P&P September Post (late as usual....)

Okay but I have an excuse: I've been CRAZY job hunting and just started a new job at a Christian bookstore. We also celebrated Michael's birthday on the 24th with tasty Mexican food, cocktails, and cherry pie!!!

And I beat Diablo III..... so there's that.

Anywho, I DID manage to read and finish a P&P JAFF book: Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris.

At the wedding breakfast celebrating the nuptials of Mr. & Mrs. Darcy-- and of course the Bingleys-Caroline Bingley does her damnedest to steal Elizabeth's thunder by announcing her engagement to a rich, friendly American. Keeping in line with Caroline's theme of "whirlwind romance," they plan to be married in a week, resulting in both the Bingleys and Darcys delaying their honeymoons in order to attend the event. Unfortunately Caroline's marital happiness is short-lived after several incidents of bizarre behavior frighten her betrothed, family, and the Darcys. Is Caroline Bingley really going insane, or are far sinister motives at work? It's a mystery only Mr. & Mrs. Darcy can solve.

~

I enjoyed Bebris's writing, capturing both Elizabeth's wit as well as the newlywed dynamic between her and Darcy. And by that I should clarify that I don't mean sex though there's some cute flirting; it's the feeling out of each other's personalities and learning to work as a husband/wife team. The story itself was a fun, easy read with a few eerie moments and a couple intense scenes... not to mention a bit of murder and intrigue! Putting the Darcys in a mystery is a clever idea and worked well.

However, it was predictable which is a problem I run into a lot with JAFF. There was one supernatural twist at the end that threw me because the book doesn't have a supernatural tone, and I'm curious to see if Bebris carries that over into the rest of the series. That's right: SERIES. There are 6 total books in this mystery series, each one involving characters from every Austen novel. I've begun Suspense and Sensibility and so far I'm enjoying the direction of the plot. I'm hoping Bebris's storytelling matures as the I continue through each book.

Bride & Prejudice film: August P&P Pick

While I have a particular weakness for Indian RomComs, I'd never actually seen a Bollywood production, and since I didn't have time to read any P&P JAFF I thought I'd watch some.

A little about Bollywood:

These films are HUGE productions with large budgets, lots of colorful costumes, and many many so many frickin' musical numbers. Like every five minutes for the first half of the almost three hour film.

Bride & Prejudice is a modern and interesting interpretation of Jane Austen's classic love story; if you're going to choose a present-day culture to set a story about a "Mama" trying to find four (Kitty was left out of the movie) daughters excellent marriages, India makes sense.

William Darcy is a rich American hotel mogul whose come to India with Balraj (Bingley) and his sister Kiran-- played by the amazing Indira Varma from Luther and Rome)-- for a huge wedding in which Balraj is best man. Balraj and Kiran are wealthy, well-connected, career driven Londoners. While in India, Darcy hopes to take a side trip in order to purchase a hotel. At the wedding, two of the bride's attendants are Lalita (Elizabeth) and Jaya (Jane) Bakshi. The men see the women, and BOOM, love makin' MAGIC.

Many of the plot points in Bride & Prejudice remain the same: Johnny Wickham shows up, Mr. Kohli (Collins) from LA gets rejected, and Jaya's heart is broken. You and I both know how it ends, but there are plenty of differences: Wickham actually got Georgiana pregnant, the character of Lady Catherine takes the form of Darcy's mother, and Kiran has no real interest in Darcy other than friendship.

If I'm being blunt (and I usually am), skip Bride & Prejudice. The film was far too long, the amount of musical numbers began to grate on my nerves, and the acting by New Zealander Martin Henderson playing Darcy was bad. It was frustrating seeing Literature's sexiest 18th century hero as a subpar, boring character with absolutely no chemistry between him and Lalita. I would've been more interested in a Bollywood adaptation with no Western influences. There's still plenty of Pomp and Circumstance, the music is good when not inhibiting the progression of the story, and the film is in English if you're not a fan of subtitles. However, I'd suggest subtitles anyway because many of the actors have thick accents and talk fast, plus the songs are in Hindi.

