BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU WITH 100% CONFIDENCE THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ THIS BOOK TO ENJOY OR STAY CONNECTED IN THIS TRILOGY! I had read similar comments to the one I just stated in other peoples reviews of this book but told myself, “I don’t want to miss anything that might be important in the third book,” so without listening to others warnings I forged ahead and read “Duty & Desire” and NOW understand why so many were urging me to skip it. Let me explain.The novel starts off with a lot of what one would expect. Christmas at Pemberly, meeting Miss Georgiana Darcy, and of course getting to see Darcy in his element working with his staff and tenants and going about the business that he was raised to do. This was fascinating to read and revealed even more about Mr. Darcy and his family and friends. After Christmas things take a turn and the novel takes on a new tenor. It strikes out into the uncertain waters of a Gothic romance. The creepy castle, the strange guests, the bizarre supernatural element, the even stranger going-ons will all have you wondering, “…wait, isn’t this story supposed to be about Pride & Prejudice, not about a cheesy adaptation of Sherlock ‘Darcy’ Holmes and his mystery solving valet side kick Dr. ‘Fletcher’ Watson?”I guess Pamela Aidan had to do something with Darcy during this book to make it novel length! Starting with Darcy’s arrival at Norwyke Castle, everything became overly farfetched and didn't seem to match up with the first book or the last. It's almost as if the time in the castle was time spent in the Twilight Zone. *The author did say that this was a tribute to Jane Austen's own venture into the Gothic genre (Northanger Abbey) and since I haven’t read that novel perhaps that is why I found the ‘gothic’ transition so painful.To be fair to Miss Aidan, I appreciate the huge undertaking of writing P&P from Darcy’s point of view and I understand that eventually, the story would lead to the inevitable middle, “filler” book that would be difficult for anyone to make an interesting read with Darcy and Elizabeth separated from each other. I’m totally okay with the fact that the Aidan decided to take some ‘literary liberties’ with her writing and filled in Darcy’s story with a few “never told before” plot details. I also agreed with her thought process that Darcy would try and forget about Elizabeth by looking for a more ‘suitable’ wife for himself, that made sense to me. But, what I don’t understand is why Aiden strayed SO far from the feel and essence of P&P to the point I had to remind myself that I wasn’t reading “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.” This book takes a bizarre romp into the strange and not entirely realistic intersection between the gritty underworld of the British upper class circa 1810 and strange Irish occult practices performed by an Irish Revolutionary. I finished this book out of faithful loyalty to reading the complete trilogy, and those all-too-brief moments when Darcy reflected on his feelings for Elizabeth. All else has already been forgotten as I try and forget Duty & Desire. Although I liked the first book, this one strayed too far from the original subjects for me. The only positive was that we do see how Darcy could come to the conclusion that character of a lady outweighs her position in life. This is never entirely clear in the original and I found it to be the redeeming factor of this book.
In 2nd year university all the interesting course's started to open up to me, and with great excitement I took a Gothic Literature course. I took a Philosophy course, as well, which unfortunately did not go as well as the Gothic class (yes, my coffee table exists, I don't question it because I was the one who went to IKEA and bought it! So lets stop wasting our time on debating it's existence...sigh, what a waste of a term!!)Considered sensational reading, and generally frowned upon in the 1800's (like all novels), they were still very popular and even today people generally know the names of the BIG ones like The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, and of course the most famous one, by modern pop culture standards, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Jane Austen herself has a Gothic parody that is well known to her fans, Northanger Abbey.Pamela Aidan has written her second book in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, a Gentleman, series in the Gothic style. In a Q & A I read with her she mentions the book is "a tribute to Northanger Abbey" but since it doesn't at all parody the genre I would say this book falls nicely into the modern Gothic category which is often summed up with mystery, fainting women, a dangerous romance, old castles or abbeys with hidden passageways, and of course ancestral curses (which were biggies). Darcy is finding himself still badly distracted by the thought of Elizabeth and decides that he must actively look for the woman to usurp her and make his wife, thereby performing his "Duty" to his family and name. This means social engagements with school chums, and vying debutantes of his social class, of which he's become completely put off by in his years out in the social hub bub of London. Bringing him to his visit to Norwycke Castle.The party turns out to be a social diorama including seven women and six gentlemen (other than himself), largely all fishing in the social sea for a "good catch" in the marriage market. Additionally the host is quickly on the way to a stupendous bankruptcy, there's a pervading mystery, a mob, and a dangerously beautiful woman who may be exactly what Darcy needs to forget Miss Bennett. Throw in his funny and far too perceptive valet Fletcher, and you'll fly through this book. Make sure you have book three on hand, as you'll be impatient to start the final part... however will Darcy deal with the failure of his first marriage proposal??! Duty and Desire, A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, By Pamela AidanPublished by: Touchstone, October 2006
What do You think about Duty And Desire (2006)?
