Since this novel was released in February of this year, I have put it in my pile of books to read but have not find the time to peruse it until now. Penned by first-time author Karen V. Wasylowski who also blogs on Austen Authors, I was intrigued by any stories that continue Jane Austen's wonderful tale of two people who loath each other in the beginning but grew to fall in love over time as told in Pride and Prejudice. However after reading some reviews on Austenesque blogs that panned Darcy and Fitzwilliam, I was a little wary to push it up on my list until I'm ready to go for something different.
Most retellings in the world of Austenesque fiction focus on Fitzwilliam Darcy, the man of every woman dreams. Colonel Fitzwilliam is introduced in Pride and Prejudice as Mr Darcy's cousin but very little is known about him apart from what Jane Austen wrote. What differentiates this novel from the other sequels is both Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam take centre stage. I admit that I was having a little difficulty at adjusting to the playful tone set by Karen because we do not get to see the side of Mr Darcy when he is not with Elizabeth Bennet as portrayed in the original text. As this story progresses however, it seems natural for him to have a loving and brotherly relationship with Colonel Fitzwilliam. They share a lot of male jokes and anecdotes which are unsuitable to the ears of genteel ladies that I find slightly repulsive if I am in their shoes. Please beware of spoilers ahead.
The book is split into three volumes for easy edification. The first volume concentrates on Darcy's marriage to Elizabeth and their family life together, with all the ups and downs associated with it. It starts two months after their wedding and they are back at Pemberley, the ancestral home of the Darcys in Derbyshire, from their honeymoon. Elizabeth is struggling to accept her new role as châtelaine of the Darcy household. Initially, she is embarrassed that she has somehow inconvenienced the Pemberley staff when both husband and wife enjoy their marital time together (I don't have to spell it out but you'll know). However what got me over the edge was her apparent jealousy after she learns of his sexual progress with Caroline Bingley ten years ago to the point of throwing tantrums, demolishing furnishings and screaming at her husband although she is with child. This is one aspect I find not to my liking because she is not the same woman as penned by Jane Austen. I could understand that this behaviour is acceptable for modern age but I doubt that women during the Regency era would behave as such because it might even drive the spouse to look for another companion to warm his bed.
Other than that, I find it crude and derogatory that Darcy and Fitzwilliam would speak to each other using inappropriate names such as 'ape', 'brat', 'brute' and 'bastard'. They even drop the "F" bomb in their conversations which I could not abide by that because as master of a great estate and the other a son of the peer of the realm, they would be schooled on how to behave in the proper manner. In addition, both cousins also address their Aunt Catherine by her Christian name and other disrespectful names even in her presence which in my opinion is downright impertinent and rude. It was also implied that Lady Catherine married an earl by the name of Lord Louis de Bourgh which is not true if you refer back to Jane Austen's original story. In Pride and Prejudice, Lady Catherine actually married Sir Lewis de Bourgh who is not an earl but is most likely a knight or baronet. Maybe Karen has her own reasons to change this part to make the plot more interesting but I digress.
In spite of this criticisms, what saves this novel from becoming a disaster is the story of Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. He is a war hero of Waterloo who served under the Duke of Wellington's command and is suffering from battle-weariness or in modern medical terms post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It was touching to learn the emotional and mental scars from his war experience. Although I do not condone the actions of soldiers who cuss, drink and engage in immoral activities with whores and mistresses (although it was the norm back then and now), I could sympathise with their plight of fighting for their beloved motherland.
The story heats up in the second volume dedicated primarily to the colonel's love interest to an American born widow. The lady in question is Lady Amanda Sayles Penrod, the widow of Sir Augustus Penrod, Baronet and both have a young son by the name of Harold Augustus Penrod who is also known as Harry. It was a tragedy to learn that the late Sir Augustus only married her to beget an heir and after achieving it, he sued for sole custody of their little son at the instigation of his mother. So Amanda do not have any rights in the eyes of the law and is treated by her mother-in-law like a servant. In the same vein as Darcy and Elizabeth, both are hot-tempered and quarrel numerous times before resolving their arguments and making love. Fitzwilliam, desperate to wed Amanda, engages her in a secret union which leads to unforeseen circumstances before achieving their happy ending in volume three. Meanwhile Darcy and Elizabeth's story is not forgotten as Karen manages to wrap it up with the birth of their son and heir to the Pemberley estate.
I conclude my review by showing the book trailer which Karen has made to celebrate the publication of Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer.
Thank you for this thoughtful review, which echoes what I have heard elsewhere of this novel. Probably not my cup of tea, so I will be skipping it, at least for the time being. One great benefit of so many new Austenesque novels being released is that we now have the luxury of only reading those which cater to our tastes.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Alexa. I agree that with so many new published fiction on Austenesque novels, we can pick and choose what we want to read.
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