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Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Format: Bargain Price
³There was little danger of encountering the Bennet sisters ever again.² Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice is beloved by millions, but little is revealed in the book about the mysterious and handsome hero, Mr. Darcy. And so the question has long remained: Who is Fitzwilliam Darcy? Pamela Aidan's trilogy finally answers that long-standing question, creating a rich parallel story that follows Darcy as he meets and falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet. Duty and Desire, the second book in the trilogy, covers the "silent time" of Austen's novel, revealing Darcy's private struggle to overcome his attraction to Elizabeth while fulfilling his roles as landlord, master, brother, and friend. When Darcy pays a visit to an old classmate in Oxford in an attempt to shake Elizabeth from his mind, he is set upon by husband-hunting society ladies and ne'er-do-well friends from his university days, all with designs on him -- some for good and some for ill. He and his sartorial genius of a valet, Fletcher, must match wits with them all, but especially with the curious Lady Sylvanie. Irresistibly authentic and entertaining, Duty and Desire remains true to the spirit and events of Pride and Prejudice while incorporating fascinating new characters, and is sure to dazzle Austen fans and newcomers alike.
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| A pointless middle to a great series |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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Aidan's second book in her Mr. Darcy trilogy would be a great book - if it only could be removed from the series and given a different main character other than Mr. Darcy. The story is well written but not suited for the world of Pride and Prejudice. Aidan made a mistake supposing Austen fans would appreciate an entirely new cast of characters to adore, but in truth, most fans wanted to see an expansion of already beloved characters in familiar locations.
The book is one large tangent that doesn't fit and, considering the size of the third book, could have been completely done without. If Aidan's intent was to show Darcy trying his luck with another woman, she could have woven it into a small portion of a plot closer to the canon literature. In fact, thoughts of Elizabeth seem pushed aside to make room for Aidan's Gothic mystery, aside from the presence of Lizzy's ribbon bookmark. If only views of Aidan's Mr. Darcy (in the first and third books of her series) had not been tarnished by the very un-Austen-like Darcy presented in this volume.
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| utterly ridiculous! |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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I bought all 3 books in this series, and while I think they all have a few shortcomings, this one was completely ridiculous! I understand that Austen's P&P gave no indication of what Darcy did during his time apart from Elizabeth, so Aidan could basically make up whatever she wanted, but come on. It felt as if while writing this, she decided on a whim that she wanted to try her hand at writing some sort of gothic novel, and what better way to indulge that whim than by putting it into a book she was already writing! This was in no way that Darcy of P&P! Darcy would not have acted in this way, nor would he have surrounded himself with these sorts of characters - no matter how much he wanted a distraction! This series is supposed to be P&P - just from Darcy's point of view, and this book in no way captured that. It should have kept with the character of the original book, and failed miserably. It was an insult to the original character of Darcy! I can understand pieces of what she wanted to get across - Darcy looking for someone more suitable, trying to return to his "proper circle of society", trying to reign in his feelings, etc. But this was NOT the way to do that. I found myself skimming the pages just to get through it. The fact that a few of these characters also wound their way into the third installment just completely detracted from the whole story. Nothing about this book flowed with the other 2 installments - it was a total let down!
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| This book was just plain dumb! |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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No way is this how Mr. Darcy spent the period of time between his first trip to Netherfield and his trip to Rosings! I enjoyed the first and third books in the trilogy but this one is pure nonsense. Aiden chose to send Darcy off to a scary castle and an adventure filled intrigue, witchcraft and child sacrifice. It is just too bizarre to be believed. Read the 1st and 2nd books but skip this loser.
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| Delightfully Entertaining!!! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I found this book a wonderful read. I loved the new characters in this book. My favorite was Darcy's gentleman, Fletcher. He was very entertaining! I also love Lord Brougham and Darcy's cousin. I like their attitudes. They showed a great contrast to Darcy's personality. I would love to read more about Lord Brougham and Fletcher. I think Fletcher was hilarious!
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| Save your money and don't buy this |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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This was a bore from start to finish. And there was not a wit of Elizabeth from start to finish. Several reviewers have described it as "filler". I would call it "tripe". I don't know how this character was but he bears little resemblance to the Darcy we know and love.
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