A life altering event inextricably links a fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Bennet to Fitzwilliam Darcy while simultaneously creating an almost insurmountable divide. This Pride and Prejudice deviation takes the reader on a journey through a labyrinth filled with misunderstandings, bias, guilt and fear--not to mention, laughter, animal magnetism and waltzing. As Elizabeth says, 'she shed enough tears to float one of Lord Nelson's frigates' but as she also observes 'unhappiness does, indeed, have comic aspects one should never underestimate.' Though the path for our protagonists is much more ardurous than canon the benefit remains the same, a very happy Janeite ending for these two soul-mates. Along the way there is retribution, redemption and reward for other characters--including a few that recall players in Ms Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility.' While reading her first published novel, I came across grievances so unjust that they called out to this long-time struggler for women's rights. With this novel, I became determined to give them some vindication. A sampling of comments left for this story at an online Jane Austen fan fiction site: Thank you for bringing this amazing, complex, heart-wrenching, story to a beautiful conclusion. Beverly K--Wellington, New Zealand Awesome story. Could not sleep until I finished it. Riveting reading. Well done. J. Bolinas--Sydney, Australia Beautiful story, one that made me both laugh and cry. Amy A--Pacific Northwest, USA Such a good job of presenting a subject that affects women (and the men who love them) today as much as in that day... your writing draws out the fear behind what a victim is unwillingly to voice out loud and then cauterizes the wound after it is revealed and cleansed of its venom. Jan L--Pacific Northwest, USA It was more than good -- it was beautiful. I have tears in my eyes. Christine Marciasini--Italy That was beautiful! It was perfect. One of the best stories I have read. Lauren R--San Juan, Puerto Rico
About the Author: Beth Massey lives in Chicago with her husband of forty plus years. Her first love as child in Chattanooga, Tennessee was the theatre. She spent her youth preparing for a creative life on the stage. A voracious reader, she devoured plays and novels with an eye toward imagining how she would play certain characters. Beth joined the Chattanooga Little Theatre's youth troupe at age eight. She was awarded a work study scholarship to Monticello College in Godfrey, Illinois in the theatre department. While there, she played numerous roles-from Shaw to Shakespeare. After transferring to Barnard College in New York City as a junior in 1967, she switched her major to literature. But, 'the times they were a changing.' She threw herself into the struggle against war, racism and the emerging women's liberation movement that had broken out all over the United States. One of her first acts of expressing her convictions was to participate in the Columbia University student strike in the spring of 1968. It was during this time, she met her husband Bill. Together the two-first as friends and then as partners-have devoted their lives to political activism. Beth spent her working hours as a payroll manager. In 2008, her job of seventeen years was outsourced. Given a compensation package that allowed her to stay home with an already retired Bill, she embraced the opportunity that working '9 to 5' had made a challenge for most of the years of their marriage. Though Bill's ability to be active has been curtailed by AMD, COPD and a debilitating essential tremor, his wit and knowledge are as sharp as ever. Ms Massey now spends her days in the company of her well-informed best friend and the two are free to engage in a great deal of conversation. Jane Austen would approve. Beth may have left a life in the theatre behind, but the desire for a creative outlet and a need to sketch the human character is still fervent. Goodly Creatures is the first endeavor of her new found leisure time.