Not my cup of tea but if you happen to love Jane Austen and Bollywood, this one's for you.


Rating: 2 out of 5 Ribbons

P&P Challenge: July Trio

Remember when I created a list of books for this Pride and Prejudice challenge?

That's out the window.

Instead of the titles I chose at the time, I opted for two more Elizabeth Aston sequels, as well as a young adult choice to spice things up. That's right, I read THREE books this month-- impressed?!

Remember the dimwitted, long-winded Mr. Collins (how could you forget him?), cousin to the Bennet's and title holder of Worst Marriage Proposal in all of Literature? Well he's Bishop of Ripon, and has two daughter's: Charlotte, the eldest and most beautiful girl in all of England, and "Plain Jane" Eliza. They also have a son, Charles, who's supposedly just like his father, but while the name is tossed about, the Collins boy isn't actually in the story.

The Darcy Connection is the fifth installment of Elizabeth Aston's P&P JAFF series and while not the strongest, still enjoyable. While sisters by blood, Eliza and Charlotte have few sisterly bonds: Eliza possessing a free spirit and wearing her heart on her sleeve, and Charlotte a statuesque reserved beauty with little warmth and no personality. Despite their differences, Eliza is thrilled Charlotte is given a London season by her wealthy great aunt and godmother, completely content with staying in the country and perpetuating her secret engagement to the Squire's son.

Only the Squire and his wife have no intention in letting Anthony-- their pride and joy-- marry beneath him.

So Eliza is shipped to London with Charlotte and Lady Grandpoint as a poor country relation with no support from her aunt, though she's permitted to attend social occasions thrown by her godmother Mrs. Darcy's daughter, Camilla Wytton. It's at such a function where she meets Mr. Bruton, a wealthy banker, and the usual "P&P love triangle" begins. As always, George Warren shows up in a villainous capacity, something happens to almost ruin our heroine's reputation, and all is set right again by our hero.

The stereotyped females-- plain but with personality, beautiful but cold-- the gruff hero, and one-dimensional friendly recurring characters felt redundant, and there were a few plot points unaddressed at the conclusion of the book. Furthermore, while the sisters' dynamic is certainly different, Charlotte is really a total bitch for no reason at all, especially since Eliza has not an ounce of jealousy toward her (which I also found hard to believe).

Like I said, The Darcy Connection isn't my favorite of the six books, but as a whole Aston's warm tone and excellent writing make it worth reading. 

3 out of 5 Ribbons

Our heroine in Elizabeth Aston's final book in the series, Mr. Darcy's Dream, is Phoebe Hawkins, the daughter of Sir Giles and Lady Hawkins, formerly Georgianna Darcy. Poor Phoebe fell fast and hard for Arthur Stanhope right before her London season, but unfortunately her father vehemently rejects Stanhope's proposal on the grounds of his keeping a mistress. Phoebe discovers this to be true and escapes to Pemberly where she's joined by Louisa Bingley to rusticate for the summer and plan the annual Darcy Ball.

Soon they're joined by Mr. Drummond, the new "man" hired by Mr. Darcy to construct a massive glass house for all of the tropical plants he brings home from traveling, and Drummond's old army buddy.... Arthur Stanhope! 

Aston attempts to take her JAFF in a different direction by making this a romance of forgiveness and acceptance, rather than growing the relationship from the beginning. Moral hypocrisy was the theme of the day, and I applaud Aston using that time period to tackle such a racy topic. However, Phoebe running away from Stanhope got old fast; it's hard to think her mature enough for marriage to a man ten years her senior when she can't even confront him about keeping a woman. Also, the actual romance wrapped up in the last few pages, a bit disappointing.

As always, the writing--descriptions of fashion, architecture, gardening, the language-- is excellent, and I love that Aston uses a strong vocabulary compared to many JAFF books. As cheese-a-licious as this sounds, when I read this series I'm transported. Plus there's a good twist at the end and who doesn't love to be surprised in a predictable story.

4 out of 5 Ribbons

Out of curiosity, I asked our librarian if they knew of any Young Adult JAFF books-- I was curious if authors tackled adaptations of the classics at that age. I was right to inquire. While Elizabeth Eulberg's Prom & Prejudice is technically "YA," it's in the teen section of our library, probably because The Prom is a big part of the story.

