An Assembly Such as This: Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

by Pamela Aidan | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0972852905 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingUrfinwing of Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen Germany on 6/12/2008
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17 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingUrfinwing from Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen Germany on Thursday, June 12, 2008
Who is Fitzwilliam Darcy?
This is book 1 of a series of three that tell the story of P&P from Darcy's perspective.
It concludes with the infamous Netherfield ball.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman II and III and the corresponding fred are here.

Journal Entry 2 by wingUrfinwing from Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen Germany on Friday, June 13, 2008
The [BookRing] looks like this now:

1. Leseschaf (NRW)
2. Annieselan (Hessen)
3. MrBennet (Hessen)
4. elhamisabel (Hessen)
5. tourvel (NRW)
6. J-sama (Sachsen)
7. greeneyemoony (NRW)
8. SaschaBWk (Hamburg)
9. Tiikeri (Schleswig-Holstein)
10. DA-Cameron (Baden-Württemberg)
11. dschinny (Hamburg)
12. Rochester74 (Hessen)
13. Marienkind (Niedersachsen) (erst mal nur Band 1)
14. Stella-del-Nord (Niedersachsen)
15. erinacea (Berlin) (erst mal nur Band 1)
16. BerlinBookworm (owns the book now:)
17. nach Hause

Journal Entry 3 by wingUrfinwing from Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen Germany on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Today, I've posted the book to Leseschaf.
Enjoy! :o)

Journal Entry 4 by wingLeseschafwing from Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Monday, June 23, 2008
Arrived today and I'm longing to read it. Had to finish another bookring first, so ...

28.6.08
What a nice book. I enjoyed reading this immensely. To revisit some situationes and to get to know so many possible facts about F.D. - I loved to read about his friendship with C.B. and his thinking about the people around. But the author adds more to the known story by introducing for example Fletcher who makes me laugh out loud. Thanks for sharing this book and I look forward to reading the next one.

30.6. travelling again

Journal Entry 5 by Annieselan from Fulda, Hessen Germany on Thursday, July 3, 2008
Mr. Darcy´s first adventure arrived today - I´m very honoured to have such a gentleman in my home. ;-) But poor Mr. Darcy must be patient with me, because there are two other books, I´ve got to read first!

Journal Entry 6 by Annieselan from Fulda, Hessen Germany on Monday, July 14, 2008
I´m sorry that I needed so much time for this book. We had some serious problems with our personal computer and I couldn´t go online for the last few days. But I´ve already got the adress of MrBennet, so the book can go on traveling tomorrow.

I really enjoyed reading "P&P" from Darcy´s perspective and I think, Pamela Aidan has done very well. It´s almost like Jane Austen herself wrote this book. I like the new characters, especially Fletcher very much and I´m looking forward to read more, although the next book won´t contain much about Lizzie, because it`s the "silent time". ;-)

Thank you very much for this very interesting ring, urfin! I really enjoyed this book.

Released 15 yrs ago (7/15/2008 UTC) at BookRing in -- Per Post/Persönliche Weitergabe--, Hessen Germany

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Travelling to Mr.Bennet!

Journal Entry 8 by MrBennet from Darmstadt, Hessen Germany on Friday, July 18, 2008
Today, it came running into me! I'll start reading now... Thanks for sending, Annieselan. And to urfin for letting me participate.

Update 31.07.08:
This is a must-read for P&P fans like me - I enjoyed it! To look at the story through Darcy's eyes is just the perspective I'm really interested in. The London scenes at the end are really amusing, especially the one playing in the bookstore. I'm eager to read the next volume!

Journal Entry 9 by MrBennet at By Mail in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, July 31, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (7/31/2008 UTC) at By Mail in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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The book has started off today towards elhamisabel who's longing to get hold of it.

Journal Entry 10 by elhamisabel from Frankfurt am Main, Hessen Germany on Monday, August 4, 2008
Arrived. Yay!
Thanks a lot!
Got another bookring along with this. Might take some time until I'm able to pass it on.

Journal Entry 11 by elhamisabel from Frankfurt am Main, Hessen Germany on Thursday, August 7, 2008
And now for some not so good review.

To tell you the truth, I am by no means a happy bunny after reading this piece of crap. Yes, piece of crap. Normally I'd stop after 50 or so pages but the (as it turned out) vain hope that this would improve at some point kept me reading until the end. And yes, reading the end was hard work.

