Assumed Engagement

Title: Assumed Engagement
Author: Kara Louise
Genre: Historical, Romance
Copyright: 2006
Ranking: Okay
LibraryThing: Title:Assumed Engagement ISBN:978-1-3457-3282-7 (Add Book)
Read: 2009-12-25

After Elizabeth refuses Darcy's offer of marriage, he leaves Kent, hoping to forget her forever. An untimely accident, however, renders him unconscious. His sister, Georgiana, holds a letter he had written earlier stating his intent to ask for Elizabeth's hand. She sends for her, believing them to be engaged. In this variation of the novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are thrown together at Pemberley. As she cares for him, she begins to see a man very different than what she believed him to be.

Thoughts

Albeit that this is a published novel, it is fan fiction; Alternative History fan fiction at that. It diverges from canon after chapter 35 of the original novel, so I re-read Pride and Prejudice up to that point before I dived into this. Perhaps it suffered by the comparison with the original; the characterisation of the supporting characters seemed simplistic rather than nuanced, and some things felt rather contrived.

The Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman trilogy is still the best P & P fanfic I've read, and I suspect nothing will surpass it.

This wasn't bad, though. I really do like the portrayal of Georgiana, though; she gets more attention, and it shows. I like the friendship that develops between her and Elizabeth, even while Elizabeth and Darcy are at odds.

But I'm in no hurry to read the sequel ("Assumed Obligation"), even though it does focus on Georgiana.