Book Review: Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange

Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publish Date: April 1, 2011

Paperback, 208 pages 
Fiction, Historical, Jane Austen Fiction
ISBN: 978-1402251863

My Review:
Why I read this:  I haven't read any of Ms. Grange's books before and didn't realize she had written various diaries by Jane Austen characters.  Although I did not like Wickham in Pride and Prejudice I must admit I was intrigued by who he was before Pride and Prejudice and I wanted to see Ms. Grange's take on him.

My thoughts: I loved this book. Sometimes it's easy to be disappointed by other authors taking a stab at Jane Austen fiction, but I was not at all disappointed with Ms. Grange's take on this Pride and Prejudice character.

A quick easy read, written as a diary by the infamous George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice.  Wickham's Diary takes us from Wickham at age 8 right up to the point where he crosses Mr. Darcy by trying to run off and elope with his sister Georgiana.

It's very interesting getting a better feel for Wickham, who at 12 seems pretty okay, but we start to see why he becomes the type of character he does.  Then going through the teen years and his years at Cambridge.  He's not a likable type, but that doesn't take away from this book at all because if  you have read P&P you don't want him to be a good guy - he's the ultimate bad guy.  It's fun to see him develop and see little glimpses of Mr. Darcy from Wickham's point-of-view.

There is not much more I can say and not give things away, but if you enjoy the offshoots of Jane Austen fiction then you will enjoy this diary.  I think Ms. Grange has stayed completely true to the character of George Wickham that Jane Austen created and has given us a wonderful backstory into his life and personality.

I will now be in search of Ms. Grange other diary books because this was such a fun format to read.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:

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. His mother encourages him to exercise his charm on the young Georgiana Darcy and Anne de Bourgh in the hopes of establishing a stable of wealthy social connections.

At university, Darcy and Wickham grow apart. Wickham is always drinking and wenching, whilst Darcy, who apparently has everything, is looking for something he cannot find. Wickham runs through the money Darcy gives him and then takes up with the scandalous Belle, a woman after Wickham's own greedy, black heart.


About the Author: 

Amanda Grange is a popular author of historical fiction in the UK. She specializes in creative interpretations of classic novels and historical events, including Jane Austen's novels and the Titanic shipwreck. Her novels include Mr. Darcy's Diary, Mr. Knightley's Diary, Captain Wentworth's Diary, and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. She lives in England.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.