The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater

Title: The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy                   

Author: Maya Slater

Publisher: W.W. Norton

ISBN: 978-0-393-33636-8

Format Read: Trade Paperback $14.95

Source: My Own Personal Library

Literature’s most famous hero, Mr. Darcy, opens his diary to disclose a complex, passionate inner world.

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy is a captivating novel of love, pride, passion, and of course prejudice. Off-stage events barely mentioned in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice are revealed, and many surprising new facts come to light, such as Mr. Darcy’s proposal of marriage to another young woman. Mr. Darcy’s writes of his daily life as a society gentleman in Georgian London and of his dangerous friendship with Lord Byron, and he tells the full story of his sister’s infatuation with the dastardly Wickham. Most importantly, he describes how he gradually falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet, and, in the process, painfully gains self-knowledge. (From the back of the book)

My Thoughts

I am a huge fan of P&P adaptations and when I spotted this novel in the window of Barnes & Noble, I knew that I had to buy it.

I was hoping for something along the lines of Amanda Grange’s series of Austen-inspired diaries, sadly it was not the case with this book. The iconic character of Mr. Darcy was thoroughly destroyed in this novel.

Why did I say that? Well, Maya Slater’s version of Darcy has him leading of life of debauchery, which is the polar opposite of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Also, I do not believe that Darcy would have been friends with Lord Byron. I mean come on Lord Byron was an amazing poet, but he was a bit of a nutter and I do not really see Darcy of Pemberley associating with Byron.

Mr. Darcy is the one literary character that should always be upstanding. This version of him made him feel slimy and more like Wickham.

Sadly, this became a DNF! Maybe one day when I am really bored, or they stop making books, I might go back and try to finish this but for now life is too short to read bad books!

An excerpt from the book to show my dislike:

I took much Port Wine, & raised no objection when Byron came to find us & carried us off to meet some ‘charming women’ of his acquaintance. I remember little of the evening after that. My bit of muslin was fair & curvaceous, with a loud laugh. She had fine paps to her, her name, I believe, is Clarabelle.

I am not sure who brought me home.

-page 21

Until We Meet Again,