I loved revisiting Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of the different characters. I particularly enjoyed Mary’s judgemental inner workings and how she saw her sisters, including Elizabeth. Alice McVeigh did Miss Austen justice with her writing, and it was a pleasure to read it. Would recommend to any Austen fans out there, but you definitely need to read the original beforehand, to fully appreciate it.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Warleigh Hall Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now to the fun stuff, what an absolutely lovely book! If you are not familiar, this novel is (essentially) a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but focusing on Darcy’s story. The writing style felt natural, and worked well as an extension of Austens classic novel.

Most of all, what I absolutely loved about this book, was the fact that it eased my curious thoughts - and Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s for that matter - as to what Darcy was thinking during certain moments throughout. Seeing how certain scenes were portrayed differently from other characters in Pride and Prejudice was what made this book so intriguing to me. And even better, it was done really well.

I would HIGHLY recommend this novel to any lover of pride and prejudice or Jane Austen alike. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

This novel transported me back into the world of Jane Austen. While the transitions between characters' points of view felt a little jarring at times, it was a lovely read. I would say that you need to know and love Pride and Prejudice to enjoy this book. If you are not familiar with the original, you would have a hard time following along. However, if you are a fan, then I think you will appreciate the different perspectives of this beloved classic.

Of you are a Pride and Prejudice person and cannot get enough of the classic, this book is for you. I really enjoyed that we got multiple pov as it gave us insight to more of the characters and not just Elizabeth. My only issue was Mary's povs and they were so dull, I dunno maybe it was the point to show her character but I couldn't handle it and at some point I just started skipping her chapters. But I loved Darcy's pov. I dunno I'm a sucker for the mmc's pov

Thank you NetGalley and Alice McVeigh for this copy.

I love Jane Austen and can never get enough! Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book and movie! (The 6 hr movie) Most retellings pale in comparison to the original. This was an excellent story from Darcy's point of view. The writing is great! . It had an original plot too, which is rare with Pride and Prejudice retellings. A great read and one I highly recommend.

“Pride and Prejudice” has been a favourite of mine since I studied it for “O” Level very many years ago; how lucky that it was one of the options! I am generally wary of Jane Austen spin-offs, but the reviews of this one encouraged me to try it. I have not been disappointed. The prose style and vocabulary, the characters, and even the added plots are all completely “Austenesque”, and it was fascinating to read the author’s descriptions of Darcy’s, Mary’s, and the servants’ points of view. I loved the book!

My ebook came with a bonus preview of one of the the author’s previous Austen-themed novels, “Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel”. I’ll be reading the rest of that one before too long.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it is true to the original story and gives a fresh perspective.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this variation of Pride and Prejudice. There are many variations to this story and there was a new character which I didn't see a reason to have. I am glad we all do not look at the writing the same.

An enjoyable adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. My favourite insights were Mary's and Col Fitzwilliam. I'd have loved more from both of them but I appreciate that the book's main focus as per the title is Darcy and his point of view. I really enjoyed the ending. Overall I would recommend any fan's of the original to read this version of the story and this book reignited my love for the original which was a nice bonus.

This Pride & Prejudice companion piece presents the classic story from mostly Mr. Darcy's point of view. It retells the original plot and adds in a few new storylines. I was excited to read this as I'm a big fan of the original and all the adaptations, but I feel like this book was a let down. The characterization of Mr. Darcy didn't match up with the classic cold, aloof, extremely formal Darcy behavior we all know and love. There is an added storyline about a paramour in Rome that I just felt was entirely out of character for him. The author is also clearly a big fan of the movie and mini series adaptations because multiple scenes from those versions are included in this book. It was initially fun to pick out those scenes, but then I realized it wasn't an original thought, and just a write-up of some already cool content. The diary entries were my favorite part (particularly Mary's), but I felt the dialogue in them wasn't believable because no one would write out lines and lines of whole conversations. Bonus points for short chapters and (mostly) matching the language of the period. This would've been a really engaging read if the characters were representative of the originals as Jane Austen intended. Overall, just two stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The problem with books based on Jane Austen's novels is that few writers can come anywhere near Austen's talent. McVeigh, who has written two other books based on Austen's work, has taken Pride & Prejudice as her basis this time.

