Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl: The Quill Collective, Book 5
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Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl: The Quill Collective, Book 5 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Joana Starnes (Author), Amy D'Orazio (Author), Jenetta James (Author),
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 414 ratings
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“Obstinate, headstrong girl!”

For over 200 years, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet has enchanted and inspired readers by being that “obstinate, headstrong girl” willing to stand up to the arrogance and snobbery of her so-called betters. Described by Austen as having a “lively, playful disposition,” Elizabeth embodies the perfect imperfections of strong-willed women everywhere: she is spirited, witty, clever, and loyal.

In this romance anthology, 10 Austenesque authors sketch Elizabeth’s character through a collection of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times. In Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl, she bares her most intimate thoughts, all the while offering biting social commentary about life’s absurdities. Elizabeth overcomes the obstacles of others’ opinions, not to mention her own flaws, to find a love truly worthy of her - her Mr. Darcy - all with humor and her sparkling charm. “I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print...” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, in January 1813, and we think so too!

Foreword by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Tessa Dare.

Stories by: Elizabeth Adams, Christina Boyd, Karen M Cox, J. Marie Croft, Amy D'Orazio, Leigh Dreyer, Jenetta James, Christina Morland, Beau North, and Joana Starnes.

Each anthology in the Quill Collective series is a standalone book.

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  1. Listening Length
    10 hours and 41 minutes
  2. Author
    Joana Starnes, see all
  3. Narrator
    Elizabeth Grace
  4. Audible release date
    August 31, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    The Quill Ink, LLC
  7. ASIN
    B08FCSJ33D
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 41 minutes
Author Joana Starnes, Amy D'Orazio, Jenetta James, Karen Cox, Christina Morland, Elizabeth Adams, Beau North, J. Croft, Leigh Dreyer, Christina Boyd
Narrator Elizabeth Grace
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date August 31, 2020
Publisher The Quill Ink, LLC
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08FCSJ33D
Best Sellers Rank #186,466 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#777 in Romance Anthologies & Short Stories
#956 in Literature Anthologies
#4,801 in Classic Literature

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
414 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

K. Pease
5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of tales perfectly sized for the lunch hour
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2023
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A cute collection of tales that make one smile, no matter the era it was written for. It allows for the best, worst, and amusing aspects of this supposed insult, and among the tales one finds within there is bound to be a favored citation of it. A collection of tales perfectly sized for the lunch hour, and will, each of them, find you returning to work with a smile.
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Regina Mayorga
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved reading Elizabeth as the timeless character she is
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
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I’m going to say right off the bat that nothing will top the Darcy anthology for me. But these stories come awfully close. Up until the last two stories I found myself greatly enjoying seeing Elizabeth in Regency and more modern circumstances. If I had to choose a favorite among the stories, it would be Beau North’s “Love in Limelight.” Loved seeing Elizabeth and Darcy’s story set in old Hollywood. “Resistive Currents” by Karen Cox was another great one. And I absolutely loved Christina Morland’s “Atmospheric Disturbances.”

I did give this anthology four stars because I found myself less enthused with the stories towards the end. Starting with The Last Blind Date, which was our most modern story. I liked the story well enough but I felt that it was too fleshed out in the beginning and then rushed in the end. But I did like it. The last story was very sweet and rather depressing (I won’t say why).

But then there was “The Age of Nescience,” which is the main reason I gave this anthology four stars. I understand the point of the anthology and seeing a prequel for our favorite heroine... I get that. But, unfortunately, I just didn’t care for the story. What was supposed to be a story where Elizabeth’s character was understood (through her growing up and experiencing life before Darcy) really just made me dislike her. She was pretty obnoxious that I couldn’t root for her. As a novel, this might have worked slightly better because then we would’ve gotten our beloved Darcy, but spoiler alert he isn’t in this one except in the end and only mentioned. The author, I will say, did cleverly throw his presence in throughout the story and that was nice. But in the end I’d probably skip this story if I were to read the anthology again.
11 people found this helpful
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Megami
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars -- thoughtful and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020
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Much like the author of the forward to this anthology, Tessa Dare, Elizabeth Bennet has always been my favorite character of Pride and Prejudice. This, in part, is due to the fact that Jane Austen wrote first -- and primarily -- in her POV and, thus, my loyalty was won early. However, subsequent readings have not diminished the admiration I feel for Elizabeth; instead, she has become an old friend one feels indulgently fond of.

