Archive for 'Historical Fiction'
by Pamela Aidan
Book 3 of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentlemen series.
Darcy’s annual visit to his Aunt Lady Catherine De Bourgh is due. He is still struggling to distract himself from the unacceptable attractions of the lovely Elizabeth Bennet and so embarks on the visit to his Aunt accompanied by his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Believing the visit will help him beat his affliction, he is both mortified and exultant to find Elizabeth Bennet staying at the home of his aunt’s clergyman. When he succumbs to his affections and unsuccessfully proposes to Elizabeth he is again faced with the challenge of forgetting her. Returning to his home and his sister, Darcy battles the dark clouds that have enveloped him. With help from his family, friends and the bollocking administered by Elizabeth he emerges as the gentleman he should have always been. A chance encounter with Elizabeth gives Darcy opportunity to show her how he has strived to change and renew his addresses but something else descends to prevent their union.. he old enemy George Wickham.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series by Pamela Aidan. She has been faithful to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and offered up an entertaining look into the life of Mr Darcy both with and away from Elizabeth Bennet. His heart and mind revealed, his struggles laid out. I recommend it to any fan of Austen.
by Pamela Aidan
Book 2 in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series.
Darcy is following his own advice. He has successfully separated his friend Bingley from the allurements of Miss Bennet and now he must do so for himself. It is time he found himself a wife. A wife equal to his station in life will cure him of his infatuation with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
When an invitation arrives from an old school friend to attend a party at a country estate, Darcy, out of character, accepts. He cannot accept just any woman of good breeding for a wife though. She must be of his level in society but she must also possess the qualities he has recently discovered to be essential to his happiness. Will anyone compare to the witty, clever Hertfordshire beauty with the sparkling eyes? He may be looking for wife but others, more desperate, are also looking for a husband. Little does he know what he and his trusted valet Fletcher must do to survive that week. His quest for love will put Darcy is danger for his life.
I was very surprised by this book. At first I was a little confused as it steers away from the story we know in Pride and Prejudice. However, it soon makes sense. What did Darcy do in those months of separation from Elizabeth? What could have happened to create the desperation that flavoured his offer to her.
I enjoyed this surprising 2nd book in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series.
by Jane Austen
Written in 1790’s and published 1811 Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane’s novels to published.
This insightful study of human nature focusses on Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The Dashwood women, Mary (mother), Elinor, Marianne and Margaret are wrenched from their privilaged life after the death of their husband and father. The estate is passed to his son by his first marriage and John Dashwood does nothing to aid his father’s 2nd family. The Dashwood women are left with very little to live on. Their sudden demotion in society complicates the sisters’ chances of marrying well.
Mrs Dashwood’s cousin, Sir John Middleton, comes to the rescue with the offer of a cottage on his estate Barton Park for a cheap rent. Settling at Barton Cottage finds the family included in a good-hearted but eccentric social circle. The sisters have to suffer match-making and teasing from Sir John and his mother-in-law, Mrs Jennings. The interferrence of the well-meaning Mrs Jenning is made more unbearable when both girls lose their hearts to men beyond their reach. They learn painful lessons about love and the loss of it.
Sense and Sensibility highlights the precarious position of women of that era. They weren’t able to earn their fortune and if they lost it, as the Dashwoods did, then their attractiveness is significantly reduced. Jane gives us a clear view of her opinion of the situation of women, being dependent on men, undervalued and censured for being independent. She creates wonderful characters who masterfully make what they can of their oppressed lives.
Reading Jane Austen is such a pleasure. Her characters are rich and sure and I never feel happy to finish a book. She has such an indepth understanding of human behaviour and the human heart. Jane made a point of only writing what she had knowledge of, so let us hope that she did experience some of the love she so generously gifts to her heronines.
Essential reading for all young women. It is humbling to know that even at that time someone was working to highlight the challenges of women.
by Pamela Aidan
Book 1 of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Series.
An Assembly Such As This is a wonderful look into the mind and heart of Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, the much loved leading man in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The series re-tells Pride and Prejudice but from Mr Darcy’s point of view.
