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 it!

Well done story told by Darcy's perspective. I highly recommend to all P&P fans. I can't wait for the last 2 volume.

Great series!

The other side of Pride and Prejudice as Darcy may have experienced it. I must say, this is an awesome series. The narration is a bit weird to me, but it's still a book I'd listen to again.

Debatable Reader, Amazing Book

Aidan's series is *the best* Pride and Prejudice spin off I have ever read. Her research is exacting, her details eye-opening, her supporting cast appealing, her unhurried details engaging, and her tone is spot on with Miss Austen's. Now, that said, this reader is definitely of a specific accent, and he does add pauses where, colloquially, there should be none. I'm used to reading pauses where there are punctuation, and nowhere else, but Mr. Holmes seems to have his own style of accent, and while it's strange to my extremely American ear, I didn't find it displeasing once I got a few minutes in. If you were dismayed by the reading, I encourage you to buy the book!

Enjoyable

I did not realize that this is the first of three books. So far I am enjoying the premise of viewing Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of Darcy. The writing is good and the story is entertaining. I liked it enough to eagerly start listening to book number two. I was surprised to see the negative views on the narrator. I found his reading enjoyable and his voice pleasant.

STELLAR

What made the experience of listening to An Assembly Such as This the most enjoyable?

I loved listening to this book. The language is so rich and it's a much needed change of pace when comes to hearing clean, funny & intense feelings without a profanity on every page or an extremely inappropriate situation graphically described. Experiencing this book was like reading Jane Austin's literary counter part.If escaping to or at least visiting the world of Jane Austin's book is something you enjoy, then this series is very pleasant and fulfilling.

What was one of the most memorable moments of An Assembly Such as This?

I really enjoyed the way Darcy describes his feelings & the way each encounter with Elizabeth was described, it reels you in & you want to swoon.

What does George Holmes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love George Holmes' accent, it took me a while to warm up to his narration, but seeing that I'm in the second book of this series, he has grown on me.

narrator grew on me

at first I wasnt sure about the narrator but he grew on me and now I cant imagine a different one. my fav p and p spin off of all time. hands down.

Great book, horrid narrator

This is a wonderfully written companion to Pride & Prejudice. I have enjoyed reading it for years. Unfortunately, the narration is so poor that it truly diminishes the enjoyment of this story.

The Spirit of Austen Enchanted

First off, yes, the narrator is odd, perhaps the oddest reading I've ever experienced; ah but thankfully second, give the story a good hour of listening, suspending your judgment, and you will find that you have become quite fond of the narrator, almost as if an eccentric and favored uncle (who flunked oh-so-veddy-pro-pah British butler school, but has retained the diction) is reading to you (while alternating bites of tofu noodle soup). But the story and characterization is the true gem here, as Ms. Aidan absolutely never fouls the spirit of Austen, never presents Darcy out of character, and even casts some new flashing crystal glimmers upon Lizzie, perhaps presenting her a little more intoxicating (if possible) than in "Pride and Prejudice." Many mysteries are solved as we experience Darcy's knotted anxieties as he falls in love despite himself, even in spite of his almost supernatural self control). The language is beautiful, and the novel is fully realized (despite this being Part 1 of 3), and a few new oddly eccentric characters come ice skating into the story. Unlike so many modern novels that attempt to extend classic stories, this one by Pamela Aidan does not sneer at the original work, but throughout is respectful and imaginative in building on a beloved tale, and even more beloved characters. Art et Amour Toujours

Well done by both author and narrator - great fun.

Like other reviewers, I must confess that I have an addiction to all those sequels, variations, and other books which I just call "Austen genre." I have read quite a few and will continue to read more, even if they turn out to be disappointing attempts by writer and/or narrator.

Pamela Aidan's trilogy ("A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman") is among the very best of the Austen genre. Aidan writes quite well, conveying the atmosphere, culture, and daily life of the English upper class during the Regency Period. In addition, she provides a great deal of information about the politics, foreign affairs, and legal matters of that Period. And she does all this while staying very close to Jane Austen's characters and plot in Pride and Prejudice. I found her suppositions about the true natures of the P&P characters to be completely believable and understandable: her Darcy never puts a foot wrong or betrays his principles (until he sees that his principles are mistaken or no longer valid). I enjoyed seeing the fleshing-out of characters like Georgianna and Mr. Bingley, and the introduction of new characters, especially Fletcher, Darcy's valet.

As to the narrator, George Holmes, I had no trouble with his reading. While his cadence is a bit different because of pauses between phrases, the pauses are very slight and, to my mind, create a less-hurried cadence, one more suited to the age in which the book is set. It is my understanding from quite a bit of reading that the upper classes in the Regency Period actually did talk slowly, because they seldom had any sort of deadline which required urgency. In addition, I believe that George Holmes' voice is very well-suited to this book -- light, somewhat delicate, and very much like the voice of a Regency aristocrat (as I have imagined them or heard them in BBC productions).

This was a very enjoyable read, and I have already started volume 2 of the Trilogy.

RECOMMENDED.

Love, Love, Love the Book

What made the experience of listening to An Assembly Such as This the most enjoyable?

I have read most sequels or alternate stories for Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. I have to say, Pamela Aiden is THE BEST of the lot! I enjoyed the Darcy perspective here and felt Ms. Aiden did a masterful job of telling the story. She enhances the story, while keeping to the original themes and familiar characters. No bodice ripping here -- which I really appreciate.
I read the series in the past and enjoyed it so much, that I thought they I would really enjoy listening to the books while commuting. I bought all three at the same time.
I would not have done so had I known the reader's style.
If Pamela Aiden could get another reader, I would repurchase the series. This is one that I would listen to again and again. But not with George Holmes.

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

The reader was terrible. I ignored the other reviews thinking that it couldn't be that bad. It was. I could barely tolerate the choppy syntax. It was like each phrase was a sentence, and the phrases that naturally go together were separated. What a shame to do this to such a great book series!