Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman: Duty And Desire (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentlemen)

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Summary: Trying to erase Elizabeth from my heart and mind time by FD
Review: I certainly loved the first book and like this second very much. Yet, there was something about this second that just bothered me a little. Maybe it is the 'tone' of the book. No Elizabeth, none of her challenge or wit, and we all knew Darcy's forays into his society's equals was doomed from the start. It seems the main purpose of Book 2 is to show the reader the futile ways Darcy tried to keep busy in order to not think of Elizabeth but instead deepened his yearnings for her. All the while, the reader has to go through too many new names to remember although I just love Lord Brougham's character immensely. It'll be wonderful how his love for Georgiana is resolved in Book 3. And of course the resolution of our two main characters union so wonderfully told by Miss Aidan. If anything, this Book 2 makes me anxiously wait for Book 3 and back to Elizabeth (Darcy and Elizabeth meeting at Pemberley has always been my favorite part in any case)!!
I do enjoy Pamela Aidan's style of writing in the long run.

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Summary: hoping for better in book three
Review: I guess I'm one of the few who didn't like this book. Did Mr. Darcy really need an entire gothic storyline to make him realize that Elizabeth was a good person? Did Georgiana really need a conversion in order to get over having made a mistake? Maybe. But it just seemed like everything was taken to such extremes. Like the book was trying too hard to get its point across. Instead of feeling like I was reading a story about a man's internal struggles, I felt like I was being instructed. It left an unpleasant aftertaste that I hope the third book will dispel.

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Summary: It is not Pride and Prejudice, but still worth the read
Review: I have read, reread, and loved Jane Austen's works for over 30 years. I have never been impressed with any of the companion or sequel books I have come across in that time. I started reading Ms. Aidan's series a couple of years ago when it was only available on-line and have been avidly following the series ever since. I appreciate the quality and style of her writing while recognizing the differences in tone, wit and humor between her works and Jane Austen's original. I am impressed with the way she has fleshed out some of Austen's other characters, most notably Bingley, and developed new ones (although I think Dy becomes too much like the Scarlet Pimpernell). I am still not satisfied that the "mystery" that Darcy encounters at the castle is necessary to this story. It is a diversion or intrigue that seems overdone and out of place. It is a minor fault, though, that does not prevent my enjoying the rest of the book. Darcy will never be as interesting or engaging a character as Elizabeth, but Ms. Aidan is on her way to eplaining why he may someday be deserving of her. I look forward to book three.

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Summary: VERY GOOD CONTINUATION!
Review: I like Ms. Aidan's concept of writing P&P from Darcy's viewpoint. Most authors choose to pick up where Ms. Austen left off. Ms. Aidan's approach is refreshing. I am ready to devour the third book.

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Summary: JANE AUSTEN'S DARCY COMES ALIVE
Review: I THINK IT IS A GREAT BOOK ABOUT WHO DARCY REALLY WAS. SHE REVEALS SOMEONE THAT IS NOT PSYCHOLOGICALLY INSECURE OR A RICH BOY WHO INSISTS HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS. HE IS A MAN OF FAITH AND INTEGRITY. THE AUTHOR ALSO FOLLOWS THE STORYLINE OF THE ORIGINAL P&P AS WELL AS INTRODUCES NEW CHARACTERS THAT ENRICHES THE OVERALL STORY. DARCY'S SISTER IS REVEALED TO BE MORE THAN A SPOILED BRAT WHO WAS EASILY TAKEN IN BY WICKHAM. I THOUGHT IN THE ORIGINAL P&P THAT DARCY WAS A "BIT DIFFERENT" THAN THE USUAL RICH OF ENGLAND. MS AIDAN EXPLAINS THAT VERY WELL AND IT IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO SEE THE WORKINGS OF A MIND THAT IS GUIDED BY SPIRITUALITY.

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Summary: Improbable
Review: My earlier review of Pamela Aiden's first installment cites it as the best P&P spinoff. It was the initial part of a trilogy that offers insight into Darcy's point of view and life apart from Miss Elizabeth Bennet in parallel to the P&P story line. The second installment falls a bit short by comparison.

While the continuation of Darcy's relationship with his valet is particularly delightful, the strategic plot choices seem out of character.

Finding solace in God is certainly a plausible means by which Miss Darcy would overcome her experience with Wickham but to turn to evangelical Christianity rather than the Anglican Church is less realistic. As a ward of an elder brother determined to shelter her and guide her to adulthood as a proper aristocratic woman, it is more likely that he would have seen to it that she pursued a deeper faith within the more conventional church. Having already suffered the consequence of a poor choice of governess, Darcy would have been ever more careful about the character and background of a replacement.

