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| The Darcys & the Bingleys: A Tale of Two Gentlemen's Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters | 
 enlarge | Author: Marsha Altman
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.47
You Save: $6.48 (43%)
Buy New/Used from $8.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  (9 reviews)
Sales Rank: 26985
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.7 x 1.2
ISBN: 1402213484
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781402213489
ASIN: 1402213484
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A Tale of Two Gentlemen's Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters Three days before their double wedding, Charles Bingley is desperate to have a word with his dear friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, seeking advice of a most delicate nature. Bingley is shocked when Darcy gives him a copy of The Kama Sutra - but it does tell him everything he needs to know. Eventually, of course, Jane finds this remarkable volume and in utmost secrecy shows it to her dear sister Elizabeth, who goes searching for a copy in the Pemberley library... By turns hilarious and sweet, The Darcys & the Bingleys follows the two couples and the cast of characters surrounding them. Miss Caroline Bingley, it turns out, has such good reasons for being the way she is that the reader can't help but hold her in charity. Delightfully, she makes a most eligible match, and in spite of Darcy's abhorrence of being asked for advice, he and Bingley have a most enduring and adventure-prone friendship.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
An Entertaining Pride and Prejudice Sequel November 10, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book isn't the best Pride and Prejudice Sequel I ever read, but I did find it a very entertaining book. It is not close to the style of Jane's writing, her characters (I don't think she would have Mr. Darcy be so easily drunk), or her style (she would not be writing about the Kama Sutra). Nevertheless, it is a fresh sequel to Pride and Prejudice and depicts the lives of the Bingley's and the Darcy's right before and long after marriage.
If you are critical (and there is nothing wrong with being critical) in your selection of Jane Austen Sequels and other writings, I wouldn't buy this book right away, maybe borrow it from the library first, see how you like it.
Of course a Pride and Prejudice sequel wouldn't be a Pride and Prejudice sequel without Caroline Bingley. I would say 1/4 of the story is about Caroline Bingley and her choice of fiance. If you are not a big fan of Caroline Bingley, you might not care for this book then.
By reading the other reviews and the plot on Amazon you might think this book is all about Kama Sutra and might be rated R. There really isn't that much about the Kama Sutra later in the book and it is not graphic or explicit. I would even say it is more PG-13.
 Delightful! November 10, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I loved this book! The relationship between the Bingleys and the Darcys was a delight to read. I loved the humor and the love between these two couples, and I could hardly put it down once I started reading. This author is very talented and I look forward to reading more of her work. I highly recommend this book!
My favourite sequel September 25, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've been following Marsha's stories for a while, and I love them. They're funny and they're sweet, and the development of the characters is exactly how I imagined them. Darcy is definitely more relaxed now that he's married and I love how the relationship between him and Bingley evolves.
And I like how Caroline's changed. I never thought she was that bad, and as one of the other characters comments, how else is she to behave when she feels someone was poaching her man? I look forward to Marsha's future books.
 "...disquise of every sort is my abhorrence." September 19, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
When Jane Austen wrote this line for Darcy, she doubtless meant him to define "disguise" as 'deception' or 'pretense'. But it can also mean 'drunk' and Altman's sequel remarks several episodes where she has Darcy so drunk he has to stagger away to throw up! This is so out of character for a gentleman who is strictly mindful of the proprieties. If he finds Mrs. Bennet and her sister, Mrs. Philips' vulgar behavior a "...tax on his forbearance" how can Altman believe Darcy would behave so? His throwing an intrusive Wickham out the window on the day of his wedding, while a funny situation, is not something Darcy would risk. Finally, the "brotherly rivalry" between himself and Bingley degenerates into petty one-up-manship in the vein of Kitty and Lydia's relationship. The funniest part was Bingley's solicitation of Darcy's supposed greater knowledge of 'marital relations' so he may please his Jane on their wedding night and Darcy's 'advice'. Still, this doesn't fit Darcy's persona, either.
The sub-plot about Caroline Bingley's attempts at matrimony was a tedious contrivance and I struggled to finish those chapters. The more interesting Mr. Bennet and the Darcy's first-born toddler Geoffrey (Yeff!) held my attention more.
For P&P fans who can't get enough, I would recommend this as a tolerable diversion and mildly amusing read. "The Pemberly Chronicles" by Rebecca Ann Collins was a better sequel.
Sweet story. September 2, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I liked this story well enough. There are parts when the author has streaks of brilliance in her writing but then falls short by writing scenarios that are too far-fetched, contrived to be believable, ie. Lizzy riding horseback (alone) all the way from Scotland to London to courier important evidence to Darcy and Bingley. She personalizes her characters very well and gives them likeable converstaion. The backstory of Darcy and Bingley's initial meeting is highly amusing as well. It is a sweet story by all means and I am happy to have this unique spin on The Darcy's and The Bingley's in my collection.
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