Mr. Darcy non sa più che cosa fare. Elizabeth Bennet, la donna senza la quale non può vivere, ha sentito per errore un conversazione durante la quale lui ha insultato la sua famiglia e ora non vuole nemmeno ascoltare le sue scuse. A complicare le cose si aggiunge l’arrivo del suo amico Anthony Duxbury, con la notizia che due dei loro amici corrono un terribile pericolo. Se Darcy vuole aiutarli, devono partire immediatamente per lo Yorkshire.
Ma qualcosa non torna. Elizabeth afferma di conoscere Sir Anthony lei stessa – ma con un nome diverso. Perfino Sir Antony ammette che il viaggio è pericoloso. I ribelli luddisti sono sul punto di far scoppiare una rivolta armata e lui lo sa bene, visto che è uno di loro. La cugina di Darcy, Lady Frederica, decide di accompagnarli in ogni caso e insiste per portare con sé Elizabeth. Che questa possa trasformarsi nell’occasione che Darcy aspettava per ottenere il perdono di Elizabeth e il suo amore?
Elizabeth preferirebbe affrontare un plotone di soldati di Napoleone piuttosto che trascorrere tre giorni intrappolata in una carrozza con Darcy e la sua testarda cugina, ma ha le sue ragioni per accettare l’invito. Se riuscirà a mantenere sotto controllo la rabbia, avrà l’occasione di salvare suo zio dalla rovina finanziaria.
Ma quando una rivolta luddista scoppia attorno a loro, sono Darcy ed Elizabeth a trovarsi nella necessità di essere salvati – l’uno dall’altra.
Abigail Reynolds may be a nationally bestselling author and a physician, but she can’t follow a straight line with a ruler. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian and theater at Bryn Mawr College and marine biology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. After a stint in performing arts administration, she decided to attend medical school, and took up writing as a way to retain her sanity during her years as a physician in private practice.
A life-long lover of Jane Austen’s novels, Abigail began writing variations on Pride & Prejudice in 2001, then expanded her repertoire to include a series of novels set on her beloved Cape Cod.Her most recent releases are A Matter of Honor, Mr. Darcy's Enchantment, and Conceit & Concealment. Her books have been translated into six languages. A lifetime member of JASNA, she lives on Cape Cod with her husband, her son and a menagerie of animals. Her hobbies do not include sleeping or cleaning her house.
This is a Pride and Prejudice adventure, with the addition of several interesting new characters. In Kent, Colonel Fitzwilliam comes with his sister, Lady Frederica, and his mother, Lady Matlock, as well as Mr. Darcy. Frederica, an assertive, lively young lady, becomes friends with Elizabeth. Sir Anthony Duxbury (who Elizabeth had previously met as Mr. Hopewell) comes to Rosings to ask Darcy, his old classmate, a favor, not realizing that Frederica and Lady Matlock are in residence. Two other schoolmates have been arrested and sentenced to be hanged in the North on charges of loom-breaking, and Sir Anthony wants Darcy to urge Lord Matlock to intervene. Lady Matlock proves herself to be a perceptive, formidable ally, and she determines that the entire group will go to Sheffield as well as her youngest son, Jasper. Frederica insists upon being included, and Elizabeth reluctantly agrees to accompany them.
From there, this is just action packed, including (but not limited to) a rushed marriage, a secret marriage, two riots, several incidents of Darcy and Elizabeth in highly compromising situations (including one where he pretends to be a client embracing a prostitute in order to elude a rushing crowd of rioters), several characters beaten, one character struck blind from a head wound, several characters arrested, and another character shot.
The book would be just too serious if it weren’t for the ongoing comic relief of the fighting Fitzwilliam family. I just love them all. They constantly bicker and argue among themselves. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Jasper are always eager to throw themselves into the fray when there’s a good fight to be had. Lady Matlock doesn’t stoop to physical violence, but she uses her wealth and hauteur to produce favorable results. Frederica doesn’t have the maturity and tact of her mother, but she is intelligent, feisty and not to be swayed. Lord Matlock enters the story blustering, quickly disowning two of his offspring, but eventually shows himself to be an accomplished campaigner.
In the midst of all this mayhem, Darcy and Elizabeth continue to dance around each other. They find themselves in love but each is certain of the other’s disdain, and this causes a series of missteps between them. They have fewer moments of romantic intimacy than are usually found in Ms. Reynolds’ books, but their shared life-threatening experiences provide the intensity to fuel their feelings.
