The Darcys

Rating:
Summary: Not so bad at all
Review: "The Darcys" are much better than most of the sequels I read. The author doesn't idealize Darcy and Lizzy and it is very refreshing. Her Lizzy isn't "inherently maternal" and has no real problems with the birth of the first child (btw, the daughter) and even with the double standards of the age. Her Darcy isn't a paragon of virtue. And Bingley too. Of course, some dialogues are too long and the idea of Her Highness Caroline is too revolting but as a whole the story is not so bad. The author tries to be true to the Regency's mores and prejudices.

Rating:
Summary: Not so bad at all
Review: "The Darcys" are much better than most of the sequels I read. The author doesn't idealize Darcy and Lizzy and it is very refreshing. Her Lizzy isn't "inherently maternal" and has no real problems with the birth of the first child (btw, the daughter) and even with the double standards of the age. Her Darcy isn't a paragon of virtue. And Bingley too. Of course, some dialogues are too long and the idea of Her Highness Caroline is too revolting but as a whole the story is not so bad. The author tries to be true to the Regency's mores and prejudices.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not my favorite rendition
Review: First, let me record the summary from the back of this book. I bought this book with no other knowledge except that it was a sequel to PnP, so here's some help for others:

"The Darcys' first two years of marriage come close to fulfilling Elizabeth's claim that they will be the 'happiest married couple in the world.' But not without some painful trials. At Pemberley Elizabeth is somewhat oppressed by the weight of centuries of tradition. Furthermore, she is scrutinised by formidable senior members of Darcy's family. Those amiable family members, sister Georgiana, and cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, are ready for marriage. (To each other?) The greatest challenge is unforseen. A shadow from Darcy's bachelor past looks to darken the future."

This book is focused on the Darcy's, rather than other PnP characters, like some books, which I liked. Yet despite this, I felt like both Elizabeth and Darcy were somewhat off. Darcy was very stern and almost paranoid, which I didn't feel the author justified. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was just slightly too timid, afraid to rock the boat and bring up with Darcy things that were truly bothering her. I think my biggest shock, however, was something the author reveals about Bingley's past. I have no problem with Darcy and Bingley having had past 'flings,' but it didn't seem in line with Bingley's character that he would have one while he considered himself in love with Jane.

I found quite a few grammatical and punctuation mistakes through the book, which was definitely jarring. Overall, I don't regret buying the book, because Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book and I try to get all the sequels and reimaginings of it. Of the most recent attemps, I would recommend "An Assembly Such as This" by Pamela Aidan, or "Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field : A Novel" by Melissa Nathan.

Rating:
Summary: High Language, Annoying Plot
Review: I got about 3/4 of the way through the book before I couldn't take it anymore. Te whole plot centers around Darcy and Bingley's premarital affairs. The author just kept on reiterating this in different ways; so many times, it was irritating. She glossed over births, romance, and Lizzie's personality.

There are other P&P sequels that are more worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: High Language, Annoying Plot
Review: I got about 3/4 of the way through the book before I couldn't take it anymore. Te whole plot centers around Darcy and Bingley's premarital affairs. The author just kept on reiterating this in different ways; so many times, it was irritating. She glossed over births, romance, and Lizzie's personality.

There are other P&P sequels that are more worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: An Accurate Interpretation
Review: I have read many of the Pride and Prejudice sequels, and this one is fairly interesting. "The Darcy's" is written in a very similiar style to the original as far as the tone and narration are concerned, which does credit to the author. Furley closely follows Austen's story-telling methods, jumping quickly from one thing to another, keeping the story moving. However, I did find this story to be slightly boring, as it seems to be an accurate description of how married life would be during this era, which is a little dull. The story seems to lack direction and a plot for most of the book, but again, as the title says, it is just describing how life would have been.

With that said, I was unable to put the book down and read it quickly in just a few hours despite the almost non-existent story line. The characters are very close to the originals, particularly Elizabeth and Darcy. Many new characters are also added, flowing together nicely with the originals.

A few of the situations are far fetched, particularly in the fact that Darcy and Bingley share their past indiscretions with their wives (really the only driving force behind the entire book). Additionally, the Darcy's are frequently traveling throughout the book, and I, having never been to England, found it slightly confusing geographically.

All and all, I would say this is a fairly good book to read if you have some free time and want to revisit the lives of some of Austen's most beloved characters. I, however, perfer the more exciting plots and storylines of other sequels such as Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (The Bar Sinister) and Pride and Prescience regardless of what Austen purists say.

Rating:
Summary: An Accurate Interpretation
Review: I have read many of the Pride and Prejudice sequels, and this one is fairly interesting. "The Darcy's" is written in a very similiar style to the original as far as the tone and narration are concerned, which does credit to the author. Furley closely follows Austen's story-telling methods, jumping quickly from one thing to another, keeping the story moving. However, I did find this story to be slightly boring, as it seems to be an accurate description of how married life would be during this era, which is a little dull. The story seems to lack direction and a plot for most of the book, but again, as the title says, it is just describing how life would have been.

With that said, I was unable to put the book down and read it quickly in just a few hours despite the almost non-existent story line. The characters are very close to the originals, particularly Elizabeth and Darcy. Many new characters are also added, flowing together nicely with the originals.

A few of the situations are far fetched, particularly in the fact that Darcy and Bingley share their past indiscretions with their wives (really the only driving force behind the entire book). Additionally, the Darcy's are frequently traveling throughout the book, and I, having never been to England, found it slightly confusing geographically.

All and all, I would say this is a fairly good book to read if you have some free time and want to revisit the lives of some of Austen's most beloved characters. I, however, perfer the more exciting plots and storylines of other sequels such as Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (The Bar Sinister) and Pride and Prescience regardless of what Austen purists say.