Jane Austen’s books are so timeless and classic, it’s easy to forget that many of her characters’ problems and the stories’ plots are based on the social mores of a specific time and place in history. It’s only when reading Diana Peterfreund’s Persuasion-inspired For Darkness Shows the Stars that I came to realize how critical…
For those who don’t know, the HarperCollins Austen Project is reimagining the Jane Austen novels under the auspices of “six bestselling contemporary authors”. (As opposed to, like, the thousands who do it on FanFiction or who aren’t bestselling contemporary authors.) First up is Joanna Trollope taking on the Dashwoods in modern Devon and London, and…
The Tutor’s Daughter is largely inspired by Jane Austen. Her actual life, that is, as opposed to her works, although I am sure that they had some influence as well. It is an interesting look at one possible turn Jane’s life could have taken if she had been a teacher rather than a writer. Miss…
Even though Ms. Connelly has a light breezy style of writing that is engaging, this book didn’t work for me. While I am not a Jane Austen enthusiast, I do like “Kisses” books. However, the heroine’s naiveté, which bordered on TSTL, brought me out of the story, making me lose all sympathy for her. …
As Jane Austen might write if she were here to see the industry her works have propagated: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a female reader in possession of a copy of Pride and Prejudice, must be in want of a Mr. Darcy. Or so today’s publishers would have us believe. While Austen might…
Like many romance readers, I can’t get enough of Elizabeth, Darcy, Jane, and Mr. Bingley. However, unlike many romance readers, I haven’t fallen prey to the seemingly endless supply of Pride and Prejudice sequels. Until P.D. James, one of my favorite modern authors, tried her hand at it, that is. Now 92, her mysteries are…
Curiosity has led to some interesting reads in the past. In this case it was combination of an author I’ve heard to be unique and witty (Janet Mullany), writing about a subject I’m sick to death of (vampires), set in an overdone era (Regency), starring a heroine that made me think “oh good gracious me”…
I collect Jane Austen sequels. There are a lot out there, and honest to tell, very few are well-written enough to warrant reviewing in a non-Austen context. However, sometimes I stumble across a gem, and this is what happened with Monica Fairview’s The Other Mr. Darcy. The novel starts on the wedding day of Pride…
Normally, I am all for leaving classic works alone and have been known to frown severely when they are mucked about with. However, I do admire sheer audacity, so when I heard about a book entitled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I gave my sedate self a vacation and just dived into it. Gentle readers…
Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. In late 2007, author Laurie Brown published a ghost story time-travel romance that felt fresh to me. Too bad that with What Would Jane Austen Do? she’s doing almost exactly the same thing again — only less skillfully. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/banmanpro/a.aspx?ZoneID=4&Task=Click&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=33387 ” target=”_blank”> <img src="http://www.likesbooks.com/banmanpro/a.aspx?ZoneID=4&Task=Get&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=33387…