Suspense and Sensibility or, First Impressions Revisited

Wonderful, entertaining, creative. At last, an Austen sequel where the author has used her imagination without presuming that the reader lacks one of their own. A recent convert to Austen's novels, I too was left wanting to read more about Darcy and Elizabeth, Marianne and Brandon, Emma and Knightley, etc., but without sacrificing the good taste, engrossing storylines and sharp wit of the originals. Carrie Bebris has captured all of those qualities and more in her 'Mr and Mrs Darcy' series. Familiar characters are brought to life once again - Kitty Bennet and the Dashwoods and Ferrars of 'Sense and Sensibility' - but with a spooky twist. Elizabeth Darcy retains her intelligence and humour after marriage - 'Ladies are quite capable of show more blood sport, darling. Their field is the drawing room' - and her inscrutable husband shows a deeper, more human side to his nature now that he has a wife to love and care for. I have truly fallen more in love with Carrie Bebris' Mr Darcy than I ever could with Austen's perfect hero.

The supernatural aspect of this series - a refreshing break from the tired 'romances' or smut which have flooded the sequel market - is a definite break from the traditional Regency society that Austen was writing about, but part of the reason why I enjoy these books so much. Here, to merge not only 'Pride and Prejudice' with 'Sense and Sensibility', set - if not written - over a decade apart, but to tie in the fictional Dashwoods with the very real personality of Sir Francis Dashwood, Carrie Bebris has conjured up a magical 'Mirror of Narcissus', a device which sounds ludricrous but works surprisingly well! Kitty Bennet, next of the five daughters in line for the marriage market, is staying with Lizzy and Darcy for the London season when she meets and falls in love with Harry Dashwood, the now grown and very eligible son of Elinor and Marianne's selfish brother and his manipulative wife Fanny. Well matched and very happy together, Kitty is looking forward to becoming mistress of Norland, despite the intervention of Fanny and Lucy Ferrars, when Harry suddenly changes from a devoted fiance into a drinking, gambling, cheating scoundrel. A transformation familiar to readers of the original novels, but all is not as it seems. Harry is no Wickham or Willoughby, and his fall from grace is more Milton than Austen. Can Lizzy and Darcy redeem Kitty's fiance before he is lost forever?

'Apparently, the family row somehow involved Robert's wife, the former Miss Lucy Steele, but that story could fill a book by itself ...'

I really can't recommend this series, or the author, enough. Carrie Bebris obviously loves and respects Austen's characters, but allows them to develop beyond the original novels. Lizzy and Darcy are ridiculously happy and in love, as they should be, but not to the exclusion of the reader or the reduction of their own individual merits. Even Elinor Ferrars is just as sensible and direct as she was in 'Sense and Sensibility', and joy of joys, both she and Marianne have a brood of children! Jane Bingley is also expecting, but the honeymoon lingers on for the Darcys. The sweet and rather poignant epilogue promises future joy, however obvious, and is a perfect teaser for the next book in the series (as though I need persuading!) show less

I kept giving this book new names, like "Nonsense and Suspense of Disbelief". For a Jane Austen pastiche, the swerve into supernatural horror is surprising. Why did Bebris not decide to write Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle, one wonders. The Mirror of Narcissus, on which the plot hinges, is a bizarre cross between the Picture of Dorian Grey and the Mirror of Erised; not something that the eminently down-to-earth Austen would have used as a plot device. But the historical existence of Sir Francis Dashwood, of Hellfire Club fame, is too happy a coincidence and the author was struck by inspiration to bring this rakehell of a previous generation into contact with the much more well-mannered Regency era in which the Dashwoods of Norland and show more the Darcys of Pemberly flourished. Most of the author's anachronisms and Americanisms are found in the text rather than the dialogue, so it's not too horribly jarring. But the nonexistence of the "mystery" of the subtitle was annoying and frustrating. "A Mysterious Interlude with the Darcys" perhaps, but the book does not follow the kind of plot arc that one expects in the genre we label mystery. Nonetheless a fun read, a pleasant diversion, albeit not a book that will find a permanent place on my shelf. show less

I've never really been one for Austen continuations. I read P+P+Zombies because I felt I must. And it's more of an alternate reality than continuation. I read Pamela Aidan's Mr. Darcy, Gentleman Trilogy because they were recommended to me and they are beautifully written and, again, they're of a parallel nature. I've been very stubborn about Austen continuations and Austen fanfiction. I've always been a purist when it comes to my Janeite membership.

