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Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2026
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Pride and Prejudice, Redux
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House hardcover, 19 April 2016).
I really loved Eligible the first time I read it, and I recommended it for April's Library Reads list. That was back in January, and though I meant to write a proper review for it right away, I didn't manage it.
Now that the book is to be released in less than three weeks, I decided to reread it before trying to review it. It took me two afternoons to finish it, and I enjoyed it as much the second time.
But there were a couple of things that bothered me.
Mr. Bingley's first name is Chip. "Chip" belongs to a small-town high school football star whose father also played football there, and never moved away. "Chip" is not the scion of "the Pennsylvania Bingleys, who in the twentieth century had made their fortune in plumbing fixtures".*
"Kathy" de Bourgh has no connection to the Darcy family, and thus the delightful exchanges between her and Lizzie that occur in Pride and Prejudice are an impossibility here.
That being said, I thought putting Liz and Jane in their late 30s made sense given the 21st Century setting, and the description of the party where the Bennet family meet Darcy and Bingley is splendid. Lydia and Kitty's penchant for using expletives, and the characterization of Mary as an asexual perpetual student are wonderful.
Sittenfeld's tone through most of the book mimics Austen's almost perfectly, and the book is, overall, a joy to read.
It's been interesting to read present-day authors' diverse interpretations of four** of Jane's six novels, and I'm eager for the remaining two (Mansfield Park and Persuasion) to be adapted, although there's no indication when or if this will happen.
*Eligible, Chapter 1.
** Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, and Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, are the others.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-galley to review.
I really loved Eligible the first time I read it, and I recommended it for April's Library Reads list. That was back in January, and though I meant to write a proper review for it right away, I didn't manage it.
Now that the book is to be released in less than three weeks, I decided to reread it before trying to review it. It took me two afternoons to finish it, and I enjoyed it as much the second time.But there were a couple of things that bothered me.
Mr. Bingley's first name is Chip. "Chip" belongs to a small-town high school football star whose father also played football there, and never moved away. "Chip" is not the scion of "the Pennsylvania Bingleys, who in the twentieth century had made their fortune in plumbing fixtures".*
"Kathy" de Bourgh has no connection to the Darcy family, and thus the delightful exchanges between her and Lizzie that occur in Pride and Prejudice are an impossibility here.
That being said, I thought putting Liz and Jane in their late 30s made sense given the 21st Century setting, and the description of the party where the Bennet family meet Darcy and Bingley is splendid. Lydia and Kitty's penchant for using expletives, and the characterization of Mary as an asexual perpetual student are wonderful.
Sittenfeld's tone through most of the book mimics Austen's almost perfectly, and the book is, overall, a joy to read.
It's been interesting to read present-day authors' diverse interpretations of four** of Jane's six novels, and I'm eager for the remaining two (Mansfield Park and Persuasion) to be adapted, although there's no indication when or if this will happen.
*Eligible, Chapter 1.
** Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, and Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, are the others.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-galley to review.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
YAThursday
First & Then by Emma Mills (Henry Holt hardcover, 13 October 2015).
Devon loves Jane Austen. So much so that almost all her thoughts go through the WWJD (What Would Jane Do?) filter. Of course, she doesn't always act on it, especially in her everyday speech patterns.
But she does keep her crush on her best friend Cas to herself. She's pretty sure he doesn't know about it, seeing as he treats her almost like one of the guys.
In her senior year, her fourteen-year-old cousin Foster comes to stay with them. Foster doesn't like Cas, but Devon doesn't like Foster. He's a skinny geek who belongs to the Future Science Revolutionaries Club, and is relentlessly cheerful despite the fact that his father recently died and he's been more or less abandoned by his addict mother.
Because she hasn't taken her required year of PE yet, she's forced to be in a class with a bunch of freshmen, including Foster. But one other senior is in the class: obnoxious football star Ezra Lynley, who seems to think Devon is a lower life form.
But when Foster unexpectedly displays an incredible talent for kicking a football, Ezra takes him under his wing, and Devon is forced to learn more about Ezra than she ever wanted to.
Vlogger Emma Mills' debut novel is a charmer, with believable characters and a sly wit that channels Jane. It has been described as Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights, and was recommended in John Green's 2015 Holiday Book Giving Guide. Green's fans, as well as Janeites will love this book.
FTC Full Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library.
