Mr. Darcy's Daughters : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: delightfully funny
Review: I enjoyed reading this book a great deal. I enjoyed reading about Elizabeth's and Darcy's daughters.The author is no Jane Austen, but honestly who is?????? It is the kind of book you can sit down and read and not have to think a lot just enjoy. I recommend it to any Jane Austen fan. It was perfectly delightful:-)

Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: While it is hard to compete with the exquisiteness of Jane Austen, it is best if Pride and Prejudice had been left alone. Instead, Ms. Aston ruined one of my all-time favorite books by creating a sequel. While it is intriguing to wonder "whatever happened to Elizabeth and Darcy?", I was appalled that neither character made an appearance here, the author conveniently dispatching them off to Constantinople. Apparently, she was not able to re-create the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy as well as the original. Why would two sensible people leave their five eligible daughters to go running around?
I found myself disliking the Daughters of the title. They are entirely too much like the Bennet sisters, and I refuse myself to believe that the Darcys would raise such silly, narrowminded girls. Even Camilla, the "sensible" one of the family, finds herself making the same mistakes her mother did, by falling in love with someone not entirely suitable for her.
As for the rest of London society, I found that they were too concerned with how everybody else percieved them. I found that the characters of Fitzwilliam and the Gardiners so out of keeping with what Jane Austen had in mind.
Ms. Aston, by keeping with her own style of writing, sounds like she is trying to put the Darcy sisters into a more modern setting. She therefore botches the overall effect. If she had wanted to remain in keeping with the style of Jane Austen, she did not do so. Although Austen's works were written during a turbulent period of English history, she incorporated nothing of what was going on into her writing. In contrast, Ms. Aston, while trying to keep her modern-day viewers in mind, inserts far too much history and politics into Mr. Darcys Daughters. Also, Austen would never have mentioned anything so indecorous as (gasp) sex and sexual preference in her novels which, of course, Elizabeth Aston did do.
Also, the novel is historically inaccurate, according to Austen's timeline. Supposing that Pride and Prejudice was meant to take place at around the time it was published (1812 or 1813), then wouldn't a "20 years later" sequel take place in the early 1830's? Instead, Ms. Aston places the novel in 1818 so that Tom Busby can be "killed" in the war against Napoleon.
A good book is one in which you don't wish that the author had done something differently. Here, there were dozens of things I wished hadn't happened. For those of you who are ardent Jane Austen fans, you will be sorely disappointed by this book. If you're looking for an interesting story line and interesting characters, you will not find it here.

Rating:
Summary: Not Even 20 Pages In!!!
Review: I didn't even get to page 20 before I decided this was NO sequel to P&P. Aston has Lizzy and Darcy on a journey where there daughters don't expect them to come back alive! I couldn't take it. Lizzy and Darcy should be home trying to marry off their 5 daughters (mind you, not exactly the way as Mrs. Bennet).

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and romantic
Review: I am a huge Jane Austen fan and was a bit skepical of this book. Ecspecially since my attempt to read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife , which was horrible! Mr. Darcy's Daughter's, however, was a very charming light read. If you take this story on its own and don't compare it to Pride and Pradjudice. It is a very enjoyable read in the typical Austen style of the courtship dance. The reason I believe this is one of the best continuations of the works of Austen is simply because it is not based on the original characters, but new ones. If this book is to your liking I would highly recomend reading Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant attempt
Review: "Mr. Darcy's Daughters" is a pleasant ATTEMPT in trying to continue one of the best pieces of literature of all time (Pride & Prejudice). Main word: attempt. Aston fails to provide me with a worthwhile look into the future of Mr. Darcy's offspring. Why did she have to make all of the characters so unlikable? I found myself not even caring for Camilla and Mr. Wytton. I didn't even like where she took the story. I give Aston points for her writing and informative details of London...and that's about it.

Rating:
Summary: Daddy's little girls
Review: What a fun book. Be prepared reader, it is unlike most Pride and Prejudice sequels out there. It is not like Jane Austen, either. To be honest it reminds me of Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. A bunch of sisters together.

You will meet an entirely new cast of charaters and not see much of you old firends. So if that doesn't bother you than give this book a try. You fall in love with Darcy's Daughters and discover the different traits they all possess. You will find it hard to put the book down once you get into all their stories. SO much happens to them. Good and Bad. it is so comical that Fitzwilliam and Lizzy have 5 girls and Lizzy was one of 5 girls.
Warning- hardly mentions Lizzy and Fitzwilliam, they are away. THe guardians in the book are Colonel Fitzwilliam and his wife. An interesting twist! Brilliant writing!

Rating:
Summary: An OK read, but NOT Jane Austen!
Review: I felt this book was OK. I did want to finish the book. But, if you are looking for Jane Austen, you won't find it here. Except for the charater's names and references back to the original book, the characters and situations are not what Jane Austen would have written.

First, the characters, even the ones you are suppose to like, are not real consistant or likeable. Jane Austen made her characters very human, but also very likable. You really wanted them to be your friends. These characters were wishy-washy. They were always upset about something. They showed little character of soul in the midst of trouble.

Second, the topics that the author tends to take up, Jane Austen NEVER would have even thought of talking about. The story is about Darcy's five daughters. One of the daughters has to call off an engagement because she discovers that the man she is planning to marry is a sodomite (ei-gay; sodomite is the word that the book uses). The book then spends some time discussing the problem. Jane Austen would have never even thought to make this a part of her stories. I am not against discussing it, but not in a Jane Austen "like" novel. Also, some character's sexual feeling are discussed in a very open (although in a fairly clean) way. In one place a man is thinking about how much he likes to watch his wife prepare to go out because he likes to watch her in her undergarments.

I read Jane Austen to escape from the modern day, not to be drawn into modern day thoughts and feeling. I read Jane Austen so I can live in a simpler time. Of course, I know people had those feeling back then. People are people, they don't change that much. It is nice to read something now and then that allows you a little relief from modern thought. Jane Austen is that relief for many people, including myself.

If you're looking for Jane Austen, you won't find it here. If you're looking for an entertaining read, maybe you will find it in this book. Decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Mr. Darcy
Review: This book stays with you long after you've read it. We don't see or hear much from our beloved characters of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but their daughters sure do keep us entertained. The language and subject matter reflect a more modern tilt. There are some familiar characters of varying moral fiber and interest in Mr. Darcy's five daughters. I truly recommend this book to Pride & Prejudice fans.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Continuation
Review: If there are Austen fans you may find joy in this read. All characters are well-portrayed and the text sometimes rings like Austen's. Complex with the many stories of each sister's life -though Camilla takes center stage in this book - allows you to get a feel for the London life and how it ran in the times.
Reasons for not being 5 stars is that Camilla's love could have developed earlier in the book to make you see that the hero she finally chose was right for her. Also there were some things out of context with the times but it never really detracted from the book, only made you remember that this wasn't truly Jane Austen.
Aston did a fine job and I hope others will enjoy this read as I.

Rating:
Summary: Austen anyone?
Review: I'm halfway through this book, and, being a die-hard Austen fan, am as shocked as some of the other reviewers with the author's easy handling of characters from P&P, with no resemblance at all to Austen's original intentions regarding Fitzwilliam (who is but a tiny presence in P&P, so EA can be forgiven for changing his character), but no such mercies for the handling of Mrs. Gardiner, who occupies a substantial chunk of P&P (Austen has rounded her off quite well).

It's hard to follow Austen, but someone who is touted as a "passionate Jane Austen fan who studied with (an) Austen biographer," (from the author's bio. at the back) should have respected her idol's boundaries a little more.