The Darcys & the Bingleys: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Marsha Altman

Reviewed by Gerti

No, I never expect that people writing novels based on the stories of famed English novelist Jane Austen will be as good as she was. That would be nearly impossible to achieve. But I do think at the very least that those who write about Austen’s characters – that panoply of creatures she invented in another century who have so captured the imaginations of fans worldwide – should remain true to the traits they had while Austen’s creations. To use an example from her works, to write a novel in which Mr. Darcy acts like Mr. Wickham would be wrong. It makes sense to everyone – Peter Pan does not act like Captain Hook, etc.

And I’m telling you that as an introduction because that’s why I did not originally like Marsha Altman’s novel, “The Darcys & the Bingleys: Pride and Prejudice Continues – A Tale of Two Gentlemen’s Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters”. I put it down several times, especially when Altman describes how Darcy and Bingley, two pretty decent fellows as far as Austen is concerned, spend their time giggling like school girls over the “Kama Sutra”. Apparently, Altman’s premise is that gentlemen would be so ignorant of sexual matters at the turn of the 19^th century that they would have to resort to the salacious contents of that infamous sexual manual from the Indian Subcontinent.

Having Elizabeth and Jane equally sex-crazed is a step too far. The Lizzy Bennet fans know from “Pride and Prejudice” becomes virtually indistinguishable from her hormone-addled sister, Lydia, famous from the original novel for running away with a soldier, unconcerned about whether they get married or not. It really is such a departure from Austen’s version of the true nature of these characters that I cringe.

The cover blurb calls this business with the Kama Sutra “hilarious and sweet”. I find it to be neither. It’s actually awkward and ill-conceived, nearly uncomfortable to read, and borderline distasteful. Far better is the book’s handling of the courtship of Caroline Bingley, who despite being wooed by a fake Lord in search of her fortune, finally ends up with a shy but intelligent fellow who truly loves her. There is even some suspense in this part of the book, as a very pregnant Elizabeth and her father do some sleuthing in Scotland.

I don’t like the book and don’t recommend it. But I think if you’re a true Austen fan, and read a few of the “new books” about her characters every year, you can’t avoid it. But be advised – it’s like wanting to read “Romeo and Juliet” and picking up “The Adventures of Don Juan” instead. Austen purists won’t be happy with what Altman has done, but she has turned this into a franchise – 10 books now and counting (on Amazon) about the Darcy and Bingley families, of which this book is the first in the series. So I say, enjoy it if you will, but I’ll move on to other authors who treat Austen’s creatures in a more respectful manner.