A Thoughtful and Reflective Fitzwilliam Darcy
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
Thanks to the efforts of Pamela Aidan, Amanda Grange, Regina Jeffers, Nancy Kelley, Maya Slater, and many others, readers have had the opportunity to enter the private thoughts of Mr. Darcy and explore his psyche! These authors have creatively and skillfully shared with us what Darcy is thinking, feeling, and where he goes when he is away from Elizabeth. In Darcy’s Tale, we see Pride and Prejudice as well as Mr. Darcy from a man’s perspective as debut author Stanley Hurd picks up his pen and joins the ranks of authors who show us the private thoughts and inner struggles of Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Just like Pride and Prejudice, Darcy’s Tale is divided into three volumes, the first volume ends with Darcy and the rest of the Bingley party departing for London after the Netherfield Ball. (So don’t expect to see it all in this one volume!) 😉
What I loved most about this trilogy so far is the very strong sense of truly being in Darcy’s head. Mr. Hurd’s portrays Darcy as a very thoughtful and analytical character. In his mind, he is philosophical, trying to figure people out, contemplative, and always carefully considering his actions. At the beginning of the novel we see Darcy ponder marriage, the happy union his parents shared, and the nine years he has spent out in society as a bachelor. He begins to doubt that the ideal marriage he always thought of himself as having will ever be a possibility. At the same time, Georgiana, still going through her heartbreak from Wickham, begins to question Darcy about the nature of love. A lot of reflection and introspection going with our Darcy!
Another element of this story I enjoyed was witnessing Darcy’s relationship with his sister Georgiana. The two begin to exchange frequent correspondence with each other in this novel (which the reader gets to read in its entirety!). They openly discuss the Ramsgate affair, regret, love, and culpability; I loved seeing the two grow closer throughout Georgiana’s healing, rather than become further separated. I also enjoyed how Darcy shared his thoughts and impressions of Elizabeth with Georgiana and how she encouraged him to stay for the Netherfield Ball.
Speaking of…probably one of my favorite experiences in this novel was witnessing the Netherfield Ball through Mr. Darcys eyes. We all know that it was a night of mortification and disappointment for Elizabeth Bennet, but in his novel, Stanley Hurd shows us how poor Mr. Darcy suffered just as much if not more that evening. Dreading Wickham’s presence, having his dance with Elizabeth Bennet go decidedly against his plans and wishes, learning, for the first time, the gossip and expectations surrounding his friend Bingley, and catching wind of Mr Collins intentions towards Elizabeth – the night was truly a tumult of frustration and torture…I’m surprised Mr. Darcy’s head didn’t explode from all the stress and tension!
Perceptive, illuminating, and riveting – Stanley Hurd is off to a stellar start with his Darcy’s Tale trilogy! I adored his thoughtful, sympathetic, and reverent portrayal of our beloved Mr. Darcy! I cannot wait to read Darcy’s Tale, Volume II: Into Kent, which should be released some time in the near future!
35 out of 30 completed!
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Today Stanley Hurd generously donated 5 BRAND NEW paperback copies of Darcy’s Tale, Volume I: Into Hertfordshire for me to giveaway in conjunction with my review and our interview on Monday!
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment about my review!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Stanley!
- This giveaway ends December 16th!
DOUBLE your chances of winning by leaving a comment on Monday’s interview!
I like the idea of Darcy from a man’s perspective and that there is more of the relationship between Darcy and Georgiana
The relationship between them is real sweet, Vesper! I’m sure you will love it!
Can not wait to read!
🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Oh, I so want to win this one! It sounds so interesting!
Best of luck, arjanne!
I thought I would be bored reading another p&p related book even from mr. Darcy’s point of view. After all there are others out there. However, after reading your review it sounds great. The part about Darcy’s anxiety, mortification, and trepidation regarding the netherfield ball really grabbed me. I’d love to read it also.
I don’t think I could ever look at the Netherfield Ball the same again, Suzan! I would always read/watch it and inwardly cringe for Elizabeth. But now I’ll be doing that for Darcy as well!
During the summer, I forced myself to read something wholly unconnected to Austen. As most Janeites know, its easy to drift into fanfic world and leave reality behind. But now I’m ready to return!! You must let me tell you how excited I am to learn of this book. A FREE book is even better. Thank you for this giveaway.
🙂 “You must let me tell you how excited I am to learn of this book.” – in vain have you struggled? There’s nothing that can compare to the world of Austen, in my humble opinion!
Meredith, you are a total Janeite nerd! wish I had said it first.
Great review. This sounds like a must read.
Thank you, Sagan! I would definitely label it that!
Meredith, when you give a book 5 out of 5 stars, it is a must read for me!! More of every woman’s heart throbe—Mr. Darcy–ahh!
