Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife

Author: Linda Berdoll
Published: April 2004 (Sourcebooks)
Category: Historical Romance
Quote of Choice: She was uncertain whether first to disabuse him of the notion of her forlorness, explain implicitly that their "disappointment" was not to be spoken of by a man with the morals and sexual appetite of a particularly libidinous goat, or simply smite him across the forehead with the fireplace poker.

I guess I'd be upset by this book if I were an Austen purist, but I'm not. I like her stories and love her characters, particularly those in Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. I'll say again that I haven't read Austen since high school and plan to remedy that situation if I ever unpack my books at my semi-new (at this point) apartment.

I've read one Pride and Prejudice sequel so far, and unlike Bebris' Pride and Prescience, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife feels as if it were really written in the 1800s. Upon reading the author's note, the reader is warned of a more passionate version of Darcy and Elizabeth, and the author points out that Austen never married, and therefore couldn't write about the intimacies of married life.

In this sequel, we join the Darcys right after their wedding day, but as seen throughout the book, the narrative flashes back to the few months prior to the wedding. Actually, the timeline goes forward and jumps back quite a bit. For example, an event will happen with the narration following Lizzy, and then in the next chapter, the same event will happen, but following Darcy instead, or his valet, or Lizzy's lady's maid.

I don't want to give anything away, but I can see why Austen purists would dislike this book. Berdoll shows us a more passionate Darcy, a very passionate Darcy, actually. I can also say that the Darcys enjoy a very happy marital bed. I think Berdoll holds very true to the characters as I know them, but yet again, I haven't read P&P recently enough to know if Berdoll held true to the way Austen wrote those characters.

It was an excellent read, and not one that is easily sped through. I've already purchased the sequel, Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley.