Mr. Darcy's Diary Review

Mr. Darcy's Diary
by Amanda Grange
From Goodreads:

Monday 9th September
""I left London today and met Bingley at Netherfield Park. I had forgotten what good company he is; always ready to be pleased and always cheerful. After my difficult summer, it is good to be with him again. ...""

The only place Darcy could share his innermost feelings was in the private pages of his diary...

Torn between his sense of duty to his family name and his growing passion for Elizabeth Bennet, all he can do is struggle not to fall in love.

Mr. Darcy's Diary presents the story of the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Darcy's point of view. This graceful imagining and sequel to Pride and Prejudice explains Darcy's moodiness and the difficulties of his reluctant relationship as he struggles to avoid falling in love with Miss Bennet. Though seemingly stiff and stubborn at times, Darcy's words prove him also to be quite devoted and endearing - qualities that eventually win over Miss Bennet's heart. This continuation of a classic romantic novel is charming and elegant, much like Darcy himself.

Pride and Prejudice has inspired a large number of modern day sequels, the most successful of which focus on the rich, proud Mr. Darcy.

My Thoughts: So sometimes at work I like to read aloud to my clients, who are elderly and usually suffering from cognitive impairment.  At a certain point, tv isn't really something they can enjoy, but music and talking is almost always good.  Of course this means that I can't really read any books that deal with violence, sex or death. Which is pretty much how I like my books.

Last year I got a bunch of Jane Austen inspired books on my Kindle- some huge sale they were having, and so I chose Mr. Darcy's Diary out of all the books I had downloaded simply because it sounded the closest to Pride and Prejudice.

I was immediately sucked into the book, and I continued to read it even after I got off work.  I pretty much only put it down when I absolutely had to!

Is there a reading woman out there who doesn't love Mr. Darcy?  Anyone?

Bueller?

So in Mr. Darcy's Diary we get: Mr Darcy!  Before the Bennets enter his life, before Elizabeth steals his heart and ruins my hope of literary time travel in order to get to him first.  The book opens right before Darcy rescues his sister from the slimy clutches of Mr. Wickham. Darcy spends his time with business affairs and helping his friend Bingley find a country home to let.  We are given a glimpse into much of the events that have shaped Darcy's character before his well-ordered life is upturned by Lizzie Bennet.

What I love most about Darcy and Elizabeth's romance is that it is not a love at first sight.  They both come to love each other despite and, in truth, because of each other's faults and differences.  Reading Darcy's diary of how Lizzie pretty much burrows into his heart, and experiencing his feelings over their encounters had me swooning.  His jealousy of his arch-enemy Wickham, the pompous little Mr. Collins, and even his own cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, and his inability to recognize just how deeply he has already sunk into love with Elizabeth was amusing. 

I really think the author did  a wonderful job of capturing Darcy.  It was a fast, fun read, mostly due to the diary format.  My only complaint, and it's a tiny, pretty one, was the overuse of the word "satirical".  It appears easily a dozen times... but then don't we all have words we overuse?  Like "like" or "random" or "amazeballs"?  Regardless, I will definitely be checking out Amanda Grange's other books!

Mr. Darcy's Diary gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

 

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love this cover mostly because it looks a bit like Matthew MacFayden's face, and he's my favorite Darcy.