Likewise, the entirety of the plot twists at the country manor is implausible. It served a valuable purpose is demonstrating Darcy considering alternative potential matrimonial options to Elizabeth Bennet and one by one finding reasons to eliminate them. However, that he would attend let alone stay at such an event is entirely out of character for him. It is more likely that he would have pursued a similar interest within the confines of proper London aristocratic society rather than in the plot's bizarre environment.

All in all, the second tome of a trilogy is usually regarded as the least attractive of the three. The final leg promises to give us Darcy's perspective as he struggles more directly with Miss Bennet in the evolution of their relationship. I for one continue to await its publication with undiminished anticipation.

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Summary: Awaiting the third offering...
Review: This authoress is among the unique few of the "P&P writers" who succeeds in affecting the style of Jane Austen, without becoming affected or precious. For this reason alone, I have enjoyed her first two offerings of the Darcy trilogy, and look forward to her third installment. (I do feel at bit cheated that the publishers promised the final book in time for Christmas; I have yet to see it. This feeling is accompanied by the sneaking suspicion it will be highly priced and available in low quantities. I do hope I am proven wrong!)

I was offended neither by the addition of new characters, nor the departure from Ms. Austen's original storyline. In fact, I was not offended at all, and thoroughly enjoyed a very fine book full of people I was interested in, old and new acquaintances alike. Her rendering of the characters and voice we already know from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is superb. I do not understand the disagreement some have had with her depiction of Georgiana's philosophy and fervor. It was not the central theme of the book, by any means. Don't most teenagers exploring their adult reality veer a bit to the extreme in some area(s)? Then again, I am often puzzled by the divide we seem to find ourselves in, religious or political, but I digress...

I do hope, Ms. Aidan, that you will continue your efforts, on behalf of faithful Jane-ites everywhere!

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Summary: Dazed and Confused
Review: What a strange reaction I had to this book. I was simultaneously delighted and appalled. After I finished it, there was a veritable marquee of conflicting thoughts running through my head, everything from "what a splendid imagination the author must have to so realistically put me in Darcy's head" to "oh no, tell me she's not going to turn this into a holy-rollercoaster ride" to "how can I learn to write like that - I must learn to write like that" to "what just happened, did Phyllis A. Whitney somehow inhabit Pamela Aidan's pen?" Very disorienting, it was. I guess all I can do is sit back and wait for the final book to clear up some of the confusion.

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Summary: Too disjointed to support the storyline
Review: While the first book in this series was a true delight, this one was disappointing. The first excelled in giving us the inside look into Mr Darcy's world and shared his perspective on events well known to Pride and Prejudice readers. It was a cut above all the other P&P sequels I've read.

The second installment fell far short of the example set in Book 1. While the second book portrays Darcy true to character through known and new London events, it was hard to accept his character's behavior during the estate visit. With Darcy determined to begin seeking a partner in his own social circle and with the initial example of his being aware of key guests at London events, it was out of characer that he would have committed to the estate visit without inquiries. Once there, he would have surveyed the situation and made another of his quick exits. The other characters at the estate visit were poorly introduced and the plot far less plausible. It also lacked the engaging style of the earlier story. A more productive scheme would have led Darcy's search path past more society girls and into more places. Are we to believe he foregoes his search after attending two events?

My advice: Buy Book 2 and enjoy the story up to page 100. At that point, say to yourself "Darcy has a bad experience visiting old college friends". Then finish the reading from page 235 and begin anticipating the release of the final installment. I hope with plenty of events in the Jane Austen original to explain, the last book will be as engaging and true to form as the Book 1.

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Summary: Recommended Reading
Review: Whoa, easy on the shouting, there, Donna...step away from the Caps Lock key. Anyway, on topic: I liked this book. Ms. Aidan has a flowing, clear style that brings you right to the heart of the enigma that is Mr. Darcy. Like a few of the other reviewers here, I was a little disappointed with the direction Darcy's spiritual revolution seems to be going, but it certainly wasn't enough to make me actively dislike the book. Ms. Aidan knows how to tell a story and tell it well, and there's no dishonesty in her writing, as the phrase "agenda-driven" used in some of the other reviews would imply. Her writing is obviously heartfelt and sincere, and her research was clearly thorough. My personal preference would be that the third book not extend the Christian spiritual aspect too much further, but this work doesn't belong to me. It's Ms. Aidan's intellectual property, to be shaped and molded and imbued with whatever messages she sees fit. It's her right as the author, just as it's the right of anyone who likes her message to praise it and the right of anyone who dislikes it not to purchase any further books. While mildly disappointed with this second book, I'm unquestionably still on the Aidan Admiration Train, and I expect the third book to be excellent. To anyone contemplating purchase of this (or the first) book, my unreserved recommendation is "put it in your shopping cart." It's completely unique in both its approach and its execution, and you will find yourself engrossed right from the start.