Mr. Darcy's Dream

This final book in Aston’s “Darcy” series centers around Phoebe Hawkins, the daughter of Mr. Darcy’s sister Georgiana. The man of Phoebe’s dreams, Arthur Stanhope, has just proposed to her, and she’s ecstatic – that is, until her father forbids the marriage because of Stanhope’s questionable morals. Brokenhearted Phoebe immediately leaves London for the peace and tranquility of Pemberley, where she hopes she’ll be able to forget about Stanhope. Her friend Louisa Bingley (daughter of Mr. Bingley and Jane) comes to keep her company, thinking that Phoebe will be lonely and isolated at Pemberley. However, it’s not long before several eligible gentlemen enter the vicinity, including Hugh Drummond, the architect who’s show more building Mr. Darcy’s new greenhouse, and Stanhope himself, whose character might not be so immoral after all.

For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed all of Aston’s novels. She wisely doesn’t try to mimic Austen’s writing style or rewrite Austen’s characters, so these books are really just romantic stories set in the early 19th century, with a few Austen allusions thrown in. That said, I thought Mr. Darcy’s Dream was a pretty weak installment in the series. The resolution of Phoebe’s conflict with Stanhope felt extremely flat. There was no real character development or dramatic climax, so the ending was awkward and contrived. The side plots were singularly uninteresting to me, too: Louisa’s love story was given so little attention that I couldn’t get emotionally invested, and the development about French spies came absolutely out of nowhere and was completely superfluous to the story. I’m glad to have read this book, just to round out the series, but it was disappointing, especially compared to some of the earlier books. show less

I was really looking forward to this book, as I have enjoyed this author since the first book: Mr. Darcy's Daughters, however, I was disappointed in the end with the predictable outcome, the quick change of heart for the main character, Phoebe, and the fact that Darcy's two boys were not even mentioned. Perhaps the drawn out avoidance of Arthur Stanhope could have been enjoyed more if the ending wasn't limited to a handful of pages.

I did like all the main characters from her previous works making a guest appearance and the use of horticulture in the plot. Oh, and the fact that the writing style remains true throughout the books. It would be nice to see "villain" characters with more of a grey background than is currently used; that is, show more characters who may hurt the reputation of main character(s) with or without intent but whose sole occupation isn't to the play the fail-safe villain, like George Warren.

Overall, I will probably still eagerly wait the next work by this author, hoping that the next coupon coincides with the release date and that I shall not be disappointed. show less

Admittedly, I’ll read pretty much any Austen related book. I love them. I derive a lot of pleasure in reading how inspired authors share their imagination in what happens after the “story” has ended. Of course, the most often “sequeled” Austen story is, with little surprise, doubt, Pride & Prejudice. There is something about Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy’s relationship that is timeless. After all, Miss Jane captured its perfection to start with….and it remains up to all modern day fans to carry on the legacy.

Elizabeth Aston is once such fan worthy of reading. She has written a series of books based on Pride & Prejudice, the first one of which I read years ago was Mr. Darcy’s Daughters (written in 2003, I believe). For some show more unknown reason, I failed to read Aston’s subsequent books…that is until a couple of months ago.

On a corner of a bookshelf in a bookstore, I saw the cover for Mr. Darcy’s Dream. It looked very interesting and I bought it on the spot. I then promptly set it on my own bookshelf and passed it over for a while until I was in the “proper mood” to read it. I’d been reading Darcy’s Passions by Regina Jeffers, with little luck, so wasn’t sure if I could do Mr. Darcy’s Dream justice. Needless to say, I was happily surprised!

The story is a typical regency style romance, with strong willed young women who find themselves in a variety of situations with dashing hero-like men. There are no great plot surprises. You see most of the story coming; however, I don’t feel like that detracted from the book at all. It was an easy storyline that kept me interested and entertained.

What I enjoyed most was the idea of the Bingley & Darcy cousins maintaining a close relationship--keeping the family a strong, close-knit group. I also liked that a Warren is kept around to…well, to keep things interesting. To know that one of the main characters, Phoebe, is Georgiana’s daughter was a special treat--a small branch in the family tree that is now fleshed out in my imagination!

I look forward to catching up on other Aston novels that I previously neglected, as well anticipate future stories that she may conjure up to keep the fire for Pride & Prejudice fueled. show less

Elizabeth Aston is well known in the Austen world for her series of Darcy novels. Mr. Darcy’s Dream is her most recent work and follows the story of Mr. Darcy’s intrepid niece, Phoebe Hawkins. We become acquainted with her the morning after she has said yes to the marriage proposal of Arthur Stanhope, a handsome and well to-do gentleman with whom she has fallen in love. Immediate happiness is not to be, her father will not sanction the match on the grounds that Mr. Stanhope is a rake! Phoebe sneaks out of the house and plans to speak with Mr. Stanhope and have him explain himself but there’s no need for an explanation when she sees the scandalous actress Mrs. Vereker leave his house at an improper hour of the morning.

Continue show more reading: http://novembersautumn.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/book-review-mr-darcys-dream-by-e... show less

I rather enjoyed this book. It was a new look at the older family members. This is about one of Mr Darcy’s relatives and friends. Very interesting ready.

With each installment Ms. Ashton's books lose some of their charm. Even the finale appearance of Mr. Darcy himself did not improve this novel. My least favorite in the series.