But somehow or other I was led to read Carrie Bebris' Darcy mysteries. I believe the suggestion came through librarything.com. I figure a database that has all of the books I've read and what I think of them must have some good suggestions. Turns out, they were right. Unfortunately, I'm only show more 3 books-in. Ms. Bebris has created a fictional--though logical and realistic and very very appropriate--"ending" to Pride and Prejudice in the form of a series in which Mr. and Mrs. Darcy begin their new lives and (like many couples) experience bump after bump in their new road of life together. But their bumps, in Ms. Bebris' world, are extremely-well-researched mysteries in which the author has managed to pull the Darcys on a fine thread through all of Austen's novels.

The first of these is Pride and Prescience in which the couple is married, only to immediately have Caroline Bingley announce her immediate engagement and impending marriage to an American we have never heard of. And instead of a happy honeymoon, we get a dangerous and murderous mystery that ends up being much more interesting than the smut and fluff that so many other adapters have dragged Austen's characters through. And while the mysticism at the root of the events is a little lackluster, it's enough to make you want to read the next one. The second novel is Suspense and Sensibility which takes an even deeper turn into the darker realms. Now Ms. Bebris is on a roll.

She has literally steamrolled us into Sense and Sensibility but about 15 years later AND has expanded the original story's origins. In this story, the magic is darker and more volatile. This story is much more dangerous and as a result is much more interesting, especially because it expands the character of Kitty Bennett. While the first novel resisted expanding Caroline's character by subduing her through the magic, this one is more willing to take steps beyond the inspiring work and gives Kitty a chance to breathe.

The third novel is North by Northanger in which our Darcys (now only months away from the birth of their first child) are tied into the story of Northanger Abbey. This one was interesting because there was no man-made magic. Most of the mysticism relies on religious faith and on the trust we place in love. It has its share of mystique, but this one was more predictable to me. I don't know if Ms. Bebris intended the dramatic irony, but I knew right away who the culprit moving things in the bedroom was. Not only that, but I was waiting and waiting and waiting to see who else would be in the novel besides Mr. Henry Tilney (we learn almost immediately that "Frederick" is not actually Frederick so I won't mask that from you). I thought surely that the imposters played as "Frederick" and "Dorothy" must have been in the Northanger story. I scoured my brain and, for the woman I could only come up with one answer. Hence, it was no surprise when Henry recognized her and her companion towards the end of the book. I wanted to love this book and, for all my love of old letters and gardening, I put up a good fight. But it was just a bit too predictable for my tastes. I will say, though, that making the mystery a bit more spiritual and more ABOUT Elizabeth's connection to that spirit did win me over.

Ms. Bebris has finished 2 other novels of the series - The Matter at Mansfield and The Intrigue at Highbury; the former is already out, though I don't have it yet, and the latter is due out in March. I only want for her to get around to adapting Persuasion to her scheme. And I only hope it doesn't involve Sir Walter--though his family ledger would make an interesting starting point. Hmm. Think it over, Ms. Bebris. show less

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy live their lives, meet folks from Sense and Sensibility, and occasionally get involved in weird mysterious happenings. While the supernatural elements are very unAusten, as long as I’ve got my AU Fanfic mental glasses on, the story’s extremely enjoyable; the characters themselves act in ways consistent with what we see in Austen, and I like the various takes on What Happened Later. My one gripe with this book: the character Regina — I felt like I was supposed to find her funny, and I didn’t.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm not crazy about mystery writers relying on the supernatural for the mystery. IMO, it's a cop out. They can come up with any far-fetched explanation they want. I much prefer the old fashioned buried treasure/whodunnit type mystery that to me takes more ingenuity. I haven't read this series of books in order, having read North by Northanger first. That book I preferred because it didn't rely on the supernatural. Apparently, the first two books in this series, Pride & Prescience and this one, do. I do like the idea of following Jane Austen's characters after her books. This book revolves around Mr. & Mrs. Darcy finding a suitable match for Kitty. It also brings into the story the characters from show more Sense & Sensibility - the Dashwoods, Ferrars and Brandons. I just feel that bringing the supernatural into it isn't at all what Jane Austen would want and not at all what you would expect. I'm not sure I'll go back and read the first book now. show less

Fun series. I enjoy Jane Austen's characters from various novels meeting each other in their possible future, plus throwing in a mystery for good measure. Bebris generally does a convincing but not wholly imitative job of recreating Austen's world and making her characters live on in a new way.

It wasn't a traditional mystery, touching more on the edges of a Gothic horror story- not Frankenstein, but I don't want to mention the one it reminds me of, for that is the fun part of trying to figure out a mystery from your chair, isn't it? ;]