Wickham's Diary

Jane Austen Heroes #0.5

by Amanda Grange

11 July 1784
Why should I be beneath Fitzwilliam? I am just as handsome as he is; I am just as intelligent, even though he works harder at his books; and I am just as amusing; in fact I dare say I am a great deal more amusing, for Fitzwilliam is so proud he will not take the trouble to entertain other people. Yet although he is no better than me, when he grows up he will inherit Pemberley, and I will inherit nothing... He wasn't always this cold-hearted...
George Wickham had everything going for him. He's handsome, charming and sincere. Old Mr. Darcy loves him like a son. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the companion of his youth, is powerful and moral. What are the forces then that would turn this young man's destiny from one of promise to one of treachery and villainy? And could it happen again? Praise for Mr. Darcy's Diary:
"Absolutely fascinating. Amanda Grange seems to have really got under Darcy's skin and retells the story, in diary form, with great feeling and sensitivity."
-Historical Novel Society (20110404)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Regency, Retellings, Novels

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2011

About the author

Amanda Grange was born in Yorkshire and spent her teenage years reading Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer whilst also finding time to study music at Nottingham University. She has had twenty-five novels published including six Jane Austen retellings, which look at events from the heroes' points of view. She has also had two books published under different names: Murder at Whitegates Manor (as Eleanor Tyler; a Regency cosy crime murder mystery) and The Rake (as Amy Watson; a very light and frothy Regency romance).

Woman said of Mr Darcy's Diary: "Lots of fun, this is the tale behind the alpha male," whilst The Washington Post called Mr Knightley's Diary "affectionate". The Historical Novels Review made Captain Wentworth's Diary an Editors' Choice, remarking, "Amanda Grange has hit upon a winning formula."

Austenblog declared that Colonel Brandon's Diary was "the best book yet in her series of heroes' diaries."

Amanda Grange now lives in Cheshire. Her profile photo was taken at the Jane Austen House Museum, Chawton. The museum is well worth a visit!

You can find out more by visiting her website at http://www.amandagrange.com You can also follow her on Twitter @hromanceuk and find her on Facebook

Reviews

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very unique book that tells you everything you never wanted to know about George Wickham - Prior to his entry into Meryton. Next the author uses the P&P (2005) time line and not the generally accepted 1812 time line; so the diary begins in 1784 when Wichkam is 7.

Through his writings we learn about his mother; greedy, snatching, scheming, his father; devoted but malleable, the elder Mr. Darcy; easily conned, and the man from Cambridge that lead him to the road to ruin; which Wickham happily skipped along.

Wickham is a drunkard, a party boy, a slacker, a debaser of women. He knows how to behave but his inherent jealously of Darcy and his belief that he is really better than his situation causes him to make mistake after mistake. And he is unrepentant.

In his youth his mother tells him to marry an heiress; first Anne deBourgh but reminds him that Georgiana Darcy won't always be a child. Mother Wickham really is scheming baggage.

This book gives us George's perspective of the actions in Ramsgate, but denies us a confrontation between Darcy & Wickham.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

After appreciating all the previous Jane Austen hero diaries, I discovered that the author wrote an additional diary from the point of view of Jane Austen's most infamous villain, George Wickham. I had no idea what to expect. Would she make me sympathetic to him? Gasp, please no! Would she make him even more detestable? Perhaps... Would she give me more insight into his life? I determined that would probably be true. So I settled in to see what I could find in the pages of Wickham's Diary.

The 'Diary' began when Wickham was still a boy and living on the Pemberley estate. His family and the Darcy family become known through Wickham's eyes. Early on, his mother's extravagant, flighty, yet bubbling and fun character shapes him. She teaches him that charm is the means and easy living is the way for him. He stood a chance at having a decent character as a boy, but his lust for the good life overcomes it. Fitzwilliam is a sympathetic boy, young man, and adult, but Wickham's extravagances and debauches push him too far. Time and again, Wickham has a clear choice and a new chance and he slides down the weak path. Slowly as he gets older, he skews the truth even to himself so that he regards his history with Fitzwilliam in a whole new light. Darcy is now the reason for all his troubles.

