Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll

 I have been reading a lot of Jane Austen knock-offs as well as history, and this one was mentioned several times by different authors. It's an incredible undertaking with fantastic imagination and vocabulary. The sexy parts are not especially graphic and are almost comical in their ardor. I think this aspect of the story is most trumpeted and the least well-done. However the story line and the characters and the language are pretty good! I was impressed by the commitment it would take to fashion such a long and complicated and well-written work. I think the author was mostly true to the characters as well, though I didn't like thinking that Bingley was a philanderer... And I didn't end up admiring Darcy or Elizabeth as much as I do when I read Austen herself. Yet this novel was a fun romp...and it was satisfying to see Lydia and Wickham get their due...