The Vicki Lists

Pray, Sir, what is a spin-off?  Oh, what would Jane Austen say about these things?  These often dreadful things that get written and are meant to be the continuing story of “her people”, as she called them?  Hard to say, but I know what I think.  I have yet to read a single one that I think amazing, but some are more palatable than others (and in fairness, some are quite decent).  So here is a booklist of Austen spin-offs that I wholeheartedly endorse and think people who are snobby about Austen (guilty) would enjoy.

Mr. Darcy’s Diary, by Amanda Grange

Finally, we get to see Fitzwilliam Darcy’s side of things!  Grange has written her book in the format of Darcy’s journal, which chronicles his feelings as he meets and falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet. Would Darcy have kept a diary?  Would he have thought the way Grange imagines he does?  If you’re a big old snob like I am, you’ll enjoy this book, and be glad if you imagine that he did.  Recommended for a quick, fun read that will make you think about one of the world’s great love stories form the other side.

Lydia Bennet’s Story: A Sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Odiwe

Another angle on the famous Bennet Family.  Lydia Bennet is a plot device in Pride & Prejudice — a silly, rude little plot device who apparently doesn’t care enough about her family to consider how her actions reflect upon them.  While there’s plenty of silliness and raunchiness in Odiwe’s novel, there’s also a look at a girl who was never taught to think seriously, and who has to think seriously when it’s too late to change her fate.  Sort of cool.  Recommended for people who like thinking about how our families affect our lives, for better or for worse, and like to see the other side of the story.

Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride, by Helen Halstead

Dear me.  Could this one actually be a spin-off worthy of P&P?  This is the story of Darcy and Elizabeth’s first year or two of marriage, and it honors the style of Austen, both in its language, the bulk of its content, and the gaze that we have of their world.  Life isn’t perfect — Lizzy and Darcy have to figure out how to live and love each for the long haul.  Halstead offers a really interesting picture of what it may or may not have been like after the double wedding.  Recommended for those who enjoy the true spirit of Austen — the purist crowd, in particular.

The Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Trilogy, by Pamela Aidan

This group of books (An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire, and These Three Remain) will make your feelings swing wildly.  Perhaps because they are three pieces of the same novel all written at different points, sometimes things feel patchy, and there are some truly comically gothic things going on in here, but Aidan gives a very detailed portrait of Darcy’s feelings and how they change over the course of his beginning to know Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  That’s an attractive thing to a reader, I think.  Much more intense reading than Amanda Grange’s Mr. Darcy’s Diary, for better or for worse, depending on what you’re after.  Recommended to those interested in Darcy’s side of things, as well as a rounder picture of how things might have looked in the world of P & P.

Eliza’s Daughter, by Joan Aiken

So here’s a glance at what life was like for somebody outside of respectability — the child of Willoughby and Eliza.  This book is a combination of Dickens, Jane Eyre, and something else.  Sort of Austen-ish, but ultimately a separate thing.  What’s good about it is how it considers the precariousness of a woman’s position back then, whether she had money or not.  What’s a little less enjoyable is how we see the Sense & Sensibility characters — would this have been their fate, the way Aiken paints it?  Eliza is a likable character, and her story moves in interesting ways.  Recommended for Austen fans who are willing to be a little flexible, and want some adventure.

Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma, by Diana Birchall

In this sequel, Mrs. Darcy and Mr. Darcy are happy and content in Derbyshire, with their three children all about the age of marriage.  Against her better judgment, Elizabeth invites Lydia’s two oldest daughters to come stay at Pemberley, and of course, things get hairy.  The world is changing (Princess Victoria is bringing about a new era), and Mrs. Darcy must help her children find happiness, even in the face of all of the obstacles that get in their way.  Recommended for Austen purists — Birchall is respectful of P & P, and inventive in a realistic way.