Sharon Lathan is a bestselling author, known for her remakes and sequels to classic works of literary prose such as Pride and Prejudice. One of her greatest attributes by far, is how the author manages to find her own unique voice in her work, while maintaining a semblance of the original Jane Austen prose. Full of everything a regency romance novel ought to have, The Trouble with Mr. Darcy takes characters who touched our hearts long ago and reveals them in a brand new light.
Regency Romance Fiction at Its Best
Sharon Lathan is the queen of Austen sequels. Having fallen in love with Pride and Prejudice thanks to Kiera Knightly and Matthew McFadyen in 2005, Sharon Lathan is certainly not your average run-of-the-mill author. A neonatal ICU nurse, Sharon Lathan didn't always know she wanted to write, she simply saw a movie and asked herself, “What happened next?” Since no one could really answer that question for her, Sharon Lathan took the story into her own hands, literally.
Out of a passionate love for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Sharon Lathan created the Darcy Saga; a continuation of the love story between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy Bennet. This self-proclaimed “average” woman never imagined herself a published author, but a couple steps into fan-fiction and a giant leap later, here she is, a bestselling author of some of my personal favorite Austen Sequels. As I mentioned previously, Sharon Lathan has a unique talent for channeling some of Jane Austen's voice and actually producing something I am certain would make the regency author proud.
With the language, imagery, setting and plot perfectly weaved together, readers will not ultimately believe they are not just continuing on the story began so many years ago. The books are so close to the original that, well, two shall become one. Pun intended on book one of the Darcy Saga; Two Shall become One; Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. The greatest asset of course is the characters.
Mr. Darcy and his bride Elizabeth, are exactly the way they were portrayed by Jane Austen all those years ago. Their reactions to events, their pride and their prejudices, all of it is perfectly carried on in Sharon Lathan's work. The sub-characters make their appearances too of course. Mrs. Bennet still has poor nerves that are always being vexed by one person or another, Lady Catherine DeBourgh is still as shrewish as she was before and Jane and Mr. Bingly are just as easily liked as they always have been.
The Trouble With Mr. Darcy, a Romance Novel of the Darcy Saga
In this installment of the Darcy Saga, Sharon Lathan really went above and beyond with her plot line. Immediately, the first few chapters are gripping and tender from the get go. Something that utterly relates to the world around us in this day and age, Lizzy Darcy nee Bennet finds herself struggling with postpartum depression. Naturally, back then they did not quite know of such a thing, what it was or how to treat it, and the relationship between husband and wife dramatically suffered.
Sharon Lathan handles that situation exceedingly well, making the disease a believable occurrence and treating it as it would have been in that era. This modern author also manages to incorporate a great sense of action to the story. While Darcy and Elizabeth face the most trying times of their marriage, old enemies step into play and cause enough trouble to make my heart beat over time. Needless to say, the story is emotionally investing enough to make readers cry one minute and smile from ear to ear the next.
Sharon Lathan has created a saga of the most talented kind and The Trouble with Mr. Darcy is a perfect continuation of the story, fitting in well and adding to the story's impact. Each one of Sharon Lathan's books is better than the last and impedes Jane Austen's work in no way. Thinking about the errors of this novel is an extremely difficult task because there are so few to mention.
The only distracting issue of the book occurred in the last chapter. The author wrote a very in depth few paragraphs on the fashion of the characters that it seemed more a mentioning of the author's extensive knowledge of the period and less like an integral part of the story, adding in no way to the prose. Besides that brief scene, the book was expertly written and one I consider an addition to the classic. I highly recommend it to Austen fans, regency romance connoisseurs and all around readers who believe in the happily ever after of well written escapist literature.
About the Author
Sharon Lathan is the author of The Darcy Saga, including bestselling Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy and a novella in A Darcy Christmas. In addition to her writing, she still works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU and resides with her family in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley.(Official Bio)
Source
- Lathan, Sharon. The Trouble with Mr. Darcy. Sourcebooks Inc., April 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4022-3754-6
Jessica Hastings - Jessica Hastings is a published author/poet, professional reviewer, and avid reader. Schooled in journalism and creative writing, she ...
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