At prestigious Longbourn Girls Academy, scholarship students spend their days being bullied, hazed, and tortured by the uber rich student body. Lizzie Bennet discovered this painful truth when she entered Longbourn in her junior year on an academic and music scholarship. Returning for her second semester, she's jaded and emotionally closed off from the student body with the exception of roommate Jane Netherfield and fellow scholarship victim, Charlotte Lucas. However, it's important to Jane that Lizzie get to know Charles Bingley from Pemberley Boys Prep, even though the snobby Will Darcy is always hanging around. 

This was a fast, simple read, and I felt a little insulted on behalf of the teenage population because the writing was so dumbed down. Prom & Prejudice seriously lacks description, characterization, and depth. There were times during conversations where I couldn't tell the difference between who was talking. Though relevant, the stereotype of Rich vs. Poor is done one dimensionally with EVERY rich girl except Jane treating Lizzie like crap. No one else at that school would give her a chance... really?! While I loved that Lizzie is a piano prodigy, it didn't make sense that no music students would befriend her and admire her talent. That's just not fair to teens.

The main issue I had with Prom & Prejudice is Lizzie's character. Jane Austen's most famous heroine may not be rich, but she's confident, witty, and full of life, hence why she's comfortable enough to be herself among snobs like Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine. This Lizzie will argue with Darcy, but cowers from everyone else, running through the halls away from people, and only replying with nasty comments. Where's that sardonic sense of humor, the amusement at the quirks of the upper class?

It wasn't all bad. There was a great twist, I liked the Lizzie and Darcy banter, and even though some of Lizzie's humor with Jane fell flat, there were several amusing moments. Diehard P&P fans will enjoy the book for the joy of reading a different version of their favorite characters, but I wouldn't recommend the book to teens as a way to introduce Jane Austen-- just give them the classic: they can handle it.

2 out of 5 Ribbons

See my other P&P Challenge Reviews here:

April

May

June 

The Second Mrs. Darcy & Reflections: the P&P Bicentenary Challenge

I am of the mindset that time is limited in our short lives and we shouldn't waste it doing shit we don't want to unless it somehow contributes to the quality of life (i.e. working, confronting someone who hurt you, doing laundry). So.... I was supposed to read these two books this month and would have done so if Reflections wasn't so terrible.

I couldn't make it through the Prologue without heckling the writing and rolling my eyes every couple of pages. Reflections is a modern day P&P adaptation beginning when Elizabeth shows up at Pemberly after spurning Darcy's proposal and they literally run into each other. Elizabeth's friends continue to the Lake District, but Lizzie stays behind to spend a week with Darcy, Georgianna, and the Bingleys. Darcy and Elizabeth grow closer, and one afternoon while on an intimate picnic they have sex... a few times.

Somehow the drama with Lydia drives a wedge so deep between Will (that's what he's called by the author in the book) and Liz that they don't see each other until Bingley and Jane's wedding, where an intoxicated Will is caught messing around with another woman and assumptions are made even though nothing happened. Liz then finds out she's preggers and that's when I gave up.

While the premise is fine, the plot points felt contrived and based purely on the assumption that everyone is a terrible communicator. However, the writing and dialogue is what drove me to the brink of chucking my Kindle at the window.

It's a modern day adaptation: Darcy and Elizabeth would NOT call each other "Mr. Darcy" and "Miss Bennet," they'd say "Will" and "Liz" (or whatever). Furthermore, the wording of the dialogue would sometimes be modern, sometimes be Austenesque...ish, and just sounded unintelligent. Even the narrative seemed confused, as if Gonschior couldn't decide what time period to write the novel. It's not engaging, painful to read, and has the tone of a first draft journal of a Pride and Prejudice fantasy.

~

Doing a complete 180, The Second Mrs. Darcy by Elizabeth Aston-- a book I read years ago that's the fourth in a six part series-- is great. The series needs a bit of an introduction so bear with me.

Each book in the series has a separate story-- they're not sequels-- with recurring characters from the previous books. It begins with Mr. Darcy's Daughters: Darcy and Elizabeth have 5 daughters and two younger sons (away at school) and the girls, ranging from ages 15 to 22-ish, are sent to stay with relatives in London while Mr. & Mrs. Darcy are in Constantinople. The daughters find themselves in a few social scrapes and romantic entanglements, but everything ends somewhat happily as Jane Austen would have written. Aston does a fantastic job recreating that world and the fashions, as well as following the language styles without the books being difficult to read. 

With Aston's JAFF, she creates another world with new characters and situations rather than begin during or right after Darcy and Elizabeth's love story. In fact, Darcy & Elizabeth aren't in the books until the sixth.... which might bother die hards, but I love it.

The Second Mrs. Darcy begins in India with the recently widowed Octavia Darcy-- formerly Octavia Melbury-- who was the second wife of Christopher Darcy (hence the title). Octavia is a the half sister of the high & mighty Melbury clan who see Octavia as a burden rather than family. As a result, Octavia has a skewed opinion of marriage and rather than marry again at her old age of 25, she wants to remain single. However, she's dirt poor since Christopher's estate is entailed to his cousin, George Warren, a known villain throughout the series as he's the favorite stepson of Caroline Bingley. Octavia's fortunes change suddenly when a lawyer for an unknown great aunt on her mother's side shows up declaring her the inheritor of a massive fortune. Octavia returns to London keeping her fortune a secret while dealing with frustrating relatives, making new friends, and building a new life. Conflicts arise, sexual tension grows, and choices must be made.

While it's not my favorite of the Aston series, Octavia is a quietly strong female coming into her own and overall an admirable character. The story is somewhat predictable if you've read a few of these before, but for me it's about the journey, not the destination. Even though I enjoyed the book and two main characters, the romance happened late and fast-- in the last third of the book-- and the chemistry felt forced. Plus the whole thing wrapped up too conveniently in a nice pretty package with a bow on top. Overall, an good read that will satisfy Janeites. 

DISCLAIMER: I will be reading Mr. Darcy's Dream-- the sixth in Aston's series-- for June as the replacement for Reflections. I probably won't post about it since the book is similar to The Second Mrs. Darcy... maybe.

P&P Bicentenary Challenge: The Unexpected Miss Bennet by Patrice Sarath

Thanks for the photo Goodreads

This might upset the Darcyholics, but I'm drawn more to a Mary Bennet love story than a Darcy and Elizabeth sequel. As much as every woman wants to be Lizzy, I have to be honest and admit that I relate to Mary more than any other Bennet daughter. Sure, she's awkward, pious, and overly serious, but I've always felt that underneath it all, Mary loves her sisters even though she doesn't understand them and they mock her. Not to mention the difficulty growing up as the third behind the otherworldly beauty that is Jane and the intelligence, wit, and beauty that is Elizabeth, then have the unbelievably silly Kitty and Lydia as younger sisters. Poor Mary has been invisible her whole life, in part because of her family, but also because of her own choices. 

Patrice Sarath explores those choices in The Unexpected Miss Bennet, a wonderfully written Pride and Prejudice sequel taking place one year after the Bingley/Darcy double wedding. Kitty is off to visit Jane, and consequently London, while Mary remains with her parents. Now alone, Mary begins to take walks, reanalyze her previously coveted Fordyce's Sermons, and stops playing piano. Concerned Mrs. Bennet has given up the search to find Mary a match, Lizzie brings Mary to Pemberly to help with the husband hunt. Like every fun P&P continuation, all our favorite characters must show up in one form or another, so the Darcy household eventually travels to Rosings where Mary begins an unusual connection with Anne de Bourgh and is given a tough life choice. Will Mary Bennet ever find love or will she remain the quiet girl in the corner with the serious countenance? 

~

In three words: I loved it.

Sarath did an excellent job diving into the motivation and backstory of Mary Bennet, allowing us readers to watch her evolution and realize misgivings as well as strengths. Though the story lacked much drama (despite a small reference to the infamous Wickhams) and held few surprises, it's truly a character piece and kept me turning page after page to witness Mary Bennet go from girl to woman. In addition, Sarath gives Mr. Bennet a supporting role, I believe, as a chance to redeem himself from his P&P reputation as an indifferent father favoring only Lizzy. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Anne de Bourgh and Mary. However, the rest of the characters felt underdeveloped.

In addition, the romance didn't quite make sense and was rather sudden, though the book is a fast read and could've benefited from even more content. Yet the themes and lessons throughout made me think and I even earmarked several pages with excellent quotations. The story overall was sweet and enjoyable, but if you're one who loves lots of action in your Regency reads, this isn't the book for you. And while I mentioned the Wickham cameo above, it did feel a bit contrived, as if Sarath's editor wanted her to add more conflict so she threw Lydia in at the last minute.

All in all, this is the second Mary Bennet romance I've had the pleasure of reading and I'm thrilled I stumbled upon it in Barnes & Noble. It's a great addition to any JAFF library and is on my re-read list.... in fact, I almost started it over when I finished!

Rating

4 out of 5 ribbons

Go to Amazon and get your copy here

Click here to see my full list of P&P challenge books and find out more info about it.

Come back in May for my review of Pride and Precience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged.

The Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013

I was working up to writing a review of the latest JAFF book I finished (if you couldn't tell by my previous post, I haven't been in the mood to do much of anything let alone write) when I spotted my girl Candy's post about the Los Angeles Festival of Books over at her review blog So Little Time... 

Scrolling down her page, I spotted the graphic you see above and thought I'd finally found a blog challenge perfect for me. And I already had one book down!

Not to mention the Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge hosted by Austenprose would be a great way to learn more about JAFF, meet new bloggers & authors, and get me reading, watching, and writing more Jane Austen related material (not that I don't already do that half the year).

Plus it's even more of a challenge since I'm four months late to the party!!!!

So now it's time to list the books and films I'll be reviewing in the coming months. I'm going for aficionado status because that's actually pretty normal for me. Here are my 12 selections:

April

The Unexpected Miss Bennett by Patrice Sarath

May

Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris

June

The Second Mrs. Darcy by Elizabeth Aston

Reflections by Linda Gonschior

July

Echoes of Pemberley by Cynthia Ingram Hensley 

August

Georgiana Darcy's Diary by Anna Elliott

Pemberley to Waterloo: Georgiana Darcy's Diary Volume 2 by Anna Elliott

September

Becoming Elizabeth Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

October

The Phantom of Pemberley by Regina Jeffers

November

His Good Opinion: A Mr. Darcy Novel by Nancy Kelley

December

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice BBC miniseries 1995

Are you excited?!?! I am.

If you're interested in participating in this challenge... you totally can! Blog or no blog, go to the post about this challenge that I linked above and follow the instructions. Let me know too so we can chat about our books!

Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Because I'm thoroughly in love with all fan fiction relating to Jane Austen and free stuff rocks, I was ecstatic when I won Jane Austen Made Me Do It from the editor Laurel Ann Nattress (signed too!) after winning a drawing at Barbara Tiller Cole's Darcyholic Diversions blog back in mid-July. 

And rightly so. 

Jane Austen Made Me Do It is a compilation of 22 short JAFF stories written by some of this literary community's prime authors, as well as one story by the winner of a JAFF writing contest.  The various adaptations range from Regent fiction to supernatural fiction, as well as stories starring Jane herself. Some are letters or journal entries while others involve humor and romance.

Not only is this book worth a read, but I'm thrilled to add JAMMDI to my collection because whenever I have a hankering to read JAFF but can't commit to a book, I can pop open a short story and get my "Austen Addict" fix.

Now, I must be honest-- I didn't love all the stories. Believe it or not, this is part of the charm. Jane Austen Made Me Do It will be loved by JAFF fans like myself yet is an even better resource for new readers of this genre because it offers a great variety of styles & authors to choose from as a way to learn one's JAFF preferences. 

