Fictional
Drama
1800s
England
A Pride and Prejudice Novel
“As a
fussy baby, Anne de Bourgh was prescribed laudanum to quiet her, and now the
young woman must take the opium-heavy tincture every day. Growing up sheltered
and confined, removed from sunshine and fresh air, the pale and overly slender
Anne grew up with few companions except her cousins, including Fitzwilliam
Darcy. Throughout their childhoods, it was understood that Darcy and Anne would
marry and combine their vast estates of Pemberley and Rosings. But Darcy does
not love Anne or want her. After her
father dies unexpectedly, leaving her his vast fortune, Anne has a moment of
clarity: what if her life of fragility and illness isn’t truly real? What if
she could free herself from the medicine that clouds her sharp mind and leaves
her body weak and lethargic? Might there be a better life without the medicine
she has been told she cannot live without? In a
frenzy of desperation, Anne discards her laudanum and flees to the London home
of her cousin, Colonel John Fitzwilliam, who helps her through her painful
recovery. Yet once she returns to health, new challenges await. Shy and utterly
inexperienced, the wealthy heiress must forge a new identity for herself,
learning to navigate a “season” in society and the complexities of love and
passion. The once wan, passive Anne gives way to a braver woman with a keen
edge—leading to a powerful reckoning with the domineering mother determined to
control Anne’s fortune . . . and her life.”
Another Pride
and Prejudice Jane Austen spin-off? Do we really need them? Well, probably
yes because these forays into 'what if' speculation are very popular among
Austenites. (Is that a word?) And I do admit, I am one among them.
Anne de Bourgh
has always been a bit of a pathetic figure within the P & P genre. Readers
either treat her with contempt or feel sorry for the poor, down-trodden girl. I’ve
wavered between the two, and have often wondered about her situation. Was she
content with being treated as an invalid? Smothered and coddled? Was she
relieved that she no longer had to marry that proud Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy? Phew!
Thank goodness for Miss Elizabeth Bennet who came along and saved her from a future
life as a wife (and expectations to become a mother) that she did not want!
Or,
perhaps she did want? Did poor Anne, like most of us, loathe her controlling
mama?
I wonder,
was Jane Austen dropping us, the reader, a powerful, but whispered, hint about
the Georgian attitude towards sex in Pride and Prejudice? I’ve always
wondered: the Bennets had quite a few children, so did the Gardiners, but Mr
Darcy and Anne de Bourgh were only children – while their respective, presumably
doting and best friends, mamas seemed to have not indulged in ‘that sort of
thing’. Does this tell us something about their characters?
This entertaining
novel explores some of the speculative questions. I cannot say that I agree
with all of the author’s theories, but Ms Greeley makes a fair attempt at believably
painting Anne’s life, and does it quite well. The pace
was a little slow in places, but we meet some familiar characters in various
situations, and are most adequately entertained.
© Anne Holt
e-version reviewed
Probably a must read for Austenites.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds© Anne Holt
e-version reviewed
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