My ReviewWARNING:If you are reading this review and have not read book 1 or the orginal book Pride and Prejudice don't read this review as it will have spoilers.This book takes place after Darcy has gotten Bingley to leave Netherfield and go to London. Darcy goes to Pemberley to visit Georgiana and spend a family Christmas for the first time since his father's death. The Darcy's Christmas celebration with their family brought a tear to my eye as I remembered my big family Christmases long past with my dear aunts,uncles,cousins,grandparents,mom,dad,and brother. I was happy to see Colonel Fitzwilliam comes into this book early and love him and Darcy's banter. I love the Christian undertones in this book. The author is not forcing these views on you but they are there. Georgiana comes into her own as a character in this book and I love that the author took the route she did for Georgiana's character. She has always been a character that I wished to know more about. I loved how Georgiana's favorite Christmas gift was the one Darcy got by accident. During this book Darcy is trying to overcome his feelings for Elizabeth and isn't doing a very good job of it. Georgiana is even seeing how distracted he is and questioning him about it. I love Darcy's friend Lord Brougham more and more. I claim him as my new book boyfriend. The second half of the book is Darcy going to a house party being hosted by an old school fellow and while he is there is going to look for a wife. Having decided that that is the cure to getting over Elizabeth. The author does give Darcy another love intersect and thought that was likely that he would try to meet someone else to get over Elizabeth. Elizabeth may not be in the book in person but she is never far from Darcy's thoughts and her presence is very much felt. This book takes a very Gothic turn when Darcy visits Norwycke Castle(the home of his school fellow). Some people I have heard didn't like the mystery or Gothic theme of the second half of the book but I am not one of their number. I don't like any of the characters at the house party. Immoral,untrustworthy,greedy,false,uncaring,and a few other words in this vain describe the guests and hosts. I think this is the author's way of showing Darcy that titled and people of high rank can be just as bad or in my opinion worse then those of Meryton. I loved Darcy and Fletcher's relationship and how they sometimes talk to each other in quotes from Shakespeare. It is very clear that they have a great respect for each other. In truth the second half of this book was very exciting with the mystery and other events that happened. I had just as much fun reading this book as book 1 and highly recommend this series to all P&P fans.Rating: 5 out of 5Content Rating: PG-13Heat Rating: Clean
—Nicole D.
I was so excited to read this book after reading the first, but I found myself disappointed :( This book covers a period in Pride & Prejudice when Darcy's character is absent. In this book the author gives us her interpretation of what Darcy is doing during this time. Darcy tries to resolve his conflicting emotions about Elizabeth, and attempts to seek out a more suitable wife for his station in life, but discovers, in the process, that there is no match for Elizabeth.I understood the ideas that Aidan was trying to get across, but I didn't like the way that she did it. I didn't like the whole section when he meets up with his old Oxford classmates, especially the mystery surrounding Lady Sylvanie. It strayed too far from the spirit of Pride & Prejudice.Despite my disappointment with this one, I am looking forward to reading the last book in this trilogy. I know that it will be connecting back up with events from Pride & Prejudice that I am looking forward to seeing through Darcy's eyes!
—Crystal
Wow. This book was so off the mark compared to the first in the series! Really, if you want to enjoy this series...read the first and the third book, but conveniently forget there was ever a second book!Aside from Darcy's inability to forget Elizabeth, and his treasuring of a bookmark Elizabeth had left in a novel she's been reading during her stay at Netherfield, there is not much to recommend this second installment of the trilogy. Darcy and his valet are more like Batman and Robin...solving mysteries and saving ladies in distress...plotting together and having witty chats. Colonel Fitzwilliam comes off as pompous and a bit jealous of his older brother, not at all the "convivial fellow" constructed by Austen.Darcy leaves his sister shortly after Christmas to get over Elizabeth by actively hunting for a wife. He chooses to do so at the aged castle in which an old school chum lives, gambling away his fortune. Darcy encounters a variety of women who all fall all over themselves to make him love them, but he is entranced by a woman with a great air of mystery about her. Ultimately, of course, this woman turns out to be unsuitable for him in the extreme, but only after Darcy acts in ways I can see Austen weeping over, and the lady in question is exposed for her involvement in a truly treacherous scheme.I finished this book out of faithful loyalty to reading the complete trilogy, and those all-to-brief moments when Darcy reflected on his feelings for Elizabeth. All else I would easily have passed by! The third and final chapter of this trilogy has a great deal to atone for to make me forget this book!
—Melanie
