THE PRIVATE DIARY OF MR. DARCY by Maya Slater

Read : July 3 - July 8
Category : ER Books
Pages : 324 pages

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite stories so when I saw an opportunity to see the tale from Darcy's side rather than Elizabeth's, I put in my name and was rewarded with is ARC copy. Knowing how the story evolves is both an advantage and disadvantage because the reader keeps waiting for certain portions of the tale to unfold. It was enlightening to see the story from another viewpoint but I think that it may also spoil some of the romance.
Why does it spoil the romance? In P&P we see Elizabeth's change of heart as she learns of Darcy's activities to save her family's reputation but in this book, you might wonder if Darcy is just trying to save his pride because of his own stupidity in handling the situation with Wickham.

In this book the author takes liberties with the character of both Darcy and Georgiana. Darcy is shown taking advantage of a housemaid at Netherfield, with his libertine friend Lord Byron, both of which contradict conversations that he has with Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice.

For Georgiana, Austen implies that she is rescued from Wickham before any permanent damage happens, however, Slater in this book, gainsays this by writing of the scene of her deflowering and Darcy's late arrival. Austen shows her as an obedient, quiet childlike young girl, while Slater portrays her as tempermental and calculating one moment and sweet and innocent another.

Lastly, I really didn't care at all for the section at Lord Byron's ancestral home.
I enjoyed the opportunity that this book presented, but I can't say that I liked the book. Placed beside the original story of Pride and Prejudice, it definitely falls short.