I found the author's dip into Wickham's mind fascinating. It rang true for me. I was into this all the way up to the point when the story abruptly stopped. That is when I realized that this is a prequel of sorts and would not parallel Pride & Prejudice. I truly wish it had because this ended up feeling like half a story to me. Getting an Austen story from an alternate perspective is interesting, but I think it would be beyond fascinating to get it from Wickham's perspective.

So in the end, this as engaging up to a point. I love that the author took the risk and wrote such a Diary. I think Austenesque lovers would find it a good read, too.

[Anna]

Check out my review on Diary of an Eccentric

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

As George Wickham is many Jane Austen fan's favorite villain, I was delighted to learn that Amanda Grange, one of my favorite Austen-like writers, was taking on the project of writing his diary. (I loved her previous diaries -- so much so that I have pre-ordered several from England before their release date in the U.S. & happily paid for the hard back first editions and overseas shipping rates.)

But I digress... Yes, author Amanda Grange clinically journals Wickham's early years at Pemberley, depicting the friendship between the young master Darcy and how their friendship dissolved during the college days. I liked how Grange tells of how his parents met and came to Pemberley and I especially enjoyed the relationship between Wickham and his mother, who can be as frivolous as Lydia Bennet. I thought it interesting how the mother puts it in George's mind to aim higher than just the living at Pemberley and that he might one day be married to Georgianna Darcy or even Anne de Bourgh. But unfortunately the diary ends almost immediately after Darcy discovers George's plan to elope with Georgianna. What happened when George was wooing Mary King and how did that get fouled up; was George relieved when Darcy discovers him w/Lydia & saves his bacon once again?? I expected more in this diary -- as in Grange's previous "diaries" she wrote the back-story and then would take the reader through the paces of Austen's story-- since Austen's masterpieces were from a female perspective.

I also had thought that being the diary of Wickham, Grange would have somehow endeared him to the reader-- but he is unlikeable and whiney scamp from the beginning. He started as a rascal and became even more so. I never really felt much empathy OR SYMPATHY for him or his choices. Grange does follow his thought process of how he came to be, but I had hoped that she would have written him so that we would have been endeared to him, despite what we know about this bad boy.

Oh well. At $6.95-- its a fair price. I read the entire book in 2 hours. There are blank pages separating journal entries that pad the book. AND YET, I still look forward to Grange's future Austen villain's diaries that are sure to come. I am just hoping that they won't seem such a hasty job. A bit more plotting and scheming-- and A LOT more soul please. (I wrote this review at Amazon in 2011
And just thought I repost here.)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I found this book very enjoyable. It sheds a new light on Wickham, a man almost everyone hates. It shows how and why he became the way he did and it made me feel a little bit sorry for him. It shows him to have a heart, which of course we know he later does not have.

Of course, with who this book is about, there are a couple of scenes that show his low morals, but they are well done! They make it clear what he is about to do or what he already did, but they are not in detail - which I was very happy about! I hate when books get too descriptive about that type of thing - less is more.

The story begins when Wickham and Darcy are young boys. Wickham is a very nice and friendly boy who genuinely is friends with Darcy, but he has a small bit of resentment about how Darcy will one day be master of Pemberley and he will at most be the steward of Pemberley. I felt that this resentment could have been overcome had it not been for Wickham's mother.

Wickham's mother - oh, what can I say about her? The story is written in such a way that I felt that had she been a less conniving and manipulative person, Wickham would have turned out quite differently. She was always encouraging Wickham to do the wrong thing, to befriend people only to advance his owns goals. She was such a horrible person, never content with what she had - always wanting more.

Overall 'Wickham's Diary' was so much better than I expected it to be. I will never think about Wickham in the same way again!

This was the first book by Amanda Grange that I have read, but it will not be my last. I highly recommend this book, it adds so much detail to Wickham's character.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Wickham, fortune hunter, seducer of young women, and wastrel, had not only all the appearance goodness but a childhood situation that held a lot of promise. As the son of a steward, godson of the late Mr. Darcy, and playmate to the heir Pemberley, Wickham's future could have been bright. He had good looks, pleasing manners, and the approbation of a wealthy man. What went wrong?


In Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange we learn that George Wickham, along with his mother both feel some displeasure with their lot in life. While Mr. Wickham, the late Darcy's steward, is a respected man and hard worker, his wife and son have higher aspirations and felt entitled to a better life. As a young teenager, Wickham begins to feel resentment toward his wealthy playmate and grumble about how he is “beneath Fitzwilliam.” Mrs. Wickham, whose unrestrained and extravagant behavior is somewhat similar to Lydia Bennet, encourages her darling son to dream big and make the most of his advantageous opportunities. Very early in life she begins instructing him on how he must become a successful and wealthy man:


To continue reading go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...

[Eloise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin.
A short A to B of Whickham before the events of Pride and Prejudice giving a plausible backstory to one of Austen's most iconic antagonists. Grange delves a little into Wickham's deeply flawed character, humanising him and letting us sympathise with his situation whilst not excusing his selfish thoughts and actions. It's a great exercise in unreliable narration, but as a book, I felt it was near to being as shallow as the man in question.

[Debby Sangiovanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Grange was the first JAFF author I ever read and has remained a favorite throughout the 15or so years since. Wickham's Diary is an older book but one that every JAFF loved should read at least once. Stellar writing in the style of Austen and a wonderfully crafted story make this book a long-time favorite of mine.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thoughts and actions of George Wickham from when he was a lad in 1784 up to deciding to join the militia.
A very easy, well-written story which I enjoyed reading the evolution of Wickham's character but I would have liked it to continue up to and past his marriage to Lydia.

[Sarah Morin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is plausible yet original, something all Austen spin-offs should aim for yet few achieve.

This is by far my favorite of Grange’s “diary of pick an Austen male” series. Her others feature the male heroes. This one features a villain – Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. And better yet, it’s a kind of “prequel” to Pride and Prejudice, so it doesn’t feel at all rehashed. Grange takes what info Austen does tell us about Wickham (his father is steward of Pemberley, Wickham was to have a living as a clergyman and took money instead, later to demand the living too, he tried to elope with Georgiana Darcy, etc.) and fleshes it out in her book. Novella, really.

What most impressed me was how plausible it was. To an Austen fan, it seems inevitable that Wickham will fall. Yet were his actions inevitable? To what extent did a class-ridden society and familial influence and Darcy’s proud unforgiving nature force Wickham’s hand? To what extent did Wickham choose to throw away his advantages? Grange’s book does not give a clear answer, which I think is its brilliance. The Wickham in Austen’s P&P succeeds because he seems as willing to believe the stories he invents about himself. Just so, in Grange’s book the tales he uses to manipulate others in the end convince him. He is at once downtrodden and eternally optimistic. The reader is charmed into liking and believing Wickham, just like society, just like Wickham himself.

Grange’s best invention is Wickham’s mother. We hear in Austen about his father being a man even the younger Mr. Darcy greatly respects. Who then shaped young Wickham’s character? His mother. Grange paints her as a kind of Lydia Bennet, only smarter. She is frivolous, spends too much money, charms people, but has no feeling she is doing anything but doing what society expects of her. Wickham greatly loves and is influenced by his mom, which explains much about his later character. This move on Grange’s part is her own invention, yet it is completely plausible. And it makes us sympathize with Wickham – he is the way he is partly out of familial love and duty. Yet the great virtue passed from mother to son? Manipulating people.

It is a treat to see Georgiana Darcy, Mrs. Younge, and Anne De Bourgh in their younger versions. Georgiana is pretty much as Austen described in the book. Mrs. Younge’s bad reputation is spelled out. And the overlooked Anne – Wickham pays her more attention than Darcy does, but out of kindness or seizing his own advantage? Both, I think, and Grange wisely leaves the reader to settle the balance. Darcy and Wickham start as friends, though not the closest of friends. Darcy grows to be unlikable in Wickham’s eyes, and to some extent, the reader believes Wickham is justified. Darcy has a lot of growing to do once he meets Elizabeth Bennet. The reader never sees her, but we can see both the pride and duty of the Mr. Darcy Lizzie first encounters.

The book ends with a lovely lead-in to the beginning of Pride and Prejudice. I won’t give it away.

[Muphyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This can't possibly be any good but I picked it up for $2 and it's about a 180 pages so I'm hoping it'll provide a couple of hours of mindless diversion... :D

30 Aug: yep, pretty mindless rubbish. Beach reading is about all it's worth... Unfortunately it's not even mildly creative and stops just when things should get interesting (ie the start of Pride & Prejudice).

