Look, I actually had time to read a new book!
Usually, when I get overwhelmed, I end up rereading books (part of why my personal library is so big - I go through a LOT of books in a year) Mom says something similar - she can tell what sort of mood she's in by what sort of book she's rereading! I'm the same way - when the rest of life gets really crazy, I don't watch a lot of new movies and don't read new books. For both books and movies, I turn to the 'old friends.' Best I can figure, I don't want to think too much in my leisure time when the rest of my life is getting hectic, so I turn to books and movies that are already very familiar. For example, I've two newer books that I'm very very slowly working my way through at the moment, because work has been so crazy recently. They are practically at a standstill right now! But with things slowly returning to normal in that area, hopefully I'll have some new books to talk about here too :)
To be honest, this one was actually read a month of so ago, and I'm finally getting a chance to talk about it. Like I said, things have been pretty crazy around here...
So, yes, on to Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange!
Usually, when I get overwhelmed, I end up rereading books (part of why my personal library is so big - I go through a LOT of books in a year) Mom says something similar - she can tell what sort of mood she's in by what sort of book she's rereading! I'm the same way - when the rest of life gets really crazy, I don't watch a lot of new movies and don't read new books. For both books and movies, I turn to the 'old friends.' Best I can figure, I don't want to think too much in my leisure time when the rest of my life is getting hectic, so I turn to books and movies that are already very familiar. For example, I've two newer books that I'm very very slowly working my way through at the moment, because work has been so crazy recently. They are practically at a standstill right now! But with things slowly returning to normal in that area, hopefully I'll have some new books to talk about here too :)
To be honest, this one was actually read a month of so ago, and I'm finally getting a chance to talk about it. Like I said, things have been pretty crazy around here...
So, yes, on to Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange!
For plot summary, well... it's Pride and Prejudice, but told from Mr. Darcy's perspective. It really is as the title says: Mr Darcy's Diary.
I actually really liked this book, and I wasn't sure if I would when I began it. It turned out that it was one of those books that you feel you could read in a day, if you didn't have that pesky "real life" nonsense to deal with (you know the type of books I mean!). You already know all the characters and the story. Here you are revisiting them from another perspective, and that's what was worrying me. I'm not saying all books deserve this treatment, but when the characters are already well loved, it's not a bad thing to revisit them. (As long as they aren't messed with! A pet peeve there...) So many books take well-loved stories and characters and then have them doing things totally, well, wrong and it's just frustrating.
Amanda Grange has apparently written a series of books, looking at Austen's stories from the hero's perspective. I know Mr. Knightly (Emma), Colonel Brandon (Sense & Sensibility) and Captain Wentworth (Persuasion) all have diaries that I would like to read, and I believe she's also written one for Edmund from Mansfield Park but that was one of my least favorite Austen novels so I'm not too worried about finding that one. The others would definitely be interesting, though. I'll have to start seeing what our tiny library's interlibrary loan system can get to me out here, or else wait til I'm actually in a city with a big library system again.
The book itself is not deep, but it's very enjoyable. Chick Lit would be the best comparison I can think of, but a historical Chick Lit book. It's a very fun read, and that's what a reader should go in expecting, not a great classic but a fun treatment of a classic.
I liked how Grange works in lines from the original novel - phrases from conversations, etc. She did a good job of working Darcy's thoughts in with the conversations, so that, if not entirely seamless, at least it blended well. It would've been definitely a negative point if the conversation taken from Austen didn't sit well with more modern sounding narrative.
I also liked how she filled in gaps from Darcy's perspective (like we hear more of Wickham's wooing of Georgiana, and what becomes of Anne de Burgh, who was practically a sidenote nonentity in the original) but made sure to keep Elizabeth's activities out (we don't hear about her trip to Derbyshire, except when she is actually at Pemberly). The reader, already familiar with the story, knows what's going on in the meantime, but Darcy talks of his own life, Georgiana's activities, etc. and only wonders what Lizzie is up to. If Grange had been careless about that, I know it would've irked me no end!
Overall: 4 of 5, I guess. It's a nice light fluff read. Wonderful characters, and she treats them well. It's a faster read than the original P&P, so a nice 'fun book' to through in when you need a relaxing read, or want a little more of the characters you like. Wouldn't mind having it on my shelf at all.
I actually really liked this book, and I wasn't sure if I would when I began it. It turned out that it was one of those books that you feel you could read in a day, if you didn't have that pesky "real life" nonsense to deal with (you know the type of books I mean!). You already know all the characters and the story. Here you are revisiting them from another perspective, and that's what was worrying me. I'm not saying all books deserve this treatment, but when the characters are already well loved, it's not a bad thing to revisit them. (As long as they aren't messed with! A pet peeve there...) So many books take well-loved stories and characters and then have them doing things totally, well, wrong and it's just frustrating.
Amanda Grange has apparently written a series of books, looking at Austen's stories from the hero's perspective. I know Mr. Knightly (Emma), Colonel Brandon (Sense & Sensibility) and Captain Wentworth (Persuasion) all have diaries that I would like to read, and I believe she's also written one for Edmund from Mansfield Park but that was one of my least favorite Austen novels so I'm not too worried about finding that one. The others would definitely be interesting, though. I'll have to start seeing what our tiny library's interlibrary loan system can get to me out here, or else wait til I'm actually in a city with a big library system again.
The book itself is not deep, but it's very enjoyable. Chick Lit would be the best comparison I can think of, but a historical Chick Lit book. It's a very fun read, and that's what a reader should go in expecting, not a great classic but a fun treatment of a classic.
I liked how Grange works in lines from the original novel - phrases from conversations, etc. She did a good job of working Darcy's thoughts in with the conversations, so that, if not entirely seamless, at least it blended well. It would've been definitely a negative point if the conversation taken from Austen didn't sit well with more modern sounding narrative.
I also liked how she filled in gaps from Darcy's perspective (like we hear more of Wickham's wooing of Georgiana, and what becomes of Anne de Burgh, who was practically a sidenote nonentity in the original) but made sure to keep Elizabeth's activities out (we don't hear about her trip to Derbyshire, except when she is actually at Pemberly). The reader, already familiar with the story, knows what's going on in the meantime, but Darcy talks of his own life, Georgiana's activities, etc. and only wonders what Lizzie is up to. If Grange had been careless about that, I know it would've irked me no end!
Overall: 4 of 5, I guess. It's a nice light fluff read. Wonderful characters, and she treats them well. It's a faster read than the original P&P, so a nice 'fun book' to through in when you need a relaxing read, or want a little more of the characters you like. Wouldn't mind having it on my shelf at all.
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