These Three Remain

This final to the trilogy gave new, fun insights to the life of Mr. Darcy and his developing relationship with Elizabeth. I loved learning about his progression in this witty, unique retell of Pride and Prejudice.

In These Three Remain, Pamela Aidan concludes her exploration of the enigmatic Fitzwilliam Darcy's character by returning to the familiar action of the last third of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Alternately entranced and infuriated by his inexplicable attraction to Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy journeys to his aunt's home, the formidable Lady Catherine, intent on immersing himself in his work as her business advisor. However, his intentions to honor his social position and family rather than "succumb" to the dictates of his heart prove fruitless when he discovers that Elizabeth is staying in the house next door. When he confronts Elizabeth with his suit and admits his corresponding doubts and fears concerning their alliance, he is soundly rejected. His shock and pain at being so readily rebuffed by a woman whose situation in life would have only been elevated by their marriage forces him to reevaluate his every thought, action, and motivation -- his very character. Because of the astounding realization that the one person whose esteem he covets holds him in little regard, he makes it his aim to truly become a gentleman worthy of Elizabeth's affections. Darcy turns a corner here -- instead of holding his own comfort and interests as his primary concern, Darcy learns to look outside himself to see how he can best use his talents and resources to assist others. This inner transformation is put to the test when Darcy is called upon to confront his old nemesis, George Wickham, in order to save Elizabeth's family name from disgrace. Pamela Aidan has done a worthy job of taking the world Austen created in Pride and Prejudice and expanding on it, adding depth, conflict, and character development. Indeed I didn't think it was possible for me to so thoroughly enjoy novels that dared to explore and interpret Austen's classic and dearly loved battle of the sexes. Aidan's two best additions to Austen's universe are Darcy's Shakespeare-quoting valet Fletcher, and his best friend, Lord Dyfed Brougham. Dy interests me the most, and quite frankly deserves his own book (thankfully, Aidan leaves enough loose ends to give one hope of the possibility) -- he puts me in mind of another famous and beloved literary hero, Percy Blakeney. Dy is the primary means through which Aidan incorporates the political climate of the Regency period, introducing a touch of political intrigue to the world of Pride and Prejudice. Aidan's trilogy is "fan fiction" of the highest order, a story Austen and Regency fans can savor. She succeeds in refreshing Austen's classic, infusing the familiar with new life and perspective that is both a faithful tribute and an inventive character study. Highly recommended.

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 r

"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.

I was so engrossed in the new subplots -- Dy, Georgiana, etc -- that I quite forgot about LCD's confrontation with Elizabeth and subsequent visit to Darcy to squelch the rumour of their engagement. What fun that scene was -- thank you Ms. Aidan wrote a wonderful scene. I laughed and laughed!