The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet

My first up-all-night literary love affair was with Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds.

I found the jacket-less hardcover in my grandmother’s basement, packed away in a box. I don’t know what caught my eye about the plain burlap-brown cover. The book didn't look like anything special. I tucked it under my arm and carried it upstairs to my room, where it sat for weeks until a bout of insomnia needed a novel cure.

I could not stop myself from turning the pages. My eyelids grew heavy, but I started every new chapter eager to continue the story. I remember the birds started to chirp hello to the dawn when dear Dane died, when Meggie realized her ashes-of-roses life was a series of love and loss and more loss, and that Drogheda would go on with another family, another saga.

Imagine my delight at finding The Holy Grail of all Pride and Prejudice sequels! A 20-years-after happily ever after by Colleen McCullough!

A lengthy paperback, the cover looks remarkably like the DVD cover art for the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. I won't judge it for that artistic rip-off. Let's just hope the author of The Thorn Birds delivers in the chapters.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is on my nightstand. Ready for another adventure with the Bennet's?

The verdict is in for "Darcy and Anne."

Anne De Bourgh has some serious problems.

Most significantly her mother, Lady Catherine, is a domineering old hat, far too accustomed to her place as matriarch of her family and is strict about rank and place.
Anne is wealthy, but ill. She dreaded the thought of marriage to her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy, not needing his money and not attracted to him at all. But now she has more problems than she can handle, with her mother furious over Darcy's new marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, Anne is forced to parade around a very shallow, very small pool of potential husbands. She is mortified and helpless.

So begins the story of Anne, whom Judith Brocklehurst brings to the forefront of this Pride and Prejudice sequel. Now our heroine, Anne's adventure begins when Lady Catherine, who has decided it is Darcy's job to find Anne a husband, makes journey to Pemberley.

En route, Lady Catherine falls ill and Anne must take over the little caravan of servants, decide a course of treatment for her mother and *gasp* send a letter all by herself!
Leaving Lady Catherine behind, Anne ends up on the makeover end of the Pemberley women, falls in love, decides to become an author and is disinherited by her mother.

First, I have to say Judith Brocklehurst's "Anne and Darcy" was my inspiration for The Pemberley Project. Why? Because I liked it. At only 190 pages, the book is easy to fall into, kept my attention, and didn't annoy me.

Of course I must take Brocklehurst to task over a few plot lines.

First, I disagree with the portrayal of Lady Catherine. Austen's Lady Catherine is nothing if not consistent and in this book she is wishy-washy. She lets her power over Anne slip through her fingers carelessly. She gives up the ultimate decision over Anne's mate to Darcy (which I can't believe because Darcy made "a most unsuitable match" in choosing Elizabeth). Brocklehurst leads Lady Catherine on a life-changing, mood-swinging ride, taking her from stuffy to fashionable. Worst of all, she marries Lady Catherine off to Anne's suitor! I could never believe that Lady Catherine would marry again and allow her considerable fortune to be controlled by a husband. We are talking about a literary control freak here. She would never be so careless with her ultimate upper hand.
Brocklehurst ends her little sequel with a letter from Lady Catherine to Darcy, in which she tells him she will not come to Pemberley until Darcy promises to cut all ties with Anne and her husband. This was unsettling to me as well, as Lady Catherine was willing to forgive Darcy for his "unseemly choice of wife" but not Anne for her equally socially appalling choice of husband. I especially think Lady Catherine would try to exercise her power over any children Anne and Edmund may have. Here she just gives all that control away.

Thank you to Brocklehurst, though, for bringing Anne's series of ailments and illnesses to a likely conclusion.
I agree with Anne's choice of husband in Mr. Edmund Caldwell, but Anne, whom Austen never described as particularly smart or witty, becomes an author in "Darcy and Anne."

Overall, Brocklehurst's story is fun and easy to read. She stays in the Regency manner, but the dialogue isn't heavy or clumsy. The characters - except for Lady Catherine - are fairly true to Austen's originals. Brocklehurst did a fine job in Anne, answering the unanswered questions, connecting the dots that Pride and Prejudice didn't connect for this glanced-over character.

So I answer these questions:
Would Jane Austen approve? Maybe.
Are the characters true to Austen's work? Mostly.
Would I recommend this book to my best friend? Sure.
Would I read this book again? Yes.
VERDICT: Three and a half out of five stars.

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?

The verdict is in for "Two Shall Become One"

I really wanted to like "Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One."

The first few months of matrimony for our beloved Elizabeth and Darcy have been the subject of many a daydream of mine. It must be hard, I thought, for two such strong-minded, stubborn people to meet in the middle, no matter how much they love each other.

Well, author Sharon Lathan squelched those musings.

In Lathan's daydream, Darcy and Elizabeth spend most of their time having sex on every available surface of the dignified Pemberley estate. Between said rendezvous, the couple chat about how happy they are and how much they adore each other and how much they adore Pemberley and how much they adore sex.

Not that I mind a decent sex scene, mind you. I was satisfied with the honest description of the Darcy's wedding night, their anticipation and anxiety - the bridal suite and the foods they ate.

But the problem, even beyond the truly gratuitous sex descriptions and the somewhat ludicrous idea that Darcy and Elizabeth share "anatomy" and "sex" texts with each other to further heighten their experience, is the painful dialogue.

Somehow Lathan - who was handed the two strongest characters in all of literature - reduced our dashing Mr. Darcy to a blithering, bumbling, poetically disinclined Mr. Collins. Lizzie, known for her struggles to hold her tongue, often sits by simpering away, thinking of nothing but Darcy and his insincere, mostly ridiculous twitterings.

