Mr. Darcy's Daughters

by Elizabeth Aston

Book Overview

For fans of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen devotees everywhere, a charming and delightful novel for anyone who has ever wondered what the Darcy children might be like.

Picking up twenty years after Pride and Prejudice left off, Mr. Darcy's Daughters begins in the year 1818. Elizabeth and Darcy have gone to Constantinople, giving us an opportunity to get to know their five daughters, who have left the sheltered...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743243978
• ISBN13: 9780743243971
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Rejoin the beloved world of Jane Austen's book

Ms. Aston writes with a heady ear for Austen's voice and with an equal ear for the modern Austen aficionado; she can comment on the unmentionable facts of life which Austen avoided due to decorum or ignorance, and wink at the delights of those lovable modern women with more overt appreciation. It's wonderful to revisit the period with such knowlegable detail and wonderful as well to have familiar characters (Lady Warren, Lydia Bennett as was, in particular) without them being overshadowed by the leads of Pride and Prejudice. It's funny and enthralling and witty and everything an Austen fan could hope for.

Jane would approve...

This series of books was really well done. I couldn't put them down. For all you die hard Jane Austen fans, these stories continue and expand the lives of our beloved Elizabeth Bennet and our dear Mr. Darcy. The girls that are portrayed all have such different views of life and they find their happinesses in "their" way. Highly recommend all of them.

Although predictable, still a pleasant escape

I have read all four of Elizabeth Ashton's novels, starting with Mr. Darcy's Daughters. I have enjoyed them all very much. She basically uses the same formula for all of these books. The heroine is above-average but not outstanding in beauty. She may or may not be wealthy, but she is almost always outspoken to the point that others in late Regency London think her to have "too much of an opinion on matters for her own good". She lives by a strong code of moral conduct, although she is not judgmental of others, and is rather open-minded for the period. She has sisters or other relatives that make life less than pleasant for her. These relatives are predictable, and rude, and selfish. She is not desperate for a husband, but not adverse to the idea in general. She strives to be independent, and, in short, is appealing to 21st century women. It's how we would like to think we would have been if we had lived in the 1830's in London. The hero is also very similar throughout the books. He is handsome, rich, independent, and has had some sort of hardship in his past. He has very good moral character in general, although may have had a mistress or two along the way. He doesn't think much of the heroine when he first meets her, as she is so different from typical young ladies of the time. However, he comes to appreciate the strength of character the heroine shows when she is unfairly accused or accosted by some rogue (often Caroline Bingley's dastardly son). And they live happily ever after. So why do I like these so much if they are all rather the same? The answer is that the formula, with Mrs. Ashton's pleasant writing style, works very well. I like the characters and I want to find out what happens to them. I like how the author often includes details of dress, fabrics, furniture, houses, landscapes, etc. Not to the point of distraction, but enough to make it very enjoyable to read. She sprinkles in some interesting characters, and brings them back in several of the novels. With the exception of minor appearances by the ever mean-spirited Caroline Bingley and the buffoon clergyman Mr. Collins, Mrs. Ashton does not attempt to use Jane Austen's characters in her novels, but rather created her own set of characters. The effect is fresh, and fun. This is a great kind of escape novel, when you would like something to ease your mind, and take you away to a romantic setting. There is nothing disturbing or vile in them at all, something you could feel comfortable giving to your 80 year old grandmother to read. Try them out, starting with Mr. Darcy's Daughter, the first in the series. If you are an Austen fan, you will probably like these.

A Merry Chase..............

The Darcy's daughters are left in the care of relatives in London during the height of "the season". Elizabeth Aston has written an endearing tale of five young women growing into maturity surrounded by lustful preachers, deceptive politicians, tradition flaunting women and a world of possibilities. When family ties can act as both a lifeline or a noose, an impulse can mean destruction or success in the complicated social whirl. As the five sisters learn about life in the big city, they encounter one unique situation after another leading for a very merry chase......but what will happen when their parents return. This is a delightful take on the Jane Austen tradition of the quest for the existence of true love and understanding.

Deja Vu, but in a Good Way...

It's over twenty years since the eligible Fitzwilliam Darcy married the ineligible Elizabeth Bennett for love. We find them still very much in love and the parents of seven. The oldest five of which are young ladies of a marriageable age.Mr. Darcy must take a business trip to Constantinople and his wife decides to accompany him on a journey which should last several months. The girls are to stay with Darcy's cousin, Fitzwilliam, and his wife in London, while the youngest children, two boys, will stay at Pemberley with Elizabeth's father.And thus five country maidens who lack neither fortune or beauty find themselves in the glittering swirl that is the London Season...without their parents' watchful eyes. Let the games begin...Leticia- Longs for the love she lost three years before at Waterloo, only to discover that he is still alive and married to another woman, sending Leticia down an unexpected road that could lead to heartache or true love.Camilla- The sensible and intelligent one forms a tendre that proves unsensible in the extreme...Georgiana and Belle- The beautiful Darcy twins are taken under their Aunt Lydia's wing...need I say more?Alethia- The youngest of the sisters has a few secrets of her own.Pride and Prejudice fans will adore it. A first rate sequal.