Mr Darcy, Vampyre, Amanda Grange
By Pippa Bregazzi
Monday 19th October 2009
Monday 19th October 2009
Now, before I start this review, I need to make a confession. I don’t much like Pride and Prejudice. There, I’ve said it; that’s the first step to admitting you have a problem, isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, I love the BBC version as much as the next person, mainly because of Mr Darcy and the lake, but I just never could get on with the book. So it was with certain misgivings that I opened this book, not entirely sure what to expect, but fairly certain I wouldn’t really like it that much.
Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. While being, without doubt, one of the silliest books I have ever read, Mr Darcy, Vampyre was actually surprisingly good fun. It’s not exactly erudite literature, and ranks, on a scale of one to ten of trashy novels, at about thirteen, but if you want something completely non-taxing to switch off to, this book fits the bill.
The plot follows the newly-wed Mr and Mrs Darcy on a honeymoon tour of Europe that they will never forget. Far from being the dream marriage she expected, Elizabeth finds herself abandoned nightly, with no explanation. Naturally, as a new bride, this strikes her as odd. But, as she soon finds out, Darcy’s apparent lack of sex drive is the least of her worries.
The tour through France and across the Alps to Venice and Rome, which ordinarily would have been the perfect romantic setting for the young couple, is fraught with danger, and Elizabeth faces demons she’d previously only ever read about, culminating in a showdown in which the shocking truth is revealed.
Mr Darcy is not all as he seems. Dun dun dun…
Whether Elizabeth accepts this and carries on, or leaves him and runs back to England as fast as her legs will carry her, well… I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending.
The narrative is fast-paced and action-packed. While it’s not Jane Austen, it did still keep me reading. Again, I must reiterate, die-hard Austen fans would do well to steer clear, as with any modern sequel to an older classic. Anyone else looking for a completely silly bit of fun to wind down to at the end of a hard day’s working can stop their search. Mr Darcy, Vampyre will make you laugh, it will probably make you cringe, it’s very clichéd, but at the end of the day, whatever you may think going into it, it doesn’t disappoint.
[The other good thing is that it’s so easy to read it’ll probably only take you a few hours. I find this a Good Thing. English degrees don’t pass themselves, you know.]
Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. While being, without doubt, one of the silliest books I have ever read, Mr Darcy, Vampyre was actually surprisingly good fun. It’s not exactly erudite literature, and ranks, on a scale of one to ten of trashy novels, at about thirteen, but if you want something completely non-taxing to switch off to, this book fits the bill.
The plot follows the newly-wed Mr and Mrs Darcy on a honeymoon tour of Europe that they will never forget. Far from being the dream marriage she expected, Elizabeth finds herself abandoned nightly, with no explanation. Naturally, as a new bride, this strikes her as odd. But, as she soon finds out, Darcy’s apparent lack of sex drive is the least of her worries.
The tour through France and across the Alps to Venice and Rome, which ordinarily would have been the perfect romantic setting for the young couple, is fraught with danger, and Elizabeth faces demons she’d previously only ever read about, culminating in a showdown in which the shocking truth is revealed.
Mr Darcy is not all as he seems. Dun dun dun…
Whether Elizabeth accepts this and carries on, or leaves him and runs back to England as fast as her legs will carry her, well… I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending.
The narrative is fast-paced and action-packed. While it’s not Jane Austen, it did still keep me reading. Again, I must reiterate, die-hard Austen fans would do well to steer clear, as with any modern sequel to an older classic. Anyone else looking for a completely silly bit of fun to wind down to at the end of a hard day’s working can stop their search. Mr Darcy, Vampyre will make you laugh, it will probably make you cringe, it’s very clichéd, but at the end of the day, whatever you may think going into it, it doesn’t disappoint.
[The other good thing is that it’s so easy to read it’ll probably only take you a few hours. I find this a Good Thing. English degrees don’t pass themselves, you know.]