Degrees of Affection

*4 to 4.4 stars*

*The Gush*

This is the book every Pride & Prejudice lover has been dreaming of: the story told from Darcy's perspective that reads like a contemporary tale. The author does an excellent job of allowing Darcy his voice while also allowing us some information outside of his knowledge. This book is written to neatly mirror Pride & Prejudice and even includes quotes surrounding the various sections. The author's look at the character is solidly based, not just on what we know from the book but what we know of the time. The time period was obviously well researched and the world surrounding Darcy is well built indeed. Yet, you do not feel like you are reading a dry, dusty tome but rather a novel of the time period, a companion to Jane Austen's work.

Characters:

No added characters, a plus. We do see more of a few characters we've always wished to - Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam - and a few you'd rather see as little of as possible - Lady Catherine and Caroline Bingley. So yes, we do get more of the painful repartee of these two ladies, but we also get to really see the relationship between Georgiana and Darcy. We also see Fitzwillaim help as well as hurt Darcy's chances with Elizabeth. In this book, characters are built on, not rewritten.

Plot: 

The best thing I can say is the pieces in this fit perfectly with Pride and Prejudice. They seem to flow one to the other, so that the reader gets both sides of the story. In this book, we get to see Wickham's infamous attempt at elopement with Georgiana first thing, as everything is laid out in chronological order. One of the best plots I've seen in printed fan fiction (my phrase to describe books like this).

Writing:

The writing, as stated previously is nothing short of superb. It reads as if it was written in the time period (as close as one written today can come to). It flows even if it reads slightly odd to today's reader and captures the voice of it's male central protagonist very well.

*The Rant*

There is little to say here. It is not perfect and yes I did not give it 5 stars though it came very close). I will admit the author seems to go too long talking about how 'right' his pride is and not enough time working through his new attitude. This is understandable with how the author set the book up, but it doesn't really set the transformation up completely. However, as this gives the reader more info than Pride and Prejudice, I can't complain too much.

*Conclusion*

Of all the printed Pride and Prejudice fanfiction out there, this is the one to read. Not only does it concentrate on Darcy's side of the story, but it is one of the best written ones I've found. I particularly liked the author's note at the end talking about the book. I always love hearing directly from the author about a book they've written and this one does not disappoint.