Sharon Lathan Guest Post & Giveaway

Introducing Georgiana Darcy
By Sharon Lathan

Who is Georgiana Darcy?

It is a valid question whether one has read Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice or not. If you have read the novel you will catch a glimpse of the girl who is Mr. Darcy’s “more than ten years my junior” sister primarily through the eyes of others. Darcy adores his sister, that is very clear, but most brother’s love their sisters so this tells us nothing of her character. Caroline Bingley has this to say: “I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments.” Might be a slight exaggeration, considering the source and circumstances. A more trustworthy source is Lizzy Bennet, whose impression of Georgiana is that she is shy, lacking courage, very civil, easily embarrassed, and soft spoken. (Paraphrasing from Chapter 45

By the end of Austen’s novel we like Georgiana because others like her. The attachment to Lizzy, who is referred to as Georgiana’s “sister” with a shared loved for each other, tells us much. I especially love these words that the end of Pride & Prejudice:

“Georgiana has the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with an astonishment bordering on alarm at her lively, sportive manner of talking to her brother. He, who has always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry. Her mind received knowledge which had never before fallen in her way.”

As nice as though tidbits are, it barely qualifies as an introduction. There is so little about  Georgiana Darcy to go on that the fields of inspiration and interpretation are wide open! The scenes in the 2005 movie where we see Georgiana at the piano, twice, and then with a teasing spirit and deep affection for her brother were burned into my brain. Austen wrote her as reserved and shy at this point, yet I liked that movie gave us a hint of the Georgiana described at the end of the novel. I liked that Georgiana.

I liked her so much that I knew from the beginning of writing my Saga, even when she was yet the shy, easily frightened girl of sixteen, that she would evolve into a woman of strength and character. Of course it was a gradual process, aided by Lizzy’s influence and her brother’s love. Most of the time I did not know how she would mature or what the catalyst would be! She surprised me at times. I honestly sis not think she would adapt to her debut Season and dances at Almack’s so well, but she did. I never imagined her bravely traveling on without her brother and crossing the Alps, but she did that too. And although I always pictured her at a pianoforte, I was stunned when she told me she was a composer!

Who is my Georgiana Darcy?

Well, she is a complex woman, as we all are. She is on a journey, a quest if you will, to answer that question for herself. I feel fortunate that she allowed me to share her quest with others. It has been a marvelous adventure that I can’t sum up in a few paragraphs. What I can promise is that you will like her, very much, and there can be no doubt that “her mind received knowledge which had never before fallen in her way.” I can also promise more than a mere introduction. Georgiana will be your friend.

 

Synopsis of Miss Darcy Falls in Love-

Noble young ladies were expected to play an instrument, by Georgiana Darcy us an accomplished musician who hungers to pursue her talents. She embarks upon a tour of Europe, ending in Paris where two very different men will ignite her heart in entirely different ways and begin a bitter rivalry to win her. But only one holds the key to her happiness.

Set in post-Napoleonic Empire France, Miss Darcy Falls in Love is a riveting love story that enters a world of passion where her gentlemen know exactly how to please and a young woman learns to direct her destiny and understand her heart.

 

Sharon Lathan is the best-selling author of The Darcy Saga sequel series to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Her previously published novels are: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy, A Darcy Christmas, and The Trouble with Mr. Darcy. Miss Darcy Falls in Love is Georgiana’s tale of love and adventure while in France. Complete with a happy ending. In addition to her writing, Sharon works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides with her family in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. Visit Sharon on her website: www.sharonlathan.net and on Austen Authors, her group blog with 25 novelist of Austen literature: www.austenauthors.com.

I would like to thank Sharon Lathan for stopping by Royal Reviews today. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.

I have two copies of Miss Darcy Falls In Love to giveaway.
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Sorry, U.S. and Canada only as the books are shipping from the publisher.
Giveaway ends: November 25