Review: Excellent and entertaining sequel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
I almost didn't download a sample after seeing two awful reviews--then I read those reviews again with a critical eye and decided that something was wrong there. I ordered the preview and, before even finishing it, ordered the full novel. I am glad I did.I found it very well written, and I'm pretty demanding in that respect, because I feel that the author who bases his story on someone else's classic, owes a certain debt and respect to both the original author and the readers who love it. Helen Price treated Jane Austen's original with respect to both the personalities of the original characters and to Austen's writing style (in as much as it is possible for someone else to really sound like Austen!)The book deals with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy as newly weds and on to the birth of their first child. The cast includes the entire Bennet, Darcy, De Bourgh, and Fitzwilliam families as well as friends and neighbors around Pemberley. These supporting characters and relationships serve to verify how well Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam are adapting to their new lives.The new characters introduced and woven into the story were not inconsistent nor were most the situations in which all the characters were involved. Some of the events in the book are a bit of a stretch, but they are handled well to make a coherent whole. I have read many sequels and variations and this may not have been the absolute best I've read, but it has a lot of positives to recommend it--not the least of which is competent writing and imaginative story development.If I had written it, I would have had Lydia learn her lesson at some point, Georgiana grow in confidence and independence, and Lady Catherine unbend somewhat (although there is a hint towards the end that she might).But, on the whole, the book retained my interest from the very beginning, I was sorry to see it end, and I hope that the author will continue writing P&P; sequels.