Skip it, even if you're a die-hard Jane Austen fan.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piccole Canaglie Crescono

Il Diario di Wickham inizia quando George è un ragazzino di dodici anni. Fin dalle prime righe si vede che è sprezzante, invidioso, infastidito di dover svolgere compiti – come occuparsi del proprio cavallo – solo perché Fitzwilliam, che è il figlio del padrone di Pemberley, lo fa.
George vorrebbe essere fortunato come Darcy: diventare ricco senza doversi impegnare in niente (trascurando di pensare che essere erede di una grande tenuta come Pemberley comporta una dose massiccia di responsabilità).

As we parted at the corner of the drive and I glimpsed Pemberley in all his glory, I thought, One day I am going to live in a house like that, and no humble beginnings are going to stop me.

[Quando ci separammo all’angolo del vialetto e intravidi Pemberley in tutta la sua gloria, pensai: Un giorno abiterò in una casa come quella, non ci saranno umili origini a fermarmi.]

E in questo suo atteggiamento viene spalleggiato e addirittura istigato dalla madre che – facendogli notare in continuazione la sua avvenenza e il suo fascino – lo consiglia di sfruttarli al meglio, creandosi tutte le possibili opportunità che un ragazzo come lui può cogliere. L’adorata madre sa dare a George consigli su come tenere il piede in due, tre e addirittura quattro scarpe. Gli suggerisce di coltivare la sua amicizia con gentiluomini che hanno sorelle con ricche doti, di lanciare qua e là indizi sulla sua propensione per gli studi di vario genere, in modo da conquistare ora l’uno, ora l’altro dei suoi interlocutori.

You must study people carefully, George, so that you can decide which manner will best suit the people you are dealing with. Sometimes charm and sometimes authority.

[Devi studiare attentamente la gente, George, in modo da stabilire in che maniera sarai più gradito alle persone con cui hai a che fare. A volte ci vuole fascino, altre autorità.]

Un adulatore scaltro e pieno di fascino (del resto riuscirà ad ingannare anche l’acuta Elizabeth Bennet!) E Mr Darcy senior abbocca all’amo e lo manda a Cambridge per studiare in modo da poter, un giorno, divenire parroco della famosa prebenda di Kympton. E nel frattempo il ragazzo coltiva i rapporti con Georgiana Darcy e con Anne de Bourgh, le due giovani ereditiere, prendendo mentalmente nota ogni volta che sente i commenti di chi lo considera solo il figlio dell’amministratore della tenuta, poco più di un servo.
Insomma, sembra quasi che la Grange – ricostruendo una gioventù piena di risentimento, vissuta in una sorta di paradiso qual è Pemberley, ma sapendo di non appartenervi – voglia giustificare il mascalzone per antonomasia dei romanzi austeniani. A maggior ragione attribuendogli una madre – che George adora – che sembra essere una sorta di Becky Sharp: opportunista, astuta, affabulatrice, capace di trarre il meglio dal poco che ha, senza dover impegnare altro che il suo fascino. Come sia potuto accadere che Becky Sharp abbia sposato Mr Wickham, un semplice intendente, per giunta un uomo sober as a judge (assennato come un giudice) e non un avventuriero come Rawdon Crawley, è un mistero. Ma in questo si rivela un po’ sciocchina e avventata, come Lydia o, ancora meglio, come Mrs Bennet.
Interessanti le allusioni alle grandi storie d’amore che hanno legato sia Mr Darcy con Lady Anne Fitzwilliam, che Sir Lewis de Bourgh con Lady Catherine Fitzwilliam.
Mr Darcy (Fitzwilliam) è filtrato dall’occhio di Wickham, che è sempre velato d’invidia e – in seguito – di desiderio di rivalsa. Eppure, nonostante tutto, traspare l’affetto di Darcy per il suo compagno di giochi, quando lo consiglia riguardo alle cattive compagnie e quando cercherà di consolarlo per la morte della madre; un affetto fraterno che Wickham – accecato dall’invidia – non riuscirà mai a ricambiare, e lo porterà a perdere la buona opinione di Darcy (che una volta persa è persa per sempre). Interessante è però il tormento che la Grange fa vivere al giovane Fitzwilliam:

