I love all Ms. Austen's....movies. Ok, so embarrassing,
I've never actually read any Jane Austen, but I LOVE all
the Austen-based movies, so I was psyched to see WICKHAM'S
DIARY by Amanda Grange on our list. His less-then polished
background is hinted at (at least in the movies) but we
don't know a whole lot about him. I thought this was a
novel idea (no pun intended).
The subtitle of the novel reads: "Being an account of
his childhood, his friendship with Fitzwilliam Darcy and
his attempted elopement with Miss. Georgiana Darcy." I was
a little disappointed we didn't get to see his interactions
with the Bennett girls, but still, an interesting cross-
section of the story. The story covers 1784-1799 and it
begins with George Wickham being about 12-years-old from
what I can surmise. The first sections of the book cover
his relationships with everyone at the Darcy estate,
concentrating heavily on his mother and of course,
Fitzwilliam Darcy himself. The first shows us how he ends
up chasing heiresses; the second serves to remind us how
shallow he is compared to the ideal man of the time.
I had a hard time at first, because Wickham is so
completely two dimensional, but after a while, I get that
this is the extent of his character. That is the whole
point-- he has no goals in life, he is shallow, he is a
user.
I found myself just delighting in Darcy, even from this
perspective and I think the author did a great job keeping
the character of Darcy consistent with the original. It is
a short, fast read that is just plain enjoyable, double if
you are an Austen fan to begin with! I will be looking for
Ms. Grange's other, unique novels.
This prequel to Pride and Prejudice begins with
George
Wickham at age 12, handsome and charming but also
acutely aware that his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is rich,
whilst he is poor. His mother encourages him to exercise
his charm on the young Georgiana Darcy and Anne de
Bourgh in the hopes of establishing a stable of wealthy
social connections.
At university, Darcy and Wickham grow apart. Wickham
is always drinking and wenching, whilst Darcy, who
apparently has everything, is looking for something he
cannot find. Wickham runs through the money Darcy
gives him and then takes up with the scandalous Belle, a
woman after Wickham’s own greedy, black heart.
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