Devon loves Jane Austen. So much so that almost all her thoughts go through the WWJD (What Would Jane Do?) filter. Of course, she doesn't always act on it, especially in her everyday speech patterns.
But she does keep her crush on her best friend Cas to herself. She's pretty sure he doesn't know about it, seeing as he treats her almost like one of the guys.
In her senior year, her fourteen-year-old cousin Foster comes to stay with them. Foster doesn't like Cas, but Devon doesn't like Foster. He's a skinny geek who belongs to the Future Science Revolutionaries Club, and is relentlessly cheerful despite the fact that his father recently died and he's been more or less abandoned by his addict mother. Because she hasn't taken her required year of PE yet, she's forced to be in a class with a bunch of freshmen, including Foster. But one other senior is in the class: obnoxious football star Ezra Lynley, who seems to think Devon is a lower life form.
But when Foster unexpectedly displays an incredible talent for kicking a football, Ezra takes him under his wing, and Devon is forced to learn more about Ezra than she ever wanted to.
Vlogger Emma Mills' debut novel is a charmer, with believable characters and a sly wit that channels Jane. It has been described as Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights, and was recommended in John Green's 2015 Holiday Book Giving Guide. Green's fans, as well as Janeites will love this book.
FTC Full Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library.
Monday, February 16, 2015
The Austen Project Continues
Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon hardcover, 7 April 2015).
I'm not certain how The Austen Project powers-that-be decided on who would be writing the modern versions of Miss Austen's six novels, but Alexander McCall Smith was the perfect choice for Emma.
The creator of the charmingly quirky No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and the Isabel Dalhousie novels (among others) takes on Emma, arguably Austen's most recalcitrant protagonist, with a deft hand.
Austen's headstrong young 19th Century girl who has seldom been far from her home in the village of Highbury becomes a 21st Century girl (most definitely not yet a woman!) who, despite having lived on her own while away at university, is still spoiled and stubborn. McCall Smith's Emma returns to Hartfield with a degree in interior design, but no job and vague aspirations of starting her own business.
I'd thought it might be difficult to bring Mr. Woodhouse into the present-day, but McCall Smith has no problems with that. Emma's father turns into an agoraphobic hypochondriac who dislikes change.
The other characters are likewise brought successfully into this century, and although some actions and reactions are changed to reflect the time period, the overall flavor remains the same.
Most Jane-ites will approve, and hopefully this retelling (as well as the others in The Austen Project) will bring novices over to the Jane side.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital galley.
The other characters are likewise brought successfully into this century, and although some actions and reactions are changed to reflect the time period, the overall flavor remains the same.
Most Jane-ites will approve, and hopefully this retelling (as well as the others in The Austen Project) will bring novices over to the Jane side.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital galley.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
The Middle Sister
The Pursuit of Mary Bennet (A Pride and Prejudice Novel) by Pamela Mingle (William Morrow trade paperback, 26 November 2013).
As a middle sister myself, I've always thought that Jane Austen gave Mary short shrift.
Her two older sisters Jane and Elizabeth, favored by their father, are pretty, intelligent, and able to comport themselves well socially. Younger sisters Kitty and Lydia are favored by their mother, and are silly, flighty and boy-crazy.
Mary prefers books to people, and is shy and socially inept. Though studious and accomplished in certain pursuits, she's also pedantic and lacking in judgement. She's the sole sister whose age is not mentioned in Austen's novel, though she's probably 18 or 19 at the beginning of the book, given the ages of her sisters (22, 20, 17 and 15).
Written in the first person from Mary's point of view, this book begins when Lizzie and Jane and Lydia have been married for about three years.
Mary and Kitty are often invited to stay with either Lizzie or Jane, who live only a few miles apart. Away from Lydia's influence, Kitty has become somewhat more sensible, while Mary has blossomed into a poised and tactful young woman. But her mother still sees her as the plain bookworm, and when Henry Walsh begins to spend time with the Bingleys while the girls are visiting, Mrs. Bennet automatically assumes that Kitty is the one he's interested in.
Meanwhile, as always, there's drama surrounding Lydia. She returns to her parents home, heavily pregnant and saying she's left Wickham. Once again, Mr. Darcy is prevailed upon to rectify the situation.
Yes, there's a lot going on in this book. But Mary is a trustworthy and relatively unbiased narrator whose internal complaints about being neglected and ignored are mostly justified.