I appreciate the history lesson I learned by reading this. It clearly demonstrates the desperation of the starving working class and the lack of empathy by the authorities, whose response is to jail and execute the rebellion leaders. I also love the equality of the women displayed here, as Lady Matlock, Frederica and Elizabeth all prove their intelligence and mettle as convincingly as the men.
It is hard to identify a specific climax, as there are many threads of the story knitted together. However, each has a particular turning point which don’t happen at the same time as the others. You cannot pull one thread away without adversely affecting the rest of the plot, though, because they are interwoven effectively. Ms. Reynolds’ writing, as always, flows beautifully and conveys the mood of each scene.
Most JAFF readers are looking for romance, and I will say that this is more of an adventure book. However, be assured that there are two couples along the way in addition to Darcy and Elizabeth, and all three romances are given ample attention. But it’s a rollicking good story based on actual history, and it engaged my attention from beginning to end.
Elizabeth wants to get out of Meryton. The local gossips are painting her as a woman jilted and she has run out of patience. With her father’s agreement and a maid servant as a chaperone she is to take the stage to London. But when riding to town in a carriage makes Nelly sick, Elizabeth flaunts customs and decides that since there are several other women on the stage she will forge on. As the women get off at subsequent stops, as a cleric makes advances and then rain and ice force the stage to make an overnight stop, Elizabeth is offered help by a handsome young man, Mr. Hopewell. Should she trust him?
But it is a small world. When Elizabeth is invited to visit the Collinses in Kent, not only does Darcy turn up at his Aunt Catherine’s but so also does Mr. Hopewell, who is introduced as Sir Anthony Duxbury. Things become tangled quickly.
Prior to the trip to Kent, Darcy had been biding time in London as an escort for Frederica, a jilted and angry cousin. His aunt, Lady Matlock, won’t allow any of Frederica’s three brothers to accompany her to society functions as their tempers cannot be trusted if they were to run into the man who courted and then walked away from their sister. Darcy has a much calmer temper PLUS all Frederica’s old friends will flock to her side for an introduction to Darcy.
Yes, Darcy makes a journey to attempt to save the lives of several old university friends jailed as Luddite agitators and due to hang. Although the trip was to be two men off to the rescue, first one, then another person either invites themselves along or is dragged along by persuasion. The trip makes for some interesting conversations as well as revelations.
In this tale we read of the manipulative powers of a strong and insightful woman and it is not just one woman who is a force to be reckoned with, as a certain French woman crosses paths with Elizabeth while at Rosings, Frederica confronts her old flame and tells him what is now going to happen, and Elizabeth, who has never been afraid to state her mind or travel her own path, learns even further how to make things happen. But it is a learning process; danger shadows the parties, injuries occur and rescuing is needed.
Much of this story (as we read in the book description) is a tale of how the Luddite rebellion might have affected ODC. The details taken from history by the author make for a very interesting and enlightening read. A crop failure, men losing jobs to machines, hanging for breaking those machines and riots in the streets are realities. Lady Matlock offers some succor. Lord Matlock’s lecture to Anthony tells even us of a modern age the wisdom of working from the inside of politics to gain rational and permanent changes.
My quibble with this book is that I felt the romance for Darcy and Elizabeth was lost among much of the action. There were a few sizzling moments i.e., when Elizabeth is to act the “doxie”, but other moments not expanded upon, which could have added to that flare of feelings and emotions were ignored by the author…but that’s just my opinion.
There are other romances related, and an epilogue which presents another “little” woman flexing her muscles. Women’s roles and rights, anyone?
Another winner from Abigail Reynolds! There was less angst than some of her others, and a healthy dose of adventure to replace it, which I absolutely adored. I'm always a sucker for having an involved Fitzwilliam family, and every member portrayed here was delightful. I loved the way their travels played out, the ways that Darcy and Elizabeth became closer almost by accident, and all of the wacky antics and touching moments. I'm no history scholar, but the bits that were injected here were really interesting and I loved how it impacted the characters.
The story was great. The audiobook narration was great. I will definitely be listening to this one again.
I listened to an audio version narrated by Elizabeth Klett. I felt she did an amazing job. It kept me entertained, I liked her voice and she kept a good pace. One thing though was Darcy's voice at times. He had a drawl and sounded so proud. Which he is of course, and it did seem to go away as the book progressed and he learned his ways.
In this one Lizzy is swept away by events. Straight into the boisterous Fitzwilliam family, and it was great seeing them. The colonel of course, a sister with opinions, and one brother is is a bit, oh he is fun too. And Lady Matlock sure has her way. A great family.
Lizzy's journey brings her straight into the luddite rebellion. Straight into contact with Darcy. They annoy each other, they liked each other. And they live happily ever after.
This is no ‘read about Caroline trade barbs with Lizzie for 50 pages’ story. Things be happening. The P&P gang, with additions, is up to their neck in England history. The Luddite uprisings to be exact. And right in the middle of it, a plethora of romances break out.
Just a delightful story. And better yet there is an epilogue, not very long, which every writer should model their epilogues after. I recommend this book highly.
One of my favourite things about reading historical novels is the chance to pick up some knowledge of history in a more interesting manner. This latest story by Abigail Reynolds looks at what may have happened if Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet had somehow got caught up with the Luddite uprisings in the North of England, which happened at the same time that ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was set. In very basic terms, there was rioting and breaking of the looms – the machinery that had begun to replace jobs in the fabric mills. I assumed that this variation would somehow spring from the Gardiners’ trip to the North, but considering that the uprising had begun to take root by the summer of 1812 it might be unlikely that they would make the trip. Instead, this deviates at an earlier point in the story. Firstly, Elizabeth makes a longer stay with Jane at the Gardiners’ and makes the trip alone rather than in the company of Sir William Lucas and his daughter Maria, which leads to some adventure, and then to Rosings.
Mr Darcy doesn’t just come to Rosings with Colonel Fitzwilliam here; instead he is also accompanied by the Colonel’s mother and sister, Lady Frederica. At the request of his Aunt Matlock, Darcy has been making a show of paying attention to Lady Frederica, as she has been practically jilted, and the Ton is being none too kind to her. Lady Frederica is not treated well (or fed well, for that matter!) by Lady Catherine, who sees her as a rival to Anne for Darcy’s hand. So, Lady Frederica spends a good deal of time at the parsonage, where she takes a fancy to Elizabeth.
At Lady Frederica’s urging, Elizabeth accompanies the Fitzwilliam family party, including Darcy, to the North, where two of Darcy’s old friends are in serious trouble. It is considered treasonous to speak up for the rights of ordinary men and this what these ‘radicals’ have been doing. However, the danger of the situation has been underestimated by the party. Elizabeth, Darcy and the Fitzwilliam family, now further expanded to include another Fitzwilliam son, Jasper, find themselves caught up in the violence.
The Fitzwilliam family are certainly a bunch of characters – Colonel Fitzwilliam and his brother are both fond of a fight, and their sister has certainly not been brought up to be meek and mild. Their mama is a very managing female who nearly always manages to get her own way. The whole family is talkative and don’t see a need for privacy in their conversations: ‘It had been a most uncomfortable half an hour, having to pretend the various confessions of treason, slapping, confrontations, challenges, betrothal demand and family crises occurring were typical drawing room conversations.’
This was a very fun adventure and I was never quite sure what was coming next. It was interesting to see some of the scenes that towns such as Sheffield might have experienced when the Luddites revolted, and to imagine the steps that people who believed in the rights of their fellow men might have taken to rectify matters. Though this subject matter could be quite heavy, the story is not, it’s quite humorous. The Fitzwilliam family are such big personalities that they quite take over the story and the Darcy and Elizabeth storyline is a little pushed to the side at times, so it’s not highly romantic like some of this author’s other stories, though there are some lovely romantic touches sprinkled here and there, and the couple both have a way to go in understanding the other and learning to see things from the other’s point of view.
There are no sex scenes in this story, and although some of the characters are the victims of violence, it’s all off-page, so there are no distressing scenes. I’d certainly recommend this book as I very much enjoyed it. This is a 4 star read for me. *My thanks to the author, who provided me with an e-ARC of 'Mr Darcy's Journey' for my honest review.
Morality is a private and costly luxury -- Henry B. Adams
History was current events In Jane Austen's time -- the changing from an agrarian to an industrial world, the constant war with the little general and the beginning of labor strikes.
