Book Review: To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds

From the back cover:

WHAT IF…

Instead of disappearing from Elizabeth Bennet’s life after she refused his offer of marriage, Mr. Darcy had stayed and tried to change her mind?

WHAT IF…

Lizzy, as she gets to know Darcy, finds him undeniably attractive and her impulses win out over her sense of propriety?

WHAT IF…

Madly in love and mutually on fire, their passion anticipates their wedding?

In To Conquer Mr. Darcy, instead of avoiding Elizabeth after his ill-fated marriage proposal, Mr. Darcy follows her back to her home in Hertfordshire, planning to prove to her his a changed man and worthy of her love.  And little by little, Elizabeth begins to find the man she despised irresistible…

*          *          *

Pride and Prejudice fans, have you ever been frustrated with Darcy’s condescending marriage proposal to Elizabeth Bennet in Hunsford?  While many wouldn’t question Miss Austen’s choice of plot development, the thought of re-writing the events proceeding Hunsford has probably occurred to more than one creative writer.  Abigail Reynolds has put this speculation to paper in To Conquer Mr. Darcy, available from Sourcebooks on August 3, 2010.


Reynolds’ imagining of the events picks up in June after Darcy’s proposal.  His demeanor is quite sullen and distant, even toward his beloved staff at Pemberley, with whom he is normally open and friendly. Miss Bennet’s rejection of him has clearly taken a toll.  As the story continues, we find Darcy pursuing Lizzy once again, although in a much more overt manner.  In meeting him again, she finds that he has become a far different man from the one she had known previously.  Some of the results of this tale may be similar to what we found in the original Austen text.  However, the ways in which these characters progress are far beyond Austen indeed.

As I began To Conquer Mr. Darcy, I enjoyed seeing my favorite characters again and I was pleased with the way in which Ms. Reynolds portrayed them.  Their personalities rang true to the original story and their manners fit in with Austen’s Regency-era England. The language was appropriate in style, but it was more readable for today’s audience.  For the first few chapters I was very satisfied with how things were progressing.

Then for a long portion of the book (predominantly the courtship of Darcy and Elizabeth) my opinion changed.  I even hesitate to term Darcy’s pursuit of Lizzie as courting, when the more accurate description of his behavior would be outright seduction.  I began to feel as if I was reading a flimsy romance novel, the kind in which we might find a Fabio-like leading man splayed on the cover.  For some readers this might be an attractive draw, but for me it wasn’t.  The characters became far more forward and passionate; the particulars of their relationship were detailed and intimate. As a reader, I just don’t need all of that.  Passion and romance can be conveyed differently, where “less is more” might be the line to pursue.

Interestingly enough, after Darcy and Elizabeth marry the fine details of their romantic life decrease significantly.  I was pleased to see that Ms. Reynolds did convey the message that the spouses were still madly in love with each other.  The state of marriage had not squelched this, as is frequently portrayed in other books and films.  Yet I find it interesting that the majority of the racy content wasn’t saved for the marriage bed.

As the story continued, the characters also had to deal with interesting and sometimes difficult life events.  These final sections improved my enjoyment of the book, as I appreciated the characters more and cared about the outcomes of a number of situations.  In fact, I found the final chapter to be quite touching and gratifying.

To Conquer Mr. Darcy is not something that I can heartily recommend.  I could have done without the racy content that dominated the majority of the book’s center.  However, I enjoyed the start of the novel as well as its beautiful, moving conclusion.  Abigail Reynolds is an accomplished writer, and it’s clear that she’s writing for a particular audience. It just seems that the audience to which I belong is in a different place.

This title was provided to me by Sourcebooks Landmark. No obligation other than an honest review was required.
To Conquer Mr. Darcy was previously published under the title Impulse & Initiative.

**GIVEAWAY CONTEST**

Guidelines for entering to win my advanced copy of To Conquer Mr. Darcy:

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