Pages: 208
Published: April 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Regency/ Romance
Format: Paperback
Acquired: Local Library
Date Finished: 5th August 2012
Synopsis:
This prequel to "Pride and Prejudice" begins with George
Wickham at age 12, handsome and charming but also acutely aware that his
friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is rich, whilst he is poor.
Thoughts/ Review:
This is my first real
taste of anything Austen and while I know people usually start with the
original before moving onto the re-tellings and prequels and other Austen like novels, I decided to dip
my toes in the other end and picked up Wickham’s Diary, by Amanda Grange in
hope that I would get a feel for the time period, and hopefully like it enough
to want to pick up the original.
My verdict: I loved
it. It was so easy to read and I slipped right into the time period with no
worries. For me I am not a huge fan of classics as I find it hard to get into
Historical fiction [not my preferred taste] but every once in a while I like to
mix it up and try something different. I have Misty over a The Book Rat to
thank for it because without her Austen in August events I probably would have
let it slide.
In this novel we get
to meet George Wickham who seems charming and intellectual, until you really
get to know him and understand that he is a lazy, selfish man who spends every cent he’s got and is in so much debt that he is being hunted by collectors. I
must admit I have a thing for bad boys but for the most part of the novel it
wasn’t that he was a bad boy, he was just plain reckless. But for some reason
it worked for me and I enjoyed reaching about his nights spent with women and
his endless journey in finding a ‘beautiful and wealthy heiress’ to marry into
for money.
The begging of the
novel and the progression of Wickham’s relationship with his controlling mother
and Fitzwilliam was one of my favorite parts of the novel. It is through these
encounters and conversations with his mother that we learn her hopes for his
future and that without his mother steering him in the right direction he is
truly a lost soul. For the better half of his childhood his mother conditioned
him with the ideals she wanted him to have and prepped him up for a successful life,
but after his parents pass he goes on a spiral downwards and looses not only
his family, but the Darcy’s through death and an ending of his friendship with
Fitzwilliam, of course to no one’s fault but his own.
I think that is what
I took most from the novel and what really propelled me into wanting to read
more about Pride and Prejudice. That even today it is no different to what it
was. For instance like Fitzwilliam’s dream, his pursuit for something more, and
the pursuit for his happiness that is still relevant in today’s world as is the
men who waste their lives away with money, drinks and women and toss away their
futures. It’s real and I think Amanda did a wonderful job with keeping with the
time period and yet making it even modern without having to resort to a complete
re-telling set in modern times.
Now I can’t say for
certain how Wickham’s diary reflects on the original, but I certainly recommend
it for fans of Austen and for those who love the time period and regency
fiction. It is a light, short and often cheeky and humorous read and Wickham’s
constant epic fails are a highlight throughout the whole novel, and even though
I rolled my eyes at his nature, I still wanted to read on in hopes of a happy
ending.
I am giving this:
★★★★★
Lovely Bonnet’s
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