Imperial Purple

Maya Slater
Mr Darcy’s Diary
Phoenix 2007

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all right-thinking readers believe Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful book. It has spawned biographies, sequels, detective stories, fan fic and slash fic. There is probably even a vampire novel out there somewhere (what big fangs you have, Mr Darcy) although I have never been able to find it . Slater continues this fine tradition by producing the previously lost diary kept by Fitzwilliam Darcy during the period covered in the novel.

Slater has taken on a tough job here as all the action must necessarily occur off-stage. It must cover the long period of estrangement between Darcy and Elizabeth (and Bingley and Jane of course) and still maintain interest. There are places where it meanders a bit but on the whole she succeeds admirably.

Particularly well handled is the period following Darcy’s famous and spectacularly inept first proposal of marriage. Over the course of about a week we see Darcy go from incandescent rage and outraged pride, to niggling doubts about his own rightness, to grudging humility and finally to an acceptance that he behaved like a total prat and may well have ruined all chance of future happiness.

Yet we also see the other side of Darcy, the one that makes him beloved of all his dependents. He insists upon his injured and aging valet travelling his coach while Darcy rides alongside. He is generous with his tenants and good to his friends. His friendship with Byron is an inspired touch and shows how Darcy is able to accept the good in people, even such an erratic and depraved genius as his lordship.

The only real plot quibble I had was the device of the letter from Lydia to one of the regimental officers which Darcy believes came from Jane. From this he gets an unfavourable picture of Jane and so removes Bingley from the scene. It is unnecessary. It is quite clear that Darcy’s concern for pride and position is an adequate motivation and it should have been left at that.

Otherwise a good three and a half star read. A must for all fans of Jane Austen. If you are reading this and haven’t (god forbid) read Pride and Prejudice go away and do it now and then read Slater’s book.