“Sometimes I do not know what I want,” he said.
There was an air of restlessness and dissatisfaction about him and I look at him curiously.
“I thought you were happy to be a Dracy of Pemberley.”
He brought his eyes away from the distance and fixed them on me.
“And so I am. But there is something missing, George. Do you not feel it?” he asked, searching my gaze.
Yes, I thought, there is something missing. A large estate and a larger fortune. But I did not say it. And besides, those things were not missing for him.
“No,” I lied.
He looked away, over the estate.
“There are no surprises in my life. It is all mapped out for me. Eton, Cambridge, marriage to some suitable heiress, an heir…”

[“A volte non so cosa voglio,” disse.
Aveva un’aria inquieta e insoddisfatta e lo guardai con curiosità.
“Credevo che fossi felice di essere un Darcy di Pemberley.”
Distolse gli occhi da un punto in lontananza e li fissò su di me.
“Lo sono. Ma manca qualcosa, George. Non lo senti anche tu?” chiese, cercando il mio sguardo.
Sì, pensai, manca qualcosa. Una grande proprietà e una fortuna ancor più grande. Ma non lo dissi. Inoltre a lui quelle cose non mancavano.
“No,” mentii. Distolse lo sguardo, osservando la tenuta.
“Non ci sono sorprese nella mia vita. Segue un percorso stabilito. Eton, Cambridge, il matrimonio con un’ereditiera che sia alla mia altezza, un erede…”]

Il percorso e la ‘crescita’ di uno dei personaggi più odiati della letteratura. Sfortunatamente la Grange ha deciso di fermarsi al fallimento del tentativo di fuga con Georgiana Darcy, lasciando che Wickham’s Diary fosse solo un prequel, non un retelling. Sarebbe stato interessante, invece, vedere Orgoglio e Pregiudizio dal punto di vista di Wickham.
Chissà che Amanda Grange non scriva anche quello, prima o poi. E questa è la motivazione delle 4 Austenstars, perché – sebbene scritto molto bene e con grande introspezione psicologica – si sente la mancanza del ‘seguito’, del retelling di Orgoglio e Pregiudizio dal punto di vista del grande mascalzone.

Potrete leggere l'articolo completo e L'INTERVISTA AD AMANDA GRANGE QUI

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming rogue, a gamester and an infamous eloper gets his own story

Austen’s bad boy George Wickham gets top billing in this prequel to Pride and Prejudice that will surprise readers for more reasons than one first imagines.

Anyone who has read Jane Austen’s original novel or seen one of the many movie adaptations knows that Wickham is a bad man: a charming rogue, a gamester and an infamous eloper. But what influences molded his character and what forces drove him to his choices? Wickham’s Diary presents some interesting options for us to ponder. Was it nature or nurture that corrupted his soul? After knowing his story, will we be sympathetic, or ready to string him up? Here’s a case study:

Early Childhood:

George is the son of an attorney working as a steward at the grand country estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire. At twelve, he is the companion of the heir Fitzwilliam Darcy. He has everything going for him: good looks, affable manners and a stage mother. On her urgent request, he ingratiates himself to the family and wins the heart of old Mr. Darcy who sends him to Eton to be educated with his son. He is also promised a future living as a clergyman on the estate. He thinks that the only difference between the respect and admiration that his friend Darcy commands is his money. To attain the wealth, power and social position that he craves, his mother advises him to marry an heiress. Casting his eye on the wealthy young women he knows, Georgiana Darcy and her cousin Anne de Bourgh are his first targets. Calculating and contrived, his life is solely driven to find a rich wife.

Young Adulthood:

He is sent to Cambridge at the expense of Mr. Darcy to be educated as a gentleman. Seeing the advantages of social connections, he continues to search for a rich sister within his fellow classmates. He is not a good student, and soon falls in with the wrong people: drinking, carousing and gambling his way into debt. Fitzwilliam attempts to save him. He promises to reform, but soon slides back. His mother dies. He drinks, gambles and carouses some more. His dreams of marrying an heiress are fading away. No proper mother will let their daughters near him. Old Mr. Darcy dies leaving him the promised living. He and Darcy have a falling out over his lifestyle, loosing his friends good opinion forever. He is in serious debt and asks him to pay him a lump sum, accepting £3,000 instead of the church living. Fitzwilliam washes his hands of him while Wickham squanders his inheritance. We wait to see what forces drive him to later stalk Anne de Bourgh and scheme to elope with Georgiana.

