Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Series

As many of you know, I am a fan of all things Jane Austen. I see the movies and the documentaries and read her books and the books of her contemporaries. I even read the knock offs and the continuations and the stories rewritten from the perspectives of other characters. As I said, ALL things Jane Austen. If only she had lived a little longer, I could obsess about her work more. Alas, I must settle with modern writers churning out their best attempts at imitation or innovation.

In the vast quagmire that is Jane Austen-inspired literature, there is not much to speak of. As you may have noted, I recently stepped into a rather pornographic novel of the early days of Elizabeth and Darcy's wedded life. Yuck and more yuck! Truth be told, it is more miss than hit out there. This being said, about two months ago I stumbled upon the Fitwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series: An Assembly Such As This, Duty and Desire, and These Three Remain. For only the second time have I found a book (or rather three books) that gave life to Austen's own characters in a way that did not conflict with the author's own work. In the process of reading them, I found myself taking for granted that Pamela Aidan's new revelations as regards the characters were in fact TRUE bits that Austen simply hadn't the space or time to divulge. Surely these were the actual history, thoughts, and private actions of the characters. What a welcome surprise.

The first book in the series recounts the initial interactions of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet but all from his perspective. Certainly it is a more masculine representation of events, but it is not without all the allure of Austen's own romantic style. The second book is quite a treat. Wholly unexpected, this book is roughly in the style of a Gothic novel, very popular in Austen's day. In this installment we get a peek into Mr. Darcy's private life, his London set and internal struggles with duty and desire, as the name suggests. In the midst of all this new information about our beloved Mr. Darcy, a dark mystery emerges. This wonderful little extra is complete with a greater history of Darcy's sister Georgiana and the introduction of a few new characters whose interest is so great you will wonder why Austen never mentioned them herself. The final book is a return to Pride and Prejudice as Mr. Darcy re-enters the life of Miss Bennet and leaves you once again with a desire for more, more, more.

For Austen fanatics, nothing could be better than the gift of a little bit more. Pamela Aidan more than delivers. I liked it so much that I may just buy it to keep the rest of my Austen library company.