Guest Review by Francine.
In Charlotte, the author takes us
beyond Pride & Prejudice and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's trials and
tribulations, to that of Mr. Collins, a thoroughly despicable creature, whom, as
a character in Jane Austen's classic P&P was in all honesty her party piece.
Mr. Collins appeared as a larger than life toadying and lecherous would-be
suitor to Elizabeth Bennet, and one could almost hear his shuddering intakes of
breath (sucked between teeth) and as a reader paid witness to drool at the side
of his mouth.
I'm not sure how, but Ms Aminadra shines new light on Mr. Collins and one wonders if it was possible to have sorely misunderstood Jane Austen's previous characterisation of Collins in P&P as an obsequious and vile tongued manipulator. Charlotte, however, remains reasonably true to her original characterisation: seeking sense of direction and a house all her own, and views marriage with Mr. Collins a necessity at the outset. Likewise, as in P&P, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is true to character, and then comes the twist as Charlotte rallies strength to rebel and Mr. Collins ever the submissive to his patroness Lady de Bourgh suddenly becomes beholden to Mr. Darcy.
Reviewer asides:
As a novel this is a fun read and highly amusing, though I'm not sure the Mr. Darcy of Austen's P&P would readily have paid court to Collins. Nevertheless, this is not an Austen novel, this is what amounts to a spin-off and "what might have been" had Jane Austen written a sequel to P&P. A fun read!
As a novel this is a fun read and highly amusing, though I'm not sure the Mr. Darcy of Austen's P&P would readily have paid court to Collins. Nevertheless, this is not an Austen novel, this is what amounts to a spin-off and "what might have been" had Jane Austen written a sequel to P&P. A fun read!
Also reviewed by
David:
Those
of us authors who write Regency Romances often also tackle the canon of Jane
Austen and try to take her creations and add our own twist to them. This falls
into a few groups, one that take the historical Jane and use her in their story,
others who take her creations and are exceedingly true to them, as best they
can, or take those characters beyond the short few paragraphs she left us at the
end of her stories. I have done so and by so doing have put on paper my thoughts
on how those characters would change. Ms. Aminadra has done so as well, using as
her heroine, Charlotte Collins nee Lucas.
We are all familiar with the tale of Pride and Prejudice, and the farcical Mr. Collins whom Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Bennet both make fun of, though Lizzy for the sake of her friendship with Charlotte, when visiting and actually meeting the esteemed Patroness, understand more of what is in the nature of Mr. Collins. But that is the canon, and as Ms Aminadra weaves her tale, she has to embellish the few lines of what we guess will happen to the Collins'.
Charlotte
of course is caught in the middle with what will occur post Pride and Prejudice
as she will one day be the Lady of Longbourn and we know Mrs. Bennet the mother
of her BFF is assured that she will be turned out right quick. Not that Mrs.
Bennet should think that this is now as dire as it was before. From all the
movies we have seen, Directors have chosen to show us that ten Longbourns could
fit into any Pemberly and a room certainly could be found for her there, or at
Netherfield. Yet back in Mertyn, one can be sure that Mrs. Bennet has something
to say about Mrs Collins, the daughter of Lady Lucas who still is one of her
closest friends, and rivals for attention in that
neighborhood.From this Ms. Aminadra is able to relate to us that Charlotte Collins has complexities, as well as from the Canon's reveal that Charlotte was never one to think she would wed for love. That clearly puts her on the quest to find love. And while Jane Austen left us with several ladies still in need of marrying at the end of Pride and Prejudice, of the men, their is but one, Colonel Fitzwilliam (discounting Denny and other men of the Militia Regiment we hardly met)
Close in approximation to reading one of Jane's works, we sometimes leave the POV of the women and see inside such men as Mr. Collins, or the Colonel. That is a depth Jane did not give us, but it adds to the brushed that Ms Aminadra paints this canvas with.
Here we are taken to a part of time, (though the idea that the Colonel and other officers could leave the theater of war easily is perhaps something that wasn't researched as well as it could have been) in the latest stages of the Peninsula Campaign years, (Wellington being referred to as Duke which came after that was over) that I believe the author means to be about 1812 to 1813. Shortly after Lizzy has accepted the marriage proposal of Darcy.
Charlotte, our hero is faced with trials that aid her to grow, and to have Mr. Collins see his life afresh, for now he is more than the client of Lady Catherine, but a husband, and as all married couples hope, to perhaps one day be a father as well. Yet there must be conflict and here Ms Aminadra adds lacquer to her painting, adding depth and dimension and perhaps a modern way of thinking of flirtation and dalliance that puts her on a part that causes change from the canon at a more accelerated pace, and even a different pace than those last few paragraphs in Pride and Prejudice might have allowed.
Some of these changes a reader will either enjoy very much. some elements that are added may cause the reader to feel that the characters have progressed much as they should. Other readers fearing that any change to the themes of characterization that Austen left us with is sacrosanct may have difficulty here. My favorite Lady Catherine, is the one of Edna May Oliver in the Olivier/Garson version of P&P where at the very end we see Lady Catherine telling Darcy to go offer for Lizzy is just the challenge he will need. Huxley changed Austen's intention in that 1940 screen classic, but I think it adds to the mystique.
Charlotte is a worthy read and should be explored by those who like all P&P sequels, and I am interested to see where Ms Aminadra is able to take us with her Austenesque work as well.
Available at Amazon US or Amazon UK
