A Glimpse, by Alicia M
My first glimpse of this story (have you observed what I did there?) was of a particularly unpromising bilious cast, but it came recommended, and after all, Readability exists for web 0.5 faux pas such as this one.
Most fanfic attempts, on the face of it, are stories showing alternate realities that the authors think possible, plausible or just amusing. This particular piece of fiction, however, belongs to a much more limited set: those which posit the existence of an alternative reality parallel to the canon one we all know.
Why you should read this: You enjoy paranormal occurrences in fiction, with relatively realistic depiction of the character’s reactions to them. You think Elizabeth and Darcy Are Meant To Be, or just enjoy reading stories where that is the case.
Why you may not like it: You get annoyed at incorrect punctuation, or undeveloped narrative.
Regency, AU, G, Complete at The Bennet Girls (You can get rid of the aforementioned bilious background by installing Readability in your browser.) & DWG
When we start this fic we are dropped, unceremoniously, into the very heart of the story. This proves itself to be a smart structural choice, pushing the reader along. What is more, Elizabeth’s reaction and the scene’s almost nightmarish feel are both incredibly refreshing in a fandom that tends to think marriage to Darcy would be some version of paradise.
The story then moves ahead at a quick pace; so much so that this humble reader wanted cry ‘Wait! Tell me more!’. Indeed — if there is one problem with A Glimpse it’s that it reads as a first draft; a rough, note-filled draft with a narrative that consists mainly of the author telling us what happens, one thing after the other.
The device itself stretches the suspension of disbelief, not because one cannot believe that wishes upon stars could bestow glimpses of alternative realities, but because one cannot believe Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet — our pragmatic, unromantic duo — would wish upon a star in the first place.
Apart from that, the story is cleverly built — it duplicates the device, and shows us both the alternate, very happy, Elizabeth and Darcy, and their canon selves coping with an alternative reality. The gathering of proof is both symbolic (though, I must say, roses are almost as corny as wishing upon a star) and convenient, and it allows the characters to check the reality of their dreams with increased, believable and enjoyable bafflement.
The Alternative Reality itself is never explained — we know that in it Elizabeth did not like Darcy in the beginning, that Darcy wished upon a star for Elizabeth at some indeterminate time before the Netherfield Ball, and that they manage to be married by then. The timeframe, needless to say, is a bit tight. The surprising thing is that the story stands well without the explanation — the alternative reality, after all, is just an excuse, and the narrative moves along sufficiently fast that one doesn’t have time to wonder about it.
The characterizations are acceptable (especially if one ignores the fact that they keep a sappy painting of themselves looking romantically into each other’s eyes in their room), and a bit more than that in Darcy’s case — it is pleasant to stumble into a representation of him that manages to keep his gentlemanly sense of honour. The dialogue, as well as the prose, varies wildly between wooden and acceptable, and everything in between.
I must say, I was torn when deciding how many quills to give it — an ideal rating would be 2.5. All in all, despite its low rating, it is an entertaining story, and one that is well worth the time it takes to read it.