. Collins’s injury brings his “true” personality to the surface.
This new Mr. Collins is blunt and outspoken. He calls Lady Catherine a termagant and compares Caroline Bingley to a swine. He has most of the Bible memorized (photographic memory, remember), and he quotes “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman without discretion” to Caroline. When he hears her snobbishness, he quotes another verse to her, proclaiming that we are all equal in Christ. Sparks fly, of course!
Mr. Darcy shows his true kindness by helping shield Mr. Collins from his aunt, Lady Catherine. Mr. Collins does still want a bride, however; who will be the lucky lady?
Kendig’s Mr. Collins shows himself to be a man of wisdom. He can quote Scripture appropriately and give spiritual advice on marriage. This changes the paths of several characters.
I really enjoyed this creative variation, especially the humor and surprises. It definitely shows Mr. Collins in a new light.
I was anxious to read the sequel, The Enigmatic Mr. Collins. I got both books from Kindle Unlimited. I had some difficulty downloading this one at first, but apparently the two books have now been made available in one volume.
The Enigmatic Mr. Collins is also an entertaining read. It includes a fair bit of science, as well as faith. In this book, the genius Mr. Collins is performing scientific and medical experiments, determining why different threads, such as silk or horsehair, cause wounds to heal more quickly or slowly. Lydia, of all people, becomes deeply interested in science through observing his experiments. By the end of the novel (sorry for a bit of a spoiler), Lydia and her husband are balloonists!
The Enigmatic Mr. Collins is not as coherent as the first book in the series. It offers a series of vignettes about different P&P characters. Each one finds her (or his) gifts and talents and ways to use them, as well as appropriate life partners. But, for those of us who love Pride and Prejudice, it’s a delight to read such stories, however brief.
Anne de Bourgh comes into her own, for example, and Wickham gets what’s coming to him. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia find their unique roles in life and supportive husbands.
Mr. Collins, by the way, has a funny obsession with sugar. He tries to make consistently sized and shaped spheres or cubes of sugar so one can always know how much to put in tea. More seriously, we get Mr. Collins delivering babies (since he has read everything on the topic and remembers it all) and counseling those in need of advice.
The novel jumps through time all the way up to Mr. Collins meeting with Prince Albert, who also loved science.
If you enjoy Austen variations featuring faith and science, I think you’ll love these two books.
“’The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart,’ Mr. Collins quoted.”—A Fortuitous Fall, p. 69. Mr. Collins’s explanation of this verse helps Elizabeth and Darcy see their own pride and prejudices, and learn not to make snap judgments based on appearances. A helpful lesson for us all . . .
Earlier I also reviewed Laraba Kendig’s book I Am Jael, a variation featuring Georgiana and Wickham. You’ll find reviews of other Austen variations here.
Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen 