Book Recommendation: Jane Austen Inspired Novels (part 1)
There are so many of them and I will post them in two-parts. The first part (scroll down below...) will be mostly Jane Austen related or inspired of novels. These are compiled from a list by Laurel Ann (of Austenprose, one of my favorites and the BEST Jane Austen Blogs online! Check out her awesome JA blog!) at Amazon entitled, Jane Austen Inspired Books for 2009.
Here they are in random order...
The Man Who Loved Jane Austen
Sally Smith O'Rourke
(Paperback: $6.99)
January 06, 2009
Description: New York artist Eliza Knight stumbles across an antique dressing table that includes the added bonus of secreted letters, apparently between Jane Austen and a real-life Mr. Darcy. Caught up in her romantic notions about Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the possibility that Darcy may have been more than Austen's invention, Eliza enlists the aid of an eccentric researcher as well as a handsome and mysterious Virginia horse breeder, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Three years earlier, on a horse-buying junket to England, Darcy had a life-altering experience that makes him now anxious to buy the one letter written by Austen before it goes to auction at Sotheby's. For Eliza, the letter represents a possible fortune; for Darcy, it represents possibly requited love. O'Rourke alternates between the past and the present in this fascinating novel that pays tribute to Jane Austen's enduring ideals of romantic love. Vanessa Bush More Here.
Jane Austen Ruined My Life
Beth Pattillo (More Here)
(Tradeback: $14.99)
February 3, 2009
Emma Grant, the heroine of Pattillo’s first outing, has a major beef to settle with her literary heroine, Jane Austen. Austen’s novels taught Emma, a college professor, to believe in happy endings, but her own happy ending goes up in flames when she discovers her husband, Edward, in the arms of her teaching assistant, after which the two have her professionally discredited by claiming she plagiarized a paper. Disillusioned and disgraced, Emma flees the U.S. for her cousin’s house in England after being contacted by Gwendolyn Parrot, an elderly woman claiming to be in possession of a stash of lost Austen letters. Rather than simply handing over the letters, Mrs. Parrot sends Emma on a succession of tasks that gradually reveal a secret about Austen’s life previously unknown to scholars. Along the way, Emma reconnects with Adam, her former best friend whom she fell out of touch with after marrying Edward. Filled with all the whimsy and romantic literary fun the title promises, Pattillo’s novel is a rewarding read. --Kristine Huntley More Here.
Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen
Jennifer Adams
(Hardcover: $14.99)
January 5, 2009
All these extracts possess enthusiasm and insight that will send any reader of Austen back into her novels to ponder anew at the skill, tenacity, and caliber of her writing. This book is a slice of rich cake, a fine friendship token, and a wonderful way to start a conversation. (Mark David Bradshaw Watermarkbooks.com) More Here.
Jane Austen: An Unrequited Love (Essential Biographies)
Andrew Norman
(Hardcover: $36.95)
May 1, 2009
Jane Austen is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English literary canon, and recent film and television adaptations of her works have brought them to a new audience almost 200 years after her untimely death. Yet much remains unknown about her life, and there is considerable interest in the romantic history of the creator of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Andrew Norman's account of her life breaks new ground by proposing that she and her sister, Cassandra, fell out over a young clergyman, who he identifies for the first time. He also suggests that, along with the Addison’s Disease that killed her, Jane Austen suffered from TB. Written by a consummate biographer and endorsed by Diana Shervington, a descendent of one of Austen's brothers, this is a must-read for all lovers of the author and her works.
Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered The World
Claire Harman
(Hardcover: $26.00)
March 2010
Library Journal
This most recent addition to Austen biography takes an interesting tack, covering not only the life of the author but the life of her work. Harman—affiliated with Manchester, Oxford, and Columbia universities and having had a distinguished history of critically acclaimed writings on literary figures (including Sylvia Townsend Warner, Fanny Burney, and Robert Louis Stevenson)—presents Austen in all her contradictory glory: at once the dutifully domestic daughter who also pursued the "oddish" feminist career of "authoress" and the author of modest success during her lifetime who fuels a multimillion-dollar "Austenmania" industry generations after her death. Fast paced and engaging, Jane's Fame illuminates Austen's writing and publishing history and traces the rise and fall (and rise again) of her popularity over the years. From being damned with faint praise from male critics to helping inspire the recent chick-lit craze, Austen's books have moved into Bollywood and beyond, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. VERDICT Continuing interest in Austen's works, ignited by films and other derivative works, will create a popular audience for this accessible volume, which should also please the scholarly crowd.—Alison M. Lewis, formerly with Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia More Here.
What Would Jane Austen Do?
Laurie Brown
(Paperback $6.99)
May 5, 2009
Modern-day Regency fashion expert Eleanor Pottinger consorts with ghosts and travels in time in Brown's charming romance. Eleanor discovers her hotel room is haunted by sisters Mina and Deirdre Cracklebury, and she agrees to a deal: she will save their brother, Teddy, from a deadly duel by keeping the wicked Lord Shermont from seducing one of the sisters, in trade for meeting Jane Austen. Eleanor wakes up in 1814, meets smarmy Teddy and is instantly attracted to Lord Shermont, who is not all he seems. Soon she's forced into a terrible choice: Hot sex or the real Jane Austen? True Janeites will find scant evidence of Austen's acerbic wit in either character or tone, but the sprightly humor, handsome hero and twisty ending will please most Regency romance fans. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict
Laurie Viera Rigler (More Here)
(Hardcover: $25.95)
June 1, 2009
Now Available on Paperback!
This delightful sequel to Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict has 19th-century Jane Mansfield switching bodies and milieus with contemporary L.A. girl Courtney Stone. As Jane grasps the idea that she's a different person in an unimaginable world, and grapples with the radically liberal social mores, dress and language, she leans on Jane Austen's novels as touchstones to reality. Kate Reading performs the first-person narration with a cultured tones and accent befitting an upper-class Regency-era young lady. Her skill as a versatile voice performer becomes evident as dialogue introduces modern American characters, and she skillfully modulates her accent, dialect and tones to accommodate them. The romantically suspenseful story and the entertaining vocal interpretation will keep romance listeners enthralled and amused.
A Dutton hardcover. (Aug.) - Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More here.
Prada and Prejudice
Mandy Hubbard(Paperback: $8.99)
June 11, 2009
Grade 7-10–Fifteen-year-old Callie's class trip to England is, like most things in her life, remarkably unremarkable. Ever since she was overheard making a derogatory remark about cheerleaders by one of the most popular girls in school, Callie has been permanently on the D list. To her misery and embarrassment, she has been ditched by her class-trip buddy, leaving her stranded at their London hotel. A scheme to join fellow classmates on a surreptitious trip to a hot club leads to her tripping spectacularly over her new Prada heels. Upon waking from her blackout, Callie discovers that she has been transported to Regency England and is now the long-lost American friend of Emily, a well-to-do teenager. True to her character, she makes a series of faux pas with the titled gentry, earning her the disapproval of a matriarch and a dashing 19-year-old duke. Although her adjustment to an 1815 lifestyle is rough, she begins to appreciate her friendship with Emily and her surprising budding romance with the duke. Callie's perpetual awkwardness, chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome, spiritedness, and openness make her genuinely likable. Endearingly funny episodes involving a Heart and Soul pianoforte duet and a CPR rescue in front of an astonished crowd are contrasted with Callie's determination to rescue Emily from an engagement to a suitor 30 years her senior. Although some aspects of the book and character traits are stock and predictable, this is a fun and charming read, sure to be popular with fans of humor and romance.–Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA – Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More Here.
Colonel Brandon's Diary
Amanda Grange (See More)
(Tradeback: $14.00)
July 7, 2009
"Captain Wentworth's Diary 'Amanda Grange has taken on the challenge of reworking a much loved romance and succeeds brilliantly.' Editors' Choice, Historical Novels Review Mr Knightley's Diary 'Sticks close to the plot of Austen's Emma, mixing his initially censorious view of Miss Woodhouse with his notes on managing the hereditary seat at Donwell Abbey and affectionate asides on his collection of young nieces and nephews.' Washington Post 'Hits the Regency language and tone on the head.' Library Journal Darcy's Diary 'A gift to a new generation of Darcy fans and a treat for existing fans as well.' Austenblog 'Lots of fun.' Woman Harstairs House 'With its mysterious overtones and brooding hero, this is a nicely crafted, intriguing throwback to the classic Gothic.' Romantic Times Stormcrow Castle 'Grange peppers her story with rich atmospheric details, from a masked ball to a cast of colorful locals. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this tale of intrigue and deception on the barren moors.' Publishers Weekly" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. More Here.
