Book Review – Darcy's Passions by Regina Jeffers

The Story of Pride and Prejudice Told From Darcy’s Perspective

Jun 7, 2009

Based on the storyline of Pride and Prejudice, this novel takes a fresh approaches to the novel by considering the action of the story from the perspective of Darcy.

Jane Austen’s most infamous couple, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, have numerous fans throughout the world. Pride and Prejudice film adaptations and ongoing reprints ensure that this classic English novel is repackaged for new generations of readers keeping it in the public eye.

For many, the lure to continue the story of Elizabeth and Darcy is a temptation they are unable to resist. US author Regina Jeffers has indulged her own interest in Austen’s characters and setting in Darcy’s Passions (Ulysses Press, 2009), a novel that presents the story of Pride and Prejudice from Darcy’s viewpoint.

Darcy’s Passions

Beginning soon after the arrival of Darcy and his friend Charles Bingley to Hertfordshire, Darcy’s Passions follows the experiences of Fitzwilliam Darcy, a prosperous English landowner in the latter half of the 18th century. Darcy’s arrogance clashes with the pride of a spirited local woman, Elizabeth Bennet, and their relationship follows a rocky course as the two fight their attraction to each other.

Offering Darcy’s perspective of the people he meets and events he attends, Darcy’s Passions offers a much deeper exploration of Darcy’s reactions to Elizabeth Bennet and her family, his affection for his sister Georgiana, his friendship with Charles Bingley and his attitude towards Bingley’s snobbish sisters.

Darcy’s Passions encompasses the actions of Pride and Prejudice, but also continues on to describe the first months of Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. By the conclusion of the novel, Jeffers has described either marriages or potential marriage relationships for four of the Bennet sisters, Georgiana Darcy and Darcy’s cousins Anne de Burgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Pride and Prejudice Sequels

Writing a sequel to Jane Austen’s familiar and beloved novel Pride and Prejudice is not a task to be undertaken lightly. Numerous authors have attempted to continue the action of the novel, rewrite or modernise the original story or write spin-off stories based on minor characters. Best-selling author Colleen McCullough falls into this last category with her 2008 release The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett (Harper Collins, 2008)

While the large fan base for the original novel ensures reader interest, the almost fanatical devotion of many of these readers to Austen’s work also ensures that sequel attempts will be closely monitored for even the smallest deviation from the original text.

In this regard, Darcy’s Passions may bring some disapproval from existing Pride and Prejudice fans. Jeffers adheres largely to the existing dialogue in scenes that are common between the two novels, however she does make some additions that may annoy some readers.

In common with the original, Darcy's Passions uses letters and social gatherings to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of characters. Through Darcy’s eyes, Jeffers is able to consider the characters of Charles Bingley, Georgiana Darcy, Anne de Burgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam more closely, which other characters such as Mr Bennett, Mr Collins, Charlotte Lucas and others that had little contact with Darcy in the original story do not play any significant role.

An Interesting and Enjoyable Sequel to a Favourite Classic

While some minor storyline alterations and character preoccupations may grate with Pride and Prejudice fans, Darcy’s Passions is generally a well-written story that adheres closely to both the content and impressions of Austen’s novel.

While the writing is not as balanced or beautiful as Austen, this novel offers readers an enjoyable and relaxing read where they are able to renew their acquaintance with familiar characters and explore others in more depth. A further novel, Darcy’s Temptation, is scheduled for release by Ulysses Press in the US in September 2009.

The copyright of the article Book Review – Darcy's Passions by Regina Jeffers in World Literatures is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish Book Review – Darcy's Passions by Regina Jeffers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.