A Darcy Christmas – Carolyn Eberhart, Amanda Grange, and Sharon Lathan

Some Jane Austen Christmas Cheer!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Ever wonder how the Darcy’s would celebrate Christmas? Are you interested in learning how Christmas was celebrated during the Regency era? Or have ever desired for an Austenesque novel to read around Christmastime? A Darcy Christmas just might be the book for you!

MR. DARCY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL – CAROLYN EBERHART
In her debut appearance, Carolyn Eberhart presents a clever and harmonious union between Pride and Prejudice and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In this novella, Darcy’s held back by pride and fear, and doesn’t renew his addresses to Elizabeth a second time. Therefore, he finds himself alone, morose, and dejected, come Christmas Eve. On this special night three Christmas spirits come to call and open Darcy’s eyes to the dreary and desolate future before him…

Darcy as Ebeneezer Scrooge? I love it! I felt this was a very plausible and satisfying integration of these two beloved classics. The three spirits who visited Darcy were ingenious, I especially delighted in the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come! My one complaint is that some of the visions Darcy saw, while very nicely constructed, didn’t really seem to be appropriate or necessary to the story. (4 stars)

CHRISTMAS PRESENT – AMANDA GRANGE

Well-known Austenesque author Amanda Grange contributes a lovely Christmas novella in which the newlywed Darcy’s travel and celebrate Christmas with the newlywed Bingleys who have just welcomed their first child, little Charles. Even though Elizabeth is close to her time, she wants to see her beloved sister and new nephew. The Bingleys open their doors and welcome the Bennets, the Hursts, and several unexpected guests to their home. Will this be a Christmas of peace and joy? Or one fraught with discord and dilemma?

I adore Amanda Grange’s novels and I am so pleased she was apart of this anthology. I loved the premise of her story, a Christmas with all these combustible characters together and Elizabeth on the verge of giving birth! However, I felt this novella was way too brief and not developed to its full potential. While the other two novellas are around one hundred pages, Christmas Present, at only sixty pages, left me feeling a little bereft. (3 stars)

A DARCY CHRISTMAS – SHARON LATHAN

The third and final novella in this anthology isn’t really a novella at all. Rather, it is a heart-warming collection of short stories that illustrate various Darcy Christmases through the years. These progressive snapshots display the powerful and fervent love Darcy and Elizabeth share with each other and their children, endearing Darcy family Christmas traditions, and appearances by both new and beloved characters…

I finally read my first work by Sharon Lathan and can now understand why she has such a devoted following of admirers! I took pleasure in the charming and cozy Christmases the Darcy’s shared. In addition, I loved following the stories of the Darcy children and learning their distinct personalities. Although Ms. Lathan did an admirable job of creating diverse and unique Christmas celebrations, with nine Christmases in a row, it did occasionally feel repetitious. (4 stars)

As someone who devours Austenesque novels all year long, I found this “holiday tribute to Jane Austen” to be a splendid idea! I thought the stories were well-executed, entertaining, and lovely tributes to Christmas and Jane Austen. While I love Darcy and Elizabeth, they are not the only characters Jane Austen created. I would have loved for this anthology to include the Christmas celebrations of other characters. How about we visit the Knightleys, Tilneys, or Wentworths next Christmas?!?

2 comments

  1. A very nice review. I’ve been curious about this book, and now I think I may just have to take the plunge.

    And I love your Christmas anthology idea! As you may have guessed, I’ve been desperate to read books about characters other than Darcy and Elizabeth. So, for all it’s worth, I am all for it.

    Jennifer
    http://www.jenniferbecton.com

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