Catherine
Thank you for putting such stock in my opinion, Catherine! I’m honored and humbled! More of Mr. Darcy could never be a bad thing, right?
I like the thought of the male perspective here….I would love to read Darcy’s thoughts during the ball
,
We definitely see a different take on the story with Mr. Darcy. It is amazing to see how he misinterprets practically every exchange he has with Elizabeth Bennet!
I picked up the Kindle sample of this purely on a whim and I am very impressed, both with the approach to the subject and Mr. Hurd’s writing style in general. It’s so well done, in fact, that I find it hard to believe it’s a first effort. I would wholeheartedly recommend it based on the sample I read – and I don’t do that too often. Would be lovely to win the (whole!) book!
So glad you see you join in with my praises, Shelia! Hope you can read the whole book soon! 🙂
Mr. Hurd, where have you been?! This sounds awesome! I can’t wait to find out what Mr. Darcy thinks about Mr. Collin’s intentions.
😀 poor Mr. Darcy! He was quite offended and distraught by the end of that conversation!
5 out of 5 stars–wow! You have me captivated! I look forward to this book–I enjoy reading letters and Stanley’s perspective will definitely be a treat!
I think there is at least a dozen letters exchanged between Darcy and Georigana, Betsy. It was nice to see their relationship develop through this medium!
Thanks for this review – I cannot wait to read it
🙂 Good luck in the giveaway!
Great review, Meredith! I have this book on my wish list and was eager to read your review when I saw it. I also found your interview of Mr. Hurd fascinating. Thanks as always, for such a stellar blog and for the giveaway opportunity.
Happy Holidays to you and Mr. Bingley!
You are so kind, Janet! Thank you! Hope this book finds it way to you soon! All the best to you and your family this holiday season!
Pamela Aiden’s Darcy trilogy was my first foray into the works of contemporary Austen Authors. I am thrilled to learn you think so highly of this one. Can’t wait to read it; already on my Wish List!
What a great series to begin with, Regina! I think you’d definitely enjoy this series too!
Darcy & Elizabeth are my very most favorite fictional characters! To finally read a story about Darcy & what his thoughts and feelings were, and are, about Elizabeth would be the icing on the cake!! LOVED the review and knowing that we’ll learn so much more in this story of Darcy during the Netherfield Ball….. Ahhhh!!! I’m dying to read it already!! LOL On top of the reading list it goes! Thank you so much for the giveaway!!! 🙂
I think this is so cool. I’d really like to read about Netherfild Ball from Darcy’S PERSPECTIVE.wow.
LOL! So happy to hear both you ladies are wanting to read this book! That Netherfield Ball…I’m telling you…wow
I have enjoyed all those versions of the story from Darcy’s perspective that you compared this one too and I too look forward to the gaps being filled and experiencing those letters with Georgiana. I was most struck by Mr. Hurd’s interview responses the other day. His Darcy sounds like a must read. Thanks!
It’s interesting to see different takes on Darcy’s character, behavior, and relationships, isn’t it? I’m definitely enjoying this portrayal so far – can’t wait to see more!
My thanks to everyone who has commented so far, and especially to Meredith—not just for her very kind and generous review, and her insightful interview questions, but more importantly, for her site in general; what a great asset to all Janeites!
Best of luck, everyone!
Thank you for the kind words, Stan! It has been such a pleasure to work with you!
Woo!!! Meredith, I am so excited about this book. Three volumes as of its Pamela Aidam. Really, I have so much curiosity for it.
Thank you!
Thank you Warmisunqu! I was curious about it too! It was a wonderful read, hope you get to read it soon, yourself!
The book sounds amazing! I’ve always wanted a bit of perspective into the head of Darcy. The few scenes that we have in P&P with darcy and the Ms. Bingley are actually very interesting. So I am hoping this book will be quite good! I wish to enter the giveaway and promise to write a review in goodreads. Thank you.
Oh you will see plenty of what Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bingley here! I enjoyed seeing him and Georgiana discuss her and compare her to Elizabeth Bennet in their letters.
Very cool, I am a very large fan of the P and P series, Always like to hear what is new:) thanks
Ann
I think this is a series you will definitely enjoy, Ann! Best of luck in the giveaway!
I always love the books from Darcy’s perspective and this one sounds wonderful!
I look forward to reading it soon 🙂
It is always fun to spend more time with Mr. Darcy, isn’t it?
Thanks Meredith for your review. I look forward to reading Stan’s books. –Leslie
Thanks for reading my review, Leslie! Best of luck!
I was already sold on this book but now I’m just itching to have it!
Great review by the way Meredith!
Oh, thank you Brenda! So glad you enjoyed the review!
