Building Mr. Darcy

Jane Austen set the bar for romantic male leads extremely high when she introduced the world to Mr. Darcy back in the nineteenth century. But programmer Zoe Bunsen wants to do even better: she wants to create the perfect man… in the form of an artificial intelligence program that looks, talks, and thinks exactly like the fictional Mr. Darcy. 

Zoe’s goal isn’t that easily achieved, however, especially not when her teammate, Max Taggart, frustrates her beyond belief. But Max needs this new AI to be a success – even if it means selling out on a few of the literary details. 

Max and Zoe are attracted to each other almost right away, but they both have a very different view when it comes to the AI they’re creating, which leads to a lot of tension between them. Max and Zoe are, in a lot of ways, very similar to Lizzie and Darcy, which is a good thing considering Jane Austen’s classic is the main theme of the book. Yet, the contemporary counterparts have enough quirks to make them differ from their historical inspirations. The topic for the book is definitely unique and while the book does play around with the usual romantic tropes (such as failed communications leading to drama), and the ending is a bit abrupt, it’s still a lovely read, and especially recommended for readers who love Jane Austen’s classic, and in particular, Mr. Darcy. 

Majanka Verstraete