Tuesday, February 26, 2013

My Share in the Conversation...the Darcys & the Bingleys


The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman  

Book One begins three days before the double wedding of the two Bennet sisters, Jane and Lizzy, to the two most eligible bachelors, Bingley and Darcy. Charles Bingley is concerned about the intimate aspects of marriage and seeks advice from his best friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy’s help for Bingley is a copy of The Kama Sutra, which he orders for him. Although
The Kama Sutra
is mentioned here and other places throughout the book, there is no explicit sex depicted.  This is a fun and informative one hundred or so pages about the hectic events and happenings leading up to the wedding. Thrown into the mix is a little history of the friendship between Darcy and Bingley that goes back to their days at University. They develop a brotherly rivalry that is not always so brotherly, or then again, maybe it is.

The marriage of these two couples and the year that follows was sweet, sometimes funny and made for good reading. With the birth of a child for each couple, the first book comes to a close.

Although all the main characters are still in Book Two, it centers more on a tolerable and sometimes likeable, Caroline Bingley and her new suitor. This is where the intrigue begins. There is much to discover about this man, his brother and the doctor who is helping Mr. Hurst. The means of discovery and the adventures that follow kept me turning the pages.

What I didn’t like as much about the book was the portrayal of Darcy and Jane.  I felt they were not true to character. Darcy drank too much and couldn’t hold his liquor. His past was not as proper as I would like to think that Darcy’s was. Jane was too outspoken and not so mild mannered. That said, when I read Austenesque novels, I expect there to be some deviation of character and I allow for that. I was just not as comfortable with these two transformations.  Yes, Caroline Bingley was also different but it was a nice difference for her!

Overall it was a good book and entertaining.  I liked how the story of Caroline Bingley developed.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review. 

The Darcys & the Bingleys completes my first selection for the Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge.

12 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this series too. You're right about how sometimes Austenesque stories can put a jolting twist to an original character.

    Congrats on your new blog!

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    1. Thank you, Sophia Rose! I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. You are my first member!!! :) As it is still a work in progress, I hope to improve it.

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  2. The marriage of two sisters to brothers in all but blood! I have never laughed so much! I love how Darcy is put together especially the evening before his wedding! And poor Charles how naive he is, but he still gets the better of Darcy which I especially enjoyed! And Jane were different from other versions I have read and Lizzie is just great as always! I loved that Caroline Bingley actually got a somewhat happy ending! And the new characters which gets presented in the book!

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Yes, it is neat to see Bingley and Darcy as close as brothers. The new characters were great! I liked Caroline's happy ending too.

      I will be reading the next book in the series soon and will be posting a review for it.

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  3. Congratulations on your new blog, Janet! I like your review. It seems fair and honest and Marsha's book sounds interesting. Writing a review isn't easy, but authors appreciate people like you who are willing to spend the time to tell us what you like and don't like.

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    1. Thanks, Jan and I'm glad you liked my review. The book was interesting and I will be starting the next one in the series soon.

      I have many reviews to write and hope to start catching up. I will post them here as I get them done. Hope you will come back and check them out.

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  4. I love it! Especially the colors in the background, Janet. But, we already knew you have artistic vision. :-)

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    1. I appreciate your kind words, Angie! Thanks for taking the time to have a look and comment. I realize that time is a premium for you right now! Congratulations on the funding of your app! Can't wait to see and get it!

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  5. So happy to read your first review on your brand new shiny blog, Janet! Congrats! It looks wonderful! Adding More Agreeably Engaged (wonderful name btw!) to my list!

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  6. Thank you, Meredith. Coming from a blogger as accomplished as you, I take that as quite a compliment. Glad you like the name. I had a hard time coming up with something different. I started thinking of things said in the book and this clicked. I knew that was it! It would work great with what I would be doing here.

    Thanks also for putting me on your list. I feel like I have made it to 'the big time'. :)

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  7. Congrats on the new blog, Janet - and I also love the name you selected. So apt! I love to get differing perspectives on books both before and after I read them, so I am sure to return to your blog to catch as many reviews as possible when you get them posted. And I echo Jan Hahn's sentiments regarding how much an author appreciates an honest and balanced review. As an emerging author myself, it only allows me to become better.

    I enjoyed Marsha's book as well, though I also found some of the characterizations a little off from my own sketches of them. (One of the reasons I started writing JAFF myself was because nothing I was reading seemed to portray *my* Elizabeth and Darcy, LOL.)

    Good fortune with the blog!

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    1. I'm so glad that you like the name. It seemed a perfect fit as I will be 'more agreeably engaged' when doing things here. I hope you will return often. As you say you are an emerging author, I wish you the best with your books and I look forward to seeing how you portray 'your' Lizzy and Darcy.

      Thanks for stopping by and reading my first review on my new blog!

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