Review: Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds
Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds. Sourcebooks Landmark, ISBN: 978-1-4022-4092-8. Pages: 346. Published: October 2010. List Price: $14.99 (Amazon: $10.19 / Kindle: $9.68). Cover images ©Bridgeman Art Library; NinaMalyna / Fotolia.com.
Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds is definitely a What if story. The divergence point for this what if story occurs when Elizabeth Bennet is visiting Charlotte near Rosings. Elizabeth receives word that her father is very ill before Mr. Darcy gets a chance to give his horrendously inept proposal. She rushes home and not long after Mr. Bennet dies, Mr. Collins takes possession of Longbourn. Elizabeth is now out of reach and Mr. Bingley never gets a second chance with Jane Bennet.
Months have passed and Mr. Darcy has not forgotten Elizabeth. Bingley opted to bury his disappointment in work and left London to become actively involved in his businesses. While visiting Darcy, Bingley tells him that he met Elizabeth Bennet near Kew Gardens. He goes further and tells Darcy that she’s living with her aunt and uncle in Cheapside caring for their children and that Jane married a milliner shortly before her father died and the rest of the family are living with Mrs. Bennet’s sister in her apartment.
After Bingley leaves, Darcy can’t forget that Elizabeth is in London and he determines to see her – at least from a distance. Well, a distance isn’t good enough and soon with the help of a street urchin in the neighborhood that he hires to spy for him, he manages to meet her on her daily walk and resume their acquaintance. On these walks he learns that while time may have past, his heart is as much taken with her as it ever was.
Of course, nothing is going to go smoothly because while the characters are the same, Elizabeth Bennet’s situation is more reduced now than it was when they first met. Darcy begins to realize that just because someone is born into privilege and wealth doesn’t necessarily make them worth knowing. He begins to truly see the behavior of his family as they inform him who Georgianna will marry with no consideration for her feelings or well-being. Finally, he begins to evaluate his own beliefs and assumptions about class and realizes that the person, not the rank, is what is important. It’s not an easy change for him and essentially this conversion runs throughout the book as a secondary plot thread — though truth to be told, without this thread Darcy would have to walk away from all that he loves and holds dear.
Meanwhile the story, because of the changes caused by the divergence from the original Pride and Prejudice, follows along with the same major plot points occurring with minor variations. The changed circumstances of Elizabeth and her family members and Jane’s marriage mean that there are other social obligations and entanglements. These are dealt with in a manner that makes the story flow smoothly and, more importantly, believably from the divergence point to the ending without seeming forced.
Darcy isn’t the only one questioning his beliefs and his assumptions. Bingley also has changed as he’s lost Jane and it’s only in losing any hope of marriage to her that he realizes that he’s often followed the advice of others rather than trusting his own heart. Bingley also sees his level of society with a more critical eye and doesn’t like what’s revealed. As for Elizabeth, she has found a strength to maintain her dignity, humor, and concern for other even though she’s had to do things that she’d never been brought up to do.
Reynolds maintains the inner integrity of the Austen characters. You may find the characters in changed circumstances but you’ll recognize them. They act pretty much as you expect with the givens of the new situation in which they find themselves. There are no modern sensibilities imposed on them, they are as you’d expect them to be. Reynolds has given us an excellent retelling of the tale with this single divergence point playing out to its inevitable conclusion.
Don’t hesitate to purchase Mr. Darcy’s Obsession, Reynolds has managed to remain true to atmosphere and language of the original work while taking a path that Austen didn’t. While not in the Gothic tradition, Mr. Darcy’s Obsession has much of the dark broodiness and biting criticism of a Gothic but lightened with humor and hope — making it a satisfying and compelling novel that you’ll wish to read over and over again.