An Assembly Such as This

A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

By: Pamela Aidan

Narrated by: George Holmes

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me."

So begins the timeless romance of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen's classic novel is beloved by millions, but little is revealed in the book about the mysterious and handsome hero, Mr. Darcy. And so the question has long remained: Who is Fitzwilliam Darcy?

In An Assembly Such as This, Pamela Aidan finally answers that long-standing question. In this first book of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, she reintroduces us to Darcy during his visit to Hertfordshire with his friend Charles Bingley, and reveals Darcy's hidden perspective on the events of Pride and Prejudice.

As Darcy spends more time at Netherfield supervising Bingley and fending off Miss Bingley's persistent advances, his unwilling attraction to Elizabeth grows, as does his concern about her relationship with his nemesis, George Wickham.

Setting the story vividly against the colorful, historical, and political background of the Regency, Aidan writes in a style comfortably at home with Jane Austen, but with a wit and humor very much her own. Aidan adds her own cast of fascinating characters to those in Austen's original, weaving a rich tapestry from Darcy's past and present. Austen fans, and newcomers alike, will love this new chapter of the most famous romance of all time.

©2006 Pamela Aidan (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Love the Story! Hate the narrator!

Would you consider the audio edition of An Assembly Such as This to be better than the print version?

No. Worse. Much worse! I love audiobooks, and I love this book. I had the print editions, and wanted to listen to it as well. Unfortunately, the narrator all but ruins it. He sounds prissy, whiny, and in my opinion he totally gets the whole thing wrong, start to finish - in all three books. I'm glad I read the print version first, as it allowed me to

What did you like best about this story?

The author did her research, and it was a very enjoyable story. Love, love, love the story. Great job, Ms. Aidan! I really enjoyed the author's take on Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's point of view. She does a great job staying very true to the story, missing very few details. Well done.

Would you be willing to try another one of George Holmes’s performances?

No! Not a chance.

Decent read

The story was good, a wonderful companion to P&P though a bit long-winded, awful narrator.

P&P different persepctive

I had read Pamela Aidan's books many years ago with much enjoyment. I was happy to seen them in audio! Pamela has honored Jane Austen's world, as well as bringing her own unique perspectives, with a sparkling flavor of Georgette Heyer. Her characterizations are steady and delightful.

Regarding the narrator, I have enjoyed the voice and narration of this story. It's careful speaking, with care and thought and a light proper British accent that is pleasing on the ear. I don't notice any breathing problems and am enjoying the subtle acting of this story very much.

Well worth the listen if you enjoy Pride and Prejudice.

Enjoyed Darcy's point of view but narrator

Not able to determine who is speaking. Like the narrator's voice but don't know who's speaking most of the time. I don't understand why it must be in 3 parts.

Wonderful!

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Mr. Darcy’s point of view! My favorite character is his valet, Fletcher, who adds a great deal of wit and humor to the story! Not crazy about the reader/narrator as he has an effeminate voice… Would’ve preferred a deeper voice as I would expect Mr. Darcy’s to be.

Pride & Prejudice from Darcy's Perspective

This is "Pride & Prejudice" from Darcy's perspective. It matches the writing style of Austen's P&P, so Darcy, Bingley, Caroline, Louisa, and Georgiana feel authentic. It is slow in the beginning. It should have been one book focusing on those events that were in P&P. Instead, it stretched out to be a series, including Darcy's time in London (the long period of time away from Hertfordshire).

Nice Interpretation of Mr. Darcy's Point of View

I became a Jane Austen fan rather late in my reading life, and soon became a little frustrated because her short life as an author left me wanting to hear more from her. A number of authors have tried to continue the stories of her novels, as in this case, that of "Pride and Prejudice." I have sampled several of these authors in print, but found this audio book by Pamela Aidan to be one of the more gratifying exercises in the genre. Told from Mr. Darcy's point of view, the narrative is rather lengthy, and continues in two subsequent books. I found the narrator's interpretation pleasing however, and the leisurely pace of the storytelling gave significance to the author's views on the reason that Mr. Darcy befriended Mr. Bingley, his upbringing and family at Pemberley, his REAL attitude toward Miss Bingley, and his relationship with his sister Georgiana. Of course, the heart of the story is his gradual realization of the personality, character, and familial relationships of Miss Elizabeth Bennett. This series is not for the listener who is faint-of-heart. However, if you enjoy Jane Austen and her world, I recommend this audio book and the others in the series.

Interesting and Entertaining

I enjoyed this point of view of the story. I found that, for the most part, the events in the story and the motivations of the characters fell in line well with the original Austen telling. I concede that the level of interest Darcy had with Elizabeth was a bit premature which made some of his thoughts seem out of character. However, his character is well-developed and the roundness of the characters surrounding him made them strong contributors to the story. The narrator did a great job. On occasion, it was hard differentiating each male character, but the way he conveyed feeling and sarcasm into those voices made my laugh our loud. It is this that is pushing me to listen to the sequel.

Great Story, Poor Performance

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

While the story was fantastic, the narrator did a poor job. Had I not previously read the book. I would have stopped listening after the first five minutes. It is bad enough that at times I felt as if I was suffering through the telling of it.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is compelling and well written. The author breathes life into the popular, but enigmatic character of Fitzwilliam Darcy and does a fantastic job of rounding out the original novel by giving readers a look at the equally important, but largerly unknown, hero.

What didn’t you like about George Holmes’s performance?

His narration was inadequate. He spoke too fast and flatly at times and made mistakes in mispronunciation of words and referring to people by the wrong name. The performance was grating on the nerves and only worsened by the introduction of overly loud music played over the narration at the beginning and ending of the book.

Did An Assembly Such as This inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to want to re-read the book rather than listen to it in audio format.

Any additional comments?

The book itself is fantastic but with the disadvantage of a poorly narrated audio version, it is likely to suffer.

Interested in Mr. Darcy's perspective from P&P?

Would you consider the audio edition of An Assembly Such as This to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version but I truly enjoyed the audiobook. Mr. Holmes did a nice job of bringing the characters to life. I must say that 'seeing" life from Darcy's perspective was interesting, heart warming, heart breaking and always amusing. When I read P&P again I found myself thinking about the way Pamela Aidan related Mr. Darcy's character in accordance to some of the events. It was also nice to be introduced to new characters such as Darcy's Shakepeare quoting valet Fletcher and Lord Di Broom, Darcy's closest friend.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr. Darcy of course!! Who hasn't had a crush on this guy? It was amusing to see how he simply viewed his interactions with Elizabeth as witty banter and looked forward to seeing her while she on the other hand, viewed their interactions as cumbersome.

Which character – as performed by George Holmes – was your favorite?

I enjoyed all of his character portrayals but my favorite of course, was Darcy since the story is told from his perspective.

If you could take any character from An Assembly Such as This out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Obviously Darcy but then again, maybe Mr. Bingley since he is good natured and adored by all who meet him.