Customer Reviews

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy is darker than Pride and Prejudice, showing a completely different side of the Regency era in terms of the different social circles men and women kept and the disproportionate propriety rules for the two sexes, and it showed Darcy's character in a whole new light. I actually couldn't stand him at the beginning because he was just a huge jerk--a proud, stiff, jerk! And, of course, that's exactly why Elizabeth Bennet didn't like him at first, either, so it was fascinating to take the journey, watching him grow and change, very slowly, over the course of the book. It's interesting to note that Slater included Lord Byron as one of her characters, and she ingeniously wove his scenes into the "off stage" parts of Pride & Prejudice. Very well done.

I bought this book simply because I love to read Pride and Prejudice variations of every kind. I love how each author brings their own unique viewpoint to the story. Sadly, this book was not enjoyable for me at all. The author creates a Mr. Darcy that visits courtesans and has sex with a maid at Netherfield. Later in the book Mr. Darcy finds himself drunk and in the middle of an orgy. I could not stomach Mr. Darcy engaging in such activity. I have always envisioned Mr. Darcy as a man with a keen sense of honor who would never engage in such activities. Call me a hopeless romantic but I have high standards for Mr. Darcy. I also believe that this book simply did not do justice to the wonderful love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. I could not get past the less than stellar aspects of Mr. Darcy to enjoy the actual story. I give this book 1 star.

Good storytelling and some interesting twists on the characters' backgrounds.
I liked Mr. Darcy's point of view.
I thought Bingley's suffering over Jane was well portrayed, I never had considered this depth of feeling with him. I liked when Bingley showed some strength of character, and Darcy had to admit that Bingley is not child-like, he is an adult and makes reasoned decisions.

I was really bothered by one scene-- that of Darcy witnessing a rape and not being overly upset by this. I found this much more troublesome than the Byron character and the unusual scenes with this character. At least there is a purpose for the character-- to let Darcy have a sexual history and womanizing side but to have this side of him seem constrained compared to Byron. I agree with the reviewer "This was not written by Jane Austen" that for Darcy to have had sexual experiences as a wealthy "man of the world" at age 28 is not unreasonable.

I did not like everything about this book, but I was hooked from beginning to end and had fun reading it!

Although Maya Slater writes with the correct style and wording of the time, her portrayal of Mr. Darcy is not the same Mr. Darcy created by Jane Austen. This Mr. Darcy indulges, without conscience, in lascivious sex with women in bordellos, house maids and a threesome in a drunken orgy. I think Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy is much more of a refined, proud aristocrat who would not have associated with people like this nor the likes of Byron. Maybe Ms. Slater was trying to bring in a touch of the real life of the wealthy of the era, but I believe Jane Austen would have been apalled to see her Mr. Darcy lowered to such vile actions. Mr. Bingley was not portrayed in a much better light. He tries to find solace for lost love in the arms of a mistress. Which of Jane Austen's gentle heroines would want men who have been so loose in their sex lives and probably diseased as a result? I was very disappointed in this book and had a hard time wanting to finish it. I did hang in there, hoping for the best, but ended up disappointed nonetheless. I think true Austen fans will be disappointed also.

When so many authors embark upon telling the same tale - in this instance, "Pride and Prejudice" from Mr. Darcy's point-of-view - readers may, unfortunately, have mixed reactions. Some readers may feel "been there, done that," some may be biased by other authors' interpretations, some may be a bit more circumspect or critical, and some may be elated by the prospect of another novel (especially when it means more Mr. Darcy). I definitely fall in the last category, (as I love to read anything to do with Jane Austen and her novels), yet I do sometimes find it a bit challenging not to compare one author's interpretation with another.

There are three unique aspects of this book that separate it from other Darcy interpretations. The first one is the inclusion of Lord Byron as a former classmate and close friend of Charles Bingley and Mr. Darcy! While I am not greatly perturbed with Jane Austen's characters reveling in all forms of debauchery with the "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" Byron, I did feel that this relationship was a little bland and artificial. I couldn't really see why they were still friends with Byron.

