Wickham's Diary

Grange, Amanda. (2011) Wickham’s Diary. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Landmark.

ISBN: 9781402251863

pages: 198

genre: historical fiction

annotation: Wickham’s story from childhood to Meryton.

Summary: Wickham has loving parents, a blessing in the patronage of his father’s boss Mr. Darcy and charm. Being the son of a servant isn’t enough: he wants the good life his friend Darcy has. Encouraged by his mother, he sets out to charm his way into marrying a heiress rather than gain money through unfair hard work. He records his experiences at Pemberley, Cambridge, London and Ramsgate as he tries to meet his goal. His efforts lead him towards the events seen in a certain book called Pride and Prejudice.

Evaluation: good read

This was an entertaining look at Wickham’s life. I could see why he felt Darcy cheated him without feeling sorry for him (as the book says he is a character Austen fans like to dislike). It was fascinating seeing more about this take on his character: his relationship with Darcy, how his mother molded him, more about Cambridge and the near elopement with Georgiana Darcy.  What keeps me from liking this book more is that it felt like it could have gone deeper. For instance, we see glimpses of his love for his mother and grief after she dies but more about his relationship with her would have added more to his character. There is also a brief time when Darcy helps him and it seems like Wickham might be on a different path, but when he decides otherwise. I would have liked to have seen more on why. (A benefit of the touching on things approach is that the book flows very quickly. This would make it a great choice to woo someone to read Pride and Prejudice and/or other works about it such as the author’s Mr. Darcy’s Diary.) More on the details of locales, society, etc. would have been intriguing. (Then again, knowing how Wickham is self-centered, this might not have been true to his character.) As it is, I rate this book a good read and have added Grange’s other Pride and Prejudice related titles to my reading list. This is a good read for Pride and Prejudice fans and especially for those who want to know more about Wickham’s character.

What else to read:

Other books by Amanda Grange that explore thoughts of Pride and Prejudice characters.

Sharon Lathan, who has a popular series of books continuing the Pride and Prejudice saga, focuses on Georgiana Darcy in Miss Darcy Falls in Love.

Anna Elliot’s Georgiana's Diary gives readers a story focused on Georgiana Darcy after Pride and Prejudice. As of 6/4, this book can be found for free on Amazon.

Other Pride and Prejudice related suggestions can be found in the post for Pride and Prescience.