Customer Reviews

The Darcys : Scenes from Married Life

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Being "Janie", I was interested in this book after reading some of the 4 star reviews. However, the author must not have done her homework too much on the period or country. She implies that the 'norm' for most marriages in the Regency period was boring and dull. Granted, among arranged nuptials, that may have been the case, but after scholars at Oxford have gone over 'love matches' as they were called back then, those couples truly had romantic lives. What else was there back then? The 'love matches' were vibrant, honest and truly stood the test of time. Our own present relationships could do with a bit of that now in this era. Even among the aristocracy, when a love match was made, the journals and letters of those involved are steamy beyond compare! True, at times there may have been some mundane times, but that holds true for all. Jane Austen witnessed many 'love matches' in her day and applauded them in her novels. In her later years she especially made poignant asides regarding those couples she saw married when she was younger and how the 'arranged' couples were a struggle to visit. But for the cousins that she saw go beyond their parents wishes and marry for love, "...the atmosphere walking in the room changed dramatically. All was afire and filled with a pleasantness that I envy." (Letters to Home, 1971, Oxford University Press)

For a gentleman to open up to another about his 'indiscretions' was only heard of between a superior and a lesser. So for Bingley and Darcy to share such tales, is a bit questionable. Not out of the norm, but highly doubtful, since Jane Austen made it perfectly clear that Darcy and Elizabeth had a very honest and open relationship. Elizabeth was a woman that was coming of her own in the late Regency period, and Austen was portraying such a woman. Women began to be more open about opinions, especially those of means, as the new Mrs. Darcy was. The country matrons that ruled society outside of London were being pushed aside as by these new women marrying their sons and nephews. Letters from this era from the matrons as well as the brides states such.

While Ms. Furley does have the 'style' of writing of Austen, her knowledge of the true characters that Austen was trying to portray and convey is a bit off. Sounds as iff Furley has a 'bone to pick' with the stronger sex and is using this venue to vent.

For those that truly wish to see what Jane Austen was essentially trying to tell her audience, should read "Persuasion". Jane loved to entertain her readers, but there was a seriousness about her too. As if she knew her life on this Earth would be short, she put words on paper that not only made her laugh, cry and cheer, but also would tell her story and those stories of those close to her without causing scandal or estrangement. "Persuasion" is her swan song in many scholar's opinion, as well as mine.

There are many variations of a continuation of "Pride and Prejudice" out there that may do the story more justice. This version is adequate, but a true 'Janeite' will see through the author's veiled anger.

...compared to many of the other P&P sequals...the plot skips, the language does not conform, the characters are not well established. All in all, a very disappointing rendition of Darcy & Lizzy. Would have prefered re-reading P&P all over again!

I suggest other renditions of P&P sequals. Other books equally good are those that offer P&P from Darcy's point of view. Specifically the Aiden books. Nicely done!

Being quite the fan of Jane Austen and, particularly P&P, I looked forward to receiving and reading this book. Almost from the beginning the disapointment began to set in. Most troublesome was the fact that I was never quite sure in which setting a particular scene took place. The locations were not well described and the plot seemed to jump around. The many characters and intertwined relationships between them made the plot even more difficult to follow. Many of the sentences were sooooooo long that I had to re-read them several times to get the gist of what was being said. More than a few times I had to consult with Mr. Webster to ascertain the meanings of many of the more obscure words. I really was finished with the book about 3/4 of the way through but struggled through to the end which, in itself, was a big letdown. I'd pass on this one if I were you.

"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.

The author attempts to revisit Pemberley, but some parts fall short because the pacing is poor. I give Furley kudos for attempting to capture "another" Darcy-like character in Mr. Scott.

This obviously isn't Austen, but since we can't have her back, this book was a good alternative.