Another unique aspect of this novel is how Georgiana's character does not maintain the docile and timid nature we are so very accustomed to seeing. Ms. Slater's Georgiana can sometimes be insolent, unruly, and a little coquettish. I wasn't very enamored with this interpretation of Georgiana (who I like to believe is a biddable and reserved girl) and I sometimes felt the portrayal was a little inconsistent.

Lastly, while this is Mr. Darcy's diary, there was a lot of page time devoted to the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley. This aspect I greatly enjoyed! I loved the depiction of Mr. Bingley's disbelief and eventual acceptance of Jane's disinterest, followed by his sorrow and despair over his heartbreak, and finally his firm and adamant resolution to return to Netherfield and pursue her once again. I really loved how well-developed and fleshed out Mr. Bingley's character was in this novel.

One aspect of the novel that I did not greatly enjoy was Ms. Slater's portrayal of Mr. Darcy. In his earlier diary entries I found no hint or spark of an interest in Elizabeth Bennet, and when he does begin to mention her it seemed as if he was more attracted to her appearance than her mind or personality. I didn't really feel him falling in love with her, it happened a little abruptly. In addition, I felt that this Mr. Darcy was a little lacking in perception, since it was only at the end of the book that he realized how ill-mannered and domineering Lady Catherine is and how Caroline Bingley has been jealously disparaging Elizabeth because of her own designs of marrying him. Furthermore, his activities while he was away at London for four months were a little on the mundane side and not very enlightening.

While it is not my most favorite retelling of "Pride and Prejudice," "The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy" by Maya Slater is a pleasant and diverting read that I recommend to all Darcy fans. It is always a delight to spend more time with the illustrious and proud Mr. Darcy!

Austenesque Reviews

"The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy" comes as an imaginative, impressive debut novel from London-based Maya Slater, who has taught French literature at Oxford University, and written and translated several books on French literature.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, of course, is one of the best-known figures of British 19th century literature, and one of the greatest romantic heroes of them all; he was introduced to the world in Jane Austen's immortal 1813 Regency masterpiece,Pride And Prejudice. The handsome, wealthy, arrogant and snobbish Darcy, and the heroine of that book, Elizabeth Bennet, meet and fail to hit it off at a village ball. She is immediately aware of his character flaws; he is immediately aware that her beloved elder sister Jane is the Bennet family beauty; and that the family is poor, and has somewhat of a poor reputation: mother and younger sisters are not all they might be. From this unpromising beginning, as millions of readers and viewers know, the two will eventually overcome their pride and prejudice, and marry. However, we readers know only Elizabeth's side of the story: Austen is actually not very interested in Darcy, except as promising/unpromising husband material.

To fill that gap, Slater has created what might have been the private diary of Mr. Darcy; who, in her hands, turns out to be more of a regulation Regency rake than we might have expected. And, make no mistake about it; those rich Regency rakes were licentious, indeed. Darcy drinks, not infrequently to excess; shoots, fences, boxes, and gambles; takes a mistress from among the servants at his friend Charles Bingley's country estate in Elizabeth Bennet's neck of the woods,(it is Bingley who throws the ball at which Darcy and Elizabeth meet; it is Bingley who will eventually marry the beauteous Jane, after being kept away from her by his friend Darcy's machinations).

And, in a stunning bit of business, the author gives us a Darcy and Bingley who have been, since their Cambridge days, close friends with Lord Byron, the internationally-famous - still--Regency poet, whom one of his well-known lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, memorably described as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." The boys visit Byron's country estate Newstead, and go whoring in London town with Byron, too. I don't know how it happens, but, after not having even thought of Byron in years, I am suddenly living in a mini-revival of England's ever-so-famous bad boy poet, the very opposite pole from the virtuous and domesticated Jane Austen: he has featured in four books I have read recently. And, suffice it to say, this is not Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. But he might be more fun to know.

One of the best Darcy's diary. Mary Street's is very good too, but in a different stile.