In fact, I discovered that I tend to favor Regent stories like Monica Fairview's "Nothing Less Than Fairy Land" starring my favorite Austen characters over more modern adaptations, and even found a few more authors--like Jo Beverly's "Mistletoe Kiss" which is a wonderful Sense and Sensibility-esque Christmas story-- whose books I'd love to read.

Overall, a must read for any fan of Jane Austen and her fan fiction.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars

HURRY!!! Free JAFF

My friends: you have until 11:59 PST to purchase "Fitzwilliam Ebenzer Darcy" by Barbara Tiller Cole for FREE on your Kindle.

 

That's right... F-R-E-E. Check out the post about it here.

Barbara is also the administrator/ lead blogger for Darcyholic Diversions, this amazing Jane Austen Fan Fiction blog that offers various authors' insights into Mr. Darcy and the world of Jane Austen, as well as personal experience on how they got to know Miss Austen.

If you've never read fan fiction but love Austen, give this a try. It's free and well-written so get your copy today.

Keeping Busy

Hello fellow bloggers and readers!

My apologies for not updating in a while and for such a short post now. Normally I don't feel the need to make excuses for not writing since it's my blog and all, but I just wanted to let you know that I've been busy writing and building my online portfolio and planning the future (and by that I mean moving in a couple months NOT having a baby). Details to come.

Also, I've stumbled across this amazing online community of JAFF writers, readers, bloggers, and anyone else obsessed with Jane Austen and her novels. I've never had anyone else to share this more-than-just-an-interest with but... now I do! And I just won a book for commenting on posts (they get entered into book giveaways)-- how fun!!!  One blog post even inspired me to write my own JAFF story, it's going to be from Jane Bennett's perspective-- I can't tell you how thrilling this is going to be :)

So to keep all of you busy while waiting for my next post (because you have nothing else to do, right?), here are few links and humorous pictures to fill the void of my absence:

For JAFF enthusiasts--
Darcyholic Diversions

For JAFF and other fiction book reviews--
So Little Time...

Lifestyle and Fashion blog (and this beautiful lady has lost almost 40lbs since January, she's an inspiration!)--
A Little Slice of Special

My husband Michael's music (he updates weekly, people!)--
Original Scores by Michael Nicholas

Pins from a German Goddess

The Typewriter Song

An "Ode to Joy" Flashmob

For the Laugh...

A nice problem to have.

You know it's true.

Chelsea Peretti

FYI-- this is real.

Booking for Looks

As I pondered about the idea that Heaven is a Bookstore, I remained quite aware that I was on earth in a REAL bookstore full of scrumptious new reads I was DYING to take home. Walking into a Barnes & Noble with a credit card is extremely dangerous for me. There are so many books I want to read, so much I want to know, so many stories that need to be told!

Hence why I'm the weird chick taking pictures: I want to remember all the books that catch my eye so down the road I can look for them when I return with someone else's money gift cards (or search for them on Amazon... shhhh don't tell).  Though I have a Kindle and highly recommend the convenience and ease that comes with an eReader, it's still comforting to hold a book in your hands.

It's hard to resist a gorgeous hardcover with a colorful illustration...

... or a newly printed version of a Jane Austen classic. If I was a billionaire I'd continuously buy copies of all Austen novels and dedicate an entire floor of my 3-story mahogany library to her and her fan fiction. Don't judge.

 

I really wish bookstores had a designated "Jane Austen Fan Fiction" section since new books are constantly being published. It's a chore trying to find JAFF amidst the hundreds of other books in the Fiction/Literature section. But it's worth my frustrating persistence when I find a good one.

I also love books set in Ireland (like The Last Storyteller): I have a thing for Irish fiction. That's why I love Maeve Binchy-- all her books take place there since she's, you know, IRISH. So if you're weird like me and enjoy books set in the Land of Blarney, read her.

When I'm not dumping all the Fiction/Lit books on the floor trying to find the next JAFF book for my collection or an Irish love story, you can find me scouring the Young Adult Lit section as I'm also a YA junkie. These books have the BEST covers and I'm a sucker for beautiful cover art. That's what attracts my attention in the first place-- take heed book publishers!

