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

By Judith Brocklehurst

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Lady Catherine will never find a husband for Anne... When a fortuitous accident draws Anne away from Rosings and her overbearing mother's direct influence, she is able to think and act for herself for the first time ever. In the society of her cousins Darcy and Georgiana, and, of course, the lively Mrs. Darcy, Anne reveals a talent for writing and a zest for life. Meanwhile, Lady Catherine is determined to choose a husband for Anne. But now that Anne has found her courage, she may not be so easy to rule. Anne de Bourgh is a sympathetic character whose obedience and meekness were expected of women in her day. As she frees herself from these expectations, Anne discovers strength, independence, and even true love in a wonderfully satisfying coming-of-age story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402224389
• ISBN13: 9781402224386
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

So good, it's as if Jane Austen herself took up her pen...

This fan fiction story was one of the best (with the exception of all the Rebecca Collins stories) that I've read. I went through it so fast I'm re-reading it again to savor the storylines properly. This writer gets Jane Austen's wit, style and ability to say so much without slowing down the storylines. I loved it.

Free from Lady Catherine's thumb - Anne De Bourgh has an adventure

Originally self published in 2007 as A Letter to Lady Catherine, this Pride and Prejudice spinoff has a surprising new heroine - Anne De Bourgh! Yes, I heard that collective gasp of astonishment. A whole novel devoted to Mr. Darcy's sickly, unaccomplished, and henpecked cousin? Indeed! Judith Brocklehurst's novel may have been given a grand makeover with a new title and prettyish new cover by its publisher Sourcebooks, but can its heroine also be transformed from a minor but memorable character in the original novel, into a heroine that readers can identify with and admire? Destined from the cradle to be Mr. Darcy's bride, Anne De Bourgh and her domineering mother Lady Catherine never expected any other outcome than the union of two sisters great families: the De Bourgh's and the Darcy's. When Mr. Darcy chooses Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman of inferior birth and no importance instead of her daughter Anne, Lady Catherine vows never to speak to her nephew again. Bored with her daughters company, Lady Catherine is determined to find her a husband calling upon all her social connections to introduce her to an eligible bachelor of either noble rank or equal fortune. Even though Anne has a handsome dowry of £30,000, the combination of officious Lady Catherine as a mother-in-law and the unattractive and sickly Anne as a wife sends prospective beaux's running. After two years and all of the possible alliances with local families have been exhausted, Lady Catherine does the unthinkable. She writes to her nephew and offers a truce, invites herself to Pemberley, and insists that since he has placed her and her daughter in this untenable situation by marrying another, that it is his duty to find Anne a husband. Dreading this new scheme, Anne and her mother depart for Pemberley - and then - provenance steps in. Along the road, Lady Catherine is injured and Anne must rely upon the kindness of a stranger Mrs. Endicott to assist her in finding a doctor for her mother and shelter in Burley, a health resort. Anne, who has never made a decision for herself in all of her life, let alone her mother, must make many choices in a town where she knows no one. On her own she begins to depend on herself and discover her own capabilities, writing to her cousin Mr. Darcy for assistance, choosing to stop taking medicine that is making her so ill, and meeting a local family the Caldwell's who were friend's of her deceased father many years ago. Amazingly, she is gaining her appetite, building her strength, and enjoying walks - something she has never been able to do all her life. When her cousins Miss Georgiana and Mr. Darcy arrive at Burley to take Lady Catherine and Anne to Pemberley, it is only Anne who departs after her mother's insistence upon staying under the pretext of dutiful care. In actuality, she prefers the prospect of meeting the Duchess of Stilbury due for the social season over the former Miss Bennet the new Mistress of Pemberley. Anne travels to Pember

Well-thought and charming

As a dedicated reader of Jane Austen sequels, I was quite anxious to read this book....and delighted by it! It is well-thought, beautifully written and true to the spirit if Jane Austen. While some other sequels "lose their way", especially in character development, this one does not - Anne is developed beautifully.

Entertaining read but short

I enjoyed seeing Anne out of the shadow of her mother and liked the story line. I thought that the end wrapped up a bit quick. It was a quick but short read.

Anne de Bourgh's story

It is a truth universally acknowledged that people keep writing follow-ups to Pride & Prejudice and you never quite know what you're going to get. Fortunately this was one of the better books (or at least less bad), partly because it focused most on Anne de Bourgh and left Darcy and Elizabeth to be rather more minor characters, although they featured more towards the end of the book. In fact, Darcy wouldn't normally merit his name in the book title with regard to the amount of time we see him in the book, except that 'Anne and Edmund' wouldn't tell you quite what you're writing about. Anne de Bourgh was always a rather indistinct character in P & P. Is she a mere shadow, willing to do her mother's bidding all the time? In this book we see Anne coming out of her shell once she gets away from her mother. She begins to display her own character and interests and chooses a man who suits her, rather than suits the ideas of society. Although this book is a romance, I found the romance plot rather minor overall. In fact, Anne and Edmund's love story seems very perfunctory. It read more like a story of a young woman growing into herself and her character. The author is apparently English, although it still contained some odd Americanisms that I wouldn't have expected with an English author. But overall it was a gentle, light, easy read, if a bit short. The romance aspect was perhaps a bit disappointing but at least the author didn't do anything too awful with the character of Darcy or Elizabeth as we see them briefly in their marital home. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

Charming story

This novel is a historical romance set in the world of Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice." It's a "sequel" focusing on Anne de Bourgh's fate now that Darcy is no longer her intended. The story was not written in quite the same tone as "Pride and Prejudice," but the author stays very true to the characters and timeline of that book. She does occasionally have the characters act in ways I don't think they would, but that's more a difference in opinion about certain character's never-discussed motives than a departure from what was established in "Pride and Prejudice." "Darcy and Anne" was a sweet and amusing tale with a likable heroine. The world-building was good, though I noticed several minor historical details that were off. Still, it wasn't noticeable unless you're a detail-freak like me. The pacing was quick; almost too quick, in my opinion. Anne's transformation from sickly, dependent girl to healthy, independent woman came about rather quickly, though it wasn't forced. There was no sex or cussing. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as good, clean fun to Austin fans. Review by Debbie from Genre Reviews