Darcy’s Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes

As a faithful Jane Austen reader, I was a bit apprehensive reading a retelling of one of my favorite novels. In the preamble, Ms. Jeffers tells the reader the book has the ability to stand on its own. I do not agree with this statement. I felt Darcy’s Passion lacked environmental detail and character description. Now, while Austen’s narrative did not delve too much into this, it forces the reader to rely on the original.

Anyone outside of Darcy’s inner circle seemed flat and two dimensional. My view is colored a bit because I am extremely familiar with P&P.

When the author added Austen’s language, you could tell a difference. Her narrative seemed overly verbose and Austen’s far more smooth. There are even parts where the author paraphrases Austen’s work. This bothered me and I felt it took away from the original feel. However, I read on. By the end, Darcy no longer spoke or acted as Mr. Darcy would. He was a different creature and, while the author intended to show us the transition, the metamorphosis delineated the change from Austen into Jeffers’ own rendition.

Another reviewer lamented on the many different ways Jeffers told the reader Darcy loved Elizabeth. After they were married, I started skimming because she went on and on about absolutely nothing.

If you are a hardcore fan, don’t bother buying this book because it will drive you crazy. It is great as a P&P-esque romance where the original characters act a bit more romantic and more emotional. There is even a feminist twist that works well for the modern reader. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet, romantic jot into modern day Austen.