Scan barcode
wychwoodnz's review against another edition
4.0
This was lovely. I think it was a great choice by the author to write these books in diary form as the first-person narrative of a minor character from Jane Austen’s novel helps avoids any unnecessary comparison with Jane’s writing style and enables the character of Georgiana to have her own voice separate from her original creator.
The post-battle scenes reminded me of Gone With The Wind, with Kitty Bennet and Georgiana channelling Melanie Wilkes with all their might while caring for the wounded soldiers. The women in this book all go in slightly unexpected directions (Elizabeth Darcy excepted, and she goes precisely where we all want her to go) and it’s interesting to see how they are shaped by the circumstances and society they find themselves in.
The post-battle scenes reminded me of Gone With The Wind, with Kitty Bennet and Georgiana channelling Melanie Wilkes with all their might while caring for the wounded soldiers. The women in this book all go in slightly unexpected directions (Elizabeth Darcy excepted, and she goes precisely where we all want her to go) and it’s interesting to see how they are shaped by the circumstances and society they find themselves in.
tracey_stewart's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars ...
Volume II of The Diary of Georgiana Darcy picks up shortly after the first book's triumphant end, and immediately throws cold water on the main couple's joy (of course, otherwise there wouldn't be a book). Napoleon has escaped his exile, and Col. Fitzwilliam has decided not to leave the army after all; his services have specially been requested by Wellington, and he wants to see the fight through. And off he goes to Belgium.
I can't, just can't rate this one as highly as the first one, for the simple fact that it had me worried for several chapters that it was going to take a well-trodden path, and I reassured myself by reminding myself that with the first book so much better than expected, she wouldn't … and then she did. And the big fat glittery cliché that results was extremely disappointing.
There was still much to like about the book: Wickham's comeuppance, and a really very nice exploration of Kitty's character. She and Georgiana head off to Belgium with a couple of other officers' wives, meaning to see their men again before the battle they know is coming. Unfortunately, their timing is drastically off, and they find themselves very nearly in the path of the fighting, and then they find themselves trying to do anything they can to aid the wounded who come flooding in. Nearly everything from the moment they leave Pemberley was – just – saved from the "same-old same-old" formula by the girls' characterizations, that of some of the soldiers they encounter, and solid writing. I'm not sure this compensates fully for the (I feel) unfortunate decision to extend the story in this way, but it was still overall very readable and enjoyable. Kitty, always the most disregarded character in Pride and Prejudice, I think, comes into her own nicely – steals the show, in fact. She's heart-breaking, and I've never been able to say that about Kitty Bennet before. I'm looking forward to her Diary (in which she, having Given Up Men, tries to find a match for poor Mary) with about one hundred percent more eagerness than I would ever have thought.
But still. Napoleon's army is (*points*) right there. Once all the menfolk of the house have gone off to fight, that leaves – I'll do the math for you: only women. Four ladies, of varying ages but at least two young and nubile. Okay, your turn: take four women (age and nubility (?) being irrelevant, really), and add one horde of French soldiers, then add one horde of Belgian and English soldiers, and then subtract whichever horde gets to the house second. Then you might as well subtract the women, 'cause the soldiers won't leave much that resembles a lady.
And my goodness, Caroline Bingley, what you do get up to. I'm not entirely sure I buy into all of it, but hateful as Caroline is I have to admit it's enjoyable to watch her twist in the wind a little.
(For the curious, or those who have already read it, the Big Huge Ridiculous Cliché the author succumbed to is:)
Volume II of The Diary of Georgiana Darcy picks up shortly after the first book's triumphant end, and immediately throws cold water on the main couple's joy (of course, otherwise there wouldn't be a book). Napoleon has escaped his exile, and Col. Fitzwilliam has decided not to leave the army after all; his services have specially been requested by Wellington, and he wants to see the fight through. And off he goes to Belgium.
I can't, just can't rate this one as highly as the first one, for the simple fact that it had me worried for several chapters that it was going to take a well-trodden path, and I reassured myself by reminding myself that with the first book so much better than expected, she wouldn't … and then she did. And the big fat glittery cliché that results was extremely disappointing.
