Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney understand each other perfectly; it's a pity their families do not. A series of misunderstandings, misplaced pride, and—indeed—prejudice, has led their parents to deem the pair unsuited to wed. Now, with the Season approaching, Juliet's grandfather, General Tilney, has sent her to London with a new wardrobe and orders to prove herself worthy of someone better than the snobby Darcys. Meanwhile, Jonathan has been forced to accept an invitation to stay in town with old friends Edmund and Fanny Bertram at the house of Edmund's brother, Sir Thomas. Oblivious to and undesiring of female attention outside of Juliet's, Jonathan is at risk of being ensnared by Caroline Bingley's previously rebuffed plans to make herself—or her daughter—mistress of Pemberley.
But when Mr. Rushworth, the former husband of Edmund's sister Maria, is discovered dead in his home, Jonathan and Juliet find themselves with problems far weightier than the marriage market. In one of the greatest scandals of its day, Maria abandoned her new husband in favor of the notorious rake Henry Crawford, and when he wouldn't marry her, was forced to flee to the continent in disgrace. Now Maria is back, accompanied by a daughter she claims Mr. Rushworth fathered after their divorce—and who he wrote into his will just before his death. To spare Edmund and Fanny further social shame, Jonathan and Juliet must unmask a killer before the drama surrounding the Rushworth family fortune claims another victim.
There is slow burn and then there is sloooooooooooowwwwww burn. This is the latter, and its becoming incredibly annoying. I still don’t understand the elder Mr. Darcy. I thought that he learned his lesson with Elizabeth and his pride with his prejudice, but author Gray seems to be making him revert to his prior attitude.
I took point off because of the slow burn but also because it seems that Juliet is the one taking the “beating” from society. There appears to be a potential love triangle, and I have made no qualms about how I feel, or lack thereof, about love triangles. The mystery, at times, seemed to be eclipsed by the romance between Jonathan and Juliet. If there had been an ending, or even a point to it, then I would have liked that, but there wasn’t, other than to set up a new obstacle. Again, that part was just annoying. In the end, the mystery made sense if you have read Mansfield Park prior to this. If not, go do so as well as the other Jane Austen novels.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
Comments
Post a Comment