Just as Excellent as Volume 1!!Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
Volume One in the Given Good Principles series by Maria Grace asked the question: What if Darcy lost some of his pride and selfish conceit and began to undergo a reformation before he ever met Elizabeth Bennet? While Darcy’s Decision (Given Good Principles Volume One) centers upon Fitzwilliam Darcy in his pre-Pride and Prejudice days, The Future Mrs. Darcy (Given Good Principles Volume Two) follows Elizabeth Bennet and illustrates what events were occupying her life before a certain gentleman took up residence in Netherfield Park, begging the question: What if Elizabeth received a hefty dose of humility and reality before she ever set eyes on Mr. Darcy?
Ahhh. What a refreshing and splendidly unique series this is!! I am exceedingly enjoying the inventive twists, new characters, and changed circumstances Maria Grace has created through this series. While some Pride and Prejudicevariations may throw one or two wrenches into the plot, Ms. Grace has effectively thrown half a dozen, and you know what? They all seem to work. I am all eagerness to see how everything will pan out in the next and final installment of her trilogy!
My favorite aspect of Maria Grace’s writing is her characterization. While her story is told primarily from Elizabeth’s point-of-view in this novel, Ms. Grace occasionally swivels the spotlight to illuminate Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Kitty, and Mary; giving these characters a little more distinction and dimension. I loved the new understanding I gained about these characters! Witnessing a little of their past hardships, feelings of inadequacy, and desperate need for approval increased my sympathy, secured my compassion, and even granted some allowance for their flaws and foibles in my eyes. I especially appreciated and admired how Ms. Grace provided a credible explanation for both Mrs. Bennet’s nerves and anxieties as well as Mr. Bennet’s supposed lack of foresight and responsibility in providing for his daughters. Well done!
In addition to superb characterization, another element of this novel I took great pleasure in was the strong themes of sisterhood and familial duty. At times this novel felt very Louisa May Alcott-ish, and the Bennet sisters (excluding Lydia) often reminded me of the March sisters from Little Women. Because Mr. Bennet has his own dilemmas to sort through and Mrs. Bennet is indisposed, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, and Kitty have to pitch in with managing the household, visiting the tenants, and supervising the servants. I so enjoyed seeing these sisters mature, grow closer, and overcome their obstacles together. However, I must warn you that Lydia is a terror in this novel! So extremely selfish, so exasperatingly immature, so spitefully unkind! She is a real villainous in this story and I wanted to slap her so many, many times! I’m curious to see if she will remain as such in the next installment…
Closing with an adorable and oh-so-promising “meet-cute” between Darcy and Elizabeth, the last chapter of The Future Mrs. Darcy beautifully sets the stage for the final installment of this trilogy. (And this reader is all atwitter with anticipation to read it!) I CANNOT wait to see how all the various twists and new developments effect Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship with each other! Furthermore, I’m eager to see what happens to other characters such as Mr. Collins, Lydia, Mr. Pierce, and Georgiana, whose story-lines are not entirely resolved. I emphatically recommend this series to all Austenesque readers! Maria Grace is a wonderfully talented writer and I greatly admire her work!
**I just really love how elegant, appealing, and affordable this series is! It should definitely be added to your TBR list, if it hasn’t already!
Given Good Principles by Maria Grace
Darcy’s Decision (VOLUME 1)
The Future Mrs. Darcy (VOLUME 2)
It sounds excellent! I love it when somebody really thinks through the variations they make and the knock-on effects these might have. I have vol 1 on my kindle but not read it yet, perhaps I’ll try it next 🙂
Oh yes, Ceri! These twists are very well thought-out and effective! You should so go read it next! 🙂
I have the first one, but haven’t pulled it out of the TBR pile yet. I need to get on the stick because these sound good.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Sophia Rose! Make haste and read book 1! 😛 I really think you will enjoy this series as much as I do!
I loved your review. I haven’t gotten to read Maria’s works yet but I’m so looking forward to it. I enjoy her blog site and I can imagine how good the novels will be.
Thank you, suzan! I had a lot of fun writing this review! Maria’s writing is as lovely as she is! I got to meet her in person in September and she was so kind! I hope you enjoy this series when you get around to reading it! 🙂
I can’t wait to get back into reading again – it sounds like this series will be the perfect snowday treat!
Yes it is! I’ve been doing a lot of reading under a warm blanket lately because the temps have dropped here! Happy reading!
Wonderful review! I really enjoyed volume I, so I’m very glad to hear that volume II is just as thoughtful and well written. Thanks to your review, I’ll probably skip to the end and read the Darcy and Elizabeth “meet cute” first. *shh* don’t tell.
I have a nook, so if Maria is reading this, please consider making it available as an ebook. I know there’s a kindle version, but I would eagerly buy all 3 Given Good Principles to have on my nook.
Thank you, Heather! LOL! I hope I didn’t spoil the ending. I just was so excited and happy, I had to share it! I’ll ask Maria about the nook version for you. 🙂
Heather,
early on I tried to release a Nook version but it was plagued with problems. After I release the final volume, I will get the entire series released on Nook. It has taken some time to sort out the problems, but I think I’ve gotten it figured out now.
thanks!
grace