The Child: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Accomplished author Jan Hahn’s latest Austenesque novel, "The Child", beseeches “can love overcome all, even the prejudice against a child born to an archenemy?” She writes just the kind of tale that lures me in, consumes me. In Hahn’s stirring re-imagining of Jane Austen’s "Pride & Prejudice", two years after Miss Elizabeth Bennet baldly refused his hand in marriage, Mr. Darcy beholds her from across a London street...with a young child in tow. A child! Whose child? But before he can approach her, he is called into the church: “I say, Darce, are you coming? ... The bride is waiting, Darcy!” Bride! Whose bride? Thus, within the first pages, I was addicted.Years have changed Darcy and Elizabeth since that ill-conceived proposal at the Hunsford parsonage and each has their own cross to bear. Darcy learns that while he and Charles Bingley toured the continent to escape heartache, the Bennets of Longbourn have been embroiled in scandal—the Wickham affair. George Wickham, his boyhood friend, now foe, had eloped with a Bennet daughter, abandoning her with child. Hearing the rumors, all fingers point to Elizabeth as the unwed mother. Yet, when the Bennets’ horse throws a shoe and waylays their carriage on the road to Hertfordshire, Fate intervenes, once again propelling Darcy and Bingley into the company of Miss Jane Bennet and Elizabeth. Offering to deliver the ladies and “the child” home, Darcy cannot but observe the interaction between Miss Elizabeth and Baby Fan:"Naturally, Elizabeth tended to the little girl, I observed she was a most proficient mother. How tender her touch and her tone as she petted and soothed the little one! Just the kind of mother I had envisioned her to be. I remembered dreams of old that had contained a child of mine suckling at her breast. Long vanished now, man!"Back in the neighborhood, the gentlemen see with their own eyes how even the four and twenty families of Meryton have shunned the Bennets. Gossips declare that Wickham is the father and Darcy is tested like never before—guilt, resentment, and pride clash with his enduring, unrequited love and his need to somehow, some way, restore the Bennets’ honor. How could she not have heeded his warning and eloped with the blackguard, resulting in these shameful consequences? Told in the first-person narrative through Darcy’s eyes, the warring between his sense and sensibilities is honest and intimate:"Abruptly, she withdrew her hand from mine. I realized she could not bear the shame of my disapproval, for I represented society, the same society that condemned her and her family. Our hypocrisy be damned! Neither Elizabeth nor her sisters should suffer the degradation Wickham had inflicted upon them."Darcy knows Bingley can never marry Jane Bennet as long as the child remains in the Bennet household—a constant reminder of their misfortune and fall from grace—and he takes it upon himself to find Wickham and convince him to claim the child (read: bribery). Alas, nothing ensues as Darcy expects and he must disguise these machinations—and his yearning—or risk losing all he has ever desired:"Immediately, I realized how I had exposed my feelings. What in blazes had I been thinking? That was the problem—I had not been thinking at all. I had been caught up in the pleasure of walking with Elizabeth and basking in the delicious scent that wafted over me when we inadvertently stepped too close to each other."Further, several beloved and anticipated characters from canon add color to this heart-stopping tale.I first discovered the elegant writings of “JanH” in February 2007 on-line at Mrs. Darcy’s Story Site. I inhaled all she had published on the Web and when she was posting her “work-in-progress” (WIP) on Sunday evenings, Sunday became “JanH Night” in my house—and soon after the dishes were put away, I was on-line, reading her latest installment. In 2011, she began posting "The Child"; this WIP became my weekly high, my drug of choice. To my delight, seven years later, I find this tightened and edited version exceptional as anticipated, nay, as expected. Hahn’s absolute understanding of Austen’s characters, imaginative story, and adept research of the language and mores of Regency England create powerful imagery and emotive reading. I heartily recommend you read "The Child" sooner than later. But be warned, once you start it, you won’t be able to stop. You’ll find yourself at midnight swearing, “Just one more chapter. I can stop any time.” 5 stars.

This is a great book that I thoroughly recommend. It is all from first person Darcy POV which was unusual at first but worked VERY well. To summarize the Bennetts are ruined Darcy and Bingley have been parading around the world to escape their sadness only to return and be thrown back in the presence of the women they love and now they are even less socially acceptable with the child. The story is not rushed, time passes in a logically manner and it is told with adequate detail and no sudden unrealistic occurrences. Darcy thinks he has learned his lesson regarding his character when he meets Elizabeth again but his meddling causes her and her family more problems and its later in the story that he realizes he had not really learned his lesson. Despite his love for her which was very real he was still trying to manipulate all things around him with his money and position to suit himself. Elizabeth's rock solid character especially with the child is what was enduring. Here is Darcy trying to have this illegitimate child removed from the Bennett house hold thinking it will solve all their problems, Bingley can freely marry Jane and they would all be grateful to once again be marriageable. Wrong. Elizabeth will simply bend to the ends of the earth instead of leaving the child. She unknowingly ruins all of Darcy's plan which frustrates Darcy but he needs to know she is not one to be bent by all the superficial rules of society and if he wants to be with her (which he is powerless against his feelings) then he will have to take ALL of her. So respectable. Now that child! the interaction between Darcy and the little naughty child is entertaining and... mini spoiler- by the end of the book Darcy cannot imagine how he ever found the child unloveable! the CHILD won Darcy's heart as much as Elizabeth! Despite his selfish intentions Darcy still proves to Elizabeth with his actions he is a good man.As a well seasoned reader of P&P variations it is nice to read a book that is a new story line, its not too easy on Darcy or Elizabeth, and its told to pace with appropriate detail. "In the wilds of Derbyshire" is the first book I read from this author which was fantastic. I tried reading many others but they were too much on the bandwagon of "Elizabeth is perfect and everyone loves her immediately". As a matter of fact I had decided to discount this author due to the blandness of many of their stories. this story is a jump back into the quality of the author.

Darcy escapes from Rosings after being humiliated by Elizabeth and contrives a grand tour of at least parts of Europe over the space of a couple of years. And on his return, pracically the first thing he sees is Elizabeth with toddler in hand. What she sees is Darcy on the steps of a fashionable Church in formal attire at the beginning of a wedding service. This would not be a promising beginning either in 1812 or 2012, though for somewhat different reasons at the different periods. The author has found a solution acceptable to readers of the 21st century but which would be possible in early 19th century. Everyone needs to learn, but it is a steep learning curve for Darcy; and those who want their Darcy continuously perfect will find parts of his reasoning hard going, though perfectly in accord with what he would have been told growing up in a household of men and servants.

Due anni dopo la disastrosa proposta di matrimonio Darcy ed Elizabeth si vedono a Londra: lui pensa che lei sia la madre di una bimba e lei pensa che lui stia per sposarsi... naturalmente si sbagliano entrambi, la bimba è figlia di Lidia (e Wickham), ed è Georgiana che sta per sposarsi. Darcy apprende che la famiglia Bennet è caduta in disgrazia perchè la bimba è nata al di fuori del matrimonio, si sente in parte colpevole per la situazione e cerca di porvi rimendio a modo suo creando non pochi malintesi e complicazioni, prima dell'immancabile happy end.Credo di aver letto quasi tutte le variazioni di P&P scritte da Jan Hahn e questa, narrata dal punto di vista di Darcy è, a mio parere, fra le migliori: l'autrice delinea in maniera brillante i caratteri dei personaggi e la narrazione risulta scorrevole e plausibile.

Love all of Jan Hahn's P&P alternatives. She stays true to the characters and the language and is a delight to read!

Jan hahn is a great writter.every book is better than the previous.i don't know to make comments but this book is a very good one and I recommend it.