The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel [Paperback]

Maya Slater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2009

Literature’s most famous romantic hero opens his diary: it’s intimate, dramatic, deeply passionate, and sometimes downright shocking.

Have you ever wondered what Mr. Darcy was really thinking? Find out his secrets in this captivating novel of love, pride, passion, and, of course, prejudice. Mr. Darcy’s intimate diary reveals his entanglements with women, his dangerous friendship with Lord Byron, his daily life in Georgian London, his mercurial mood swings calmed only by fisticuffs at Jackson’s—and, most importantly, his vain struggle to conquer his longing for Elizabeth Bennet.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy is one of the most fascinating heroes in literature. Other writers have tried, with varying degrees of success,  to capture some of that old Darcy magic. This time around, we are made privy to Darcy’s secret diary. Though the story presented in the diary entries adheres to the structure of Pride and Prejudice,  the Bennets, even including Elizabeth herself, are very much in the background, while other characters, such as the Bingleys and Darcy’s sister Georgiana, play a larger role. While trying to fend off his growing attachment to Lizzie, “an undersized young lady of doubtful family,” Darcy recounts his day-to-day activities—managing his estate, looking after his sister, engaging in pastimes with his disreputable friend Lord Byron that would make the ladies at Longbourn blush. Austen knockoffs should always be judged on their own merits, and if the Darcy presented here isn’t quite her Darcy, or yours, the book is still a smart and entertaining period piece. --Mary Ellen Quinn

Review

Seamlessly weaving in bits of the original, this entertaining novel gets the curmudgeonly hero spot on. (The Independent )

As moving and enjoyable as could be wished. . . . Mr. Darcy fans everywhere will welcome his diary to the canon. (Daily Mail )

Maya Slater creates a convincing world for Fitzwilliam Darcy . . . a real cappuccino of a book—deliciously frothy, but with a definite kick. (Jane Austen's Regency World )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Original edition (June 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393336360
• ISBN-13: 978-0393336368
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pride and Prejudice and Regency fan unhappy with this effort., July 12, 2009

By 

Hoosier Schoolmaster (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel (Paperback)

I stumbled across Pamela Aidan's final book in her Darcy series at a beach resort last year. It was handed to me by another resort guest, she'd just completed it and wanted to share. I loved her Darcy, what a compliment to Miss Austens. I have since become a huge fan of the many Austen adaptions.

I don't require much, just a well told story. I didn't find it here.

Ms. Slater's Darcy is unappealing and he is shallow and unpleasant. I wouldn't wish him on Miss Bingley, much less Elizabeth Bennet. The more tawdry aspects are just that tawdry. Not sexy, not fun. I wouldn't recommend anyone waste the money. If money isn't an issue, I wouldn't recommend anyone waste the time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This disgusting man is not Austen's Darcy!, October 1, 2010

By 

A Costumer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel (Paperback)

Awful! I have read thousands of Pride and Prejudice based stories and this one is the worst! It is also the first book I ever threw in the trash because I cannot in good conscience give this crap to anyone. If the names of the characters weren't Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, I swear I wouldn't recognize them. This guy sounds more like Wickham. And where is his strong love for Elizabeth?? His actions are not those of a man of integrity and principles who is deeply in love. What a weakling!

Jane Austen was certainly aware of the low moral standards of the regency upper class and she despised the dissolute ways of the ton, as is evident in her letters to her sister Cassandra. She described her Mr. Darcy as a man who does not have "irreligious or immoral habits". His major fault was his pride and hauteur, so why does this authoress give him faults that are never mentioned in the original book!? I must add that I do not see Darcy as a sainted virgin- he was a man of the world and a male virgin would have been very rare in the promiscuous regency era. BUT there is a huge difference between having some past experience and being as dissolute as this man is.

The "hero" in this book has various sexual encounters with different women even though he believes himself madly in love with Elizabeth- what a hypocrite! He frequents brothels on a very regular basis and even participates in orgies. Mr Darcy of all people who is always so concerned about propriety and abhors disguise of every sort! He was much too reserved and too concerned about his reputation to behave like the "hero" in this story. The latter likes the amusements of town and behaves like many wild young men did during that period of time. Didn't Mrs Reynolds say in the original that Darcy is not like those "wild young men nowadays"??

Maya Slater's debauched hero is friends with a rapist, even after watching this friend raping a young, innocent girl. To top it off, he frequently has sex with a chambermaid at Netherfield, though he is already fascinated by Elizabeth Bennet. We witness the Master of Pemberley at an orgy, reclining under the table, always with a whore on top. He continues these practices until the very end of the book. The famous Hunsford scene did not change a thing. This book is an insult to the original character Darcy. I am very certain that Jane Austen wouldn't like him- she created a character in Darcy who is worthy of our Elizabeth. I see nothing special in the hero of this story- I will not call him Darcy as he does not deserve the name.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel, June 19, 2009

By 

Laura Rennie - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel (Paperback)

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel
I think that when you read this book the one thing you have to keep in mind is the fact that Jane Austen did not write it. So if you expect a Jane Austen story, you will be disappointed. However, if you keep in mind that this is a alternate telling of our beloved Pride & Prejudice I think you will enjoy it.
There are somethings that you have to smile about as you read this book, Darcy's relationship with Lord Byron is definitely one of them. Although not an impossibility, as some would like to believe, since Lord Byron, despite his reputation, was a darling of the London ton. I did wonder what exactly appealed to Darcy in his relationship with Byron and I had to shake my head at some of the things that happened when Darcy was with Lord Byron. And I definitely question Bingley's friendship with him. But it is believable, especially when you take into consideration how desolate Bingley must have felt during the months he was separated from Jane. I don't know about anyone else but I've seen several of my male friends go through hell when some of their relationships ended unhappily. And they've done some very DUMB things, especially when they were encouraged by some of their male friends. To that point I think Lord Byron served that purpose very well for both Bingley and Darcy and I can accept the relationship.
I do have to point out something else about Byron's so called influence on Darcy. Yes, to a certain extent he did influence Darcy, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary in Darcy's behavior. Let's be honest, shall we? Georgian/Regency "gentlemen" were not any different than "gentlemen" of other eras. They did frequent houses of ill-repute and had mistresses! And if they happened to be rich and very handsome, as we all are certain Darcy was, women of all classes threw themselves at them. So, men being men, and since Darcy was definitely a man, I can see Darcy doing what other "gentleman" of the time did. I don't hold with the theory that Darcy was a virgin. Even Jane Austen described him as man of the world! And yes the author does write about a few sexual encounters Darcy has with other women in the first part of the book. But it must be noted that all of those encounters occur before he starts to really take notice of Elizabeth. Once he finds himself attracted to her he doesn't jump at every opportunity presented to him to have sex. And although he does witness Lord Byron and Wickham rape a young girl, when he was a boy of 14 years, he does not participate in the rape and the memory is not one he is proud of. To me Darcy is not a lost soul in this book and hardly "Wickham without the charm".
So, if you can overlook certain "Non-Austen" aspects about this book, I think you'll enjoy it. It's not my favorite P&P alternative, sequel and whatever else you want to call all the P&P related books, but it is enjoyable.