Oh God, there are so many points to criticise, I don't know where to start.
Off the top of my head, here are some points I strongly resent to:

All right, I know Pamela Aiden is not Jane Austen. I didn't expect her writing to be as good as Austen's. Really, I did not. But pleeeeeeaaaasssseeeee! Woman, please do not try to be overly be like Austen by copying and coming up with expressions and words probably even out of date 200 years ago.
That is so not becoming! I mean, really, who told you that you should use the old spelling. No, we live in the 21st century, come on, you can use the current spelling, nobody will hang you for doing so. Especially as you use just a very few words and the old spelling of "chose" only in direct speech. Doesn't look good, makes you look like someone desperately trying to be genuine.
Oh, and if you try to be smarter than you should, then at least use the British meaning of words. "Momentarily", darling, has an entirely different meaning in British and US English. Your use of the word did not make any sense in the context.

I did not like the presentation of neither Bingley nor Darcy. Yes, I am aware that this is up to the author what she sees in those two caracters but it does not mean that I have to agree with her. She had me in opposition the minute she wrote about Bingley winking at a girl at the Meryton assembly. Sorry, but Bingley is shown as an empty-headed upstart throughout the entire novel. Yes, his money may have come from trade and not from titled land but throughout P&P it's obvious that he is very much the gentleman Darcy is, just with a different, more open disposition and less money. The way he is depicted in this novel is just awful.
Just don't get me started on the picture Darcy gives in this book. Grrr!

What about all this Fletcher episode and his intercourse with other people? Did so not like that.
And please woman, while we are at it, next time you write a book, get yourself a book on common names in the early 19th century because even I* have more imagination than slightly changing well known real and literary names into names for your caracters. Which all so not sound genuine!

Also, forcing real life events into the novel might look like a good idea, but nope, they aren't. If you want to do it like Austen, keep it timesless like she did.

All right, all right, just put all the above to artistical creativity and forget about my ranting.
But the blunders regarding accuracy towards the novel itself are awful!
Right, the soldiers appearance is not set to a specific date but I'm pretty sure that they were not present at the Meryton assembly. Otherwise they probably would have been mentioned and men would hardly have been scarce during the dancing and thereby not making it likely that Elizabeth had to sit down for a couple of dances.
OK, let's say they were already in Meryton during the assembly.
There are many other inconsistencies, though. Just to name a few:
- it is clearly stated in P&P that the Hursts do not have a carriage of their own. For convenience reasons Aiden just invented one, it would seem.
- Darcy is unaware of the level of attachment between Bingley and Jane up until dancing with Liz at the Netherfield ball when Sir Lucas hints at it. He says so in his letter to Liz later in Kent. In this book, he tries to caution Bingley all the time, even before the ball.
- Bingley assuring Darcy he would under no circumstances let Wickham attend the ball and going out of his way to talk to Colonel Foster about it when in the novel it is said that he (Bingley) would not have been able to deter Wickham from attending but was glad he chose not to come after all. (This, again, shows that Bingley is a gentleman and knows how to behave properly to social rules while in the novel he seems to be a caracter totally out of place in his social environment.)
- it seems totally out of caracter for Darcy to hint to Bingley about going to dance with Lizzy when in P&P Jane tells Lizzy that she and Bingley had talked about her (Lizzy) and Darcy as a couple but dismissed it as unlikely. So how come there is all this hinting from Bingley?

The entire novel irritated me, I did not like the style, I did not like the content and I was more than annoyed by the blatant mistakes.

You know what? Despite all the ranting above, I do want to read the upcoming two parts. No, not because I hope they'll get better. I have given up that thought after 218 pages. No, it's more like when you see an accident happening: you are disgusted and yet, there is a fascination to see how bad it'll be. That's what's happening to me here.
Also, I would feel I'd missed some great turning point and I can't pass this opportunity. Even though I know it won't happen. ;-)


* And that's saying something!

ETA:
Yes, you can call me a Jane Austen purist. So far the only books I more or less liked were:
- Letters from Pemberley. The First Year (Jane Dawkins)
- More Letters from Pemberley. 1814 - 1819. (Jane Dawkins)
- Darcy's Story (Janet Aylmer; although a bit repetetive as it uses parts of the novel)
- Darcy's Diary (Amanda Grange)

Journal Entry 12 by tourvel from Alsdorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Das Buch ist heute angekommen und muss sich erst mal hinten anstellen :-)

28.08.

