REVIEW: The Darcys Give a Ball
Review by Allison T.
“The romantic attachments of one’s children are a constant distraction,” says Mrs. Darcy to her sister Mrs. Bingley, and such is the theme of Elizabeth Newark’s The Darcys Give a Ball (Sourcebooks, 2008). Originally published in 1997 as Consequence, the book’s subtitle is “A Gentle Joke, Jane Austen Style,” and indeed this work is both gentle and amusing. As for the children, well! Fitz Darcy (Mr. and Mrs. Darcy’s eldest) is in love with his cousin Amabel Bingley, while Henry Darcy is falling for Eliza Collins (the youngest of their children, described as a “changeling,” not exactly pretty, but possessing a pair of fine eyes). Meanwhile, spoiled Juliet Darcy is angling for the handsome and dashing Gerard Churchill.
In an effort to distract Henry, the Darcys decide to give a grand ball in Juliet’s honor. And who should they invite? (Take a deep breath here.) Well, the lovely Dorothea Brandon, of course, and her cousin Nell Ferrars, the two young Tilneys, Priscilla and Frederick, and Alexander and Paul Wentworth (their father has been made Admiral, we are happy to note). Mrs. Darcy, who confesses to always having had a slight tendre for George Knightley, takes care to invite the Knightley twins, Colin and Christopher, and the two Bertram girls (their father is now Sir Thomas) as well as their cousins Pamela and Angelica Yates. Of course, they must invite Georgiana’s daughter, Lucy, as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam’s two red-haired children, Torquil and Catriona (he married a Scottish lady). (more…)
