Alice McVeigh

Being a huge fan of Jane Austen, and also having read Harriet by Alice McVeigh, which I enjoyed, I was looking forward to reading McVeigh's newest work Darcy.
I had high hopes that this book would be a good one & it did start that way. Caroline Bingley being called out by Louisa for incessantly hounding Darcy & being likened to a Pekinese was a laugh out loud moment. Unfortunately the rest of the book was a bit drab.
The story is told from Darcy's point of view, with many if Austen's exact words & Darcy's thoughts inserted. There is a frankly unbelievable & un-Austen like tangent about Darcy's past with an opera singer. Where McVeigh's other work, Harriet, gave you another perspective (or alternate reality) on what these characters might have been like it was faithful enough to have you thinking this works & maybe thats true. Darcy having an affair with an opera singer is so far from the character we have known & love it is laughable. To do that & than turn around & make such harsh criticism about Lizzy's family would make him a hypocrite. Had his past held a fiance who died or past love who ran away with the footman would have been more in character & more believable.
The secondary voice in the book is Mary Bennet who's inner monolog leaves me wanting to beat her upside the head with the oft mentioned Fordyce's Sermons. I would have more enjoyed a glimpse into the mind if Louisa Hurst, Caroline's sister who's keen wit & insight peaked my interest.
If you aren't a Pride & Prejudice fan & do not know the story than you may enjoy this book. For me it just didn't add to Austen's world anything of note.
This book was given to me by Librarything Early Reviewers program for my honest opinion.… (mehr)

This book follows the original Pride and Prejudice but makes some small additions.
POV shifts from 3rd person (following many of the characters) to journal or written entries of Darcy and Mary. The author added in some additional story bit doesn't change the original. We do get to learn more about Mary and see her story more.

I did enjoy it, but the backstop for Darcy felt forced and odd. Not really necessary. I like Mary's additions more.

Still a clean version with a kiss at most.… (mehr)