Hello! I am a French Janeite and I love reading retellings, prequels and sequels about Jane Austen books. I didn’ know about this trilogy but I’m glad I went through it! I’m currently reading Pamela Aidan’s trilogy and it is nice but not entirely great. I’m very curious to read such a book written by a man for a change! I hope the odds will be on my side 😉 Thanks for your review!
Hello Coquelicote! So happy to share this series with you! Best of luck!
I was lucky enough to win this at another site (so of course I’m not entering the giveaway) and I am so stoked to read it! 🙂
Lucky you, Monica! Awesome! Happy reading!
This is a wonderful review! It sounds like a great book as well – lets hope this may be my first giveaway I win! 😀 Thanks for the chance!
Lovely review, Meredith! I’ll definitely add this new book to my list. And after your beautiful words I’m even more eager to read it 🙂 Thank you!
I have all ready read this wonderful first volume and can hardly wait for Volume 2. I definitely second the 5 star rating and am surprised that Mr. Hurd did not have his book commercially published by a well-known house as his style and ability definitely do come up to snuff. More than ever Mr. Darcy needs a kettle of noodles dumped over his head, his blindness and conceit really show us the “me, myself, and I” which lie slightly below the surface in Austen’s original.
Dear juliaergane,
Thanks so much for your kind words; I did have it looked at by traditional houses, but the consensus was that this genre had passed its prime, and there wasn’t enough market left to support it. Since the genre is over a hundred years old, perhaps there is reason to hope that these last few years have not been sufficient to do it in. 😉
This novel sounds wonderful! Need to purchase or win!
🙂 I agree! Good luck!
Thanks for the detailed and inspiring review, Meredith! Same as others, I was drawn into JAFF by Pamela Aidan’s trilogy and I’m looking forward to reading something that promises to be even better! Perceptive, illuminating and riveting – wow! One way or the other, I think I know what I’ll be reading over Xmas 🙂
Thank you for the kind words, Joana! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
The male perspective is always awesome. Love being inside Darcy’s head. Def needs to go on the wish list!
Yes! Always fun to be in Darcy’s head! 😉
Longbourn was picked up in GB and then printed here. There is also another delightful title that was picked up by William Morrow. You need a good agent willing to believe in YOU and your BOOK. Genre is all well and good; but, it is only an EXC– USE given for laziness. I agree that there is an awful lot of iffy quality out on the self-published market, which tends to denigrate the better books, thus prejudicing some of these agents to the genre. You have fallen into this catch-22 situation. A good story well-written should find its advocate.
juliaergane,
Well, I guess I have some time to see if any interest is generated; in the meantime, I’ll just keep writing!
Stan
I have read previous books from Darcy’s perspective. I have always enjoyed reading about what was Darcy thinking. Thank you for the excellent review,Meredith, and thank you, Stan, for the giveaways.
Thanks for reading my review and entering the giveaway, Eva! I love getting the hero’s perspective on things, don’t you?
Re-writing the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mr Darcy’s perspective is a rare occurrence in my opinion as I know many of these stories are written by women. I’m not talking about online fan fiction where they are free to read as I rarely visit the sites. Nevertheless the book sounds wonderful and I would love to read it. Thanks for giving away 5 copies, Stan!
To my knowledge, this might be the first Darcy’ POV story written by a man to be published, not entirely sure though. Best of luck in the giveaway, Sylvia!
Dear Luthien84,
I apologize for my late reply, but I have been occupied getting the second volume out for the last few days. Your comments are much appreciated; hope you win!
This sounds fantastic! I love Austenesque books that get into the heroes’ heads, and it’s very rare that I get to read one written by a man. Great review!
Thank you, Anna! I love these types of books! Hopefully Stan can be persuaded to write more after this series! 🙂
It’s great that you’ve scored on the first book of the trilogy, Stan. I’d love to have a man’s insights into Darcy. I think it would help me with my own writing!
Thanks for stopping by, Suzan! I hope you enjoy Stan’s insights as much as I did!
Suzan,
Sorry for not replying sooner, but I just finished getting the second volume published, and you know how consuming that is! At any rate, thank you for your lauds, but I seriously doubt my book will add to the insights of a serious student of P&P.
Best,
Stan
Just finished reading Darcy’s Tale, Volume I last night, and now I can’t wait for Volumes II & III! I have read great reviews for the book, and Meredith, it was your 5 star rating that made me bite. A wonderful, in-depth portrayal of Darcy that feels so right for the character, and Mr. Hurd captures the true essence of P&P in this book.
I also deeply appreciated the excellent writing style and adherence to historical accuracy (I recently read a ridiculous P&P adaptation that felt like it was written for a 3rd grade reading level, and so Darcy’s Tale was like a palate cleanser from that overly saccharine story). Highly recommend!
JoJo,
Thanks so much for those encouraging words! That is high praise, indeed. Volume II is out now, in fact: I launched it yesterday.
Stan
so excited to read! sounds great!