Yes, George Wickham is a despicable scoundrel – and so fun to watch charm, scheme and fail in the original novel. We know that it is unkind to take pleasure from other’s misfortunes, but this is a morality tale that Jane Austen set up, so we give ourselves permission to enjoy it! Amanda Grange’s skill at relaying Wickham’s simple plan for a happy life: marry a rich wife, attain her social position, absorb her estate and spend her money, makes it all seem so logical. Being a male equivalent of a gold digger is very seemly. Especially since Regency men had freedoms that women would never aspire to. Wickham is depraved, he is dissipated and he is disgusting. But we knew that already from Austen’s tale.

We do learn interesting new tidbits that formed his character: a selfish, thoughtless, frivolous mother disappointed in her lot teaches her son to obtain what she wanted out of life by unscrupulous means. This is the root of his evil beginnings. The early childhood scenes with mummy dearest are the most interesting insights in this novella. They were over too quickly. So was the rest of the story. It abruptly ends with the failed elopement at Ramsgate, leaving us dangling mid-air. We felt short sheeted. Just when the story gets rolling it stops. No insights into Wicky’s Meryton escapades: meeting Mr. Darcy again, his flirtation with Elizabeth Bennet, inside dirt on his pursuit of heiress Mary King, what went down in Brighton with Lydia, and why did he really elope with a young, frivolous woman who was as far from an heiress as could be? Why, why, why, kept rolling through my mind. Guess we won’t’ find out.

Being an account of his childhood, his friendship with Fitzwilliam Darcy, and his attempted elopement with Miss Georgian Darcy. Yep, the subtitle pretty much sums it up. So be prepared gentle reader for the short ride, and not all what one might expect from the great Amanda Grange who has wowed us for years with her amazing Austen hero’s diaries series. I am setting my hopes on her next “real” novel, Henry Tilney’s Diary, to be released in the UK in May and the US in December of this year. That thought alone wipes away any deeply harbored regrets hereto.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

[Samantha McNulty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This prequel to "Pride and Prejudice" begins with George Wickham at age 12, handsome and charming but also acutely aware that his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is rich, whilst he is poor.

Wickham's Diary is only the second of Amanda Grange's novels that I have read, and to be perfectly honest, I found this novel not as interesting or page turning as I thought I would.

As a reader, I found the novel rushed and under developed, though it was interesting to learn about Wickham's boyhood and his early years with Fitzwilliam Darcy. It was also diverting to learn of his antics while at Cambridge and his reasons behind his actions.

Though enjoyable, Wickham's Diary just didn't really have the story development that I like to have within the pages of a Pride and Prejudice prequel. That being said, it did have it's moments, just not enough to warrant the novel a higher rating.

[Lilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep down I have never felt like Wickham was simply a “bad guy”. That’s too black and white for someone such as me who loves a world full of various shades of grey. My feelings about Wickham were amplified (and perhaps even echoed) by the BBC series Lost in Austen which showed us a completely different side of Wickham, painting him not as the selfish rogue but as a man who took on a bad reputation in order to spare the loss of Georgiana Darcy’s repute.

Continue reading (and enter to win a copy!) here: http://www.read-all-over.net/fiction/...

[Staci · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I was disappointed in this one. No two ways about it. I thought and hoped that the author would develop Wickham's character and really give us (her idea why) the reason why he turned out to be such an abuser of women! Alas, I was wrong. He seems to have just been a bad egg, which he came by honestly enough from his manipulative mother. I'm glad that this one was short ,so I didn't feel too terrible about the time I spent reading it.

Recommend? Only to the die-hard Austen fans out there that feel they must read all of the variations available. I would, however, recommend Mr. Darcy's Diary, which Grange wrote and that I totally loved!!