There was still much to like about the book: Wickham's comeuppance, and a really very nice exploration of Kitty's character. She and Georgiana head off to Belgium with a couple of other officers' wives, meaning to see their men again before the battle they know is coming. Unfortunately, their timing is drastically off, and they find themselves very nearly in the path of the fighting, and then they find themselves trying to do anything they can to aid the wounded who come flooding in. Nearly everything from the moment they leave Pemberley was – just – saved from the "same-old same-old" formula by the girls' characterizations, that of some of the soldiers they encounter, and solid writing. I'm not sure this compensates fully for the (I feel) unfortunate decision to extend the story in this way, but it was still overall very readable and enjoyable. Kitty, always the most disregarded character in Pride and Prejudice, I think, comes into her own nicely – steals the show, in fact. She's heart-breaking, and I've never been able to say that about Kitty Bennet before. I'm looking forward to her Diary (in which she, having Given Up Men, tries to find a match for poor Mary) with about one hundred percent more eagerness than I would ever have thought.
But still. Napoleon's army is (*points*) right there. Once all the menfolk of the house have gone off to fight, that leaves – I'll do the math for you: only women. Four ladies, of varying ages but at least two young and nubile. Okay, your turn: take four women (age and nubility (?) being irrelevant, really), and add one horde of French soldiers, then add one horde of Belgian and English soldiers, and then subtract whichever horde gets to the house second. Then you might as well subtract the women, 'cause the soldiers won't leave much that resembles a lady.
And my goodness, Caroline Bingley, what you do get up to. I'm not entirely sure I buy into all of it, but hateful as Caroline is I have to admit it's enjoyable to watch her twist in the wind a little.
(For the curious, or those who have already read it, the Big Huge Ridiculous Cliché the author succumbed to is:
Spoiler
Fitzwilliam is wounded in battle: a head wound which is utterly un-disfiguring, of course, but which leaves him blind. He grumps about, tries to drive Georgiana away for her own good, Georgiana sticks tight, they make up and decide to get married A.S.A.P., and then Fitz gets clocked upside the head again. And yes, of course it restores his sight. It's two worn-out tropes in one, actually: "I'm a burden you can't love me go away" and The Magical Head-Bump of Healing. I was, in a word, pissed.marg408's review against another edition
3.25
I’m enjoying this series. Love following these characters.
annakim's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, I thought I had to suspend my disbelief a couple of times in the first book, but this book requires me to suspend everything from the very beginning. It's still very readable and good to use up a few of those quarantine hours, but don't expect it to have many connections to the original Pride and Prejudice aside from some of the settings and the character names.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
I actually started reading this one before it's predecessor. I didn't realize it was a series until I looked here on GR. So, I stopped, read the first one, then came back. I definitely enjoyed this one. Just as much as the first, I think. I got it free on Kindle and read it at the gym. I can definitely recommend it.
taisie22's review against another edition
5.0
Georgianna Darcy and Edward FitzWilliam are engaged to be married. Life continues at Pemberley until Napoleon escapes from Elba and Edward is called back to duty on Wellington's staff.
This is a continuation of Georgianna's Diary, so the book is written in the form of a journal with lovely sketches to illustrate the people in Georgianna's life. The story is romantic and written in the style of Jane Austen. I very much enjoyed it and will look for more books by this author.
This is a continuation of Georgianna's Diary, so the book is written in the form of a journal with lovely sketches to illustrate the people in Georgianna's life. The story is romantic and written in the style of Jane Austen. I very much enjoyed it and will look for more books by this author.
melbsreads's review
3.0
This is the continuation of Georgiana Darcy's Diary, and it follows Georgiana's engagement to Edward Fitzwilliam over the course of several months. There's increased interaction with Kitty Bennett, a pregnant Elizabeth, Caroline Bingley being as annoying as ever, a couple of small catastrophes, and the Battle of Waterloo. At times, it reminded me quite a lot of Thackeray's Vanity Fair - lots of sitting around in Brussels waiting to see if an evacuation would be required while the rich hold extravagant balls and the wounded pour in from the battlefields. It was an enjoyable, if predictable, read that I polished off in a couple of hours.
vhp's review
3.0
An interesting continuation of Pride and Prejudice but with Georgiana Darcy as the main character. The soldiers have fought Waterloo and some convalesced at Pemberly with Kitty and Georgiana helping to care for the soldiers and characters exhibiting PTSD.
The only part I remember that gave pause was that Kitty and Georgiana would have attended a ball uninvited, unchaperoned, and unannounced; not for Georgiana's status and that time period.
This is book two of a trilogy.
The only part I remember that gave pause was that Kitty and Georgiana would have attended a ball uninvited, unchaperoned, and unannounced; not for Georgiana's status and that time period.
This is book two of a trilogy.