This is the first of a set of three novels which aim to re-tell the story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the standpoint of one Fitzwilliam Darcy. As it’s exactly the sort of book I approach with trepidation, it’s unlikely I’d have read it if the good people at Simon & Schuster hadn’t sent me a review copy. Having read it, my reactions are mixed, but are positive on the whole.

When writing a book like this, there are two paths the author can take. She may attempt to complete the story by filling in the gaps, or she may try to tell the “real” story, the story behind the story, the story Jane Austen elected to suppress. The latter is the easier approach in this cynical and post-modern era, offering a multitude of opportunities for cheap gags at the expense of Miss Austen’s classic. Fortunately for us, the author has chosen the more difficult path of trying to craft a tale that augments the original without tearing it down.

A digression: it’s the more difficult path, but I can hardly call it the “road less travelled.” I did a quick Google search and came up with the following titles, all by different authors:

• The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy
• The Diary of Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Darcy’s Diary
• Darcy’s Story
• Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberly
• North by Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberly: A Mr. and
  Mrs. Darcy Mystery

Aidan does appear to have the distinction of being the first to expand her version of the story into a trilogy.

This volume, the first, covers the span from the beginning of Pride and Prejudice until shortly after Darcy moves his friend Bingley to London, to save him from a misalliance with the Bennett family. It begins slowly–the opening paragraphs are particularly stilted–but improves as the author hits her stride. There’s a noticeable difference in tone between the “on-stage” sections, where Aidan is showing us one of Austen’s scenes from Darcy’s point of view, and is perforce required to use Austen’s dialog, and the “off-stage” scenes where she exercise her imagination fully. The latter are freer, and generally more fun; in the “on-stage” scenes Darcy often seems somewhat uncomfortable with his lines, especially when addressing Elizabeth Bennett.

Aidan’s Darcy is nevertheless an intriguing character, consistent with Austen’s Darcy. He inhabits a larger world than Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett, just as a man of Darcy’s station would have in Austen’s day, being more concerned with business and the latest news of the war in Spain, and more aware of various social trends and fads. Further, his ever-increasing fascination with Elizabeth rang true, at least to me.

In short, Aidan has managed to produce a tale that, while slow in spots, did no damage to my memories of Pride and Prejudice and left me wanting more. All in all, not a bad days work.

Please note, I have no intention of dipping into the “Mr. Darcy” books by other authors which I listed above. My satisfaction with this one still leaves me feeling rather like I dodged a bullet, and I’m not into playing Russian Roulette.