Review: Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurst

On September 1st, the novel Darcy and Anne will be released for sale. I'm jumping the gun a little in my review, but felt that in light of the Everything Austen Challenge going on, that this might be a fun, short little option for those involved.

Synopsis: What happened to Anne de Bourgh after Darcy married Elizabeth? How did his marriage change the relationship between Anne and her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh? In this sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Judith Brocklehurst picks up the story by examining Anne's life. For once we get a view into Anne's mind and can see how she felt about Darcy (wasn't interested in him either), and how she feels about her mother's incessant pressures on her to marry titled or wealthy men.

Review: This is an extremely short little novel, and one that is easy to fall into. I have read several other books that have included Anne and who she became after Darcy's marriage, but I really enjoyed reading a book with her as the focus. In a way, it was another side story that rather than tread on any details about Darcy and Elizabeth, focused on Anne and her desires. The one drawback for me, and this could really be seen as quite a positive note to the writer's story, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. There seemed to me to be a lot of build up to the action presented in the last quarter of the book, and I would have liked a bit more explanation for things that happened between Anne, her mother, and the other characters involved. Overall though, I think it was a sweet little novel, and would be a great, quick read for the Everything Austen Challenge, or just for a clean, fun, light afternoon read.

Remember this for your shopping list! It comes out on September 1, 2009.

For more information: Darcy and Anne: It is a truth universally acknowledged that Lady Catherine will never find a husband for Anne...