Even those who do not enjoy spin-offs or sequels to Austens oeuvre may enjoy this book. Those who do appreciate them will certainly devour it, maybe even in one sitting, as I did.
Pamela Mingle is the author of Kissing Shakespeare, a time-travel romance for young adults set in Elizabethan England. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Pikes Peak Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Jane Austen Society of North America. The Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a finalist for the 2014 Colorado Book Award in Historical Fiction.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book to review.
As a middle sister myself, I've always thought that Jane Austen gave Mary short shrift.
Her two older sisters Jane and Elizabeth, favored by their father, are pretty, intelligent, and able to comport themselves well socially. Younger sisters Kitty and Lydia are favored by their mother, and are silly, flighty and boy-crazy.
Mary prefers books to people, and is shy and socially inept. Though studious and accomplished in certain pursuits, she's also pedantic and lacking in judgement. She's the sole sister whose age is not mentioned in Austen's novel, though she's probably 18 or 19 at the beginning of the book, given the ages of her sisters (22, 20, 17 and 15).Written in the first person from Mary's point of view, this book begins when Lizzie and Jane and Lydia have been married for about three years.
Mary and Kitty are often invited to stay with either Lizzie or Jane, who live only a few miles apart. Away from Lydia's influence, Kitty has become somewhat more sensible, while Mary has blossomed into a poised and tactful young woman. But her mother still sees her as the plain bookworm, and when Henry Walsh begins to spend time with the Bingleys while the girls are visiting, Mrs. Bennet automatically assumes that Kitty is the one he's interested in.
Meanwhile, as always, there's drama surrounding Lydia. She returns to her parents home, heavily pregnant and saying she's left Wickham. Once again, Mr. Darcy is prevailed upon to rectify the situation.
Yes, there's a lot going on in this book. But Mary is a trustworthy and relatively unbiased narrator whose internal complaints about being neglected and ignored are mostly justified.
Even those who do not enjoy spin-offs or sequels to Austens oeuvre may enjoy this book. Those who do appreciate them will certainly devour it, maybe even in one sitting, as I did.
Pamela Mingle is the author of Kissing Shakespeare, a time-travel romance for young adults set in Elizabethan England. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Pikes Peak Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Jane Austen Society of North America. The Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a finalist for the 2014 Colorado Book Award in Historical Fiction.
FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book to review.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
The Austen Project
The Austen Project is a major new series of six novels teaming up authors of global literary significance with Jane Austen's six complete works.*
Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope (HarperCollins hardcover, 29 October 2013).
Retellings and spinoffs of Jane Austen's small oeuvre abound. From "chick-lit" such as Bridget Jones's Diary to mysteries where Jane is an amateur sleuth, but The Austen Project has a different aim. On the website, Joanna Trollope describes the undertaking as "not an emulation, but a tribute".
Her Sense & Sensibility (note the ampersand) is a fine example.
Trollope has moved the Dashwood sisters to the 21st Century. Poverty-stricken Henry Dashwood, his partner Isabella (Belle) and their three daughters are invited to live at Norland, the family estate, by his bachelor Uncle Henry. They remain there happily for several years after the elder Henry's death, until his nephew is taken to hospital suffering from a severe asthma attack, which soon takes his life.
Norland is inherited by John Dashwood, the younger Henry's son from his first marriage. Artistic, passionate Belle is emotionally distraught, as is middle daughter Marianne. Practical Elinor, the eldest daughter, is forced to take charge and find the family a new place to live, since Margaret, the youngest, is only thirteen. John and his wife Fanny are self-centred and begin to redecorate the house before the residents have even found a new place to live.
So far, it seems pretty close to the original, yes?
But Elinor has to give up working on a degree in architecture and find a job, Marianne plays guitar, and Belle and Henry were never officially married.
Although the basic plot is the same as in Sense and Sensibility, but of course Trollope's tribute includes things like laptop computers, iPods (or their equivalent), and Marianne's love for the music of Taylor Swift.
And although everyone who's ever read Miss Austen's book knows the plot, the reader of S&S is still eager to learn just how it is that 21st Century Willoughby will humiliate Marianne, or how 21st Century Lucy will maneuver Edward into believing he has an obligation to her.
Jane-ites will likely either love the book or be disdainful of it. (This reviewer falls into the first category.)
Two other books are scheduled in The Jane Austen Project thus far: Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid in March 2014, and Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld in the fall.
FTC Full Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library.
*From the The Austen Project website.
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