She gets into the minds of two of the book's characters by giving us excerpts from Darcy's diaries and from a book Mary Bennet is writing. Neither lives up to the original book. Darcy's diaries don't really give us insight into this great character. Mary's excerpts take a minor character and puts emphasis on her, which takes away from the plot.

Better to get a copy of Pride & Prejudice and read it; there is a reason why it's one of the greatest books ever written.

This book is well researched and written in a comparative prose to the original novel, “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. The romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy has been a beloved story since its original publication in 1813.

The twist on this novel is that it is from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. There are also viewpoints from supporting characters that I do not remember from the original novel. Mary Bennett is just as annoying as I remember her from the first novel, however, she does redeem herself, and become more likable.

I very much enjoyed seeing Mr. Darcy from an introspective angle. In my opinion, this also makes him more appealing than even the original novel. Again, this is a very well written adaptation of a beloved courtship,
I could literally find no fault in it. Highly recommend.

This was a wonderful addition to the novel. As much as I enjoyed the little "deleted scenes" between Mrs Hill and the other servants and between the other characters, I wasn't sure about Mr Darcy and Giuditta. Her being so close in description to Elizabeth almost made it seem that Darcy was on the rebound and was attracted to Elizabeth because of her likeness to the other woman. But it did add another dimension to his character and so I suppose that was ok.
As always there were more scenes that I would have liked to have seen rather than just explained but I think that would make every book twice as thick.
Definitely one for lovers of alternative points of view and behind the scenes.

This book is basically many of the between scenes of Pride and Prejudice. For example, conversations between Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins when she was still Miss Lucas.

It is a lovely thought but made the story rather disjointed. There were jumps between events with little to no transitioning between. Additionally, you are told about events that happened instead of "watching" them happen. As a result, you lose a lot of the character building and the doesn't really develop care for them.

You must be very familiar with plot of Pride and Prejudice to really understand what is happening and to care enough about the characters to continue reading.

However, if you are that familiar with P&P, you'll notice some changes to the story. 1, the events between Georgiana and Wickham happened 5 years ago in Weymouth instead of more recently in Ramsgate. 2, Mrs. Hurst is the more clever sister of Bingley and Miss Bingley follows her lead. 3, the reader gets to see from the POV of various supporting characters. 4, the introduction of Charlotte's brother Thomas.

In all, I can't say it's bad. It just isn't something I'd read again.

I had to DNF this book at about 50%. Just not my cup of tea at all.

If you’re anything like me, then you love all things Pride and Prejudice (adaptations, spin-offs, Fanfiction, etc.). Unfortunately, this variation of the novel made me deeply dislike virtually every character.

I don’t want to read about Darcy and an Italian singer (what??), Mary being self-obsessed and in love with Mr. Collins, or Lizzy being absent minded and rude. The characterizations of everyone felt off; I wouldn’t go as far as to say they were wrong, but they didn’t feel like the spirit of the characters to me. They all felt much more mean-spirited than the original novel, and somewhat more vapid. It has none of the beauty and charm of the original, just the stilted language transposed over these “new” situations. Not a fan and annoyed I made it as far as I did.

Really nailed most of the writing style, but I found some of the characterization od Darcy very annoying and certain added plot points very “modern romance” esque.

Fine, and not badly told, but the word "variation" in the title is a bit misleading. What we have here is the original story, told from differing perspectives, with a bit more making fun of Mary.

