Darcy's Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes Book

"Passion is what gets you through the hardest times that might otherwise make strong men weak, or make you give up." -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Timeframe: After the wedding in P&P of Darcy and Elizabeth.

In 2016, during a visit to my favorite book store, I stumbled upon Darcy's Passions and fell headlong into the world of JAFF [Jane Austen Fan Fiction]. I had no idea such a genre existed. Since I was already reading Pride and Prejudice every year, I felt like a kid in a candy shop with a book that continued Austen's beloved story and from a different perspective [Darcy's POV]. I read Darcy's Passions five times in a row… I'm not kidding. Since that time, I've read it in tandem with P&P, after P&P, or simply by itself. I have enjoyed it that much.

Jane Austen did not give us a glimpse into Darcy's thoughts and perspective. She did not write the male point of view and never wrote a scene featuring only men. There would always be a woman present and it would be her thoughts, her point of view or the author's voice.

I was always frustrated when Mr. Darcy was off the page. Where was he? What was he doing, or thinking? Who was he with? Was he brooding, regretting, or grieving over behavior and actions from canon? We simply did not know. Those blank spaces cried out to be filled.

In 'Darcy's Passions' we spend a lot of time in his head. We hear his thoughts, his reactions to what Elizabeth had to say or do. When he was away from Netherfield, we go with him to his London town house. We see him interacting with Georgiana and their cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Since Austen didn't name the colonel, Jeffers gave him a name that isn't the often used Richard. I had to get used to that.

What I didn't like: I kept hitting this invisible wall or bump in the road so to speak. I knew something was off and for the longest time couldn't figure out what the problem was. I had a disconcerting feeling of inconsistency with the Darcy character. I finally figured out part of the problem. According to her own words, Jeffers struggled with how to create the character and personality of Darcy. Due to her love of the two movie adaptations of P&P, she patterned her Darcy after both Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen. And that is where I struggled with the Darcy characterization. When Darcy was presented on the page, there was this feeling of his split personality as scenes flitted back and forth between the character traits of the two very different men. It often didn't play well on the page. One minute you were listening to the voice and actions of say… Colin Firth and then you next had the voice and actions of Matthew Macfadyen. I had problems with that.

For 300 pages we had a story that ran parallel to and in conjunction with the actions of Austen's P&P. However, once we left Austen's structured outline, the story suffered as it wobbled and limped along. It was a good story and I loved it; however, it fell a bit short of Austen's structure.

"A sister is both your mirror - and your opposite." -Elizabeth Fishel

What I liked: Before Elizabeth's wedding, she had a sit-down 'Come to Jesus' discussion with Lydia who had arrived for the wedding of her two older sisters. I loved how Elizabeth interacted with her younger sister. Elizabeth was well aware of all the lies and wicked ways of Lydia's husband and she wasn't taking any of Lydia's guff or exuberance regarding her marriage to her precious Wickham. Lydia still showed no shame for her actions and yet Elizabeth lovingly tried to tell her how things would be between their husbands. It was a really good sisterly heart-to-heart talk. Elizabeth spelled it out in no uncertain terms what would happen if Wickham ever showed up at Pemberley. Way to go Elizabeth.

"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years." -Audrey Hepburn

After the wedding: Our story line continued with our dear couple getting used to married life. There were mild sensual/sexual [not graphic] love scenes. They were a loving couple who enjoyed each other's company. There were touching moments and, like most marriages, had their share of arguments and disagreements.

The newlyweds were to host their first Christmas or Festive Season at Pemberley. Georgiana was at home and they had a house full of guests for Christmas. There were several hilarious scenes as friends and relatives enjoyed the festive atmosphere. We were also introduced to several new characters that will play out in the future. This story is to be continued in the next book 'Darcy's Temptations.'

8-2-16 ~ 8-5-16: Review originally posted
6- 21-17 ~ 6-28-17: This is a reread following my annual reading of Pride and Prejudice. I usually follow this with the sequel Darcy's Temptations [formally published under the title Darcy's Dreams]. I enjoy reading this book every time.
2018: Due to RL issues, I missed reading this in 2018:
6-10-19 ~ 6-13-19 made it this year