"Me and Mr. Darcy"
By Alexandra Potter (Ballantine Books, $12.95)
REVIEWED _BY EALISH WADDELL Special to Florida Weekly

Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" remains beloved today for many reasons, not the least of which is the feminism inherent in the tale of a woman who is trained to marry for security and social standing but resolves to settle for nothing less than love and mutual respect. Two recent novels inspired by the classic seek to explore this idea further.

"Me and Mr. Darcy" is set in the present day and revolves around Emily, a young bookworm who finds modern men a disappointing substitute for fictional heroes. On impulse, she jets to England to join a bus tour of romantic Austen locales that, to her dismay, is stuffed full of little old ladies - - and one incredibly obnoxious male, writing an article on just what makes this danged Darcy guy so appealing. Things definitely start to perk up, though, when she encounters a mysterious man who just might be the real Darcy himself.