Pride and Pyramids

Pride and Pyramids: Mr. Darcy in Egypt. Amanda Grange and Jacqueline Webb. 2012. Sourcebooks. 320 pages.

Elizabeth Bennet ran down the stairs of the Darcys' London home with a lightness that belied her thirty-five years. 

You may enjoy Pride & Pyramids more than I did. (I was a bit disappointed in the end.) In this Austen-and-Egypt inspired novel, Mr. Edward Fitzwilliam's enthusiasm for a trip to Egypt inspires the whole Darcy family to join in the fun, excitement, and danger of the adventure. Not just Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, but all of their children--and they have oh-so-many children. Also along for the trip is Sophie Lucas, Charlotte's younger sister who is recovering from a broken heart. The family has also hired Mr. Inkworthy, an artist, to paint, sketch, and draw for the trip.

The book has an interesting premise. What if the Darcy family became interested in Egyptology, what if they were adventurous to want to go to an archaeological dig themselves, what if they were in search of a previously-undiscovered tomb full of treasure, etc. But for me this remained an almost book. It had some potential, but it never wowed.

Read Pride & Pyramids

• If you are a fan of Amanda Grange and/or Jacqueline Webb
• If you are interested in Egypt and archaeology of the nineteenth century 
• If you like Pride and Prejudice and can't get enough of adaptations, retellings, sequels, etc. This one is unique. 
• If you want a little supernatural mixed in  

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mansfield Park Revisited

Mansfield Park Revisited. Joan Aiken. 1985/2005. Sourcebooks. 201 pages.

The sudden and unexpected death of Sir Thomas Bertram, while abroad engaged on business relating to his various properties in the West Indies, could be a cause of nothing but sorrow, dismay, and consternation to the baronet's friends in England.

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Joan Aiken's Mansfield Park Revisited. I do. I love the characters, the story, and most of all the redemption. Susan Price, Fanny's younger sister, is the heroine of Joan Aiken's Mansfield Park Revisited. When the novel opens, Edmund and Fanny are on their way to the West Indies with their youngest child.
Susan's day are soon brightened up by the arrival of two people to the neighborhood. A sadder-but-wiser, Mary Crawford, whose health is in decline, and her ever-faithful brother, Henry. Though Susan never knew either Crawford personally, she can't help but be drawn to them--particularly Mary. She knows the two have history with those she loves best--Fanny, Edward, Tom, etc., but she can't help believing that these two have changed for the better through the years. These two are not seeking society in the neighborhood, just a quiet, peaceful place to simply be.

Aiken is great at relationships, and I definitely enjoyed seeing Susan interact with Mary Crawford, Henry Crawford, Tom Bertram, Lady Bertram, Julia Yates, etc. Readers don't know much about Susan from Austen's novel, but, Aiken did a great job giving her life in this sequel. While readers do know more about Mary and Henry Crawford from Austen's Mansfield Park, I can't help believing that Henry Crawford has been misunderstood until Aiken set the story straight. (I do LOVE Henry Crawford.) Mary's redemption was a beautiful thing as well. Aiken did not rewrite the past--or try to justify it exactly--but she has through circumstance after circumstance brought Mary to a reflective, repentant place and given her an opportunity to blossom into a sensitive, perceptive, loving person. 

I loved every page of this one. I loved spending time with these characters. It was just a wonderful treat.

My first review. 

Read Mansfield Park Revisited

• If you love Mansfield Park, if you like Mansfield Park; even if you were bored with it, you may just find something to love in this historical romance
• If you love Jane Austen
• If you like historical romance

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mr. Darcy's Diary

Mr. Darcy's Diary. Amanda Grange. Sourcebooks. 2007. 320 pages.

Monday, 1st July
Have I done the right thing in establishing Georgiana in London, I wonder? The summer is proving to be very hot, and when I visited her this morning, I found her lacking her usual energy. I think I will send her to the coast for a holiday.

Do I have a favorite Amanda Grange novel? I'm not sure. I definitely LOVED this one, Mr. Darcy's Diary!!! The first Amanda Grange "diary" I read was Colonel Brandon's Diary.  I've since read Mr Knightley's Diary, Wickham's Diary, and Henry Tilney's Diary. (I'd love to make time to read Captain Wentworth's Diary and Edmund Bertram's Diary.)

I also JUST discovered there will be *new* Amanda Grange this year!!! Pride & Pyramids: Mr. Darcy in Egypt which releases in July. Also Dear Mr. Darcy: A Retelling of Pride and Prejudice which releases in August. I believe this gives an insider's look on Darcy's correspondence (as opposed to his diaries).

So I have high expectations for Amanda Grange. And she has never once disappointed me!!! She gets her Austen characters just right. True, I don't love *all* her books equally. But that is in part because I don't love  all of Jane Austen's characters equally. And since her characters are so very true-to-the-book and yet so vividly brought to life all at the same time, it is only natural that I have a similar reaction. At least to a certain degree. I will say this, she can make me appreciate characters that I have been indifferent to in the past. And she can make me appreciate even more characters that I already love and adore.

I loved many, many things about Mr. Darcy's Diary. The thing I love most is how it gives a new perspective on Darcy's relationship with Charles Bingley. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, readers don't really get a chance to know--really know--Charles Bingley all on his own. I loved reading the scenes with Charles Bingley and Mr. Darcy. You really do get an impression of him, a clearer impression of him. And even though Bingley is far, far from perfect, I can't help smiling at his scenes. As for Mr. Darcy, well, that's only to be expected that there's a high degree of charm to be found. True, he can be smug and arrogant, a bit blinded to reality, but, his transformation is all that much more wondrous as seen slowly through the course of these diary entries.

Read Mr. Darcy's Diary

• If you love Jane Austen
• If you love Austen's characters, if you want to spend more time with them, if you want newer, fresher perspectives on their inner lives
• If you enjoy clean Austen retellings/adaptations
• If you're a fan of Amanda Grange
• If you love the book or movie, Pride and Prejudice

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews