Aylmer, Janet [A pseudonym]

PERSONAL:

Female.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bath, England.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

In the Footsteps of Jane Austen: Through Bath to Lyncombe and Widcombe, Copperfield Books (Sebastopol, CA), 2006.

Darcy's Story, (novel), Harper (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Janet Aylmer is the pseudonym of a Jane Austen enthusiast and the author of Darcy's Story, a novel that focuses on the hero of the Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. In an interview on the HarperCollins Web site, the author noted that "a strong basis for my book was his lonely isolation, his lack of anyone to advise him or point out (however gently) that his fixed views might be wrong." Aylmer continued: "But since he clearly was an intelligent man, and could act as a good brother and friend when he chose, his potential for change clearly existed, and helped me to develop his character and therefore the theme for Darcy's Story.

In the novel, which was called "an excellent example of successful and entertaining fan-written fiction" by Jenny Flint on the Mad Jenny Flint's Mad Tales Blog, Darcy's tale is told in seven parts, each beginning with a quote from Pride and Prejudice. The story largely explores the life of Darcy at the time that Pride and Prejudice took place, including his relationship with his sister and others. The author uses these relationships and other aspects of Darcy's life to retell the original Austen story from the view of Darcy. "It's fascinating to see Darcy in action—brought from behind the scenes into the foreground, as it were—and Aylmer enters into his character better than her introduction promises," wrote Bob Williams on the Compulsive Reader Web site. Deirdre Donahue, writing on the USA Today Web site, noted that "the story lets readers enjoy again the story of how penniless Elizabeth bewitches rich, proud Darcy with humor, brains and ‘fine eyes.’"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

ONLINE

Austen Blog,http://www.austenblog.com/ (July 18, 2006), review of Darcy's Story; (August 21, 2006), review of Darcy's Story.

BellaOnline,http://www.bellaonline.com/ (July 25, 2007), M.E. Wood, review of Darcy's Story and "Author Q & A with Janet Aylmer."

Compulsive Reader,http://www.compulsivereader.com/ (July 25, 2007), Bob Williams, review of Darcy's Story.

Dear Author,http://dearauthor.com/ (July 25, 2007), review of Darcy's Story.

HarperCollins Web site,http://www.harpercollins.com/ (July 25, 2007), "Janet Aylmer on Darcy's Story."

Mad Jenny Flint's Mad Tales Blog,http://madjennyflintsmadtales.blogspot.com/ (July 25, 2007), Jenny Flint, review of Darcy's Story.

Romantic Times,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (July 18, 2006), Bunny Callahan, review of Darcy's Story.

Suite 101 Women's Fiction,http://womensfiction.suite101.com/ (April 12, 2006), Andree Lachapelle, "Dear Mr. Darcy," includes review of Darcy's Story.

USA Today Web site,http://www.usatoday.com/ (July 18, 2006), Deirdre Donahue, review of Darcy's Story.