Book Thoughts: Death Comes to Pemberley

I've moving away from calling my book opinions "reviews", because when I think of a book review, I think of a critical analysis of plots, characters, themes and symbolism. I might touch on some of those things sometimes, but mostly I'm just hitting the high points of what I thought. Book Thoughts seems appropriate.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is a murder-mystery novel based on the characters of the beloved Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The book was chosen as a read for the Book Bunch, my Bolivar-based book club. On the night before a grand ball at Pemberley, a carriage arrives with a hysterical Lydia Wickham declaring she heard gunshots fired and that her beloved George is in danger and might be dead. Mr. Darcy & co. set out on a cold and stormy night to find George Wickham hunched over a body and mumbling what sounds like a confession. An investigation ensues and Wickham is put on trial for murder. In the mean time, a romance between Georgianna Darcy and a young lawyer is building, a young man is dying, and people are keeping all sorts of fun secrets.

I'm not especially familiar with the "who done it" type books, but from what I understand, they follow a pattern, much like romance novels. I'm not a gullible person, but I am a gullible reader. I knew that Wickham probably didn't murder anyone BUT MAYBE HE DID. Just like I was positive that Katniss wasn't going to die in The Hunger Games, BUT WHAT IF SHE DOES (ImustreadthestoryasfastaspossibletoseethatI'mright.)? I was curious for the details, and while I was reading I didn't consider how James maintained the integrity of Austen's characters. Overall, I thought the story was fun and the mystery was kind of? satisfying.

After I finished and lived with the story for a few days, some of the details registered boiled to the surface. I was not happy with Elizabeth's and Jane's minor roles. This book was more about Mr. Darcy and George Wickham. James took some liberties with Darcy's inner-most thoughts that Austen left unsaid. She killed some of the mystery of Fitzwilliam Darcy, and I don't think she got it right. I'd say more, but it might ruin your perception of him and his love for Jane. AND the characters lacked Austen's famous wit.

Did James do Austen's characters justice? Not really. I still liked the book, but I didn't love it. I would read something else of P.D. James', but let's leave Austen be.