Review: Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise
Darcy’s Voyage: A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas by Kara Louise. Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN: 978-1-4022-4102-4. 512 pages. Trade Paperback. List: $14.99 (Amazon: $10.19 / Kindle: $9.68). Previously published as Pemberly’s Promise in 2007).
Kara Louise has written a beautifully retold Pride and Prejudice beginning with Darcy and Elizabeth meeting when she was returning home to Longbourn by Post and Darcy, whose coach had a mechanical problem, was forced to take the Post to the first stop and there change to another carriage that was being sent from Pemberly. Darcy of course immediately made a less than desirable impression when he nearly knocked her down as he raced to the carriage door. He apologized and actually tried to make conversation — surprisingly they found literature a topic on which to converse and challenge each other and the two hour ride passed pleasantly. They never learned each other’s name but remembered fondly the other person long after the event.
Fast forward two years and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and their children have traveled to America for Mr. Gardiner’s business. They write and invite Elizabeth to join them in New York City to help with the children and enjoy the sights. Elizabeth is excited to have the opportunity to travel and looks forward to the trip. Mr. Darcy on the other hand doesn’t look forward to his trip to America where he’ll join Georgianna in New York City and bring her home from where she’s been visiting with Mrs. Annesley’s and her family. Naturally, they are sailing on the same ship, Pemberly’s Promise (and I’m sure clever readers will realize just who owns the ship based solely on its name).
While Darcy tries desperately to remain aloof, the single women on the ship are speaking to him without introduction – all except Elizabeth Bennet. He notices that she walks the deck early every morning and soon joins her. Eventually, they begin to converse and find that they both look forward to their daily conversations. It’s from Elizabeth that Darcy learns about the illness among the steerage passengers. Her walks are the only breaks she takes from caring for her fellow passengers.
Elizabeth becomes seriously ill and Darcy knows he has the only empty bed on board. The only solution is to be married by Captain Wendell and then annul the marriage when he returns to England. It’s the only way to ensure her reputation remains intact. He gives his pledge that it will be a purely platonic relationship. Elizabeth reluctantly agrees, as does the captain. However, sometime during the voyage they fall in love, only they don’t realize it. Separated on docking in New York and not knowing where Elizabeth lives, Darcy has no way to find her until he returns to England.
With this alternative beginning, Louise manages to maintain the emotional appeal and tone of the original Pride and Prejudice. There are a few events from the original story line that take place earlier but once Bingley leases Netherfield, the original story is on track, except for a few key elements, and the story unfolds much as it did originally.
In other variations, the variation causes such divergence from the original storyline that the author ends up having existing characters doing very uncharacteristic things in order to force events to unfold as expected. Louise, on the other hand, manages to seamlessly weave this new relationship into the original story line by not forcing things to play out exactly as they did in Pride and Prejudice but as they would if this variation had occurred.
You’ll find some of our favorite scenes and dialogue included, but some of the dialogue may be uttered in similar, but different, circumstances and by other characters. I found it amusing to hear the same lines from someone else’s mouth but it didn’t take away from the story or my enjoyment.
This variation was a pleasure to read. Louise honors the characters and the story of Pride and Prejudice and yet makes it new, exciting, and just as endearing. I highly recommend Darcy’s Voyage if you enjoy variations of the theme of Pride and Prejudice. I’d also mention that this book is appropriate for all ages.