Other work(s) by Grange:
Mr. Darcy Vampyre
Capitan Wentworth's Diary (May 2009)
Edmund Bertram's Diary (August 2008)
Mr. Darcy's Diary: A Novel (April 2007)
Mr. Knightley's Diary (October 2007)
Darcy's Diary (October 2005)
Jane Austen's Sewing Box: Craft Projects and Stories from Jane Austen's Novels
Jennifer Forest
Currently Unavailable
More Here.
Jane Austen and Marriage
Hazel Jones
(Hardcover: $34.95)
July 8, 2009
With original research, this book offers a new insight into Jane Austen's life and writing. The question of marriage lies at the centre of Jane Austen's novels. The issues bound up in the pursuit of love, happiness, money and status were those of her day and informed the plots and morals of her work. In this fascinating book, Hazel Jones explores the ways in which these themes manifest themselves in Jane Austen's life and fiction, against the backdrop of contemporary conduct manuals, letters, diaries, journals and newspapers. Drawing on original research, this entertaining and detailed study provides a charming and profound insight into the world of Jane Austen. More Here.
Lady Vernan and Her Daughter: A Novel of Jane Austen's Lady Susan
Jane Rubino
(Hardcover: $24.99)
October 6, 2009
Inspired by Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan, this biting social comedy from mother-daughter duo Rubino (the veteran author) and Rubino-Bradway (the first-timer) is a delightful, worthy homage to Austen. In 19th-century England, Lady Susan Vernon is left nearly penniless after her honorable, wealthy husband dies and his unscrupulous little brother, Charles, bilks Susan and her daughter, Frederica, of their share of his fortune. Forced to rely upon the kindness of friends, the two spend several months bouncing from home to home. Subjected to the two-faced machinations of her social circle (particularly from Charles's wife, Catherine), Susan cleverly (and believably) turns several of her enemies against each other, using their own words. As in Austen's novels, securing a generous dowry and a good marriage (that is, one with money and status) is the all-important goal of every woman, but Susan is a dynamic character more than capable of delivering a shocking surprise. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More Here!
Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters
Ben H. Winters
(Tradeback: $12.99)
September 15, 2009
From the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes a new tale of romance, heartbreak, and tentacled mayhem.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities. As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen’s biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It’s survival of the fittest—and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love! See More.
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen
Susannah Carson (editor)
November 10, 2009
Yale doctoral candidate Carson cobbles together previously published pieces of literary criticism by writers like Eudora Welty and Lionel Trilling with essays, several newly composed, by contemporary writers like Anna Quindlen and Fay Weldon. Pride and Prejudice fan Somerset Maugham finds Emma a snob and Mansfield Park's Fanny and Edmund intolerable prigs. Virginia Woolf contemplates what books Austen might have written had she lived beyond 42, speculating that her satire would have been more severe, and Amy Heckerling describes how she transformed Emma into the teen romance film Clueless set in 1990s Beverly Hills. C.S. Lewis finds that Austen's hard core of morality is what makes good comedy possible, and in one of the most personal essays, Brian Southam tells how he searched out a volume of juvenilia at a Kentish farmhouse belonging to Austen's great-great-niece. Heckerling aside, dissections of very particular plot and character points in most essays make this volume more appropriate to students than lay readers. And while separately the pieces make many astute points about Austen's oeuvre, overall the volume feels disjointed. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More Here.
Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistible Temptation
Jane Odiwe
(Tradeback: $14.99)
November 2009
Odiwe's sequel to Sense and Sensibility is best at recalling Austen's descriptive abilities, but falls short in its treatment of Austen's beloved characters. Three years after Marianne and Col. William Brandon get married, they're still unable to discuss two critical and intertwined issues: namely, that Marianne feels jealous of William's ward, Eliza, the illegitimate daughter of his first love; and the reappearance of Eliza's father, John Willoughby, who was once Marianne's love. Matters are complicated by the growing affection between Marianne's sister, Margaret, and William's nephew Henry, a developing relationship that serves as a stand-in for the original book's. As their unshared feelings fester, distance grows between Marianne and William; Odiwe nods occasionally to the inequality between marriage partners, which allows the man to carry on much as he did prior to marriage, an issue that Austen herself would likely tackle; unfortunately, it's hard to maintain suspense when the central plot conflict can be cleared up with a five-minute conversation. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More Here.
