Pemberley Shades by Dorothy Bonavia-Hunt Book Review
Pemberley Shades
When I first heard about this book at HG and read the first few pages of it I had high hopes that this was going to be a great sequel to P&P. First written in the 1940's, it was just recently re-issued thanks to DJ Clawson aka Marsha Morman who spearheaded the campaign to have it re-published.
I ordered the book from Amazon and began reading it right away. It got off to a promising start, but I began to have the sneaking suspicion that this book was not going to have a lot of Darcy/Lizzy wedded bliss type of action in it. The Darcy's have already been married for 3 years and have a young son, Richard, who is an active toddler with the tendency to put everything in sight into his mouth, as toddlers are want to do at his age. Georgiana is living with them at Pemberley, unmarried, and before long Lizzy's father, sister Kitty, an injured old friend of Darcy's, Colonel Wakeford who has lost an arm in the Peninsular Wars decend upon them.
The main part of this book is a mystery. For in addition to the above guests I've mentioned, a new vicar for Pemberley, a Stephen Acworth is in attendance. He is the mystery that is central to the plot. The entire book revolves around him and his visit to Pemberley. Throughout the whole book, we know there is some secret about him, but don't know what it is until the final 100 pages fo the book, roughly the last 1/3. I can't say the book wasn't good, but it was a bit dull. I did want to keep reading to find out what the truth was about the new curate, but it was no page turner (and I took a break in the middle to read Deathly Hallows as well.)
Lizzy and Darcy are the height of respectability - no hidden kisses in closets and running off to their bedroom in this book. It's all very tame, not unlike the way Jane Austen would have written it herself - but without that unmistakable light and witty tone that Austen has. There was no archness or making fun of society that you see in Austen, it was just a story. Lady Catherine and Anne are in the book as well, and actually Lady Catherine is kind of entertaining, esp. when she takes a fancy to the new vicar and thinks he'd make a good match for her Anne. Georgiana has her usual foibles and heartache, nothing new, and Kitty finds romance, but it's all very hum drum. Lizzy doesn't really show any sparkle, though she is acknowledged to be the most attractive and greatest wit in the county of Derbyshire as the beautiful Mrs. Darcy.
One of my problems with the book is it seems that whenever it looked like something was going to get interesting, maybe some drama or romance, it just fizzled out. Lizzy is always bursting into tears or swooning, but we find out why at the end, but for the most part, she doesn't come across so much as the sparkling, strong and witty Elizabeth Bennett as much as Mrs. Darcy, the mistress of Pemberley who only gets a chance to speak to her husband at length at night before bed (and all they do is talk) and whose duty it is to make sure all her houseguests are comfortable and happy (when she's not fainting or feeling ill.) There were a few instances of excitement, but not much. Jane and Bingley and their children are visiting, as well as Mrs. Gardiner, so we get to see a lot familiar faces, it's like seeing some old friends and catching up with them, you catch up what's going on in their lives, but no real good gossip! LOL
I can't really recommend going out and buying this book, but for the real P&P fans who can't get enough of it and want more, this book may satisfy them, but it's not really a Darcy/Lizzy book, it's more a mystery that happens to take place at Pemberley and Darcy and Elizabeth are the central figures around it. I've read much more entertaining fanfiction online than in this book. I can't really say this book was as good as the hype about having it published again, it was just...nice. I guess I'm so accustomed to fanfic, and it doesn't have to be the spicy kind, I've enjoyed many stories that are rated PG, but this was just lacking somewhere, although I have to add the last 100 pages were the best since that is when we find out everything and the plots gets more interesting.
If I had to rate it I'd give it a C+.
When I first heard about this book at HG and read the first few pages of it I had high hopes that this was going to be a great sequel to P&P. First written in the 1940's, it was just recently re-issued thanks to DJ Clawson aka Marsha Morman who spearheaded the campaign to have it re-published.
I ordered the book from Amazon and began reading it right away. It got off to a promising start, but I began to have the sneaking suspicion that this book was not going to have a lot of Darcy/Lizzy wedded bliss type of action in it. The Darcy's have already been married for 3 years and have a young son, Richard, who is an active toddler with the tendency to put everything in sight into his mouth, as toddlers are want to do at his age. Georgiana is living with them at Pemberley, unmarried, and before long Lizzy's father, sister Kitty, an injured old friend of Darcy's, Colonel Wakeford who has lost an arm in the Peninsular Wars decend upon them.
The main part of this book is a mystery. For in addition to the above guests I've mentioned, a new vicar for Pemberley, a Stephen Acworth is in attendance. He is the mystery that is central to the plot. The entire book revolves around him and his visit to Pemberley. Throughout the whole book, we know there is some secret about him, but don't know what it is until the final 100 pages fo the book, roughly the last 1/3. I can't say the book wasn't good, but it was a bit dull. I did want to keep reading to find out what the truth was about the new curate, but it was no page turner (and I took a break in the middle to read Deathly Hallows as well.)
Lizzy and Darcy are the height of respectability - no hidden kisses in closets and running off to their bedroom in this book. It's all very tame, not unlike the way Jane Austen would have written it herself - but without that unmistakable light and witty tone that Austen has. There was no archness or making fun of society that you see in Austen, it was just a story. Lady Catherine and Anne are in the book as well, and actually Lady Catherine is kind of entertaining, esp. when she takes a fancy to the new vicar and thinks he'd make a good match for her Anne. Georgiana has her usual foibles and heartache, nothing new, and Kitty finds romance, but it's all very hum drum. Lizzy doesn't really show any sparkle, though she is acknowledged to be the most attractive and greatest wit in the county of Derbyshire as the beautiful Mrs. Darcy.
One of my problems with the book is it seems that whenever it looked like something was going to get interesting, maybe some drama or romance, it just fizzled out. Lizzy is always bursting into tears or swooning, but we find out why at the end, but for the most part, she doesn't come across so much as the sparkling, strong and witty Elizabeth Bennett as much as Mrs. Darcy, the mistress of Pemberley who only gets a chance to speak to her husband at length at night before bed (and all they do is talk) and whose duty it is to make sure all her houseguests are comfortable and happy (when she's not fainting or feeling ill.) There were a few instances of excitement, but not much. Jane and Bingley and their children are visiting, as well as Mrs. Gardiner, so we get to see a lot familiar faces, it's like seeing some old friends and catching up with them, you catch up what's going on in their lives, but no real good gossip! LOL
I can't really recommend going out and buying this book, but for the real P&P fans who can't get enough of it and want more, this book may satisfy them, but it's not really a Darcy/Lizzy book, it's more a mystery that happens to take place at Pemberley and Darcy and Elizabeth are the central figures around it. I've read much more entertaining fanfiction online than in this book. I can't really say this book was as good as the hype about having it published again, it was just...nice. I guess I'm so accustomed to fanfic, and it doesn't have to be the spicy kind, I've enjoyed many stories that are rated PG, but this was just lacking somewhere, although I have to add the last 100 pages were the best since that is when we find out everything and the plots gets more interesting.
If I had to rate it I'd give it a C+.