Jane Austen wrote about none of these things instead keeping her works to the important matters of love and finding lifelong happiness.
In this book, Ms. Reynolds has corrected Austen's omission and covered the problems with child labor and other practices in the mills.
The story is educational as well as entertaining -- and ODC finds their own HEA as well as helping improve the lot of the poor.
Abigail Reynolds is the QUEEN of Pride and Prejudice Variations. I have never once been disappointed in one of her novels. How she does it, I will never know! She takes our favorite literary couple and manages to breathe new life into them EVERY SINGLE TIME!! She is AMAZING! Mr. Darcy's Journey was captivating! A MUST READ for all Janeites!
Delightful, Abigail never disappoints! This was a thrilling, moderately angsty ride from start to finish. Elizabeth was strong yet properly ladylike, Darcy utterly smitten as he should be. I LOVED the whole Fitzwilliam family! What a hoot! Thanks for the enjoyment, Abigail.
How will their travels to Northern England possibly compromise Darcy and Elizabeth’s future?
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Source: I received an ARC of this story from the author for a fair and honest review.
When I started reading JAFF, I had no clue about how to navigate my way through learning all of the authors and titles within this subgenre. Hence, I spent an exhaustive amount of hours combing through websites and on Amazon, reading everything I could find in an attempt to gain some sort of basic understanding about how to locate well-written and widely-praised titles.
The one name that seemed to be everywhere that I searched for these stories was Abigail Reynolds. Initially, I thought everything in JAFF was somehow related to her because nearly every Google search I did would somehow bring me to a list of her books. Add to that the fact that some of her books have been republished under different titles, and I was just utterly confused! This made me determined to learn who Abigail Reynolds was and uncover a complete list of her books.
Naturally, there are good reasons that she has played a prominent role in the JAFF community for several years. Throughout her writing career, she has penned numerous JAFF books, most set during the Regency era and some even set during modern times. She has taken our dear couple through more twists and turns than most JAFF authors and the fact that she’s still writing such fast-paced and engaging stories really speaks to her staying power!
“Mr. Darcy’s Journey,” her latest release, is poised to become as well-received by JAFF readers as any of her most popular stories. Filled with suspense, some emotionally charged moments of sexual tension and a story set against an interesting historical backdrop, this story takes our dear couple on quite a unique journey.
Starting with a Twelfth Night ball at the home of the Lucas family, Elizabeth suffers a significant disappointment when she is slighted by a suitor that she had found herself developing romantic feelings towards. In an effort to comfort her forlorn sister Jane in London and to escape the gossips of Meryton, she soon finds herself in London. Meanwhile, Darcy is also in London helping his cousin Frederica restore her reputation after she’s been publicly jilted by a former suitor. After a visit to a circulating library finds Elizabeth once again in the company of Mr. Darcy, she attempts to make sense of his actions in an effort to forgive the man who may have contributed to her sister’s latest struggles of depression?
A short time later, Darcy and Elizabeth meet up again at Rosings; she is there to visit her friend Charlotte Collins and Darcy is there during a visit with the Fitzwilliam family. Throughout this visit, Elizabeth is becoming acquainted with the Fitzwilliam family, when a strange turn of events reveal that the man who has appeared at Rosings claiming to be a friend of Darcy’s is also connected to Elizabeth and Frederica. Before long, Elizabeth is on her way to Northern England to support Frederica as the Fitzwilliam clan travels together to help Darcy’s friend through a dangerous situation. How will Elizabeth endure spending all of this time in Mr. Darcy’s presence when he continues to insult her family and acts like the self-absorbed man that she dislikes so much?
“Mr. Darcy’s Journey” is a JAFF story set within the historical background of the Luddite uprisings throughout Northern England. The challenges faced by the men and women of different stations during this time are sketched throughout the story, demonstrating how even still today, progress is not typically something that occurs because of one person. It really takes the collective efforts of many people pushing forward with small, thoughtful efforts to bring about important changes in laws and in the norms of a well-established culture. I enjoyed reading about how these events could have shaped Darcy and Elizabeth’s lives, especially with Elizabeth having an uncle in trade during this time, along with how these events would possibly affect the lives of the landed gentry.
