Description

One of the most beloved romantic heroes in all of literature, Fitzwilliam Darcy remains an enigma even to Jane Austen's most devoted fans. No longer. With this concluding volume in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, novelist and Austen aficionada Pamela Aidan at last gives readers the man in full.

These Three Remain follows a humbled Darcy on the journey of self-discovery, after Elizabeth Bennet's rejection of his marriage proposal, in which he endeavors to grow into the kind of gentleman he desires to become. Happily, a chance meeting with Elizabeth during a tour of his estate in Derbyshire offers Darcy a new opportunity to press his suit, but his newfound strengths are put to the test by an old nemesis, George Wickham.

Vividly capturing the colorful historical and political milieu of the Regency era, Aidan writes in a style evocative of her literary progenitor, but with a wit and humor very much her own. While staying faithful to the people and events in Austen's original, she adds her own fascinating cast of characters, weaving a rich tapestry out of Darcy's past and present that will beguile his admirers anew.

Details

• Published on: 2007-01-02
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.02" h x 5.31" w x 8.06" l, .78 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 437 pages

Features

• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Reviews

A peek inside Darcy's journey of self-discovery
I have been awaiting the release of this book -- the third in the trilogy -- and it did not disappoint! These Three Remain covers the period from Darcy's reacquaintance with Elizabeth at Hunsford/Rosings through their eventual engagement and marriage. As one of the wealthiest and most eligible bachelors in England, it never occurs to Darcy that his attentions to Elizabeth will not be welcome. He usually has to fend off women who are interested in him for all the wrong reasons. Her refusal of his proposal stuns and shakes him to the core sending him on a journey of self-discovery that changes the way he looks at himself and his world. It causes him to reexamine his relationships with those closest to him, especially his sister, Georgiana, and his friend, Bingley. With no expectation of ever seeing Elizabeth again, let alone winning her heart, he determines to become a different man, one who would be worthy of Elizabeth's good opinion. As we all know, he has the opportunity to see Elizabeth again when she and her aunt and uncle visit Pemberley. When he saves her sister, Lydia, from ruin, he does not want Elizabeth to know lest she feel some obligation to him. If he is to win her heart, it must be because she sees the changes in him for herself. I found it fascinating to watch how Darcy's love of Elizabeth matures and goes from being centered on his own needs to being focused on her. I highly recommend this book if you love the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy. It fills in some very rich details about these characters we love so well and helps us to see them with fresh eyes.

Very satisfying conclusion
"These Three Remain" is perhaps the most artful and engrossing entry in this 5-star series that insightfully recreates and expands on the events and romance of "Pride and Prejudice" from Darcy's point of view. The author Pamela Aidan ties everything up properly and scarcely misses a pitch when it comes to fleshing out Fitzwilliam Alexander George Darcy's life and psyche.

Among many highlights is the character reveal of Lord Dyson Broughton, whose interchanges with his dear friend Darcy are a real pleasure. It's also a continual treat to read dead-on and vivid versions of the many scenes involving Darcy that are only sketched at second-hand remove in "Pride and Prejudice", such as Darcy's climactic interactions with Wickham, Lady Catherine, Mr. Gardiner, and finally Mr. Bennet when asking his consent for Lizzy's marriage.

Considering how ever-present she is in Darcy's thoughts, it was surprising to me how little Elizabeth is actually on stage engaging in any kind of "quality time" conversation with Darcy until their warm and lovely reconciliation at the very end, but that reflects the original. As such, this is a tale very much told inside Darcy's head, while at the same time filled with events appropriate for an active man of Darcy's station.

A worthwhile read but with a few reservations
This is the third instalment in Pamela Aidan's reworking of Pride & Prejudice from Darcy's point of view and overall I'd say it was a great success. It's impressive that she is able to extract so much information from Austen's story and retell it in a fresh way. Also interesting that a woman is writing a man's point of view - as a woman myself I can't tell how realistic it is, but it seemed to ring true to me.

The additional characters that Aidan introduced in the previous two books appear again, particularly Lord Dyfed Brougham who is a well-rounded and interesting character. Perhaps his secret life is a bit unrealistic, as is the sub-plot about treason and the weird Sylvanie that rather spoiled Book 2: Duty And Desire for me, but if you gloss over those aspects and stick with the main story it's an enjoyable read.

Despite being a much thicker book than the previous two volumes it doesn't feel laboured and drawn out. In fact, I would level the small criticism that the end comes rather too soon - much time has been spent setting the scene and the betrothal seems to happen with less reflection than all the other events in the books so far.

There are a number of loose ends, having read this book, which leads me to suspect Aidan has more books in store. The loose ends are about her extra characters - the Dy/Georgiana semi-romance (will anything happen - when she is older, of course); the treasonous exploits of Lady Sylvanie and her band of Irish followers; Dy's involvement in spying; Georgiana's excessive religiosity and what this means for her. I suspect a book about Dy and Georgiana is at least on the cards and I, for one, will be buying it.

At certain times when reading the book I wondered whether Aidan had written it after seeing the BBC DVD adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. There were a number of small events in the TV series which seemed to be reflected here, such as Darcy trying to cure himself of his hurt at the rejection of his hand in marriage by Miss Bennet through fencing. I thought this worked very well into the story but it did serve to ground the story into those actors (good though they were); this would only really be the case for those who were very familiar with Austen's original so were aware what was outside of that work but was both in the TV series and this book.

As in books 1 & 2, however, there are some unfortunate Americanisms that have crept in and should have been spotted by an editor. Autumn has become "fall", people "inquire" rather than "enquire", "insure" where it should be rendered "ensure", the wretched appearance of "gotten" numerous times, "pled" instead of "pleaded", "normalcy" rather than "normality" and Lady Catherine is moved to "write his Lordship" rather than to "write to his Lordship". These American words and turns of phrase jar when read by an English person and are a disappointment when so many other period details are right. I was relieved, for example, that Mr Darcy spread jam on his toast rather than jelly, but because of the earlier Americanisms I found myself noticing this correct usage and once again it took me, however briefly, out of the story. A side note - although this is an American-published book by an American author, the spelling is generally English in words such as "favourite" or "endeavour", which is a real relief! Still, the random appearance of comments about Americans/Bostonians was yet another annoyance for an English Regency reader - why does every single American Regency writer insist on mentioning America?

Overall I enjoyed the book although I think the initial promise of Book 1: An Assembly Such As This was not realised as much as I had hoped in the two further volumes, although this one is better than Book 2. All in all I am impressed by Aidan's grasp of the story and her own slant on it, although I feel that she is most successful when sticking to Austen's original plotlines and that those made anew for this story are less convincing. But still a good read and streets ahead of an awful lot of other Pride & Prejudice derivative fiction.