 amazon.com Paperback - 368 pages; Touchstone (March 2, 2004) ISBN: 0752852418 |
 amazon.co.uk Hardcover - 384 pages; (August 26, 2004) |
Hardcover; (October 1, 2004) McArthur & Co / Orion Con Trad ; ISBN: 0752852418 |
Review by Linda Waldemar,
3 May 2005
Alethea Darcy is the youngest daughter of Mr Darcy's Daughters, Elizabeth
Aston's previous sequel to Pride and
Prejudice. She is tall, bears a striking resemblance to her
father and is a gifted musician. She is also strong-willed and
impetuous which leads her make a disastrous marriage to a handsome,
charming gentleman who is not at all what he seems to be. After six
months of enduring unspeakable acts at the hands of her husband, she
runs away. She is aided by her previous ladies' maid and they
experience many adventures; good and bad.
This book has nothing whatever to do with P&P besides mentioning a few of the characters occasionally. Colonel Fitzwilliam is now a Mr and had the primary care of Alethea before her marriage. He bears no resemblance to his namesake in JA's novel, being rigid, disapproving, having no humor. For this reason, Alethea does not feel that she can turn to him when things go wrong with her marriage. Her parents are abroad for the entire book; in Vienna, then Constantinople on diplomatic assignments.
We meet with a pompous
bishop who almost recognizes Alethea despite her disguise; Mr.
Collins! She does acquire two acquaintances who help and champion
her cause. Lady Hermione Whytton is the mother-in-law of Camilla, nee
Darcy, and Titus Manningtree is her godson.
This story seemed very
modern to me; the situations, the attitudes. But strangely enough,
I found it quite entertaining. As I
said before, it bears no resemblance to Jane Austen's novel, but I
found it to be a quick and pleasant read.