This Kingdom Keepers series combines YA with Disneyworld, making me giddy with geeky delight! The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict is the fourth in an installment of books about children with high intelligence and gifts that very bad people want to exploit. They're being protected by the Benedict Society as puzzle-filled adventures ensue. For a YA book, it's a pretty intelligent read... or I'm really dumb... either way, check it out!

Naturally, I progressed from children's books and wandered into the Romance section (why are they next to each other?!). I usually avoid Romance... which is so judgmental and wrong of me because I'd probably LOVE these books too.

I found this little beauty about a man who wakes up after a Halloween party to find he's been turned into a vampire by the beautiful woman he thought was wearing a vampire costume. 

The real question is... how do you NOT want to read that book?!

Finally, these were sitting on the Best Selling Paperbacks table and I ALMOST bought them:

Have you read the 50 Shades trilogy?! Most of my friends are and I'm overcome with curiosity. However, I was also overcome with the same curiosity about the Twilight series and those books were a big fat fail (except Eclipse). But the trilogy is $30 on the Kindle... maybe a birthday present to myself??? I think so.

Jane Austen Fan Fiction: A Blogger Confession

Although I used the word "confessions," I don't actually feel guilty about reading books written as sequels or adaptations to novels written by one of the greatest female authors in literature.  That being said, these books are not up to literary scratch and certainly not intellectual novels for discussion at artsy fartsy cocktail parties.  JAFF is simple, usually predictable, hardly original, and thoroughly entertaining.  Typical reading time for an avid book reader would be 2, maybe 3 days if you're busy, and you won't be discussing themes and symbolism at your next book club gathering.

But JAFF sure is entertaining.  If you love the romantic plots of Persuasion, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice-- the 3 main novels used as JAFF foundations, P&P being the headliner-- and want to either relive the story or find out what happens next, these are the books for you.  As I said, Pride and Prejudice is the most popular adaptation, mainly because of Literature's sexiest leading man: Fitzwilliam Darcy.  And there are TONS of novels about Darcy and the women who fantasize about him... those aren't always the greatest.

Then there's the JAFF that is all about the man's perspective: diaries of Mr. Knightley/ Mr. Darcy/ Captain Wentworth, letters from these men, or retellings of Austen's stories through their eyes.  I've read a few of those books and they're pretty good.

My favorite are the sequels, the continuations of the romances and the various perspectives from authors (many of whom are Austen scholars) on where the story of Elizabeth and Darcy would lead.  Though I enjoy a modern love story on film, I'm a sucker for period romance in books.  I think it has something to do with the sexual tension created by not being able to touch the opposite sex unless dancing, not kissing until you're engaged and even then it's something to be done away from prying eyes.  There was mystery and risk in loving during the 19th century.  Like I said, these aren't the next "Great American" or "Great British" novels, but they're wonderfully entertaining and sweet.

However, you do get Romance/Erotic books masquerading as JAFF, and I've read one of those... actually that was my introduction to the genre.  I found this interesting book titled Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife at Borders and got really excited that people actually continued writing past the wedding of the Darcys.  For the most part, I enjoyed it... but what did I know?  I was 19, had never read erotic or romantic fiction,  and this was a story detailing my favorite characters from P&P plus it went into great detail when continuing the story lines of everyone, from Colonel Fitzwilliam to Mr. Wickham.  And Elizabeth Berdoll (the author) even incorporated a war, as well as servants, which is something Austen doesn't do in her novels.  But there was one major issue: the SEX.  Holy crap I'd never read anything so racy-- I liked it at first.  Thought it was controversial and interesting, but looking back on it, sex sullies the characters and name of Jane Austen.  I sound like such a prude.

