Darcy looked down, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Now you know very well, Georgiana, that I have never really taken a strong liking to any particular woman. Usually the association was out of duty or obligation or some familial obligation. There may have been a few whose company I enjoyed, but none I would have sought as my wife.”
“Oh, but there were certainly many who wanted you to take a liking to them and who would have, without the slightest hesitation, consented to being your wife!”
“Yes, and I can remember all your comments after I would introduce one of those women to you.”
Georgiana looked down, displaying a childlike pout for her brother. “I was not that bad, was I, Fitzwilliam?”
Darcy laughed. “I quickly discovered, Georgiana, that the quieter you were around the lady, the more vocal you would be to me after she left!”
(from Darcy’s Voyage, page 397 in the ARC)
Darcy’s Voyage proved to me that I’m still not growing weary of the numerous sequels and re-tellings of Jane Austen’s novels. In this re-imagined Pride and Prejudice, Kara Louise takes readers on a completely different journey while staying true to Austen’s beloved characters and arriving at the same conclusion.
Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy meet in a carriage, and after enjoying a lively discussion, they part ways. Two years later, Elizabeth convinces her father to let her travel alone to America to visit her Uncle and Aunt Gardiner. After boarding Pemberley’s Promise, she runs into Mr. Darcy, and they strike up a friendship, not realizing he is the man from the carriage and the owner of the ship. Elizabeth is booked in steerage, and she willingly gives up her bed to a pregnant woman whose daughter falls ill. And when Elizabeth also becomes sick and injures her ankle, Mr. Darcy devises a plan that will allow her to sleep in the extra bed in his cabin — and joins the two of them together permanently.
Of course, misunderstandings separate them once they reach New York, but after returning to England, they are reunited at Netherfield, and readers are reunited with the rest of the cast of Pride and Prejudice. In addition to the complicated situation carrying over from the voyage, Darcy and Elizabeth still must deal with George Wickham’s evil ways, Caroline Bingley’s arrogance, and Lady Catherine’s rage. Louise handles these things (and more) much differently than Austen, breathing fresh air into a story I know inside and out.
Although I found it hard to believe that Mr. Bennet, being a gentleman, would allow Elizabeth to travel solo and that Elizabeth and Darcy didn’t recognize one another on the ship after being so smitten for months after the carriage ride two years prior, I really enjoyed Darcy’s Voyage. Because they meet in a far different manner, there isn’t the prejudice that Austen created, though pride is glimpsed here and there. Darcy’s Voyage is more about keeping love intact at all costs than about overcoming pride and prejudice. Louise puts a unique spin on events, with enough tension to carry the story until the end, where some things play out differently than in Austen’s novel. Darcy’s Voyage is among the most creative Austen re-tellings I’ve read in awhile.
Disclosure: I received Darcy’s Voyage from Sourcebooks for review.
© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
This sounds like another charming book. Wonderful review, Anna. You are “going to town” with this challenge.
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I can’t help it! I enjoy these kinds of books way too much! 😉
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I love sequels and I really like this story. Now to see where the contests are!
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I hope you get a chance to read it!
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Sounds quite good. I must say all the books written around Jane Austen’s novels sound much more interesting than the books themselves.
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I haven’t yet read all of Austen’s novels, but I have to say that while I enjoy the Persuasion sequels, nothing can top that novel for me. 😉
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Dunno why but Austen books always make me go awwwww. I want this one too.
But yes he would NEVER have let her on that ship alone
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Well, guess we just have to go with it to broaden our horizons with the P&P retellings. 😉
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I really enjoyed this book as well.
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I’m glad! We had some good discussions about it.
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[…] an Eccentric) Today I’m happy to welcome Kara Louise, author of Darcy’s Voyage (read my review) to Diary of an Eccentric. I’d like to thank Kara for taking time out of her busy schedule […]
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Great review Anna. I still am not too ready to try to Austen spin-offs mainly because I still haven’t read P&P and feel I should read the original first 🙂
This sounds really cute and isn’t that a great cover?
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What’s interesting is that the woman on this cover also is on the cover of Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds. 😉
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Anna, I think you are addicted to these retellings! I can’t even remember the number of books you have already read! 🙂
I love the quote, it made me smile! I hope I get to one of these books someday 🙂
great review!
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I am! I just can’t get enough of them!
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Reblogged this on Kittens with Mittens and commented:
I enjoyed it for the same reasons with the same reservations. I think it’s all covered in this review. I don’t think I would reread it but I enjoyed reading it once….
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