This first book takes us through Mr Darcy’s arrival in Hertfordshire and his relationship with Charles Bingley. When Mr Bingley falls for the eldest Miss Bennet, Darcy is concerned about his friend making an undesirable match. The Bennets are below Bingley’s station in society. His study of Miss Bennet makes him doubt her affection for his friend and after inappropriate comments and behaviour of other members of her family, he suspects their occupation is fortune hunting.
During his stay with Bingley he is also thrown into the society of Miss Bennet’s younger sister Elizabeth. Confounded by his fascination with the raven haired Hertford beauty with the quick wit and sparkling eyes, he endeavours to heed his own advice and avoid the undesirable connection.
Mr Darcy has been written beautifully by Pamela Aidan. I recognised instantly, the man, whose depths we only glimpsed in Pride and Prejudice. The other characters represented are equally recognisable. Like slipping on comfy slippers, you feel like you’ve slipped straight into Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – all be it from another’s point of view.
Pamela Aidan has done a lovely job and I think you will enjoy a closer look at Jane Austen’s wonderful man, Mr Darcy.
by Rachel Billington
www.rachelbillinton.com
What happened to Emma and her Mr Knightley after Jane Austen put down her pen? Rachel Billington has written a lovely sequel to the much adored Austen classic Emma.
After only one year, Emma and Mr Knightley’s marriage isn’t as carefree as they each would have liked. Tragic news reaches Hartfield that the lovely Jane Churchill (nee Fairfax) has died after giving birth to a boy and her distraught husband Frank is missing. Frank’s father, Mr Westen, cannot leave his wife who is about to give birth herself and askes Mr Knightley to travel to London to try to find the broken Frank Churchil and bring him home to Highbury.
Mr Knightley lodges with his brother John and his wife Isabelle, Emma’s sister, whilst in London. He isn’t able to find Frank but writes to Emma saying that business holds him town for a little longer. Emma and Mr Knightley had not been apart since their wedding and Emma finds the separation difficult. She is made more uncomfortable by the feeling that her husband isn’t telling her everything. She senses that something is wrong but he will not confide in his wife.
Over the past year Emma has felt more and more unsteady about the way her husband treats her like a child. She wishes he would trust her and consult with her on more serious matters than the dinner menu.
Jane Austen once discribed Emma as the heroine that you would despise and then come to love. Rachel Billington has kept with Jane’s vision of Emma. She is full of her own self-importance and position in the community and blinded from seeing the value of the people around her. Emma’s foibles are frustrating but as promised by Jane, she has capacity for goodness and is shamed into correcting herself.
Rachel Billington has been faithful to our Jane and I enjoyed Emma and Knightley very much.
by Joan Aiken
www.joanaiken.com
A blizzard delivers to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s door, a gentile couple, Mr Delaval and his sister Miss Delaval. Uncharacteristically, she offers them lodging while Miss Delaval recovers from a sprained ankle and their carriage is repaired. The pair are soon firmly entrenched at Rosings much to the discomfort of other members of the house. The addition to Rosings Park sparks a series of changes and dramas that will alter the household forever.
Colonel Fitzwilliam has arrived, escorting Lady Catherine’s brother Lord Luke, who has pressing family business to discuss. Lord Luke’s eccentric manner brings entertainment to Anne, Lady Catherine’s long suffering daughter but sorely tests the latter’s patience. When Lady Catherine is compelled to visit her sister-in-law, Anne finds opportunity to escape her oppressive life and find her own feet.
The Parsonage is also experiencing change. Charlotte Collins is confined with their 3rd child and her sister Maria Lucus has arrived to aid her. Mr Collins is called away after the death of Mr Bennet of Longbourn, to finalise affairs regarding his inheriting the estate. Maria has had much to ponder since her last visit and wonders if she will have the strength to face the man she shouldn’t love.
This was a fun book to read with the familiar characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was fun to get to know better some characters that we were not able to study closely in P & P.
