The Exploits & Adventures Of Miss Alethea Darcy (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
This review was originally published here on http://theonewithrachelsbook.blogspot...I love books that should be terrible. Like this one. They are my guilty pleasure. Mediocre sappy romance austen-eque fan fiction makes me feel all gooey and simultaneously gives me the LOLs. This book, is in my top 5 secret guilty pleasures, even though I know it is totally ridiculous.... Ok, AGES ago I reviewed Mr. Darcy's Daughters, by Elizabeth Aston, which is the first in Elizabeth Aston's follow up on Pride and Prejudice. Alethea was introduced as the youngest of Mr and Mrs Darcy's five daughters, and she was given a fairly secondary role in the book, and she still managed to get into a fair amount of trouble.There is a fairly sizeable leap between the two books, but Aston uses flashbacks and the internal angst/monologue of past memories to fill the reader in pretty well, without having to sit through the Looonng version. So Alethea married a man whilst she was on the rebound from her first love (who embarrassed her socially after they hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing). Husband is a jerk, and kills her spirit through continued mental and physical abuse. (This is not just bad, but terrible, as Alethea is usually full of not just any spirit, but the True Darcy Spirit). So the reader begins the book with Alethea running away from her husband in the middle of the night with her old maid Figgins (who made an appearance in the first book too), whilst both dressed as men. The plan is to go to Venice, where her favourite sister, Camilla, is living with Wytton, her new husband, because it will be harder for douchebag-hubby to track her down and drag her home again.Naturally her plan to be reunited with her sister goes all tits up, and chaos ensues, where every plot line ever gets squished into the book. There is the whole cross dressing thing, and snowstorms/treacherous alps crossings, a creepy sodomite, people getting mugged, a far fetched yacht trip and international chases... Seriously, there is so much going on, and it is all fantastically ridiculous, but I think that is why I love this book. I also remember having a big ol' literary crush on the love interest, Titus, when I first read it (although this was a fair few years ago now), and I doubt I would kick him out of bed for eating crackers. Titus even gets a storyline of his own for Alethea to distract him from. I was just glad that he realised straight away that she wasn't a man, because else the romantic relationship between the two of them would be just awkward. "I'm a girl..." "Are you? That's a shame, as I preferred it when you were a vaguely effeminate man-child."Alethea is my favourite of the Darcy girls, because she manages to get into such scrapes. It really helps to have read Mr. Darcy's daughters first, because then its much easier for the reader to empathise with Alethea, having seen how fantastic she was before various men cocked up her life. A nice bit of Austen-inspired, drama filled romance, with lots of goo and fluff. 7 stars!
Not sure if i enjoyed this book as much. It was good - but the writing was not so Jane Austen for me. A bit to much of how people act in modern day. Not terrible though..i will continue with the series.In this delightful new chapter in the story of the Darcy clan, taken up by Ashton (Mr. Darcy's Daughters) where Austen left off, the youngest daughter of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy is in a pickle. Having married in haste, Alethea is now repenting bitterly, languishing under the unspeakable treatment of her horrid husband, Norris Napier. She escapes in the company of her intrepid maid, Figgins, and dressed as young men, they hare off to Europe to find Alethea's favorite and most sympathetic sister, Camilla. On the way, unbeknownst to them, they are found out by Mr. Titus Manningtree, who's off to Europe to find a Titian painting of his father's that has gone astray. Appalled by Alethea's apparent total disregard for her position and the requirements of polite society, Titus is nonetheless impressed by her courage and pluck. At first out of duty and then out of interest, he comes to her aid time and again, seeing her safe back to England. Once there, however, it is discovered that her husband was murdered, and she comes under suspicion.
What do You think about The Exploits & Adventures Of Miss Alethea Darcy (2005)?
I just picked up "Darcy's Story" have you read it? I am a little nervous as I always am with spinoffs of Jane Austen-- will I like it? will I feel they have sullied the holy water of Austen...
—Stacey
This second installment only dealt with one daughter (Alethea) which was a good call on the author's part...the first book had too much going on to really do justice to any of the sisters. But, the delivery isn't great...there are some parts that are drawn out and boring and there are too many sections of vague contemplation by the characters that really don't lead anywhere. I'm glad the author hasn't attempted to have Darcy and Elizabeth as active characters in these books...they are just "offstage" members of the cast. To be honest, I don't think Aston could do the classic characters much justice. Thankfully interaction with the other sisters is limited...Letty makes a annoying appearance but, blessedly, it is brief since I wanted to smack her within seconds of reading her dialogue. I did like Titus Manningtree but felt his storyline involving the painting came to an unsatisfying resolution. Overall, average. Will I continue the series? Haven't decided yet.
—Mirah W
J'avais relativement bien apprécié le premier tome même si l'auteure avait dû mal à se détacher de l'oeuvre de Jane Austen sans parvenir pour autant à recréer son style. Aussi, j'ai été très agréablement surpris par ce second tome très différent du premier et de loin bien meilleur. Ainsi, je ne peux qu'espérer que Milady nous édite les autres romans de l'auteur dans l'univers des Darcy !Ce tome se déroule quelques mois après la fin du premier. Nous retrouvons Alethéa en jeune mariée qui avec l'aide Feggins décide de partir de Londres déguisées en homme pour rejoindre l'une de ses soeurs en Italie. La majorité du roman nous narre les aventures de ces deux demoiselles à travers l'Europe.Aussi, nous ne revoyons que très peu des personnages du tome 1 et de manière assez brève. par conséquent nous voyons apparaître de nous personnages tous très haut en couleur. et bien sûr l'un des nouveaux personnage est un homme qui va s'intéresser à notre héroïne.En outre, si le dénouement est somme toute prévisible, l'auteure ponctue son histoire de nombreux rebondissement tenant le lecteur en haleine du début à la fin. Bien que le passage de la Suisse à l'Italie aurait sans doute gagner à être quelque peu raccourci.De plus, fait assez curieux pour une romance, même si on assiste à l'évolution des relations entre Alethéa et Titus, la romance est plus en toile de fond qu'au premier plan. En effet, c'est je pense dans ce tome que l'auteure rend le mieux hommage à Jane Austen : ce tome nous donne une réflexion sur le mariage, les convenances et les relations amoureuses à cet époque.En résumer, un tome drôle, émouvant et riche en aventure ! à lire sans modération !
—Audel
