Mr. Darcy's Daughters

I thought I might be up for a romantic romp through Regency England with a possible connection to Jane Austen, but obviously I wasn't. I find books about groups of women, all with their personality quirks and foibles particularly loathsome, so am not sure why I thought I'd get through this one. I'm sure there are some that found it delightful; for me, the most particularly delightful bit was reading the reviews of other readers who were distainful of the Darcy Daughters. Probably if the book had been about 5 sisters not named Darcy I could have been a bit more tolerant. On the other hand, maybe not. I think I prefer my Darcy the original Austen way.

In this sequel to the classic by Jane Austen, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy have gone abroad to Constantinople, leaving their five daughters in the care of their cousins, the Fitzwilliams, for their first London season. Will the five heiresses be able to successfully navigate the social battlefield and obtain husbands? Or will the disgraceful antics of the young twins threaten the family reputation?

This novel started out strong but seemed to lose steam midway through. Letty's initially complex character soon devolved into a whining, preaching, harpy. Though I began by like Camilla, by the end of the novel she was a tutting prude and love sick puppy. The relationship between Camilla and Wytton was never fully developed and seemed to spring up show more overnight. In the end, I felt that these five daughters seemed like they were raised by anyone but Darcy and Elizabeth. They are all sheltered, all ill-behaved, all incapable of navigating the complex social structure of London. It's almost as though they were raised in poverty instead of in a wealthy and connected family. As compared to some of the other sequels to Pride and Prejudice, this is probably the best I've read. But still, nothing amazing. Like the others, it just made me long to read Austen again. show less

Mr Darcy’s Daughters by Elizabeth Aston is based on Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and therein is the biggest problem with this book. I personally am not in favor of taking these beloved stories and adding to them. The original author finished her book and so it should be left at that. Reviving old characters and putting your spin on them is inviting much criticism, therefore Elizabeth Ashton’s use of so many characters from the original is simply inviting trouble. That being said, I actually really enjoyed this book a great deal, I simply tried to divorce it from the original.

Mr. Darcy has five daughters, they all have their own personalities, and this book’s main focus is on the second daughter, Camilla. As their parents show more have gone to Constantinople, the five girls are installed under the care of their cousins the Fitzwilliams. The two elder daughters embark on their first London season and the readers are treated to the sights, tastes and fashions of Regency London with all it’s perils of social intrigue and romance.

I believe this is the first book of a series, and it is well written and quite engaging. As I said, I tried not to compare it to the original, and actually felt it had more in common with a Georgette Heyer novel, although lacking Heyer’s superb way with dialogue. I received this book as a gift quite a number of years ago and had very little expectations towards it, but I found myself engrossed and relishing this charming story. If you are looking for a pleasing regency romance, Mr. Darcy’s Daughters could do very nicely. show less

As Pride and Prejudice fans the world over know, there is only one Jane Austen and she did not write a follow-up to her beloved novel. So we are left with modern authors trying to take pen in hand (keyboard in fingers just doesn't sound as good, does it?) and explore the world so many of us are loathe to leave once the last page is turned.

This isn't properly a sequel really as it takes on a whole raft of new characters in the persons of Darcy and Lizzie's five daughters but it does include some of the characters from the original. Wait, you say. You think you've read something before about five unmarried daughters, some of whom get into scandals or scrapes. Yes, Aston has tried to mimic the form of the original. However, she has done show more this to the detriment of the original Austen characters. Darcy and Lizzie have left for a diplomatic posting in Constantinople, leaving the chaperonage of their five daughters to Colonel Fitzwilliam and his wife. This diplomatic posting means that we don't get to see our favorite hero and heroine at all. And amazingly, the Darcy daughters are as silly or flighty or rigid as the Bennet sisters were. Colonel Fitzwilliam is nothing like his character in the original, nor are the other Austen creations.

As an entry into the "following in Austen's footsteps" canon, this is a disappointment. However, if you can read this without connecting it to Pride and Prejudice, this is rather an entertaining story. The Regency setting is well-researched and generally a favorite historical time of mine. The girls are perhaps a bit risque for genteel society but many other Regency-set stories use this same convention to point up the rigidity and hypocrisy of the age. There are some obvious deviations from the parallels to Pride and Prejudice, in the unravelings and outcomes of the scandals but they are generally acceptable and only a little far-fetched. Although I am certainly no Jane Austen purist, I still don't think this will satisfy fans unless they can read this purely as a novel set some 20 years after the setting of Pride and Prejudice and really unrelated in most every way from it. show less

Do you wish Jane Austen had written a series about the Darcy family instead of turning to other characters? If so, Elizabeth Aston may be the answer to your prayers.

In 1818, after 20 years of marriage, Elizabeth and Darcy have departed to Constantinople on a long diplomatic mission, leaving their five daughters in London with the Fitzwilliams. For the first time the daughters are exposed to the wider world and high society of London, while leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of Pemberley as well as the company of their parents, grandfather, and brothers. Although each girl's personality and passions lead her into a different direction and individual love matches, the strong family ties never falter. Aston has created an show more entertaining work invoking Mary Louisa Alcott's Little Women as strongly as Jane Austen's original Pride and Prejudice. Most recently, Aston published the sixth chronicle involving the Darcy family, Mr. Darcy's Dream, in 2009. show less

A tantalizing read, but far better billed as separate from Austen. Darcy's Daughters spoils the elegance of Austen's classics by introducing flagrant sex and villainy. Whereas Austen carefully hinted at sex and debauchery in her novels, Aston leaves nothing to the imagination or the cunning whit of Austen. In addition, the shroud Austen draped over the life of the servant class is lifted. While this adds to Aston's own writings, it spoils Austen. Aston would have done far better to write a period piece that could stand alone, rather than to script a mediocre sequel to Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a personal favorite - so when I saw that Elizabeth Aston had written about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's daughters, I HAD to pick it up! My advice - skip the first two chapters (I had trouble following the chatter), then the book became more readable for me, but I REALLY enjoyed the last 100 or so pages. I loved the characters of Camilla, Mr. Wytton, Alethea and Mrs. Rowan, but found Letty and the twins to be annoying (one too negative, the others too wild). Overall, I enjoyed the basic story-line, although I would have loved to see this book center around Letty and Camilla, with another for the twins. . . and Elizabeth and Darcy should have been there to enjoy their girls' first Season!! I read this for show more a book club, and we had a great time discussing it!! We had a great time discussing how women were viewed during that era. show less