Darcy and Anne

Title: "Darcy and Anne"
Author: Judith Brocklehurst
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
website: www.sourcebooks.com
Cost: 12.99


Here we go again, friends.

While on a recent vacation to visit my in-laws in Detroit, I decided to pop into a bookstore to find something that would keep me occupied and out of the way. (Come on, we have all had those kinds of visits with the in-laws).

I had my heart set on something by Catherine Cookson, but found "Darcy and Anne" instead.

By Judith Brocklehurst, the tag on the front says "It is a truth universally acknowledged that Lady Catherine will never find a husband for Anne."

And of course the cover says "Pride and Prejudice Continues..."

"Anne has never had a chance to figure out what she wants for herself until a fortuitous accident on the way to Pemberley separates Anne from her formidable mother. With her stalwart cousin Darcy and his lively wife Elizabeth on her side, she begins to feel she might me able to spread her wings..."

I am particularly interested in the regency novels that focus on the futures of the lesser-known Pride and Prejudice characters, and for several reasons. I think I am more accepting of the little liberties authors take with Lydia, Anne, Lady Catherine, Mary, Charlotte, and Wickham. Austen didn't endear these characters to our hearts. She didn't give us the intricate details of their strong personalities. The characters are not so nearly developed as Darcy and Elizabeth, so we can accept a little more "stretching" in modern texts.

Anne, you see, is of particular interest to me. I have my own theories about her and her "What might have beens" in between the lines of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. No one shares my conspiracy theory and I am waiting for someone to connect the dots, so to speak, for Anne.

So what are Lady Catherine's (and Judith Brocklehurst's) plans for Anne? When we last left Miss de Bourgh she was a pale, sickly sight. Very rich but not very pretty, she waited in vain for years for her cousin Darcy to settle down with her and merge the estates of Rosings and Pemberley.

And of course, Lady Catherine is mad as a wet hen over Darcy and Elizabeth's union.

This could be a very fun book, don't you think?