Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife Book Review

It is universally acknowledged that Jane Austen never married during her lifetime and ended her stories with the traditional happily ever after. It is therefore, in the eye and the imagination of the reader to create the post cannon life of her characters, in and out of the bedroom.

Inspired by the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, Linda Berdoll continues on with the story of Pride and Prejudice. Over the course of approximately 10 years and three books, starting with Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife , Ms. Berdoll imagines what the married life of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy would look like.

The responses to her books have been mixed. I know some of my fellow Janeites did not like her books. But for me, I enjoyed them. The writer in me has sometimes asked about the lives of the characters after the wedding vows are complete. Ms. Berdoll answers that question in a way that, for the most part, is true to the characters as we know them. I will be blunt that it is at the end of the day, a fanfiction. A published fanfiction, but a fanfiction nevertheless.

Would I recommend it and did I enjoy it? I would recommend it and I did enjoy it, but that does not mean that this book and the two sequels that follow are everyone’s cup of tea.

 

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Wise Words From Wise Women: A Review of The Heroine’s Bookshelf

    It is a truth universally acknowledged that a good book and the characters that inhabit that book will stay with the reader throughout his or her life. It is also a truth universally acknowledged that the lessons that the characters learn through their own choices and the consequences of those choices will resonate with the reader for years to come.

 Our favorite books inspire us. They are our solace in times of need. They keep us entertained when we have nothing else to do. We imagine that the characters within the books are our friends, our family. We know them as we know ourselves. They make us laugh, they make us smile, and they make us cry. And when were done with the book and the story is complete, we feel that no matter what has happened in our day, everything will be all right.

 Erin Blakemore analyzes some of most well known female authors and their iconic characters. The diverse range of authors and characters include Jane Austen (Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice), Louisa May Alcott (Jo March, Little Women), Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables), Betty Smith (Francie Nolan, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn) and Alice Walker (Celie, The Color Purple).

 Her thorough analysis looks at the author’s life and how the events in her life shaped her writing, her characters and the arc of the character’s story line during the book. At end of each chapter, Ms. Blakemore advises the reader of when the best time to read the book is and similar books that the reader might enjoy.

As a lifelong book worm and a fan of several of the authors whose lives and works are briefly chronicled within this book, I can say that I was satisfied by the end of the book.  Any reader of any of the novels would find the author’s analysis interesting without feeling like they have read a college textbook. I was reminded that when life turns unexpectedly or we must make a decision that may impact the rest of our life, the best advise can come from a beloved literary character.

The book is very quick read, but an enjoyable one. Reading a favorite book is like coming home to a very familiar and comforting place. Ms. Blakemore reminds me why I enjoyed and still enjoy my favorite books, even after many years and many, many reads. From this bookworm to the rest of the bookworms in the world, I highly recommend this book. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

Fanboys: A Satire For All

In 2009, the perfect fan satire movie was introduced: Fanboys.

In 1998, months before the premiere of Star Wars, Episode I, a group of friends go on a road trip. Their mission is to sneak into George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch and steal the rough cut of the movie.

This movie is hilarious. It’s not only a satire of the Star Wars Fandom, but of the science fiction fandom as a whole. The characters are what an outsider might see as a science fiction fan: a nerdy guy or girl who lives with their parents, whose sole focus in life is their fandom. As a Star Wars fan, I knew who these characters were without cringing, I was able to laugh at them. I understood their obsession. I was able to quote the movies along with them. And I loved the cameos, especially the ones from Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.

Unlike other fan satire (Austenland, I’m looking at you), Fanboys is one of funniest movies in the past five years. Underneath the stereotypes of the scifi fan, there is heart to these characters and a solid friendship that keeps the story going.

This is a must see.