Muss ich erst mal sacken lassen ... und ich _wusste_, dass es in dem Buchladen etwas von Jane Austen gibt und ja ich will weiterlesen.

Journal Entry 13 by tourvel at Rietschen, Sachsen Germany on Thursday, August 28, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (8/28/2008 UTC) at Rietschen, Sachsen Germany

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Ist auf dem Weg J-sama.

Journal Entry 14 by J-sama from Leipzig, Sachsen Germany on Sunday, September 7, 2008
Arrived savely some days ago. Will deal with it as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 15 by J-sama from Leipzig, Sachsen Germany on Sunday, January 4, 2009
Alright, I finally read the book during my holidays and I'm already half way throught the second part. I'm really sorry for the long wait but I'm still working on the mountain of books that built up during my diploma thesis.

Now about the book. I liked it. Although I tended to see it as a book on its own. I even refrained from taking Pride & Prejudice from the shelf and lookig things up, I wasn't quite sure about. Sure, there are some inaccuracies but I wouldn't overrate it. Its still a work on its own and for me, I love books set in that time in England. Although I never saw Darcy as the "lovesick" type of man. I liked his characterization quite a lot, especially the toughts about his sister and his reluctance of Binglys sister. The style is not that easy, some guessing on the words was involved but you get into it quite easily.

I already pmmed greeneyedmoony I think the book will be on its way the upcomming week

Journal Entry 16 by greeneyemoony from Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Monday, January 12, 2009
and arrived safe and sound. Thx for sending it. I already started reading.

Journal Entry 17 by greeneyemoony from Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I liked the book though I think Darcy and Bingley are not the ones Austen describes. Darcy ist too humorous and Bingley too stupid and ridiculous. But if you actually think of the book as not linked to P6P it is quite good. The autor comes up with a lot of explanations for facts that are not explained in P6P, for example why Darcy knows that Lizzy sings yery well.
Will send it on to SaschaBWk hopefully during this week.

Journal Entry 18 by greeneyemoony from Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Wednesday, January 14, 2009
managed to send it on today. have a nice journey!

Journal Entry 19 by SaschaBWk from Hamburg - Barmbek, Hamburg Germany on Monday, January 19, 2009
The book arrived today and is the next on my list.

Journal Entry 20 by SaschaBWk from Hamburg - Barmbek, Hamburg Germany on Saturday, January 24, 2009
Finished! During the first part of the novel I wanted to give up, but I had it with me while I had to wait at my dentist and so I finished it. For me this novel is a fantasy-novel without much imagination. Aidan writes her privat fantasy about well loved characters and has nothing new to say. One of the main problems (and there are many others) is that Jane Austen wrote from first hand exprience and Aidan has her knowledge from writing, films and her own limited imagination about the time. This showes in almost every scene.
There is a lot in it that has nothing whatsoever to do with Austen but a lot with overused conventions from films about the time. I have to admit that I liked those parts best that are farthest away from Austens world. That is I liked the 'comic relief' scenes around Fletcher. There I could pretend to read a not too bad novel about funny people that have names only by accident the same as in one of my favourite novels.
From the description of "Duty and Desire" it sounds very far away from Austen and so I'll try my luck with it.

I already have the next address, so there will be no delay.

Journal Entry 21 by Tiikeri from Friedrichstadt, Schleswig-Holstein Germany on Sunday, February 1, 2009
Darcy arrived here a few days ago and we have already started getting to know each other. It will probably take me some time to get through the novel so I hope you're patient with me.

Journal Entry 22 by Tiikeri from Friedrichstadt, Schleswig-Holstein Germany on Saturday, February 28, 2009
Well, I'm finished with part one and just started reading part two.
More than once it wasn't easy for me to stick to the book - it didn't really "catch" me. But I don't see as many faults as some of the readers before me, and altogether I think it's a nice little story. Actually I liked the way Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth are described although I never saw him this way myself. And some of the inventions - Fletcher, for example - were quite entertaining as well.

Thanks for sharing this book. I've already asked for the next address.

