A five star book review of the new Victorian-era holiday novella from best-selling author Mimi Matthews.
A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella, by Mimi Matthews – A Review
Rational Creatures: Stirrings of Feminism in the Hearts of Jane Austen’s Fine Ladies, edited by Christina Boyd – A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:Â Having long been credited as the grandmother of the romance novel, it is an interesting notion to ponder if Jane Austen can also be attributed as an early feminist writer. Did she gently inject progressive thinking into her female characters to bring about the equality of the sexes?... Continue Reading →
A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts, by Therese Anne Fowler – A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:Â For years, I thought Gilded Age New York socialite Alva Vanderbilt's ferocious ambition was only rivaled by Jane Austen's Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice as the most grasping, husband-hunting mother imaginable, however my assumptions have been proved totally unfounded in A Well-Behaved Woman, a new bio-fic by... Continue Reading →
What Kitty Did Next, by Carrie Kablean – A Review
a book review of What Litty Did Next by Carrie Kablean - a continuation inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice character Kitty Bennet
Mary B.: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice, by Katherine J. Chen – A Review
Of the five Bennet sisters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mary is the most unlikely of heroines. Priggish, sanctimonious, and unattractive, her prospects for a happy life were bleak. In Mary B., debut novelist Katherine Chen chooses to give Mary her own story – delving into her young, awkward life with her family at... Continue Reading →
Love & Friendship, by Whit Stillman – A Review
From the desk of Tracy Hickman: Lady Susan is my favorite of Jane Austen’s minor works. A scheming widow who also happens to be “the most accomplished coquette in England,” Lady Susan Vernon is intelligent, attractive, and unscrupulous, agreeing with her immoral friend Alicia Johnson that “Facts are such horrid things!” (256) Her letters to... Continue Reading →
Regency Spies: Secret Histories of Britain’s Rebels & Revolutionaries, by Sue Wilkes – A Review
From the desk of Stephanie Barron: PARANOIA RUNS DEEP From the moment I saw the title of Sue Wilkes’s latest book, Regency Spies (Pen & Sword Books, 2015), I was desperate to get my hot little hands on a copy. In a distant chapter of my life I was trained in espionage by the CIA,... Continue Reading →
The Summer Before the War: A Novel, by Helen Simonson – A Review
From the desk of Debra E. Marvin: Discovering just-released fiction on my library’s New Audiobooks shelf makes me feel as if someone has let me slip in at the front of a long line. When I found Helen Simonson’s The Summer Before the War, I was delighted she’d chosen another charming English town (I’d quite... Continue Reading →
A Man of Genius, by Janet Todd – A Review
From the desk of Shelley DeWees: Once as a child he’d had himself electrocuted to see how it would feel. He’d let the current course through him. He’d felt vibrant. Perhaps he’d never been the same since, just full of sparks. Perhaps touching him she’d taken on some of his electricity, only instead of making... Continue Reading →
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice, by Curtis Sittenfeld – A Review
From the desk of Tracy Hickman: Jane Austen is a tough act to follow and that is exactly what the Austen Project asks contemporary authors to do: reimagine one of Austen’s novels in the here and now. Curtis Sittenfeld, the author of four novels including Prep and American Wife, was chosen to take on Austen’s... Continue Reading →
Julian Fellowes’ Belgravia Episode 1: Dancing into Battle – Recap & Review
Hold on to your bonnets historical fiction fans! Today is the official debut of Julian Fellowes’ Belgravia, a new serialized novel by Downton Abbey’s creator/writer. Set in London in the early Victorian-era, the story follows one family’s life and how a secret from twenty-five years earlier, changed them forever. Austenprose is honored to be the... Continue Reading →
Love, Lies and Spies, by Cindy Anstey – A Review
From the desk of Katie Patchell: Espionage. Matchmaking Mamas. Pretend Romances. Ladybugs! Who would have thought that these four things are closely related? Yet these tantalizing details (and much more!) can be found in April’s latest Regency novel involving spies and traitors to the English crown, conniving young heiresses, dashing rescues, and one very independent,... Continue Reading →
