Maybe it's because my husband bears an uncanny resemblance to him, but I do enjoy a good portrayal of Mr. Darcy. (Or perhaps that's why my husband resembles him, only ---sadly---lacking the sizable estate.) Some portrayals of Mr. Darcy try to simply embody his presence in Pride and Prejudice (both the Colin Firth and Keira Knightley film adaptations of the book fall in this category). Others, like the Bridget Jones movies, take some liberties in character, time period, or other details. Linda Berdoll's Austenite novel, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, attempts to just continue Austen's original novel, but actually becomes an almost completely separate entity.
Yes, the novel begins with the newlywed Darcy couple, and most of the characters are from Pride and Prejudice. The problem is that the characters, particularly Mr. Darcy, are not the same characters. Yes, the are superficially the same, but it just wasn't convincing as a continuation.
Even after I tried to think of it as a separate historical novel that happened to share some names with Austen's fiction, there were still some things that bothered me. The word "niggardly" is used, for example. Although it could probably be considered historical in context, it was completely unnecessary, and not a word frequently (if ever) used by Austen herself.
If you are just after historical fiction, read some of Tracey Chevalier or Philippa Gregory's books instead.
If you want to enjoy some Mr. Darcy, and I can't say I blame you, try checking out this list of Austenite fiction, or read the original. I have yet to take as great of pleasure in an Austen adaptation as in Austen's actual words (no matter how much I dearly love some Austen-based books and movies).
To find out more about Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, click here.