Journal Entry 23 by DA-Cameron from Ditzingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Monday, March 9, 2009
The book arrived today. Thanks! :-)

7. 4. 2009:
I finished this book today, and I did enjoy it - especially the way Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth develop.

I'd have liked to look up many scenes in P&P, but couldn't, since I read most of the book aboard a train - and judged by the other comments here, it may have been good that I id not read P&P in parallel. As it was, I read and enjoyed this book on its own.

Journal Entry 24 by DA-Cameron at Ditzingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Saturday, April 11, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (4/11/2009 UTC) at Ditzingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany

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Das Buch ist unterwegs zur nächsten Station - aber ich fürchte, daß es sich erst nach Ostern so richtig bewegen wird...

Journal Entry 25 by wingdschinnywing from Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein Germany on Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Arrived today. Thank you! Has to wait a while for its turn.

23.4. Finished! That was quick. I was a bit skeptical at first but then rather enjoyed the book. Apart from the fact that Darcy thinks a bit too much about Elizabeth right from the beginning, "this is how it could have been" - but then, after watching "Lost in Austen" I have somewhat given up on being an "Austen purist" ;-))

27.5. - Will be sent to Rochester74 today.

Journal Entry 26 by wingRochester74wing from Gießen, Hessen Germany on Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The book arrived today. Thank you.

Journal Entry 27 by wingRochester74wing from Gießen, Hessen Germany on Sunday, May 24, 2009
I do not really know what to think of this book. Of course I had to read it and I read it rather quickly. But it is not the story of my Mr. Darcy. And some of the language and the vocabulary seems a bit strange.
Still, I am looking forward to read the following books.

The book will be send to Marienkind tomorrow.

Journal Entry 28 by Marienkind from Braunschweig, Niedersachsen Germany on Monday, July 6, 2009
So, nun ist dieses Buch auch bei mir angekommen. Wurde wohl schon verloren geglaubt. Ob ich es aber schaffe zu lesen werden wir noch sehen!

Journal Entry 29 by Marienkind from Braunschweig, Niedersachsen Germany on Saturday, August 29, 2009
So sehr ich Darcy auch liebe, auf diese Weise kann ich ihn nicht genießen. Dafür ist mein Englisch zu schlecht. Das Buch darf daher weiterreisen.

Journal Entry 30 by Stella-del-Nord from -- Irgendwo in Niedersachsen --, Niedersachsen Germany on Sunday, September 6, 2009
Da ist er nun - der erste Band der dreiteiligen Reihe....
Ich bin schon sehr gespannt....

Nachtrag:

So könnte es gewesen sein.... Wirklich interessant, mal "die andere Seite" zu Wort kommen zu lassen. Darcy und Lizzy sind gut getroffen, auch wenn ich glaube, dass Jane Austen ihn nicht so schnell hätte umschwenken lassen. Aber wer weiß. Ich hatte jedenfall sehr viel Vergnügen beim Lesen und werde das Buch nun gerne an erinacea weiterschicken.

Journal Entry 31 by erinacea from Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Saturday, December 12, 2009
Safely arrived yesterday. I have to admit that it's been a while since I read Pride and Prejudice (so I'm not entirely sure why I joined the bookring), but I think I should be able to follow the story anyways. Looking forward to having a look at the other side of the story. :)

Thanks for sending the book! Should be read quickly as I have nothing else on my plate at the moment.

Journal Entry 32 by erinacea from Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sorry about not journalling until now! I read this book within a week of receiving it, then stumbled into Christmas preparations and never got around to writing a journal entry.

I really liked the book, though I had trouble with the first few pages until I firmly told myself to read the book as if I'd never even heard of P&P and see if it can stand on its own... and I think that, yes, it can. :)

I had a lot of fun reading elhamisabel's biting review before getting cracking, and I've got to agree that some of the outdated spelling is ridiculous. I mean, "o'er", come on! However, I loved how Aidan weaved contemporary events into the novel. I thought it was very clever and well-done, albeit handled inconsistently: some names of places and people still used the dashes, which is fine by itself, but in my opinion shouldn't be mixed with explicit references.

