My Dearest Mr. Darcy

Author: Sharon Lathan

So, hello everyone! I finished this book ahead of schedule! A whole TWO DAYS. =D 

In case you haven't read the previous posts, what I decided to do was a "reading project" as I call them, meaning that I pretty much read a whole series from beginning to end. I was trying to get to the ultimate point of My Dearest Mr. Darcy, the third novel in Sharon Lathan's Darcy Saga. So, naturally, I started at the VERY beginning, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and then went on to Lathan's series, which continues the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. 

I must say, the newest book in the series absolutely blew me away! I completely loved it, especially in comparison to the first two. 

The very first page drew me in. It started differently from the rest of the books, in the form of a diary entry, from Dr. George Darcy, Mr. Darcy's uncle that we met in the previous book, Loving Mr. Darcy. This was a huge surprise to me, because he wasn't a huge character in the book. However, it was a good opportunity to become more intimately acquainted with Dr. Darcy, as he does play a larger part in the third novel. It also gave a new viewpoint on the events that happened in the second novel, and gave details to events that were mentioned quickly in passing, but not really given much attention, such as the Darcy's invitation to the Countess von Lieven's salon. I thought it was altogether a wonderful beginning to a great book!

I thought that Lathan's writing was enchanting, as always. She always uses such vivid descriptions and makes it extremely for me to get lost in Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's world full of love and happiness. However, in her previous two books, I thought that many things were unrealistic and cliche. 

I also don't want to sound like a prude, because, really, what kind of a teenager is a prude nowadays? I don't mind books that have sex in them. I've been reading those books for years. I mean, sex sells, right? That's got to translate into books, as well as everything else in life. However, my motto for a great book is "More plot, less sex". Not meaning none, just not enough that it overpowers everything else in the novel. That was my biggest problem with the first two books in Lathan's Darcy Saga. While it did have plot, it seemed like that wasn't the priority of the story. The plot is THE most important thing in a book, which is why someone reads it.

This third novel was a huge improvement on both of these counts. The plot was engaging, with little dramas along the way, instead of one BIG drama at the end. This approach to storytelling definitely keeps me more absorbed in the book, and I literally never wanted to put it down, only doing it when I absolutely had to. And while Lizzy and William never stopped "physically consummating their love", and we did hear about it, Lathan didn't think it was necessary to tell her readers every single time it happened, or to go into as much detail every time she added in an intimate scene. I thought she perfectly balanced the sex with the story, and I highly applaud her on that!

I also thought that she improved with her characters. I think that she expanded on them more, and made them more complex, and therefore, more human and believable! George Darcy is probably the best example of this. In the second book, he just seemed like a carefree guy who happened to be an excellent doctor in India. However, in the third book, we learned more about his life in India, and his childhood with Darcy's father, and the real emotions hiding underneath his lively spirit. We also get to see the relationship budding between George and his entire family, who had barely known anyone due to their distance apart. Sharon Lathan also expanded on various other characters, such as Anne de Bourgh and Col. Fitzwilliam. She even helped Lizzy and Darcy become more human by showing more of their flaws, instead of the near perfection that I gathered from the other books. 

I also have to say that I love the historical bits that Lathan includes in the novel, such as the bathing machines, which I had never heard of before, and the Magic Lantern show, and the launching of the hot air balloons.  I think that she did a wonderful job by not putting in so many details, as to make it not appealing to people who don't like history, while putting in just enough to appeal to those people, like me, who happen to love history. This is yet another example of her amazing balancing act in My Dearest Mr. Darcy.

So, I think that was all I was going to talk about. I highly recommend everyone to read this book. It was stunning and absolutely amazing! And I also recommend everyone reading it to visit Sharon Lathan's website (http://www.sharonlathan.net/) while you're doing it. I stumbled upon it just before writing this review and I really wish I had thought to look at it before, especially the Portrait Gallery part. It helps you visualize a lot of the places that she's talking about and how great a setting she chose. So, I've decided that you should all read My Dearest Mr. Darcy. Ok? Good. Yay!

And, as is my customary sign off, feel free to email me at Kristi_Reads@yahoo.com or comment this post for discussions, suggestions, comments, etc. The next book I think I'm reading is The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent, which I've been very excited to start. So, I'll get that review up as soon as I'm done! 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi