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Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Pamela Aidan
Format: Bargain Price
The exciting conclusion to the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy recounts the climactic events of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice from its enigmatic hero's point of view. One of the most beloved romantic heroes in all of literature, Fitzwilliam Darcy remains an enigma even to Jane Austen's most devoted fans. No longer. With this concluding volume in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, novelist and Austen aficionada Pamela Aidan at last gives readers the man in full. These Three Remain follows a humbled Darcy on the journey of self-discovery, after Elizabeth Bennet's rejection of his marriage proposal, in which he endeavors to grow into the kind of gentleman he desires to become. Happily, a chance meeting with Elizabeth during a tour of his estate in Derbyshire offers Darcy a new opportunity to press his suit, but his newfound strengths are put to the test by an old nemesis, George Wickham. Vividly capturing the colorful historical and political milieu of the Regency era, Aidan writes in a style evocative of her literary progenitor, but with a wit and humor very much her own. While staying faithful to the people and events in Austen's original, she adds her own fascinating cast of characters, weaving a rich tapestry out of Darcy's past and present that will beguile his admirers anew.
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| Disappointing |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I read a few sequels of "Pride and Prejudice" from different authors such as this one, and, frankly, I found them all a bit boring. It's very rare that authors will write a sequel of their novel. Victor Hugo never did and so other great novelists. So, why bother trying, I wonder. Because it never equals the real one. I won't finish reading this one, I will rather read again "Pride and Prejudice" from Jane Austen that is so brillantly written.
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| Excellent Service |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Received item exactlly as advertised. Delivery was punctual. I'd buy from this company again. Thank you.
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| Vantage Point |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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In writing a trilogy based on perhaps literature's most beloved couple, Pamela Aidan faced a daunting task. While "An Assembly Such as This" promised a satisfactory fulfillment of that task, Aidan fell off track with the second book in the series "Duty and Desire", filling in the blanks with outlandish subplots. While the series actually reads better as two books, the first and the last, "These Three Remain" is an overlong examination of Fitzwilliam Darcy.
I must admit that it has been a while since I read the previous two books; as other reviewers mentioned, there seems to have been difficulty in procuring this third book. The story begins with Darcy's visit to his aunt, Lady Catherine DeBourgh at Rosings Park, where he unexpectedly runs into Elizabeth Bennet, who is visiting her good friend Charlotte Lucas. Darcy has just sworn to himself that he will give up thinking they have any future together, but when he encounters her he must admit his feelings and rushes into a proud and haughty proposal. As Austen fans well know, Elizabeth rejects him and he must come to terms with the portrait she has painted of him. He lives in little hope of regaining her favor, but her words have spurned him to become a better man.
Pamela Aidan has filled in some of the blanks about Darcy with some interesting theories, offering readers more insight into how he changed into a man Elizabeth might accept an offer of marriage from. The details concerning his involvement in the Wickham scandal ring true, as do the scenes with his sister Georgiana. Yet there is much that could be excised: unwelcome characters from "Duty and Desire" make an unnecessary reappearance slowing the story down. At times, Aidan reaches too hard to sound Austenesque, eschewing structure for more convoluted passages. When stripped to its bare bones, "These Three Remain" is a glorified romance novel, not unlike some of the tawdrier offerings other writers have offered in an effort to capitalize on Austen's creations. I will not wait around to find out what Pamela Aidan thinks happens to the Darcys with her proposed fourth book.
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| Probably the best of the trilogy, for what that's worth |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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I will merely be repeating what other critics have pointed out: that Darcy's concerns seem remarkably feminine, that there is too much mundane detail, that the new characters and situations introduced are unhelpful and much less interesting than the original P&P. This one is the best of the trilogy, inasmuch as it finally (!) gets around to the scenes one really wants to see from Darcy's point of view: the tempestuous proposal, the confrontation between Wickham and Darcy, the showdown between snobby Lady Catherine and her nephew, and the "making up with Elizabeth" scene, which I must in fairness admit that I always thought a little bloodless in the original. (I know, I know, Miss Austen would hardly have written passionate kisses and dialogue -- but the "My wishes have not changed" line is really all Elizabeth gets. I wanted some bosom heaving at least. So, apparently, did the Bronte sisters, which is why we have the high drama of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. But I digress.) This book: not terrible, and still better than some fanfiction. It did make me walk around for a week using my faux British accent, which drives my kids crazy, so maybe it's not a complete waste of the paper it's printed on. If you've got rather a shorter attention span than can handle a trilogy, or hate seeing material changes to the original story, read Mr. Darcy's Diary instead.
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| Would have liked it if it had been delivered! |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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Read the previous two books involving Mr. Darcy and enjoyed a great deal. Unfortunately, despite ordering and paying for this one, have not received it.
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