Everingham by Katharine (PG)

[jane_elliot]

As I requested this pairing, I thought I should offer up the fic that converted me to Fanny/Henry:)

Fandom Category: Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
Pairing: Fanny Price/Henry Crawford
Fic Title: Everingham
Author: Katharine T
Link: http://www.dwiggie.com/derby/old_2008/kathart1.htm (first part of three - link for next chapters at bottom of page)
Rating/

Comments

[rosehiptea]

I'm really looking forward to this. I resisted Fanny/Henry for a long time even though I'm not terribly fond of Edmund, plus I can't agree with the viewpoint that Fanny was just silly to resist Henry's charms. But last year for Yuletide there were a couple of intriguing Fanny/Henry fics and I got interested in the ship.

(If you haven't read the Yuletide fics you might check them out on AO3. I might write one up if I get time to re-read it! Sorry I haven't yet.)

[jane_elliot]

I totally agree: Henry in the book was a jerk and I never thought Fanny should be with him. He's less of a jerk in this fic, though, mainly because he's capable of character growth, which canon!Henry was not.

I think I've read all of the Yuletide fics for this pairing. The difficulty is that they are pretty short, and a paring this complex really needs a longer story to sell the romance to me. Still, I'm always happy to see Fanny/Henry fic -- the more people we can get hooked on the pairing, the more fic there will be:)

[rosehiptea]

I read the story and it really was great. I loved how it showed reasonable obstacles, and growth in Henry and Fanny.

I'd be tempted to write the pairing myself except for my utter inability to imitate Austen's style in any reasonable way. Oh well, I can read...

[kitsuneasika]

I agree with you on all counts. This story is absolutely amazing, and it's a major factor in why I adore Henry/Fanny as much as I do.

[jane_elliot]

Definitely a brilliant story -- my only wish is that it be a little longer (which is totally selfish of me, because we already got more than Austen gave us with canon couples.)

[kitsuneasika]

I know how you feel! After reading this, I remember going on a hunt for more Henry/Fanny, and was disappointed to not... really find anything.

[jane_elliot]

I know! Fanny/Henry seems like such a natural pairing that you'd think there would be lots of fic. Unfortunately, the Austen fandom is very Pride and Prejudice centered, and Mansfield Park just doesn't have a lot of fics in general. *sigh*

[jane_elliot]

Honestly, I was a bit surprised that it hadn't been recced before -- it really is a brilliant fic.

[borg_princess]

Wow! IDEK anything about the book and I generally don't read fics for old-fashioned things like this, but I gave it a go and wound up staying up all night to finish it.

taking formal language and occasional monologues and somehow making it sound like something people would naturally say

THIS. I normally stay away from fics for things like Austen and whatnot because the language gives me a headache, but it was so easy to get into this!

Really good read, thanks for the rec! :D

[jane_elliot]

I'm so glad you liked it! (The more people I can convert to the Henry/Fanny ship, the better:)

[jane_elliot]

I liked Mansfield Park for Fanny's quiet strength and her firm beliefs, which never wavered despite family pressure and her own dubious health. That said, I've reread Everingham a lot more often than I've reread Mansfield Park, because the fic version of Fanny is a much more dynamic character and Henry is so much more three dimensional. Just a great fic all around.