If I had a nickel for every time the words "beloved, precious, and lovely" crossed Darcy's lips in this book, I would be able to travel to Pemberley myself and smack some sense into him.

The one truly bright spot in the text comes in chapter 18, where Darcy - outraged at a neighbor's amorous and vicious attack on Lizzie that leaves her semi-comatose - challenges the Lord Orman to a sword fight.

This is where Lathan shines. Her gift for non-romantic description is smart and pointed. This is the Darcy we know and love! Calm, collected and determined, our hero uses his brains, focus and skill to press his opponent and gain victory and revenge for his wife.

Unencumbered by the overused words "my beloved," the dialogue is quick and easy to fall into. Plus it isn't annoying, which helps a lot.

As for the story itself, Lathan falls short again. By page 240 nothing happened but too many clumsily-written sexcapades. The rise of the already shallow plot doesn't do anything for the story. The plot is just unworthy of the Darcy's and the book could be about any other couple at any other place in any other time. It fails - miserably - to be as special as Jane Austen prescribes it to be.

I must mention Lathan's Forward to the book, because I think it provides clues as to where Lathan and her story derail.

Here, Lathan describes herself as a person who had never read Pride and Prejudice and had no interest in it until she saw the 2005 movie adaptation. She goes on to say she then read the book and fell in love with the story and felt compelled to continue Austen's work.

There are several instances in the book that are clearly from the movie, including the Darcy's fabled sculpture gallery at Pemberley, which does not exist in Austen's book and was manufactured by the same Hollywood producers who spelled Austen's name "Austin" on the movie poster.

Lathan clearly wrote this novel as a sequel to a movie she saw and not a book she read.

So this novel will sit on my bookshelf as part of a collection of companion novels until I find the time to donate it somewhere, though it pains me to keep it or to put it back out into the world.

So I answer these questions:
Would Jane Austen approve? NO.
Are the characters true to Austen's work? NO.
Would I recommend this book to my best friend? NO.
Would I read this book again? NO.
VERDICT: One and a half out of five stars.

not so good

So far, not so good for Lathan's "Two Shall Become One."
In fact, by page 240 nothing of any substance has happened. Other than an abundance of clumsy sex scenes interrupted by ridiculous quotes I don't believe Darcy nor Elizabeth would ever utter, there is not much plot to be found here.
I still have a few more chapters to go, and I bought the second book, so say a prayer for the next week of Lathan's take on Austen.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Two Shall Become One

Title: "Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Two Shall Become One"
Author: Sharon Lathan
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
website: www.austenfans.com
Cost: $14.99

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and Elizabeth once said, "I am very fond of walking."

Armed with a $50 Borders Book Store gift card from a family member who knows the score, I set out to find "the first book" for the Pemberley Project.

Sure, I could dig through my stash of companion novels and choose the best or the worst that I have read so far (I mean really, something had to spark this project, right?)But that would feel like cheating and I am no cheater.

So yesterday I walked into Borders and browsed the "literature" section, not searching for a particular book, but looking for the words "Darcy" "Elizabeth" "Pride and Prejudice" and "Pemberley."
I left with five books - four of them Austen companion novels - but remember, quality is our goal here.

So officially the first book of The Pemberley Project is "Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Two Shall Become One" by Sharon Lathan. The tag on thefront says "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continues..." Cost: $14.99.

The cover is lovely, with sweet portrait-esque pictures of Elizabeth and Darcy on the front. The back cover is interesting.

"A honeymoon can last a lifetime," it reads. "Beginning on their wedding day, Pride and Prejudice's Darcy and Elizabeth are two people who are deeply in love with one another and are excited to begin their marriage."

"As their love story unfolds, they reveal their innermost secrets and feelings, embracing each other in a marriage filled with romance, passion, humor and drama that will keep you spellbound."

So here we go friends. Don't be afraid of the notes in the margins - this is our first step.

"The story of Pride and Prejudice Continues..."

We all want to be Jane Austen.

Don't try to deny it; your dream was her dream and it is my dream, too. All women wish to do something so lasting on the world - so meaningful to so many - that hundreds of years after our deaths people can still see tangible proof of our genius and of our souls.

Jane Austen, with her six novels of love and misunderstanding and redemption, has fueled a genre of literature, filled the hearts of her readers and provided hope for every woman "scorned in love," as Mr. Bennet would say.

Those of us who don't necessarily aspire to literary greatness wish to be Lizzie Bennet - full of love and pride and everything spunky and fun. Mix in a handsome and rich suitor and a mansion full of family and friends and you have the perfect life - oh to adore and be adored.

So perhaps it isn't surprising that authors are tacking their names along behind Jane Austen's on book covers everywhere. "The story of Pride and Prejudice Continues..." the shiny soft covers proclaim.

But who, I wonder, are these authors? Why do they feel the privilege of Austen's genius? How comfortable are they with kidnapping the most beloved characters of all time and bottling them up for resale?

So I stand in the middle of the road - somewhere in between Longbourn and Pemberley - and I challenge these authors to dazzle me. I am no literary scholar. I am not even an author myself. I am just a girl who loves six perfect novels and takes the word - and world - of Jane Austen seriously.

In The Pemberly Project, I will strive to read as many Jane Austen "companion novels" as I can - and review them. Do they capture Jane Austen's sparkling wit? Are they true to the characters of Jane Austen's creation? Given what we know of Jane Austen's actual work, are they plausible in plot?We shall see.

So begins The Pemberley Project. I invite readers to read along with me - to comment on my notes, observations and criticisms. Feel free to suggest books for this blog - I'll read them all. I may even throw in some remarks about television and film adaptations. Yes, I admit, I am a woman obsessed. Come and be obsessed with me.