Mrs. Reynold’s writing is engaging and creates quite an adventure for her characters. There’s action, a bit of mystery and suspense, combined with a few romantic relationships brewing throughout the story. Since Darcy and Elizabeth are in each other’s company throughout their travels, they are able to examine one another in a different light, allowing them to open themselves up to new possibilities. When they are “forced” to get a bit closer than usual with each, new and confusing feelings emerge, leading them both to wonder if perhaps there is more to their relationship than what meets their eyes. Add to this a bit of calamity and chaos, and you have a book that readers will find themselves gladly absorbed in for several hours.
The Fitzwilliam clan plays a prominent role in this story and are crucial to the twists and turns of the events in this story. While they were often entertaining in their interactions, I did find myself questioning whether or not such a distinguished family would act the way that they did towards one another and if they would really engage in some of the actions they took part of within this story. There were places in the story where they came across as a bit too casual for my liking, and even though from canon we can’t assume a lot about them, I often imagine them as a rather proper and traditional type of noble family.
I expect that JAFF readers will receive Mrs. Reynold’s latest story with all of the enthusiasm and praise that she has earned from them throughout her career. In “Mr. Darcy’s Journey” she has given her readers another reason to admire her storytelling abilities while writing a story set within the important historical events that were unfolding as Ms. Austen was publishing “Pride and Prejudice.” Readers will enjoy her notes at the end of the book, which provides new questions to ponder about how the timing of the publication of “Pride and Prejudice” and the events taking place in Northern England may have caused Austen to revise her story in quite a new direction. I will always think of this story when I read about Elizabeth’s infamous journey to Derbyshire.
Hang on to your bonnet! This is a madcap action packed romp from Kent to the north of England for Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy and his 'fighting Fitzwilliam' family! It all starts out with Elizabeth being annoyed with the defection of Mr. Wickham's attentions. Not because her heart is injured, but for the pitying looks of the neighbourhood. Jane Bennet is already in London with the Gardiners after Mr. Bingley has quit Netherfield. However, it is when Elizabeth receives a letter from Aunt Gardiner asking her to come help her with Jane, who is ill, and the children, that things start going sideways and where she meets Mr. Andrew Hopewell.
From her time with the Gardiners and Jane, who in my opinion has more than just physical health issues that are never touched on again, Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner run into Mr. Darcy and his sister, Georgiana. Mr. Darcy is still haunted by Elizabeth and as hard as he tries, cannot stop thinking about her. Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst play a role in Jane's decline but again are never mentioned. Elizabeth is urged by Jane to take Charlotte Collins up on her offer to visit once she starts making a recovery.
Then the 'fun' begins! Being thrown into the frequent company of Mr. Darcy, his aunt, Lady Matlock, her daughter Lady Frederica and Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth becomes friends with Lady Frederica. At the request and urgings of Lady Frederica and Lady Matlock, Elizabeth is off to Sheffield in the company of four men, Darcy, the Colonel, his younger brother, Jasper and Mr. Andrew Hopewell aka Lord Duxbury. There is much going on in this story with many passionate individuals and some with tempers to match. Behind it all is the Luddite rebellion and possible hanging of two Cambridge classmates of Darcy and Andrew. The pace is fast and Elizabeth finds herself somewhat out of her depth but rallies brilliantly despite several compromising situations with Darcy! Tensions are high on all fronts and when Lord Matlock arrives things spiral out of control even further.
I enjoyed the pace, the characters, the history and for the most part, the storyline. There is alot going and because of that, some of subplots get short changed. All in all, it is well worth the read.
Elizabeth Bennet has finally arrived at the Hunsford Parsonage leaving a bereft Jane at the Gardiners. Soon events mean that Darcy, Elizabeth and members of the Fitzwilliam family are heading north. A north threatened with riots. No wonder is Darcy is quiet with such a troublesome family like the Fitzwilliams as relations, but adorable too. A lovely, well-written story with a few added characters.
A fast paced adventure full of surprises!! In this story Elizabeth is kept on her toes with one after another crisis and adventure! I really loved how she learns to appreciate a different view of Darcy through his actions and his family.
Word of advice, don't start reading this story if you may have to put it down to do something else... just saying...
