Please join us today in welcoming Austenesque author Victoria Connelly for the official launch of her book blog tour of A Weekend with Mr. Darcy a new Pride and Prejudice-inspired contemporary novel that was released on July 1, 2011, by Sourcebooks. Inspiration for my books can come from anywhere. It always amazes me what can... Continue Reading →
A Wife for Mr. Darcy, by Mary Lydon Simonsen – A Review
From the desk of Kimberly Denny-Ryder: Mary Lydon Simonsen, author of Searching for Pemberley and The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, is back with yet another opportunity for us to wander down that “what if” path with our favorite Pride and Prejudice characters: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. This time, our variation begs the question:... Continue Reading →
A Wife for Mr. Darcy Blog Tour with Author Mary Simonsen
Please join us today in welcoming Austenesque author Mary Simonsen for the official launch of her book blog tour of A Wife for Mr. Darcy, a new Pride and Prejudice-inspired novel that was released on July 1, 2011, by Sourcebooks. BOOK DESCRIPTION A GENTLEMAN should always render an APOLOGY When Mr. Darcy realizes he insulted... Continue Reading →
Austenprose on Holiday!
Well, not really a holiday, but it sounds much better than telling you all that I am in the midst of moving to a new cottage here in the Pacific Northwest and my life is in transit right now. In this instance, we are in agreement with that buffoon Robert Ferrars... "For my own part,"... Continue Reading →
Why Jane Austen? Blog Tour with Author Rachel M. Brownstein
Please join us today in welcoming Austen scholar Prof. Rachel M. Brownstein for the official launch of her book blog tour of Why Jane Austen?, a new literary and cultural history of our Jane’s rise and continued fame that is being released today by Columbia University Press. GUEST BLOG Jane Austen’s eruption into popular culture... Continue Reading →
The Quiet Gentleman, by Georgette Heyer – A Review
From the desk of Laura A. Wallace: “To own the truth,” replied Miss Morville candidly, “I can perceive nothing romantic in a headless spectre. I should think it a very disagreeable sight, and if I did fancy I saw such a thing I should take one of Dr. James’s powders immediately!” Thus Drusilla Morville sadly... Continue Reading →
Sense and Sensibility Movie (1995) – A Review
Nominated for seven Academy Awards®, the 1995 movie Sense and Sensibility remains one of my most cherished interpretations of a Jane Austen novel. Everything about this film project seems to be touched with gold; from the award-winning screenplay by actress Emma Thompson; to the incredible depth of British acting talent: Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Gemma... Continue Reading →
Mailbox Monday: The Elusive Jane Austen Bobble-head
For years I seriously thought that the Jane Austen bobble-head was a Janeite myth. I had never seen one in person, only "read" about them in my online travels. I once saw one listed in an eBay auction that went for an exorbitant final bid. Who would pay that much for a toy??? It became... Continue Reading →
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, by Syrie James – A Review
From the desk of Christina Boyd: "…She ruffles her readers by nothing vehement, disturbs him by nothing profound: the Passions are perfectly unknown to her… what throbs fast and full, though hidden, what the blood rushes through… this Miss Austen ignores... if this is heresy – I cannot help it.” Charlotte Bronte in a letter... Continue Reading →
Friday Funnies: Pride and Prejudice and Dr. Who
LOL! The movie trailer of the 2005 Pride & Prejudice is a YouTube phenom. It has been mashed up into so many other movie combinations: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, Robin Hood, Vampire Diaries, Star Wars, Anastasia, North and South, and hundreds of others, that it is mind boggling. Check out this hilarious mash-up of P&P... Continue Reading →
Sense and Sensibility at the Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle – A Review
“Happy, happy Elinor, you cannot have an idea of what I suffer." "Do you call me happy, Marianne? Ah; if you knew! And can you believe me to be so while I see you so wretched!" - Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 29 Happiness and suffering, and the emotional extremes that cause it, is an important... Continue Reading →
A Preview of Midnight in Austenland: A Novel, by Shannon Hale
In 2007 bestselling young adult novelist Shannon Hale ventured into adult fiction and brought us the enchanting Austenland – a trip to a fantasy vacation resort in England with a Regency theme. The heroine Jane Hayes gets a chance to live her “secret addiction to the 1995 A&E television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and... Continue Reading →