Rating: 4/10

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I've liked Grange's other Austen-from-Hero's-POV books but this one left me cold. Wickham's narrative sounds far too young for the 12-year-old at the beginning, and continues to sound dim-ish for the rest of the book, which ends just after the attempted elopement with Georgiana Darcy. There's no good reason for Wickham to turn out the way he does, at least not in this narrative, but even if he's really a sociopath that doesn't make for interesting reading. Also there's a weirdly dropped thread about him trying to court Anne deBourgh, which had lots of potential but just stops.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little diappointed at the end of this book. I had the feeling that it was not quite finished. The story was very good up til that point, but I thought the author made Darcy to dark and even a little mean. Of course we are seeing him through Wickhim's prospective, so I did buy it. For those who think George Wickhim's the worst villian of Jane Austen this novel will give you a different prospect. I would of rated this book higher but the ending was to abrupt and should of ended where P & P ended. It was also pretty close to what I would call a short story!

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a fan of Grange's Austen Hero series, I was interested to see what she'd do with Wickham. The book was super short and it ends where Pride and Prejudice begins which disappointed me greatly. I wanted to know what Wickham thought of Elizabeth and what in the world he was thinking when he ran off with Lydia. The book seemed so incomplete without these elements. My advice, read "Mr. Darcy's Diary" instead.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grange writes a sort of prequel to Pride & Prejudice in the style of a diary written by bad boy Wickham. This was a very quick read, not terrible but nothing special either.

[writer... · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick afternoon read ~
very likely background on this scoundrel!

[Rivalic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Amanda Grange does a wonderful job of keeping the Victorian feel to her novels, as if Jane Austen herself were still writing them.

I liked how this story wasn't just a retelling but a backstory on Wickham's fall from grace.

Funny enough this story made me hate Wickham more than I already did! He seemed even more evil and a disgusting pig than in P&P. He was constantly having relations with whores, extorted money out of multiple friends, not just Darcy, referred to woman as "fortunes", and was such a creep!!

This book was a very engaging and fast read which took me only about 3 days to read. The only thing I felt like was missing after reading this book was two things.

One: His feelings towards Elizabeth Bennett. If he only wanted to marry money then why was he so hung up on Elizabeth for? Did he do it just spite Darcy? But how would he know Darcy felt so strongly about her?

Two: His Ill feelings towards Lydia before and once they are married. P&P I believed ended rather abruptly with Elizabeth stating Lydia and Wickham has grown to dislike each other. So I would of liked to see that unfold, and see his point of view since we don't really get to see that part in dialogue.

[Kaitlyn Bancroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun, and easy without much real depth, just like Mr. Wickham. I would have liked his perspective on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s courtship, but I enjoyed reading about Darcy through Wickham’s eyes, particularly his thoughts on Darcy’s depth of character and on the gentlemanly way he carries himself. This book only covers the time through Wickham’s attempted elopement with Georgiana, but I liked the look at who Wickham might have been as a boy. He was most sympathetic when he was just a kid who wanted to grow up and give his mother nice things (even if that mother was very much a Lydia Bennet).

[Judine Brey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first of Grange's books that I'm not keeping. While I appreciate her expanding on Wickham's background, it is still hard for me to empathize with him. He was much too willing to "pass the buck" when it came to why his life was turning out badly for him (and his enabling mother did nothing to help matters). While the establishment of his relationship with Mrs. Younge was nice, he's not a character I want to revisit in the future.

[KathyNV · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, now I know why Wickham’s character is the way he is! Great short read that adds a eye opening back story to a truly slimy character from my all time favorite novel “Pride and Prejudice”. Amanda Grange does a great job of showing us a little more about Mr. Wickham, just wish she had given us a glimpse of his impression of the Bennett sisters!

[Emma Towers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on what made Wickham the man he became. I was disappointed it stopped short of where Pride and Prejudice starts, though, as the other books in the series go through the stories of the original novels, as well as giving the main character’s back story.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. i was surprised to find it ended just when he had decided to join the militia. I would have liked for it to have continued to the end of Pride and Prejudice.

[Ebon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed that the author didn’t take Wickham’s journey through to his marriage to Lydia Bennett. It ends just before his arrival in Hertfordshire.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never liked George Wickham, but at least now I know where he got some of his sense of entitlement. Unfortunately, this account stops before he meets Lydia Bennet...

[Alaina LG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun, light read after finishing some longer, more challenging books. I enjoyed Grange’s voice and story for Wickham. Quick paced and entertaining.