Karen V. Wasylowski: THE DARCY CHRONICLES

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

THE DARCY CHRONICLES - DAY 27

DARCY'S MORNING EXERCISE REGIMEN

6:00 am - Wake mistress of house from deep sleep by sticking cold nose against exposed body part, preferably feet. Lick said feet and gag profusely

6:30 am - Slurp up enough water to float a small boat and then run throughout house with water sloshing out from sides of mouth

6:31 am - Slip and fall on wet tiles

6:32 am - Stare mistress in face until her eyes open; bark wildly as she drags pillow over her head,

6:33 am - Slam entire body onto mistress's and nip at her elbows; dig paw into her cheek; repeat

6:34 am - Smile smugly as mistress grunts in their gutteral language while she opens the slider for me to go outside.

6:35 am - Stare at open door and change mind about going outside. Lay down on floor again and catch another twenty minutes of sleep

3 comments:

Sheryl Browne said...: It's a dog's prerogative, y'know. :) Lovely. Loved the excerpt on your website, too, but Wordpress doesn't love me, unfortunately. Sigh. Good luck!; July 27, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Grace Elliot said...: Wow! Darcy has made herself at home in double quick time! She obviously recognises when she's fallen on her paws.
So pleased for you both!
Lovely to see.
Grace x; July 27, 2011 at 3:50 PM
LucyParker said...: You don't have to share your pillow with Darcy? Don't let Parker know that!

I was out of town for a week and came back to find 2 very sad dogs. Hub said they didn't eat much while I was gone so at 2 am, after plane finally landed, I sat on the kitchen floor and hand-fed them because they both wanted to sit on my lap. Lucy, with her bad hips, somehow managed to jump on the bed and sleep in our dog pile that night. Hard to believe that my hub was home with them that week from how pitiful they acted!

Scratch some Darcy hiney for me. She rocks!; July 27, 2011 at 10:24 PM

REVIEW BY DEE SWIFT OF DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM

Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski

I am not a particularly fanatical Austen fan, certainly not a purist, but I do like the wit of Jane Austen, and so was ready to embrace the tale of Darcy and his cousin with open arms. I was not disappointed. What impressed me most about this book was that it was the feel of Austen, but updated. It is very difficult to be funny in an Austen-esque way and still be fresh. Too often the humour doesn't properly succeed. But the impact that Austen must have had in her day is all here, in this laugh-out-loud romp through Darcy's post wedding adventures, and those of his irrepressible "brother".

I was unprepared for just how funny the book would be. The scene where Lizzie is giving birth, with Amanda's small, curious, stiffly-educated son looking on, is hilarious, and had my husband wondering why I was laughing so much. Even the servants have been wittily expanded, and the book is funny because it is so well-observed. It pokes fun at regency attitudes to women, and gently lampoons the mores and morals of the time. There is also a sense in which the English themselves are satirized, and this is refreshing, but not at all offensive.

After the initial forty or so pages of set-up the book fairly sweeps along with misunderstandings aplenty, and it is no slight volume. The characters have to be impeccably constructed for the situation comedy to work, and Karen Wasylowski has done this thoroughly, also the research on her period and The Peninsula War gives the reader just the right amount of setting.
A great read, that works whether you have read any Austen or not.

THE CALICO CRITIC

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Karen Wasylowski has done a fine job with these Austenian characters. She has stayed true to the original vision of their temperaments, yet brings new aspects of who they are to light. Their witty repartee is always fun, as they regularly jab at each other in non-cynical brotherly ways. Darcy and the Colonel passionately love their women, sometimes going to extremes to protect them and those they love. There is much drama in this narrative, although it doesn’t cross over into melodrama in the least.

There was more than one night when I had trouble putting the book down to go to bed!Being the men who they are, there are a few moments that are a bit PG-13 as far as language and sexual content. I mention this only for those who are particular about these issues or are considering this for young readers. Most of the bedroom material is within the confines of marriage, and Wasylowski doesn’t go overboard with frequent gratuitous moments of intimacy or colorful tirades.

Thank heavens this isn’t some tawdry bodice-ripper with blue dialog every other minute.

Darcy and Fitzwilliam was an enjoyable read. Karen provides a epilogue that occurs decades after the main story, and I think she could easily draft a sequel in the future. I readily enjoyed her treatment of these characters and hope she continues to revisit this world. Her work is page turning, humorous, maddening (Caroline!!) and touching.

This is a fine edition to the ever-growing library of Austenesque novels. It’s definitely a “bromance” worth an Austen fan’s consideration.

LINDA BANCHE REVIEW

Review: DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM: A TALE OF A GENTLEMAN AND AN OFFICER by Karen V. Wasylowski

Laugh until your sides ache and then laugh some more with Karen V. Wasylowski's delicious Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer. This absorbing, fast-moving romp of a book catalogues the often hilarious ups and downs in the enduring affectionate friendship of those brothers-in-spirit, cousins Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.

I read this entire 481 page book in one day, laughing all the way. Ms. Wasylowski has a good ear for realistic male banter, most of it uproariously funny. The best two lines in the whole novel occur when Darcy and Fitzwilliam reminisce about their youth and the hilariously disgusting things young boys do to each other. I still laugh when I think of those lines.A truly wonderful and original take on Pride and Prejudice. I can't wait for Ms. Wasylowski's next book.

JANE AUSTEN EXAMINER

This book was a delight to read. I found the character development of Colonel Fitzwilliam particularly fascinating. Men who have seen war, especially at the grand level Wasylowski has laid out her Fitzwilliam, are hardly ever unaffected. Her portrayal of his issues and struggles are heartfelt and poignant.

It was a little heart-wrenching for me to read about Darcy’s past lover and for Elizabeth to have to deal with the reality of marrying an older man more experienced than her. I was almost angry at the author at first, but I realized what a great job she did of involving me in the storyline. I was fairly sucked in.

HISTORICAL BOOKS REVIEW

SUITE101.C0M Review

Jane Austen Books Get a Dose of Karen V. Wasylowski

Though this is only Karen V. Wasylowski's first book, it is safe to say this author has found her voice in sequels to Jane Austen classics. One of the better additions being Karen V. Wasylowski's wit and humor. I never expected to laugh so hard as I did with Darcy and Fitzwilliam. The storyline was so engaging, the plot so thick with intensity and literary genius that I was immediately roped into the novel and ultimately emotionally invested in its outcome.

Karen V. Wasylowski

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

THE DARCY CHRONICLES - DAY 27

3 comments:

SONS AND DAUGHTERS

WIVES AND LOVERS

THE LEAGUE OF BRITISH ARTISTS

PINTEREST

ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA REGISTER

REVIEW BY DEE SWIFT OF DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM

THE CALICO CRITIC

LINDA BANCHE REVIEW

JANE AUSTEN EXAMINER

HISTORICAL BOOKS REVIEW

SUITE101.C0M Review

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