Memory: Volume 1, Lasting Impressions, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) [Formato Kindle]

This review is placed under the first book in the series, but covers all three books. Those of us who were attracted by the delights of Pride and Prejudice and the promise of three fat new books in which we could immerse ourselves in Austen's world, have been badly swindled. If you value the wit and buoyancy of the original Pride and Prejudice, you will find this series flat and leaden. The author has managed to turn all her characters into the same do-gooder, sex-obsessed, somewhat stupid and shallow person. The slightly interesting "bad" characters are either banished or killed off -- or both, in the case of Wickham and Caroline Bingley. Darcy has become an unrecognizable caricature, by turns weepy and lusty, and strides through the book's narrow world with a near-constant erection which the author calls (seriously) his "pride," and where Elizabeth is perpetually ready to receive him. Some Pride and Prejudice erotic stories can be pleasantly titillating (for instance, the Abigail Reynolds "what if" variations which, while a little simplistic, are nevertheless fun to read), but there is nothing fun about the sex scenes in the Memory series. The author apparently wishes us to admire how liberated she and her characters are, so the sex scenes have become perfunctory and so overabundant that any pleasant titillation is quickly bludgeoned to death by repetition. In addition, all of her male characters, including Darcy, continually display a smirking, self-satisfied lustfulness which we, as readers, are apparently meant to see as humorous (which fails) or as more evidence of the author's own libido. And, despite the Regency setting, the author urges us to adopt her beliefs on the ideal marriage where physical affection is constant, highly public and relationship matters are openly aired with one and all, including family, friends and servants; babies are birthed by the father and breast-fed by the mother (who also breast-feeds the father in way too many in-your-face, see-how-sexy-this-is scenes); and where sexual innuendo is blatant in conversation among men and women. These attitudes are so anachronistic as to be ridiculous. Linda Wells completely disregards one of the fundamental delights of Regency romance: The tension created between the human desire for connection and Regency society's repression of human emotion. This tension forces people to connect through wit, charm and intelligence. The Memory series has none of that. It takes skill for a modern writer to capture that inherent Regency tension, and Wells simply doesn't have it. There are modern writers who do have such skill: Georgette Heyer is probably the best, especially her stories of The Grand Sophy and Frederica. Of Pride and Prejudice writers, the best I've read is Pamela Aiden's Fitzwilliam Darcy trilogy. Aiden's characters retain their Austen-created personalities (and their wit), even in entirely new situations. On the other hand, the characters in Wells' Memory series have all been stripped of their Austen flavor. The possible exceptions are Lydia and Colonel Fitzwilliam, but in the end, they, too, succumb to Wells' quest for shallow sameness. Everyone ends up thinking the same and acting the same. The "same" is the author's uninteresting world view. Even Mr. Bennet is so relentlessly beaten and chastised (by Darcy, of all people, throughout all three books) that all of his wit and humor have been deflated and he becomes, along with everyone else, flat and bland. Jane - and I still cannot believe Wells did this to our beloved Jane (who thinks ill of no one) -- becomes petty and jealous and not only says petty and jealous things, but also acts in a petty and jealous manner. Despite this perversion of Jane's personality, her attitude might have been an interesting development had it been logical and sustained but, of course, it was not logical and was unsustainable; Jane is redeemed and becomes another bland do-gooder. There are a few touching moments in the Memory series. But these moments are ruined by the author's belief that her readers are so stupid that they must be told (repeatedly) that they have just read about a touching moment. I felt that the author was fishing for some extra admiration: "See, wasn't that a touching moment that I just wrote?" In addition to the above criticisms as to content, the books contain some egregious word-use and grammatical errors (for instance, the author confuses "then" and "than"). Additionally, Ms. Wells has decided that short words and exclamations such as "oh" and "ah" do not deserve to be capitalized, even when they appear at the beginning of sentences and conversations. Punctuation is missing or misused and is sometimes nonsensical (when, for instance, an ellipsis (glaringly overused anyway) is spread across lines or even pages with a lone dot or two left behind). All of these errors and omissions are jarring. Physically, the books' margins are uncomfortably small and some of the pages are tilted. The series was poorly edited and poorly printed. Which brings me to my last comment: I am incredibly resentful to have dished out over sixty dollars for this trilogy. For that amount, one would naturally expect professionally produced reading material. There is nothing professional about this series. And Ms. Wells apparently has priced her work by the word - there are certainly plenty of them. Unfortunately, where one word would do, Wells uses ten. Linda Wells, no doubt, is laughing at me (and anyone else who shares my opinion) - all the way to the bank.

'Memory' is a Pride & Prejudice what if story that is uniquely written.

What if Darcy and Elizabeth first spied one another five years earlier? Darcy returns from his Grand Tour to learn of his father's poor health and immediately sets out for a walk to process the information. He sees Elizabeth and Jane while out. Despite Jane's beauty, he barely notices her. He prefers Elizabeth's smiles and liveliness.

Darcy and Elizabeth both faithfully keep journals. Through their entries, we learn more about their lives. The two see each other in London throughout the years. Each time, they record the encounters.

Darcy fails to pursue Elizabeth because of misplaced familial duty. He never understood his father's last lesson as he should. Elizabeth, as a young woman, is powerless to learn of him.

It takes a while, but Darcy finally approaches Elizabeth. When he does, his intensity is almost overwhelming. This volume follows their courtship.

As in Linda's other works, there is no doubt about the relationship with Darcy and Elizabeth. You know these two will come together and be a force to be reckoned with. The story draws you in and makes you feel as if you are there to bear witness as their lives unfold around them. They face adversity and come out a bit scarred, but they mature and become closer in the process. The usual suspects are there; the ever hateful Caroline, the more than vulgar Mrs. Bennet, and her much favored other daughters. Of course, what would a Darcy and Elizabeth story be without Wickham? He is there in all his evil glory!

This is not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice in it's true sense. The circumstances that keep the couple apart are resolved and the bond that Darcy and Elizabeth share is established early, which I like. Don't get me wrong, they do not have an easy time coming together. It is interesting.

This work is divided into three books. I would highly recommend each one as they tell of the different phases in the lives of the Darcys . I don't think anyone will be disappointed.