Book Review: The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen. © 2011 Sourcebooks Landmark. ISBN 9781402240256. Trade Paperback. Historical Fiction. 400 pages. Source: arc furnished by the publisher.
Synopsis: Convinced that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother’s soul mate, Georgiana Darcy enlists her clever and not at all snobbish cousin Anne de Bourgh in ensuring that pride and prejudice aren’t able to keep these two hearts apart. All is going according to plan until Lydia Bennet brings scandal on the family by eloping with George Wickham, and Darcy is called away from Elizabeth’s side before he has a chance to propose. It will take all Georgiana and Anne’s considerable matchmaking talents to ensure that Elizabeth and Darcy are reunited in time to claim their happily ever after.
Review: The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy is a novel that explores the idea of Anne de Bourgh (daughter of the insufferable Lady Catherine de Bourgh) being the reason why one of the greatest couples of all time come together. With the assistance of Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, and his dear friend, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Anne does everything she possibly can to assure that her cousin marries Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Unlike a lot of Jane Austen fan fiction, this novel follows very closely to Pride and Prejudice, resembling more a retelling than a brand new story itself. That isn’t to say it’s not enjoyable. There’s added scenes (including some behind-the-scenes looks at Austen’s scenes), some very nice character insight and new scenes of things we’ve always wondered about. The biggest changes I noticed were the alterations to Georgiana and Anne themselves. Georgiana is two years older in this tale and not nearly as quiet and shy. She also have a feverish love of romance novels, which reminded me some of Catherine Morland. Anne is far-removed from the sickly, weak woman we find in Austen’s original. There are also some additions to the loves and suitors of others but I’ll save that for you to read for yourself.
All in all, I find this book charming (and not to mention refreshing as I really enjoyed seeing things through the eyes of people who are normally background characters) and I’ll be moving up Mary Lydon’s other Austen title on my to-read list as well. 4/5.
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