A favorite read, a many listened to audio book. **See note at the end for the narrator, Pearl Hewitt.** I love this story and I usually let enough time lapse between readings or listens I forget how it ends. A reading of the blurb gives the general plot. Although the Amazon blurb for the kindle version is rather humorous when 'Even worse, the flood has washed out the only bride to Rosings Park.' It's supposed the say bridge of course, but bride is hilarious for a number of reasons.
We get to witness Darcy's noble efforts to save everything and everyone he can from the flood, providing things like food and shelter which Elizabeth would have no means of accomplishing on her own. He gets a little high-handed for the absolute necessary and legitimate reasons, and she digs her heels in and uses every instance to confirm her negative feelings about his pride and disdain for the feelings of others. That is until she slowly begins to understand things about him she didn't 'get' before. It comes in bits and pieces slowly until you'd like to smack her up the side of the head. Wake up Lizzy!! But we all know she can be really stubborn, which she will need during the second part of the book.
No one reading this the first five times won't hate Mr. Bennet when he first comes on the scene and for a great deal of the rest of the book, too, until close to the end. No one can get him to see reason about the issue at hand because he's completely blinded by one thing and one thing only. That is the Earl of Matlock.
I didn't like Colonel Fitzwilliam in this book for a great deal of the story. He does redeem himself, on one hand. But I was very disappointed that he did not ever really have a true reconciliation with Darcy although we can assume one from the epilogue.
This book has a very happily ever after for Jane Bennet, I liked that part. I loved the Gardiners in this story. Loved the Colonel's mama, the Countess Matlock.
Darcy and Elizabeth's HEA feels rushed to me. But what I like the most about this book is the first part. That part where Darcy is trying to help everyone, including Elizabeth. And Elizabeth trying to do her best to be useful but feels useless for the most part because she hasn't been trained in the kitchen, or a maid's work. Her chief usefulness is in caring for and comforting a small child with a broken leg who was orphaned as a result of the flood, and she excels at that. And the slowly evolving relationship between our favorite hero and heroine and the very real disastrous situations they have to work through. This is what makes me go back for a reread. Although not easily researchable, Kent does flood but the coast is more vulnerable. That really doesn't matter here because for the most part floods can happen just about anywhere. Reynolds does make this sound quite real in her descriptions.
I recommend the book to JAFF and Reynolds' fans. Not so much the audio version at this time. **This isn't my favorite narrator and some voices were really spoiled for me as a result. She does not have a bad voice, and if she were narrating a story with mostly female characters she could be pleasant to listen to.
What an adventure this book is!! I don't even know how to summarise the plot... we start in Meryton where Elizabeth is apparently jilted by Wickham. Jane is jilted by Bingley and then sent to the Gardiner's to mend her broken heart but things get worse for her there. Elizabeth meets Darcy in London, then again at Rosings but he is not just with the Colonel but Lady Matlock and his sister, Lady Frederick as well. They all travel to Sheffield where they get caught up in riots before going to Pemberley... all this in one book!!
I think the real stars of this show are the Fitzwilliams.... I absolutely adored all of them! They are constantly squabbling and fighting amongst themselves yet stick together like glue to fight others. The relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is incredible... her feelings are all over the place and so are his... they are drawn to each other immediately but just cannot fathom each other at all. With every step forward there is another one back. I really enjoyed seeing them come to appreciate each other.
This is a real page turner... now I've finished it, I can't even believe this is the same story as the one I started... it seemed to just grow wings and take off. This has a darker feel to it than the other books by this author due to the really difficult issues faced by people in this period, yet the addition of the Fitzwilliams meant these issues were dealt with sensitively but with a touch of humour to avoid making this a heavy read. I really really loved this and would definitely recommend it. I would liked to have known more about what happened to Wickham and to Jane but overall I'm happy with how this huge adventure came to its conclusion.
Awesome! Ms Reynolds has done it again! Unbelievable story, I don't know how she does it!
Well the tangled web in which Elizabeth and Darcy are caught up in involves the rebellious Luddite movement.
Though the story starts out innocently enough, Lizzy is jilted by Wickham and everyone is gossiping about it. So when Jane who is in London falls very ill, Lizzy leaves to help care for her at the Gardiners. While in London she runs into Darcy and his sister at the lending library. This sets up Georgiana and consequently her cousin lady Fredrica to be acquainted with Elizabeth. Lady F contrives a way for Elizabeth to accompany her to Hunsford with the Darcy's. While there there is an unexpected visitor who arrives and cause a little upheaval. He is known to all including Elizabeth, though under a different name. What happens next cause them all to be in the middle of a Luddite rebellion and puts a damper on Darcy trying to get Elizabeth's good opinion. Really is a wonderful journey with lots of diversions and new characters. And no lack of Twist and turns! If you must pick up a new P&P book this is the one!