I especially liked getting to know Maria Lucus and Anne de Bourgh better.
by Rebecca Ann Collins
www.rebeccaanncollins.com
Book 3 of the Pemberley Chronicles
Jonathon Bingley, son of Charles and Jane Bingley, manages Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s estate, was a respected member of parliament and beloved by his family. All his family, with the exception of his wife. His busy life has resulted in his marriage becoming fractured. He is geniuinely saddened by their condition and has tried to make his wife happy. Amelia-Jane Bingley, daughter to Charlotte and Reverend Collins, will not be made happy by her husband though. She has chosen to accept the bad advice and interference of Caroline Bingley and leave her husband. Her behaviour will harm the family’s reputation and will damage Jonathon’s career.
With the support of his children, parents, aunts and uncles he struggles to keep his family free from the scandal.
This is a beautiful series and I’m anxious to read more Rebecca Ann Collins’ Pemberley Chronicles.
by Rebecca Ann Collins
www.rebeccaanncollins.com
Book 4 of the Pemberley Chronicles
Anne-Marie Bradshaw has just been widowed. Beautiful, in her early twenties and with no children, you could assume that she would find happiness again with another man. Her family is very concerned about her though. She doesn’t grieve like you would expect and they are confused by her behaviour. Unbeknownst to them, she is wracked by guilt over accepting a man whom she didn’t love. Feelings of relief for the freedom her husband’s early death has given, is eclipsed by the sense of guilt for feeling that relief. Anne-Marie is in a dark place and her family feels helpless.
Her salvation comes from the worthy endeavour to form a children’s hospital in the area. With her energy directed to thatcause she begins to reclaim herself. The children’s hospital saves Anne-Marie and Anne-Marie unwittingly saves more than the local children. The new member of parliament for Netherfield is a passionate supporter of the hospital and of Anne-Marie. Will she be able to get past her fear of entering into another loveless marriage though?
Rebecca Ann Collins has superbly captured the era and the integrity of Jane Austen’s England. This series is beautiful and I thoroughly recommend it to Austen fans.
by Elizabeth Newark
“The romantic attachments of one’s children are a constant distraction.” says Elizabeth Darcy (nee Bennet) to her sister Jane Bingley. Jane and Elizabeth plan a ball to honour Mrs Darcy’s daughter Juliet’s 19th birthday. The invitation list is extensive and includes, the Collins, Ferrars, Wentworths, Knightleys, Elliotts, Bingleys, Darcys, Fitzwilliams, Brandons, Churchills, Bertrams, and Musgroves. The evening is truly eventful and for Eliza and Jonathon Collins, their first visit to Pemberley will change their lives forever.
I love that this book focusses so much on Charlotte Collins and her family. They are often dismissed as obsurd in other Austen inspired works. Charlotte is one of my favourite Austen women and am glad to see her so respectfully represented by Elizabeth Newark.
by Marsha Altman
www.marshaaltman.com
I hope for the sake of all Austen fans that Marsha Altman never puts down her pen. She has delivered another beauty in The Plight of the Darcy Brothers, the follow up to The Darcys and The Bingleys.
It seems that rescuing Bennet girls is becoming an occupation for Fitzwilliam Darcy. Despite some personal tragedy in his and Elizabeth’s lives, they feel compelled to aid Miss Mary Bennet, recently and abruptly returned from the Continent. Their trip to Italy, brings distraction from their sorrow over failed pregnancies, allows Darcy to uncover secrets long hidden by his late father, and restores some dignity to Mary Bennet.
Darcy’s life and family will be forever changed by his undertaking to help the 3rd Bennet sister.
Marsha Altman has such a talent for writing Austen inspired works. Her faithful representation of the era proves her knowledge of it must be extensive. The characters (both hers and Austen’s) are wonderful and thoroughly convincing. With her lovely writing style and witty humour, reading her books is one of the easiest, most enjoyable things you’ll ever do.
Thank you Marsha Altman.
My name is Michelle and I've been an avid reader since I was a kid. With my head stuck in a 'Famous Five' book, I was never hindered by bed time thanks to my trusty torch. I live in beautiful Australia with my beautiful family.
