Customer Reviews

The Plight of the Darcy Brothers: A tale of the Darcys & the Bingleys (Pride & Prejudice Continues)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book continues where Ms Altman left off in book 1 and we get to see our favorite characters get into more mischief. Elizabeth is not emotionally well after suffering a miscarriage, but when Mary comes to her with a problem, she and Darcy set off for Italy to help and hope they can make it back in time. They also reconnect on a more personal level and grow closer in their own marriage.

Along the way Darcy discovers more and more about his own family's past and discovers his father had a tendency to stray in his marriage when his wife was in confinement. Darcy's newfound brother is just a bit younger than Georgiana and he is living the life of a poor, French, Catholic monk although their father had set up an annual allowance of a proper gentleman. This of course irritates the proud Darcy when he sees he is not living the life Darcy feels is due him and talks his new brother into being their guide to Italy in hopes of getting to know him more, but ends up learning so much more than he bargained for!

We also get to see Bingley deal with mischievous children and their hilarious antics while Caroline and her husband make an unexpected but extremely advantageous connection that will change their family dynamics forever. Dr. Maddox is extremely well written and fits in flawlessly with Austen's original characters.

This book is a wonderful addition to any P&P fan's library. It may not be written just as Austen herself would have written, but frankly there is only one Jane Austen and I wouldn't want to read someone "trying" to write like her, but I do love reading about the characters she created and seeing where others can take them! This book is full of humor, love for family, conflict and a duel where someone will not survive!

Second in a series, The Plight of the Darcy Brothers finds Fitzwilliam Darcy making hasty travel plans to the Continent to save yet another Bennet daughter from scandal.

It seems that Jane Austen fans can be divided into roughly two camps: the purists and the rest of us. Austen purists may struggle with contemporary authors serializing Pride and Prejudice (or the other novels), but I think that if the author does his or her research and tells a solid story, these sequels can find success and have a place in the literary world.

Marsha Altman is one such author, creating a realistic continuation of Pride and Prejudice while seamlessly incorporating new characters without detracting from the original story. The Plight of the Darcy Brothers is the second installment in her continuing series and though I haven't read the first book, had no difficulty following this story.

The novel follows Darcy and Elizabeth as they travel to the Continent, Italy specifically, in an effort to save the reputation of yet another Bennet sister. Along the way, Darcy comes to learn several shocking things about his father and the Darcy family. As they travel on, Darcy wrestles with internal conflict, trying to come to terms with what he's discovered.

Altman's skillful use of narration helps the reader understand what motivates each character. Told in the third-person omniscient, we can see into the minds of the majority of characters and it gives the story greater depth and authenticity. Austen herself also wrote in this narrative style.

Altman doesn't skimp on details and fills readers in on all the characters from the original novel. The subplots keep the story moving and it's a quick and entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and have plans to read the first book shortly. Readers who can't get enough of Pride and Prejudice should give Marsha Altman's series a whirl.

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7.30.09

Darcy and Elizabeth are disappointed when Elizabeth loses a baby, but unexpected news comes rather quickly, sending the couple on an unpleasant trip to the Continent.

While away from home they meet an unusual young man who has a major impact on their lives, and gives them some startling information that sends Darcy into a tailspin.

There is a surprise on almost every page of this book. It is well-written, exciting, and certainly intriguing. In my opinion, this sequel is the author's best yet.

Marsha Altman did another wonderful job in her second sequel to Pride and Prejudice. The story was once again filled with humor and I loved the direction she took the characters in. Watching the mischief that Lizzie and Darcy's son, Geoffrey, got into was hilarious and it seems so just to see the serious Mr. Darcy have to deal with his sons antics.

The title of this book had me intrigued because at the close of The Darcys and the Bingleys Darcy and Lizzie only had one son so I was not sure if this book would have a second son and they would be grown up. Not to ruin the surprise but the story does take place not long after The Darcys and the Bingleys so Altman soon reveals some darker secrets into Darcy's father's background. The story she spun was believable and fit so nicely with the characteristics of the original Pride and Prejudice cast that you wonder if Austen wrote a sequel would she have revealed the same secrets?

The reader sees a softer side of Caroline Maddox (once Caroline Bingley) that makes her much more likeable and despite all of her preaching we also see that Mary Bennett is human and makes mistakes despite her piousness.

If you enjoyed The Darcys and the Bingleys you will also enjoy this sequel.

The Plight of the Darcy Brothers was a great sequel to The Darcys and the Bingleys. It was humorous, dramatic, romantic and touching--all things I love in a Jane Austen sequel. I also love when sequels attempt to delve into the past of the very mysterious Darcy family and/or take the reader away from Pemberley. I was very happy to find that this novel does both.

I began reading with extremely high expectations. I loved The Darcys and the Bingleys and could not wait for more. I loved the humor and wit of the first book and was expecting the same of the second. The humor definitely lived up to expectations in the form of little Gregory, Darcy and Elizabeth's son. He is such a little scamp and he runs Darcy ragged. My favorite escapade is when he dyes Georgie, Jane and Bingley's daughter, and himself blue. I couldn't stop chuckling. He is adorable.

This sequel also adds more drama in the form of a foolish decision made by Mary Bennet. I know! Mary Bennet! Shocked me too. I love Mary and, trust me, I never anticipated her making a Lydia-style folly but Altman was convincing in Lydiafying my innocent Mary Bennet. I love how she didn't make Mary look foolish even through her mistakes but simply unfortunate. I would have loved to see a more typical happy ending for Mary in this one. I have always wanted her to find someone to love her and I suppose she did, in a way. She, for some reason, is my favorite character apart from Lizzy and Darcy. I suppose I identify with her.

The canon and new non-canon characters were treated well by Altman. Gregoire was an amazing addition to the Jane Austen group of characters. I was quite unsure as to how a monk would work in relation to Darcy but he did have a great chemistry with Darcy and Elizabeth and I loved watching them travel together. I loved watching Darcy take care of and worry over Gregoire when he learned that he was fasting and flagellating himself. Maddox, one of my favorite character from The Darcys and the Bingleys, acts like the reader's eye into the outside world of Regency England, that Austen would never have shown us. He takes us from whorehouses to the Prince Regent himself. He also shows us the realities of childbirth before advanced medicine made it safer. Even Wickham is treated well. He gains a bit of humanity. Not a lot but enough so I don't want to strangle him till his eyes pop out.

This is an excellent sequel. I would read The Darcy's and the Bingley's first before picking this one up. I will read any Jane Austen sequels that Marsha Altman writes. This goes on the shelf with my favorites.

I liked this version of how the P&P story develops. Intrigue and love are abundant here. The plot was good but not a can't put it down book.

How does a tale of romance and intrigue sound? Marsha Altman has taken Jane Austen's characters and created an emotional story that actually left me on the edge of my seat in THE PLIGHT OF THE DARCY BROTHERS: A TALE OF THE DARCYS & THE BINGLEYS. I expected romance, which we definitely received throughout the story and I expected a fair amount of drama as always follows the Bennet daughters. What I didn't expect was to actually be flipping the pages as quickly as I did in an attempt to figure out what little disaster would befall our beloved characters next.

THE PLIGHT OF THE DARCY BROTHERS begins emotionally and ends emotionally. Suffering a saddening loss, Elizabeth jumps at the opportunity to escape with her sister Jane for a bit to discover what has her sister Mary so wound up. Just returned from her schooling, Mary divulges a secret that gets the sisters riled up and off in search of answers. While on their hunt for the truth, Darcy ends up making some discoveries of his own and eventually finds himself face to face with the despicable Mr. Wickham.

THE PLIGHT OF THE DARCY BROTHERS is actually the second book in Altman's Pride & Prejudice Continues series. Although I had not read the first book, I didn't find myself too hung up on the details. Altman created a story that was easy to become engaged with and developed the plot in a way that this book could stand alone relatively well if need be.

I was surprised to find the amount of humor that I did in THE PLIGHT OF THE DARCY BROTHERS. The beginning of the book, as I mentioned, was full of wonderfully written emotion. I was sure that the story was going to get dark and remain dark throughout. Surprisingly, the emotional toll on the reader rarely let up, but the story definitely did not keep a dark edge to it. There were quite a few chuckle moments and other moments where I had read the section again just to witness the scene one more time.

I loved how Altman developed her characters and brought each one to life. Instead of just focusing on a couple of characters and revolving the story around them, Altman really gave us a good look into a handful of characters and showed us how they impact the overall story. I love that we got the story of both the Bennet sisters and the Darcy brothers, each trying to solve a puzzle. On top of that, I think Altman did great justice to the characters. I felt like she preserved the feel of the Austen books while still adding her own edge to it.

Altman did a wonderful job of creating a story that the reader could really get drawn down into. It was very easy to visualize the scenes and I wouldn't have been surprised in the least to see the characters pop off the page and begin reenacting the book in front of me. This was another book where I lost track of the time while reading. Coming from me, that's a good thing. It means that the book was so engaging that I quickly lost myself in it. I have a feeling that any of Altman's readers have a hard time not losing themselves in her words.

THE PLIGHT OF THE DARCY BROTHERS definitely earns top marks. This was a wonderful sequel (to a sequel) and I would be more than pleased to read this one again. Fans of Romance or Historical fiction will find something to love in Altman's book. The love between Darcy and Elizabeth seems to be timeless, regardless of the author, and the action as well as the suspense in this book definitely helped to make it a winner.

As usual, when I read one of Ms. Altman's books, I love the humor that appears throughout, even when dealing with sorrow. In this particular story, Darcy discovers he has two brothers that he has to deal with. Also, he has a son, Bennet, who with the Bingley's daughter, Georgiana, can create more havoc than 25 other children put together. Even so, they are delightful and their antics are fun to read about. I definitely recommend this book.

I enjoyed the 2nd book to her series but felt that it wrapped up quite quickly in the end. The characters are fun and it is enjoyable to read. I would recommend it to others.

Liked this book a lot. It had warmth and family and most of all not too many new characters. I loved reading about "Geoffrey Darcy". There was just not enough of him. He was so real and a great addition to the Darcy Family.