Austen lovers can breathe a sign of relief; there is nothing in ‘Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation’ which suggests that Alice McVeigh does not have an excellent appreciation of the original. However, whilst the themes and the tone of this re-telling do not grate, there is little here that adds to the reader’s appreciation of Austen’s most famous novel. I’m not sure that we learn much more about her eponymous hero than Austen gives us, despite his being front and centre of this novel. Other writers have been more radical. Jo Baker’s ‘Longbourn’, for example, focuses on the lives of Austen’s silent working class really effectively, giving the reader a far more nuanced understanding of Regency England.
It's possible to read ‘Darcy’ without having read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ but probable that the uninitiated will not always fully understand what is going on. Whilst McVeigh chooses some interesting scenes to flesh out in her version, there is quite a lot of dull recapping and over-explaining towards the end of the novel. I enjoyed her addition of Timothy Lucas; poor Mary has little opportunity to do anything but play the piano badly in the original and in ‘Darcy’ we eventually see her becoming more than a stereotype.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ fans may well enjoy this novel. It’s carefully written and well researched but, ultimately, left me wondering why I’d bothered to read it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Warleigh Hall Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Pride and Prejudice is one of those tales that never goes out of style. It is universally revered and perpetually timely to any period of audience. As such, it is unsurprising that a retelling- one that interestingly mimics Austen's writing, offers insightful takes on the infamous characters and explores previously off-page events- is appealing.

There is a modernisation to the story's tone that feels in keeping with Austen's original. Mary's eye opens up a critical judgement of Darcy's and Bingley's actions, questioning their perceptions and comments solely on the sisters' beauty and general appearance, provoking them to reflect upon the whole individual, not merely one element. It succeeds in striking a difficult balance- one of meeting the expectations of a contemporary readership, whilst honouring the source material.

However, this tone presents a further query as to the intended audience. In parts, the book labours over details, especially some that would be well-understood by an avid P&P reader, yet, at others, it skips over key events or references. For example, when learning of Bingley's return (80%), Mrs Bennet alludes to her husband calling upon him; while this is understood to have happened- in keeping with the manners of the period- it is not explicitly stated earlier in the novel.

This is indicative of much of the book's format. One needs to know the original story well in order to follow the jumps and omissions of McVeigh's variation.

In kindness, these deletions are probably necessary, as their removal leaves the space available to witness the omitted scenes in the original. For example, while the chapter itself did not add anything miraculous to the story, it is fun to see the exchange between Lady Catherine and Darcy once she returns from visiting Elizabeth. It is also interesting to see various notable sections of dialogue or writing redistributed to other characters, such as lines from Caroline. Although, the book not beginning with the immortal 'It is a truth...' line (and changing the subject of the phrase) may be sacrilege.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an exceptionally handsome and agreeable young man, loosed upon a small provincial town, is a rare and glorious thing. (22%)

It is striking that a book entitled 'Darcy' does not follow the character more prominently. There are indeed many chapters that utilise excerpts from his diary, but this is evenly balanced by the actions and discussions of the Bennets, Hursts and Gardiners. Although, the periodical exchanges between various members of the households' staff are a nice touch.

On the subject of Darcy's diary, this does seem to be an unusual method to choose for conveying his point of view. The journalistic style does allow him to express his feelings, thoughts and concerns, but the structure is stretched when he is quoting lengthy discussions verbatim. The diary is a pleasant inclusion, but the incorporation of another medium (e.g. third-person narrative, or the correspondence between him and other characters) would have been beneficial and leant more into the epistolary style.

Although, this does improve as the book progresses, suggesting that once the groundwork information is established, the format can be better utilised. This is especially true when a scene is paired with a diary entry, allowing him to analyse the events experienced, such as him deliberating over Elizabeth's expressions after the reader has already learnt her feelings.

Principally, however, it has to be stated that while the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy is (as it should be) charming, it pales in comparison to Mary's developing connections. Seeing what can be done with such a character highlights a missed opportunity in Austen's story. It is an approach that is being incorporated in contemporarily-written retellings that is thoroughly endearing.

Despite it occasionally relying too heavily upon large sections of Austen's prose, this is a nice retelling of a beloved tale.

I am a person who can never have enough Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. Yet most retellings pale in comparison to the original. This was an excellent story from Darcy's point of view, and the wonderful writing swept me away into Regency England. It had an original plot too, which is rare with Pride and Prejudice retellings. A great read and one I highly recommend.