Back when reading P&P, I had real trouble imagining what Darcy's life was like, how he was spending his days. I mean I knew he was doing business but I had no idea how to put that into pictures. Thanks to this beautiful book, I now have a very clear view of what his life could have been like and can totally picture the two of them spending their lives together (I mean literally, as if I was looking at photos or short snippets of video) something that hardly any book ever manages to evoke in me.

I cut two other stars for the overly zany depiction of the events at Melbourne House and, particularly, Fletcher's behaviour which was completely inappropriate for a valet of his position. Considering how Darcy was described elsewhere in the novel I fail to see why he didn't fire him at the first sign of insubordination. Both of these would be fine by themselves but to me they felt out of place against the backdrop of the rest of the novel as well as the original. Also, like elham I was very surprised about Bingley hinting at any kind of attachment of Darcy's towards Lizzie because one of the things I kept from my one reading of P&P was the impression that no one had any idea about it.

Reading this book has rekindled my love of P&P and made me decide to go out and actively hunt for the book until I find a Penguin copy of it, no matter the cost, so that I finally can have it on my bookshelf. (It's the only book in my top 10 list of favourite books I don't own.) In fact, it was my only wish for Christmas, but since I didn't get it (not surprising, considering I thought of it when all gifts had already been bought) I'm very much looking forwards to my book shopping spree tomorrow. :D

Seeing how I'm the last reader on the list I'd like to keep it until the 10th of January (the next meetup date) to give it to Urfin in person. If I can manage until then, I'd also like to reread P&P and compare the events, if only to check whether the dialogues were actually quoted, rephrased or Aidan's own inventions. The book is currently bent a bit out of shape, so it will be spending the greatest part of its sojourn here getting pressed flat under my humungous English dictionary, which, incidentally, was very handy when reading this book.

Also @Urfin, could you please put me on the list for the sequels? (To tell the truth, I have rather low hopes for the second one, but the last one does sound promising, and skipping the middle doesn't make any sense.) I'll also send you a PM, just in case. Thanks!

Journal Entry 33 by erinacea from Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A bit belated, but whatever: I did take the book along to the meet-up but since Urfin preferred sleighing to meeting with us that day (*sniff*) I had to take it back home with me. We'll try again next month. :)

On another note, I did manage to finally buy P&P and reread it before the tenth, and I am happy to say that I'm still as impressed as the first time. P&P is still the only book on my BC shelf that got 10 stars in a review of mine and it's bearing them with pride. On rereading the relevant parts of "An Assembly such as this" I've got to agree with elham that Darcy's portrayal seems a bit ... off. (I can't see anything wrong with Aidan's depiction of Bingley, though.) I do like this more carefree and selfconscious version of him, but it doesn't even come close to how he's portrayed in the original. The writing style is also totally different, but that's alright with me: I generally don't like it when authors try to copy another one's style.

Journal Entry 34 by wingUrfinwing from Wolfsburg, Niedersachsen Germany on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The book's now home again. Handed over to me on the Meet-Up.
It was away for 20 months and visited 15 homes, quite a journey!
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on it. :o)

Journal Entry 35 by wingUrfinwing at Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Released 13 yrs ago (2/9/2011 UTC) at Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany

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I lend this to Neckarhex.

Hope you enjoy it!
Let me know if you want to read volumes 2 and 3 :o)

Journal Entry 36 by Neckarhex at Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Saturday, February 12, 2011
Arrived save and sound today, thank you for lending it to me!

Journal Entry 37 by Neckarhex at Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
I'm very sorry to confess that I'm giving up on this book after all - but only for now, and not because I didn't like it. On the contrary, as far as I read (about a third) was great fun and good reading enjoyment. But at first I had to put it aside for urgently-to-be-read bookrings, and since some months, I'm having a different reading stage and am so not into novels of this kind. So I prefer this special, far-travelled copy to go back to its home and get myself my own copies of all three books. ;o) Thank you for lending the book to me, Urfin!

Journal Entry 38 by Neckarhex at -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Berlin Germany on Monday, September 24, 2012

Released 11 yrs ago (9/25/2012 UTC) at -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Berlin Germany

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Travelling back home. Thank you for lending the book to me! I'm sorry I didn't finish this copy, but I'm getting my own copy now.

Journal Entry 39 by wingUrfinwing at Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thank you, the book's home again.
(It waited almost a week to be picked up. I don't commute to work any more and thus didn't get past that Packstation. I really need to find a new Packstation...)

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