This book had its moments but overall it’s a slightly more serious and darker P&P variation. It’s not my favorite by this author. D&E’s Time together is enjoyable to read with the patented misunderstandings that I’ve come to expect. But the horse ride together has been done before (by this author if I remember correctly). I liked the new Fitzwilliam siblings but feel like Lady Matlock was a bit heavy handed at the end. I would have preferred to have seen D&E come to their own agreement. The epilogue was a bit pointless. I couldn’t figure out which children belonged to which couple until the very end. And why would anyone in that family name their child George (other than Wickham) or Anne (though that may have be Darcy’s mother’s name, I kept thinking of Anne de Bourgh).
I liked this book, but didn’t love it. This is a great author & I have enjoyed all of her books that I have read, but this one was probably my least favorite. I felt there were too many modern manners & conversation topics & manners applied to the regency period that it was not credible. Some “breaks in propriety” are okay, but this was a little over the top for me to the point that it became silly & I couldn’t take it seriously. The plot was good, not great as I started tiring of it & found myself skimming & skipping parts.
Well, it has been a good while since I stayed up until 3am to finish a book! (Not that I haven't on a few occasions in the last year, mind you) This is so fascinating, a little bit of historical fiction, with such lovable new(ish) characters to join ODC in participating. The Fitzwilliams of this tale are just a riot! Darcy is such a sweet person, even if he keeps that mostly to himself, that I almost cried from his lonely childhood memories a few times. However, he's also an assertive, thoughtful, sexy man still, and inspires the most butterflies with the least actual sex that I've ever read. Mmmm, yes 👌🏻
Did I expect a story where Elizabeth's reputation would be so soiled that it would make a farmer jealous? No.
Nor, did I expect a story with revolts, riots, and mill revolutions. I did enjoy myself and there was plenty of action, danger, and loads of coming and goings, but I found myself merely thinking of it as plot, instead of being deeply invested in it.
We do have a lovely cast of characters from Lord and Lady Matlock's family. It was fun getting to know them, even if I do never get to encounter them again. I rather like they had their own plots and things in their lives going on and weren't just there to merely get Darcy and Elizabeth together.
Still, there were times Elizabeth was willfully obtuse in not thinking about how many time she had been alone with Darcy. The one slightly steamy scene was a nice addition to all the other things (aka changing feelings) going on between Darcy and Elizabeth.
How many what-ifs an author can create based from just one immortal masterpiece? Countless. At least that's true for Abigail Reynolds. Every time she decides to give a new twist to Pride and Prejudice, she does better than the previous and this time was no exception. Mr. Darcy's Journey captured my attention and I couldn't put it down. I would have read it in one sitting if trivial things like going to work wouldn't have come in the way. The tension between the main characters is perfect, the pace impeccable and the setting... this time she has really surprised me. This novel ended far too soon because, as Jane Austen said, when a book is well written, I always find it too short.
I'm afraid this wasn't my favorite Abigail Reynolds book. It read too much like a Georgette Heyer novel (which is fun and quirky but doesn't mesh with the seriousness of the Luddite movement). Also, the ebook is in major need of editing.
On a positive note, I LOVED Countess Matlock! What a great character.
I didn't get to see enough Lizzy and Darcy interaction to feel a deep connection and Lizzy behaved oddly. Also, Jane's character and actions seemed very out of place.
It was a fun read though and at least gives a glimpse into what the Luddite movement was about.
I loved this "what if" book of pride and prejudice. Thrilling New angel with interesting historical events. Meeting colonel Fitzwilliam sister Frederica Who becomes Elisabeths friend and encourages her to travel north with her and among others the taciturn mr Darcy. Encountering riots, social problems and matters of the heart...
This was another really enjoyable Pride & Prejudice Variation by Abigail Reynolds. I love Lady Matlock in this book as well as all the Fiztwilliams and seeing how Darcy and Elizabeth bond as they deal with all the chaos that winds up happening throughout the story. The epilogue at the end was really cute as well.