James takes on Jane Austen in this mystery, which takes place several years after Pride and Prejudice protagonists Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have married. The Darcys are comfortably settled in their home at Pemberley when Mrs. Darcy's younger sister Lydia arrives distressed and unannounced, claiming that her husband (who grew up with Mr. Darcy but is out-of-favor with the Darcys) has been murdered in the woodland near Pemberley. A murder in the woods throws the Darcys and their family and friends into a distressing murder investigation and trial.
Before I say anything else, I should make it clear that I'm not a big Austen fan. I prefer my Bennets, Darcys, and Bingleys in derivative forms, a la the Thursday Next series (in which they flit in and out as background characters) and the Pride and Prejudice-based choose-your-own-adventure book I read a few years back. Reading Austen characters in this manner has made them somewhat more interesting to me than when I was forced to read Pride and Prejudice in high school.
Getting back to Death Comes to Pemberley, some have complained that James' treatment focuses too much on the men. That may be a fair assessment, as there are no fancy balls with the Bennet sisters and just one dinner party (and an informal one at that), while there is a lot of tromping through the woods with Mr. Darcy. But that didn't bother me. I enjoyed this novel, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a favorite. However, it fit my criteria for an enjoyable Austen-based novel, and perhaps it (combined with all the others) will get me to give real Austen another shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment