From the desk of Elaine Simpson-Long:Â An Infamous Army is a novel about the battle of Waterloo with a love story attached, not the other way round and the title refers to the Duke of Wellington's unkind nickname for the motley collection of national armies under his command in 1815. The story is set in... Continue Reading →
Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, by Jennifer Kloester (new edition) – A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:Â During her prolific fifty-three year writing career, British author Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) wrote fifty-six historical fiction, Regency romance and detective fiction novels. She was a pioneer in Regency romance, and is generally attributed by many for establishing the sub-genre that is flourishing today. Stylish, witty and historically accurate,... Continue Reading →
Murder at Mansfield Park, by Lynn Shepherd – A Review
Mansfield Park is considered (by some) to be the dark horse of Jane Austen’s oeuvre and her heroine Fanny Price intolerable. Poor Fanny. She really gets the bum’s rush in Austenland. The patron saint of the weak, insipid and downtrodden, she is Jane Austen’s most misunderstood heroine. In fact, many dispute if she is the... Continue Reading →
Which Edition of Pride and Prejudice Should You Read?
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen Thus began one of the most beloved novels ever written. The popularity of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, 200 years after its publication,... Continue Reading →
The Darcy Cousins, by Monica Fairview – A Review
In The Other Mr. Darcy, last year’s debut Austenesque novel by Monica Fairview we were introduced to Fitzwilliam Darcy’s American cousin Robert Darcy. Now the story continues with The Darcy Cousins, a Pride and Prejudice sequel to a sequel when his two younger siblings Clarissa and Frederick Darcy arrive from Boston and join their brother... Continue Reading →
Jane’s Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman – A Review
From the desk of Joanna Go: The moment I opened Jane’s Fame, the catchy titles of certain chapters – Praise and Pewter, Canon and Canonisation, Jane AustenTM hooked me and I knew I was in for a ride. I was not disappointed. Claire Harman’s new biography of Jane Austen is an engaging and brave account... Continue Reading →
5 Sanditon-inspired Novels that Complete Jane Austen’s Last Unfinished Work
Jane Austen’s last unfinished novel Sanditon ended after 22,000 words and midway into what may have been chapter twelve. Her draft manuscript was a bright beginning introducing us to the seaside town in development as a health resort and a list of over 20 characters. For anyone who has turned to the last page and... Continue Reading →
Sanditon, by Jane Austen (Hesperus Press): A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:Â On the 27th of January, 1817 Jane Austen began work on a novel that is now known as Sanditon. It was never completed. Her declining health robbed her of what she dearly loved most, writing, and on the 18th of March 1817 after penning 22,000 words she wrote... Continue Reading →
The Intrigue at Highbury Or, Emma’s Match, by Carrie Bebris – A Review
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in Carrie Bebris’ clever Jane Austen inspired mysteries, whenever Mr. and Mrs. Darcy embarks on a carriage journey across England they are sure to end up investigating a murder in a country village inhabited by someone or other of Jane Austen’s characters from one of her novels. This... Continue Reading →
The Darcy Cousins, by Monica Fairview – A Review
In The Other Mr. Darcy, last year’s debut Austenesque novel by Monica Fairview we were introduced to Fitzwilliam Darcy’s American cousin Robert Darcy. Now the story continues with The Darcy Cousins, a Pride and Prejudice sequel to a sequel when his two younger siblings Clarissa and Frederick Darcy arrive from Boston and join their brother and... Continue Reading →
Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, by Jennifer Kloester – A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:Â During her prolific fifty-three year writing career, British author Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) wrote fifty-six historical fiction, historical Regency romance and detective fiction novels. Â She was a pioneer in Regency romance, and is generally attributed by many for establishing the sub genre that is flourishing today. Stylish, witty and... Continue Reading →
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (Naxos AudioBooks), read by Juliet Stevenson – A Review
Northanger Abbey is the exuberant lesser-known child of Jane Austen’s oeuvre. Even though it was her first novel to be completed and sold in 1803, much to Austen’s bemusement it was never published and languished with Crosby & Co for thirteen years until she bought it back for the ten pounds that the publisher had... Continue Reading →