Many Shades of Darcy: Austen In August Review Roundup

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Coyer I’ve been diving deep into the recesses of my E-reader and I pulled these three to read for Austen In August. It was quite a mixed experience.

 

I heard a lot of buzz about Sharon’s books so I was excited to pick this one up for sale a few years ago. The book started off well enough as readers get a glimpse into Elizabeth and Darcy’s life as they travel to visit family and friends. All the characters we know and love from the classic novel make their appearance and most of them are true to their Austen novelizations. I guess what was lacking in this book for me was a true focus. The story threads flowed in and out but I didn't feel like anything was fundamentally added to the original story. I did leave this novel wanting to read some non Pride & Prejudice themed books from Sharon.

 

 

I barely finished this novel. I thought the book would give us a look into the foundations of Darcy & Fitzwilliam's past, but the novel begins after Darcy’s failed proposal to Elizabeth. Two things bothered me with this book. First off Darcy is quite the Jerk during most of the book. He seems to have lost all the personal growth he gained in the novel. Second is Elizabeth. She seems to have lost all her spirit after marrying Darcy. It was such a disappointment.               

 

I enjoyed this book most of all. The characters were more genuine than the most P & P themed reads and I liked the development with Georgiana's character and the mysterious letters.

This is just a small sampling of the various Austen themed reads but I feel that I’ve explored this genre enough. I’m sticking to the source material from now on.

 

These are books 31-34 in My Coyer Reading Challenge