The true Darcy spirit haunts Pemberley Manor
In Pemberley Manor author Kathryn Nelson offers a new twist on the continuation of Pride and Prejudice. The blissful life that Jane Austen alluded to at the conclusion of her novel with the marriage of her characters is quickly shattered on the first day of the honeymoon. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the proud and arrogant man that Elizabeth Bennet married has a troubled past, confirming for me much of his actions in the original novel and why I have never thought that their happily-ever-after could just instantly happen because they declared their love and took vows. Hold on to your bonnets! If you thought that the Bennet family was dysfunctional, just wait until you meet the Darcy's.
We now know what Lady Catherine de Bourgh meant when she bragged about the true Darcy spirit. There is an oppressive presence haunting Pemberley Manor. Mr. Darcy's deceased mother Lady Anne is not the elegant, proper and gracious woman that one would suspect as the Mistress of Pemberley. It is her influence more than his gentle father that has shaped Darcy's adult personality. As Darcy gradually reveals his troubled past to his new bride Elizabeth, she is not only challenged with the demands of becoming the new Mistress of a grand estate, but in helping him discover the missing pieces to his parent's story that will free him from the past and allow him to find peace and happiness in their new life together.
Even though this deep psychological subtext may sound omnipresent, there are other intriguing elements to his novel that lighten it up. The evolving relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth as newlyweds is fascinating to watch. If there were ever two souls of opposite temperaments destined to be better as a team, it was Lizzy and Darcy. Their conversations run hot and cold to downright hilarious. We also see familiar characters such as Caroline Bingley evolve beyond her bitterness and spite, shy Georgina Darcy bloom and catch the heart of a new beau, Jane as angelic as ever, her husband Charles Bingley finally have a revelation, and new characters introduced that blend in and add interesting depth.
Nelson's skill with language is respectfully reminiscent of Austen, but not mimicy. The story is compelling, with a haunting mystery suggestive of du Maurier's Rebecca. However, Pemberley Manor does have its faults. After she starts off well presenting one of the villains as Caroline Bingley, she delivers an unsatisfying thud to the resolution of her character. Though I understood exactly there she was going in showing us the dark side of Darcy, he was a bit too tearful at times for my ideal romantic hero taste. As the novel moved along, I found it becoming more modern in style and progressive in thinking. When more than a ghost comes out of the closet, I was a bit taken aback by the characters 21st-century response to it.
Because Nelson was taken a risk and presented a side of Darcy and Lizzy that we have not yet explored to this depth, there will be those ready to throw a few disapproving bricks through Pemberley Manor's elegantly glazed windows. Regardless, I found her tale charming, intelligent and engaging; uniquely one of the most thought provoking and satisfying Austen sequels that I have ever read.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
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