These Three Remain

Title:	These Three Remain
Author:	Pamela Aidan
Genre:	Historical, Romance
Series:	Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman (3)
Ranking:	Excellent
LibraryThing:	Title:These Three Remain ISBN:978-0-7432-9137-8 (Add Book)
Type:	Owned
Read:	2009-01-10

Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's point of view (third in a trilogy).

Thoughts

This is the climactic third book. Here we come to the disastrous first proposal of Darcy to Elizabeth, and the road that leads to the successful second one.

I love this book. Seeing the events from Darcy's point of view, how he travels from delusion, anger, despair, remorse, and finally to reformation, it's wonderful. It isn't an easy road, it's a very hard one, and we are with Darcy in his struggle. This whole trilogy really deepens our understanding of Darcy; it gets behind the words we heard him speak in the original novel, and illuminates his silences also. Darcy isn't the only one who has good characterisation; the supporting characters are well-painted too.

The themes of love and friendship are close to my heart. Love, not soppy eros, not the selfish delusion that Darcy was labouring under when he first thought himself in love, but true, selfless love that cares more about the well-being of its object than it does for any gain to itself. Friendship is again shown with Darcy's true friends, Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam and Lord Dy Brougham; trust and truth and forgiveness, support in hard questions and in refraining from questions.

I love it.