Other Work(s) by Odiwe include:
Lydia Bennet's Story: A Sequel to P&P (October 1, 2008)
Jane Bites Back: A Novel
Michael Thomas Ford
(Tradeback: 14.00)
December 29, 2009
Ford's (Last Summer) fang-tastic satire of the Jane Austen craze catches up with Elizabeth Jane Fairfax, the undead 233-year-old author and owner of an upstate New York book store. She's disgusted by the Pride and Prejudice knockoffs that fly out of her store (poor Jane hasn't seen a royalty check in almost 200 years), and her last manuscript's been rejected by 116 publishers. Things start to look up when she finally gets a deal for the book, but two problems arise as she's promoting Constance: Lord Byron, who turned Jane, wants her back; and Violet Grey, a vitriolic Brontë blogger, accuses Jane of stealing Charlotte Brontë's last unsold manuscript. Ford's Jane is a very fun and funny heroine to root for as she endures the indignities of publishing and bookselling, fends off danger and (perhaps) finds love. Her hilarious smack downs with Violet hint of more madness to come in this first of a series. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. More Here.
The Jane Austen Companion to Love
Inc. Sourcebooks
(Hardcover: $9.99)
December 2009
The perfect gift book for Austen lovers who want more, Austen's advice will guide readers to find happiness and contentment, just as the heroines in her novels always do. The Jane Austen Companion to Love is full of Austen's most honest and endearing thoughts on love, such as:
"I consider everybody as having a right to marry once in their lives for love, if they can." —from a letter to her sister
"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart." —Emma Woodhouse, EmmaIncludes beautiful original four-color illustrations created by well-known illustrators of the time Charles Edmund Brock and his brother, Henry Matthew Brock. See More.
"There are certainly not so many men of large fortune in the world, as there are pretty women to deserve them." —from Mansfield Park
The Two Edwards, Or, Pride and Prejudice Unmasked
Mary Elliot
(Tradeback: $23.75)
March 2010
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. More Here.
Classic Period Dramas: 14 Evocative solo Piano Pieces from Classic Feature Films Including Pride and Prejudice, Becoming Jane, Emma and Brideshead Revisited
Alfred Publishing Staff
(Tradeback: $13.50)
March 2010
Sumptuous settings, elaborate costumes and romance; the period drama is a feast for the senses. Capture the spirit of Austen and Hardy's England with these 14 evocative solos from classic literary adaptations. Featuring music by Carl Davis, Jeremy Sams and Adrian Johnston alongside Mozart, Clementi and Beethoven, carefully arranged for the intermediate pianist.
Includes:
'End Titles' from Emma
• 'Main Theme' from Pride and Prejudice
• 'Andante Favori WoO 57 (excerpt)' from Pride and Prejudice
• 'An Adoring Heart' from Cranford
• 'Sebastian' from Brideshead Revisited
• 'The Beginning of the Partnership' from Shakespeare in Love
• 'Main Theme' from Middlemarch and more.
See More Here!
Part 2 is coming up shortly and they are mostly a new list of P&P Sequels/Inspired Novels. They are a follow-up from the previous post here --> Book Recommendation: P&P Inspired Novels
Thanks for the shout out P&P2005
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for including Willoughby's Return!
ReplyDeleteLaurel Ann - Thanks for the comment. You're very welcome and thank you too for your Amazon list. it was very helpful. Love your Austenprose Blog as well. I linked it here (in the Essential Links section) and visit it all the time. ;) Love reading your reviews on any P&P/JA inspired novels as well as the movie adaptations and any PBS Masterpiece (or Masterpiece Mystery!) movies/miniseries. You do such a great job! Keep up the great work. :)
ReplyDeleteJane Odiwe - You're very welcome. :) Thanks for visiting this blog and for the comment. :)