Mr. Darcy's Great Escape

Mr. Darcy's Great Escape: A Tale of The Darcys and The Bingleys. Marsha Altman. 2010. (February 2010) Sourcebooks. 496 pages.

In early April of 1812, four families gathered in Hertfordshire. At this stage, getting them all together was no small task.

This is the third novel in Marsha Altman's Darcys and Bingleys series. The first book, The Darcys & The Bingleys: Pride and Prejudice Continues: A Tale of Two Gentlemen's Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters, I reviewed in September 2008. The second book, The Plight of the Darcy Brothers: A Tale of Siblings and Surprises, I reviewed in August 2009. I must say that I enjoyed the first two much more than this one.

This series has always been complex. Following multiple couples, siblings, various relations, etc. The Darcys. The Bingleys. The Maddoxs. (Dr. Daniel Maddox is married to Caroline Bingley.) But this latest one had a bit too much going on, in my opinion. What is it about? Well, it's about Mr. Darcy and Dr. Maddox having really, really bad luck. Bad. Stuff. Happens. You see, Marsha Altman created a character, Brian Maddox, the brother of Daniel, and he got into trouble when he married a Transylvanian Princess. A barren Transylvanian Princess with a tyrannical father. And when the couple runs away (fearing for their lives) this father tricks Dr. Maddox into visiting, and holds him prisoner. Unfortunately, Mr. Darcy was traveling with him. So both men are now prisoners.

The action of this one--the story line--is so far removed from the original novel. The characters so distant, in a way, from who they were in the original novel that this one can be a bit hard to believe. It's definitely more on the ridiculous side of things. It's a very long, very tedious, over-the-top sequel. I was very disappointed with it. I really did enjoy the first two in the series. But I can't recommend this one.

It reminds me of the third Anne movie actually.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews