In Dearest Friends, Pamela Lynne drew complex and interesting characters who joined Darcy and Elizabeth on their road to happily ever after. But, what happened after the end? Did Lydia survive her time at Rosings? Did Jane find fulfillment as Mrs. Bingley? Did Mary and Sebastian adhere to duty or allow their hearts to lead them? Follow the Fitzwilliams, Bennets, Gardiners and Darcys through … portraits of their lives at two, five and ten years after Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage. Their canvas is studded with heartbreaking loss, new beginnings and, through it all, the indelible bond of family.
**Contains scenes suitable for a mature audience.
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Dearest Friends was a very special book for me to read. I adore Austenesque variations and encountering new to me authors. I was enchanted by that book, but felt there was more to the ongoing story of the extended family group of characters.
I imagine it wasn’t easy for the author to pick up her pen once again and satisfy her readers not only with an ongoing story, but a story that stayed consistent yet was fresh with the earlier book. The author accomplished this all so very well. I read Family Portraits in two sittings and was once again transported into a heartwarming family saga that spanned many years taking in heartaches, laughter, and a shot at romance for the younger adults in the family.
Blending epistolary and narrative formats, the large cast of family pose many delightful plot threads that run separate, weave together, and pull apart several times. The reader has to stay on her/his toes to keep up as scenes change and many characters are involved in this story as the family has grown larger with each marriage. The pacing varied, but matched the situation as characters’ went through conflicts or times of growth.
I was delighted that Sebastian Fitzwilliam and Mary Bennet Elliot continue their star-crossed love/friendship and felt like they were the focal point and needed the most resolution in this second half of the story. I found their Cathy and Heathcliff type of story particularly poignant and touching. The author’s treatment of grief and loss was sensitive and careful. I teared up from the emotional impact, but felt the development here was the strongest of the book.
Richard and Anne have the fun relationship. I felt that this Col Fitz and his Anne make each scene they are in sparkle. It was delightful to see a surprising good relationship develop between Richard and Lydia (in a father/daughter sort of way).
Jane and Bingley are still the unfortunate ones because of the deep flaws in their characters which was sad yet I enjoyed the unique way they are portrayed in this duo of books.
Lizzy and Darcy have their bumps in the road of Happily Ever After. Lizzy earnestly seeks a parent’s approval and bends over backward to believe the best in people. She stretches herself to thin as a result and puts a strain on her own marriage.
And the younger girls- Georgie, Kitty, and Lydia all have their first shot at courtship and marriage taking it in their own way. I enjoyed the further time with these young ladies to see them deal with their pasts and move on into the future. I actually adored Lydia in this one. She was spirited and impulsive, but not spoilt.
From the sidelines, but refusing to stay there, Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, Caroline Bingley, and Lady Susan all manage to provide the groans and moans they are famous for. They were capable of stirring up the mayhem, for sure.
This was a book that doesn’t take the practiced approach to the way a novel usually reads, but was a decade long update into the P&P family’s lives. I loved going along through all those years with them. This is a book that must be read after Dearest Friends as it is a closely-tied sequel. Both are ones I would recommend to the Austenesque fan who enjoys a strong deviation from the original path and a creative twist to the individual characters. I look forward to more of what this author has to offer in the future.
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.” –John Wooden
Rating: MA: mature audience, explicit sex scenes.
This followed the first book ‘Dearest Friends’ and it is recommended that it should be read first. Mainly due to the fact “Friends” is way off-off canon… there is a lot of OOC [out of character] behavior and it will be hard to follow otherwise. So much is introduced in the first book including many new characters.
The Prologue begins with a series of letters between friends and family dating from April 1812 through November 1813. The letters were very informative and brought the reader up to date on some of what the family was doing.
Section 1 opened in 1814: Ch 1-9: Ended at 52%
Bingley: Jane finally got her man… erm… boy… ah… spineless piece of work that allowed Caroline to run roughshod over Jane in her own house. The conniving b-witch then proceeded to slight her in front of the gossiping neighbors and made her look bad. Charles just ignored it, retreated to his study and didn’t confront Caroline in order to avoid the confrontation and her reaction or displeasure. Isn’t that what Mr. Bennet, Jane’s father, did? I suppose she should be accustomed to it. You chose this man… Jane… now you have to live with him. Besides, this is sort of a NSNJ [not-so-nice-Jane] anyway. Her behavior toward Elizabeth was horrid and Darcy refused to have her in company with the family unless it was absolutely necessary.
After receiving a letter from sister Philips, Uncle Gardiner became concerned about Jane. He decided to visit Netherfield and see the situation for himself. He was good at sketching a person’s character within a few minutes of being in their company. He saw a lot both on Jane’s part and Caroline’s. When he left Netherfield… he had Caroline’s number and he left Remy to watch over things. I love Remy. It reminded me of Gandalf [Lord of the Rings] with the phrase “You shall not pass!” Love this Remy character. A lot happens off the page with him but you know he means business and no one wants to meet him in a dark alley. In one instance someone asked what happened to So-And-So and the response was simply Remy. Enough said.
Darcy’s friendship with Charles was fractured to the point it would never be the same after Caroline’s antics in the first book. It was reduced to that of an acquaintance. He would tolerate Charles in company due to his marriage to Lizzy’s sister Jane. Caroline… she was banned from all of Darcy’s properties. However, something happened that really pushed all the right buttons as far as D&E were concerned. Through Jane, Caroline managed to gain entrance to a ball the Darcy’s were hosting. She had planned and schemed to destroy Darcy, Eliza and all they stood for in the face of the ton. She geared up and was primed and ready to launch her first volley. All the right people of the ton were at the ball and she now had her audience. However, Lady Constance Fitzwilliam and Anne saw what she was about and came to the rescue. Without saying a word, they completely destroyed Caroline in the face of the ton.
Bennet family: “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” –George Burns
Many relationships and friendships have carried over from the first book. We have lots of suitors for those unmarried girls still left in the story. We continue the chronology type story as we deal with the ebb and flow of relationships, fears, deaths, births and changes within the family dynamics. Mrs. Bennet flits from house to house, unable to settle in one place.
Fitzwilliam family: “My family is my strength and my weakness.” –Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The joke about the Fitzwilliam passions, prowess, and proclivities continues in this story. If you are a Fitzwilliam… certain things are a given. This sentiment is tossed back and forth between the cousins as they tease each other. It is their strength as well as their weakness.
Section ll opened in 1817: Ch 10-14: Ended at 71%
As the old saying goes… time heals all wounds. Life must go on and it does. We rejoice during happy times and grieve during hard times.
Section lll opened in 1822: Ch 15-20: Ended at 97%
OMG! The relationship we have been waiting for since the first book looked like it was going to crash and burn. I wanted to cry but held on because I’ve waited all this time and surely the author wouldn’t do that to her readers. But then the tide turned and FINALLY!!! It happened and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you, Pamela Lynne! That was a hot union that I have waited ages to read about. Whew! I feel like I have run a marathon.
Epilogue: Ended at 98%
Not every thread was addressed… I wondered about a few people but since it didn’t affect our core characters… who cares?
The second book in the series. If you haven’t read Dearest Friends, start there. This is a fantastic variation of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. There are some interesting new characters and some even more interesting changes to some of the usual characters. I loved the writing and the storyline. I laughed. I cried. Anyone who enjoys Austen should love these books. I could not put them down and my only disappointment is that Pamela Lynne only had three variations that I found.