That in mind, I was excited to see that the Quill Collective had come out with a new anthology devoted to the intrepid Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The Darcy Monologues had canvassed the hero of P&P with insight and sensitivity and I had high hopes that this would do the same for its heroine -- and I wasn't disappointed. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite short story from this collection, so I won't even try, as they all tackled a different aspect of Elizabeth's personality (both in relation to her romance with Darcy and apart from it) to explore with real understanding of her character. Unlike much JAFF, this anthology isn't just fluff but rather a literary exploration of what makes Elizabeth Bennet the teasing, lovely and flawed lady admired by so many. It's such a shame that she's entirely fictional and technically never existed because she feels real to the readers who know her. These authors all know her and bring her to life wonderfully.

Anyway, I can't recommend this anthology -- and these authors -- enough.
17 people found this helpful
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Aneesa Bhayat
3.0 out of 5 stars Great for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fans
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
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For those of us that cannot get enough of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, this book is great. There are various stories, some are a re-take on the original story whilst others are the modern-day version of the story. Either which way, great read.
2 people found this helpful
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RJ Christensen
4.0 out of 5 stars Great collection
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023
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Some were better than others, but overall, it was very enjoyable. Some author names I recognized and already love. Others, I was introduced to, and I love those kinds of introductions with multiple authors.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth Bennet Darcy,A walk in the park
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023
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Thank you this book was very entertaining,Elizabeth Bennet certainly gave Darcy a run for his money as the say.But his deep love and continued attention to her won her over .
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Silverlumos
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done!
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2020
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I was recently anticipating several new stories from some of my favorite authors to be released, following blogs and eagerly awaiting an excerpt or cover reveal. How exciting when the news broke that they would be together in an anthology dedicated to Elizabeth Bennet! A new addition to the stellar Quill Collective series from Christina Boyd that I have enjoyed (book and audio!) so often.

Each story read, is time well spent. In an interesting mix of time periods, the entire anthology feels as if arranged, just so, flowing together from one to the next. They are delightfully different, but all true to the strength and charm that is Elizabeth.

The writing is captivating, from the tense wedding day countdown in the first story, to the breathtaking soul of Elizabeth in her golden years in the last. I wholeheartedly recommend them. All are superb renditions of the spirit of our beloved Elizabeth; her teasing wit, spunk, sass and loveliness, shine from these author’s pages. An Elizabeth that Darcy never fails to ardently admire and love. A fine tribute to Jane Austen’s remarkable, OHG.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
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This collection contains some great stories and some that I wasn't as fond of, but in all, I enjoyed it
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Top reviews from other countries

Lucy in Toronto
5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing anthology
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2020
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I enjoyed all of the stories. There were a couple that, in my opinion, weren’t as strong as the rest, but I’d still rank them as good/solid offerings. I was thrilled to see Elizabeth get her own book. I would definitely recommend it to people who’ve enjoyed the other books in this series or who are fans of Elizabeth Bennet.
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A Jane Austen fan
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely anthology of stories about a most beloved character
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2020
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Of all The Quill Collective's anthologies, I think this one is my favourite so far. Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet is such a delightful character and Mr Darcy is so memorable and dashing a hero, that it's lovely to revisit their stories afresh.

This time, while Mr Darcy of course makes plenty of appearances, it's Elizabeth's turn to be reexamined as a character. In this anthology, she's thrown into different time periods and places, yet we never lose the sense of her vivaciousness, wit and determination that we love in Jane Austen's original story, 'Pride and Prejudice'.

In fact, I found the stories where we find Elizabeth in different time periods altogether the most intriguing. I thought that the setting in Edwardian times, with Elizabeth as a Suffragette-supporting feminist was so ingenious and worked really well. The story seemed perfectly transposed to that time. I loved the way the author weaved the characters from Austen's original story into this new time setting.

Overall, the anthology was well written and hugely entertaining. It was wonderful to be able to read more of Elizabeth and for different aspects of her character to be looked at anew. I thought it was a clever idea to imagine her past mistakes and growing pains before the 'Pride and Prejudice' storyline even begins, as one author did.

I would recommend this anthology to anyone who loves 'Pride and Prejudice', adores the character of Elizabeth Bennet and wants more. You won't be disappointed.
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Elizabeth Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh my goodness!!!
Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2020
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What a varied and interesting take on such a written character as Elizabeth...such different times and situations but always the true character of our favorite heroine. Beautifully written and imagined ...I loved it!
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