Darcy in Wonderland – Review & Giveaway

Darcy in Wonderland is the proof that Alexa Adams is not afraid to try different and creative approaches in her books. She turns the unthinkable into reality and creates stories that readers will hardly forget.

Darcy in Wonderland brings together the loveliness of the Darcy family and the craziness of Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, and even though the Wonderland scenes were quite amusing, especially when Darcy was forced to go along with his daughter’s curiosity, what captivated me the most in this book was the Darcy family and their interactions.

The story starts many years after Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage, and we are introduced to their children: Bennet who is the only boy, and the eldest of Darcy’s children, is a delicious image of his father and amuses us with his dry humour and his fatigue with all his sisters. Can you imagine a teenager Darcy surrounded by sisters? I loved some of his comments and the relationship of comradery he established with his father, who is determined to give to his son the support he was unable to receive from his own father as a young man; Elleanor (Ellie) who is about to turn 18 years old reminded me of Jane Bennet and I truly wished Lady Catherine would not ruin her coming out season; Helen and Rose who are already at school and are terribly missed by their youngest sister; Cassandra whom I loved and was more interested in reading novels than anything else; and Alice, the youngest child of Darcy and Elizabeth and the one who is always involved in some kind of mischief. Or maybe she is only a curious, imaginative and outspoken girl who was too genuine for her time and discovered the pleasures of Port at a precocious age :

Alice’s impertinence reminded me of Elizabeth, but also a little bit of Lydia Bennet because that girl does not know when to keep her mouth shut, and even if this is very amusing to us readers, it makes Lady Catherine very displeased! And yes, Lady Catherine is still alive and true to herself in this story :

The Darcy’s and Lady Catherine, who arrived unannounced at Pemberley, are to visit the Bingley’s, but during breakfast Alice’s enthusiasm becomes too much and when she spills some tea in Lady Catherine’s gown she is punished for her actions and must remain at home. She tries to apologize:

“I am truly sorry, Aunt Catherine,” Alice quickly followed. “You have ruined my gown!” “If it makes you feel better,” Alice continued hopefully, “I don’t think the color becomes you at all.”

But her father is implacable and determines she has to stay, accompanied by him to guarantee she behaves of course, it’s not like he wants to escape Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet’s company.

During the day Alice sees a White Rabbit with a Pocket Watch and chases it down a hole with her Father close behind, and this is how the adventure in Wonderland begins.

In Wonderland we will find Carroll’s White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and even some characters that will remind us of some members of the Bennet family like Mrs. Bennet, Darcy finds it very hard to understand what’s happening and where he is. His main focus is to find a way home, but Alice’s curiosity makes her want to interact with everybody and that’s what makes their journey so funny. Those who loved Alice in Wonderland will certainly love this view of the story.

Darcy in Wonderland is not a romance, and readers who merely want an Elizabeth/Darcy story will not find it here, but they will find a beautiful sequel showing us how delightful their life was after they married, and how funny their household became over the years with so many different children. The relationship they established with their children is endearing, and we also have the pleasure of seeing how happy and content they are as a couple.

I believe parents will particularly love this story, and they will even be able to share it with their children as this is a family book in which the drawings and the poetry add the final touch to an incredible story.

 

You can find Darcy in Wonderland at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Alexa Adams would like to offer one copy of Darcy in Wonderland (ebook or paperback) to one of my readers.

This giveaway is international and open until the 20th of August. To participate all you have to do is comment on this post, and if you want to increase your chances of winning comment on the guest post I published yesterday. I will consider entrances from both posts.

Good Luck everyone!