Don't misunderstand, the idea of sex in the 19th century is interesting because in the upper class (and the other classes too) the act happened behind closed doors and was NEVER talked about. I like when it's subtly addressed in JAFF, but to have it thrown in my face (for example, there's a scene where Mr. Darcy is performing oral sex on his new wife while riding in the carriage to Pemberly) is rather shocking and inappropriate given the overall tone of Austen's novels.  And this isn't the only book of its kind either.  Actually, I think I'm one of a few that doesn't enjoy the sex scenes in JAFF; so many women have Colin-Firth-as-Darcy sexual fantasies and these are outlets for them.  Sex happens A LOT in the modern JAFF adaptations.  If that's your thing, coolpants, it's just not mine.  Funny story: I was so excited about Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife that I stupidly recommended it to my Austenite cousin (who happens to have a Bachelor's in English Lit) as her introduction to JAFF... yeah... needless to say she was polite about her critique but the sex didn't go over well.  And I don't think she's read any more JAFF since-- oops!  The lesson?  When recommending ANYTHING, Know.Your.Audience.

Which brings me to my Top 10 Jane Austen Fan Fiction Reads!  Here's a list of the novels I personally love and recommend if you too love the works of J.A.

1. A Match for Mary Bennett by Eucharista Ward

I have talked about/ recommended this book before and I will always stand by it.  It's romantic in the Jane Austen sense, I LOVE reading a story from Mary's perspective and watching her change yet maintain her principles, and the language is similar to Austen's which gives the book an authentic feel.  I've read it 3 times and plan on picking it up again... like tonight.

2. Sanditon by Jane Austen and "Another Lady"

This is the final, incomplete seventh novel, finished by an anonymous woman who very clearly knows her Jane Austen.  It's a lovely story with another classic heroine, and I have a feeling Jane Austen herself would approve.

3. Mr. Darcy's Daughters series by Elizabeth Aston

This is a 6 book series chronicling the "exploits and adventures" of the Darcys' five grown daughters (their 2 sons are young and away at school during the series-- don't worry, the Darcy name will carry on!).  Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam are hardly in the books which I kind of love.  The daughters are wonderfully entertaining and the books are full of interesting recurring side characters, not to mention there's always a romantic escapade. I also read Aston's modern JAFF book Writing Jane Austen-- about a writer who has to finish a newly discovered Austen manuscript and has never read one of her books (gasp!)-- and thoroughly enjoyed that book as well. 

4. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman trilogy by Pamela Aiden

The books are An Assembly Such As This, Duty and Desire, and These Three Remain.  The trilogy is a detailed retelling of P&P through the eyes of Darcy-- he basically tells the story.  I loved reading the romance through a man's perspective.

5. Pemberly Manor by Kathryn L. Nelson

A sequel to P&P that takes place right after the weddings of Jane and Elizabeth, how they cope with married life, life with Caroline, finding men for their younger sisters, and the pressures of producing an heir.  It's certainly more dramatic and there were a few subplots I wasn't crazy about, but I loved the writing, tone, and one of my favorite quotations comes from this book:

"As much as I regret that you have chosen a path of unhappiness for yourself, I choose to be happy, and you have no power to change that."

6. Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel so how could I not love reading Wentworth's diary about his love for Anne?!

7. The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

Caroline Bingley is the heroine in this novel... wait, what?  It's true, this book is all about Miss Bingley finally finding love, and I have to say, I'm a sucker for character redemption.  Definitely worth a read... and RE-read since I just finished her two books again!

8. The Darcy Cousins (sequel to #7) by Monica Fairview

The story continues...

9. Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil G. Brinton

This is an especially interesting JAFF book because it intertwines many of the main characters from all 6 of Austen's novels; after all, many of them run in the same social circles.  There's matchmaking, romance, unrequited love, and a couple villains to keep you entertained.  The best part? It was written in 1913!! We Austenites have been around for AGES!

10. Emma & Knightley by Rachel Billington

The story takes place one year after Emma and Knightley are married and the matchmaking exploits that happen.

I find it interesting that there's not a lot of JAFF written for Sense and Sensibility, another favorite of mine.  Also, I haven't found anything for Northanger Abbey (not a surprise), but I did find something for Mansfield Park.  It's a murder mystery in which Fanny Price becomes a horrible bitch "lady of the manor" and is thus found murdered on the grounds... crazy!  Haven't read it yet but it's for the immediate future-- I'll let you know what I think.

So that's my confession: I love Jane Austen Fan Fiction.  If you look hard enough, read reviews, and take the time to skim the books in the bookstore, you can find some wonderful homages to the great Jane Austen. Happy reading!