Review: Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson

Source: Review copy from Sourcebooks
Rating: ★★★★☆

…”She, however, does not want to spend the rest of her life with a guardian; she wants to spend it with a husband — and it is entirely your fault that she feels that way!”  She stopped, shocked at her own vehemence.

“My fault!  What do you mean?” he asked with asperity.

“Your sister, my dear husband, wants a marriage with the love, affection, and, I hope, trust,” she said dryly, “between husband and wife that you have achieved.”  Then, she added hurriedly, with a slight blush, “…albeit through months of agony and uncertainty beforehand, of which she has probably only the slightest comprehension.”

(from Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister, page 296 in the ARC)

C. Allyn Pierson pushes Georgiana Darcy to the forefront of Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister, a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  Austen did not focus much on Georgiana’s character, so readers know little about her aside from her almost elopement with the scoundrel George Wickham, her shyness, and the fact that her brother cares deeply for her and will do anything to protect her and her reputation.  Pierson moves Georgiana out of Mr. Darcy’s shadow in this coming-of-age novel, which opens just before Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet’s wedding.  Georgiana is anxious to forge a sisterly bond with Elizabeth, but she’s nervous about meeting the rest of the Bennet family.  In fact, Georgiana is nervous and unsure of herself in almost any public setting, and thinking about her presentation and coming-out make matters worse.  Not only does she worry about saying the wrong things when conversing with people outside her family unit, but she also must figure out how to find true love when the eligible young men are immediately attracted to her dowry.

It’s not long before Georgiana is dealing with a shady suitor and a situation that could ruin the reputation her brother worked so hard to safeguard after the Wickham episode.  But with Elizabeth’s help, Georgiana begins to come out of her shell, and when love comes unexpectedly, she must learn to assert herself to get what she wants.  Elizabeth and Darcy also are highlighted, with Elizabeth finding it hard to be accepted by those in Darcy’s social circle and Darcy going on a top secret mission for the Prince Regent.

Pierson does a good job integrating new characters with our favorites from Pride and Prejudice, and she breathes life into Georgiana and makes the character her own but simultaneously stays true to Austen’s original work.  Georgiana’s anxieties grew a bit tiring early on, but I enjoyed watching her character evolve, even if several of the story lines were predictable.  I read a lot of Pride and Prejudice sequels, and I’m always looking for something different to keep me interested.  Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister, with its spotlight on Georgiana, was a breath of fresh air.

Disclosure: I received Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister from Sourcebooks for review.

© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.