I'm almost finished with this book and must say that I'm enjoying it more than any previous written attempts at getting into the head of Jane Austen's somewhat inscrutable Fitzwilliam Darcy. Aidan credits the 1995 TV series with her inspiration but she has created something all her own, most of it quite believable and enjoyable.
I must admit growing a little tired of Darcy and Elizabeth's verbal interactions being constantly referred to in terms of a "fencing match" but on the other hand, it's a fairly accurate description of their relationship at this point in the story. Some of the descriptions of Elizabeth seemed a bit flowery but then again, Darcy was quite smitten, so it's not much of a stretch.
And Elizabeth Bennet is a bit different here than she appears in the original work but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We see her in P&P as witty. But in Assembly, it is not just her wit that bewitches Mr. Darcy but her beautiful singing voice (he hears her in church before the Lucas party), her goodness, and even her taste in books (apparently, Aiden's Darcy relishes the fact that she likes Milton's Paradise Lost).
Right now, I'm in the midst of the post-ball Bingley "kidnapping" to London; Darcy hasn't even told Bingley yet that they're not returning. Only Caroline Bingley seems to be in on the secret. Again, and of course, entirely believable and fascinating to see this scene, only briefly mentioned in the original work and rarely shown in any of the adaptations.
In all, I find Aiden's fleshing out of the characters even more believable than the excellent 1995 TV series and am looking forward to the next two installments.
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