Today I finished my second book that I've read towards the Everything Austen Challenge.
From Amazon.com...
"When Elizabeth Bennett marries the brooding, passionate Mr. Darcy, she is thrown into the exciting world of London society. She makes a powerful friend in the Marchioness of Englebury but the jealousy among her ladyship's circle threatens to destroy Elizabeth's happiness. Elizabeth is drawn into a powerful clique for whom intrigue is the stuff of life and rivalry the motive, and her success, it seems, can only come at the expense of good relations with her husband. This novel also continues the stories of other favorite Pride and Prejudice characters including Georgiana Darcy and Kitty Bennett, each of whom have amusing adventures of their own."
This was a great read. Halstead imitates Jane Austen almost flawlessly. The characters were true to P&P and I loved the way the story flowed. I loved the deeper look into Kitty and Georgiana's lives. Halstead writes both Lizzy and Darcy with precision. As not to give any spoilers, I will just say that the scene between Mary and Darcy — wow... really, just WOW!
The only real 'negative' thing about the book that I could find was the plot. The plot was very nonexistent for 30 of the 36 chapters in the book. The first thirty chapters are about Mrs. Darcy being put into society and the other character's story lines. Because I enjoy all things Austen, this didn't really bother me. I sort of liked just being a 'peeping Tom' into the window of the Darcy's lives. But sure conflict wasn't introduced to the story until chapter thirty. In the last six chapters of the book it hit it's climax and was resolved and concluded in the last four pages.
One last thing to mention, I think Halstead, at parts, may have been trying too hard to portray Austen's thoughts on paper. There are certain sentences that I had to read three or four times and couldn't figure out her meaning before I just gave up and moved on. While they are few and far between — it is noticeably something I'll remember about her writing.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with "Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride". Now I am completely in the mood to move forward with the challenge. To gauge my progress — look at my blog.
SPOILER ALERT.
No really, stop reading.
Spoiler — You have been warned. It really bothered me that Lizzy couldn't bring herself to tell Darcy her feelings until the last pages. I don't remember her being so 'heartless' in P&P.
Also, after 'the incident' with Mary — I cried. Really just cried. How evil can a person be!