Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Last unfinished works by acclaimed novelist have an irresistible attraction. Inevitably someone will want to complete them. Psychologically we all want closure in our own lives as well as our literature. I readily admit when I first read Sanditon, Jane Austen’s last unfinished novel, and came to the... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: “One abandoned and the other uncompleted.” The Watsons and Sanditon may be fragments in Jane Austen’s literary canon, but they still deserve due deference. Composed over a decade apart in 1803-4 and 1817, each represents Austen’s desire to continue writing during two challenging times in her life. Written... Continue Reading →
Could Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice have been based on the courtship of Elizabeth Garrison and William Lacey, a Regency-era couple who appear to be the doppelgangers of the legendary Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy? The possibility is intriguing to Maggie Joyce, a 22-year old American working in England after WWII who hears... Continue Reading →
While the Jane Austen sequel industry abounds with numerous books inspired by Pride and Prejudice, regretfully there are very few sequels to Austen’s first published novel Sense and Sensibility. Why? Possibly because some readers have been disappointed with half of Austen’s unsatisfactory ending for her two heroines. While the two Dashwood sisters do marry: staid... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Did you know that Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?! In this highly original Pride and Prejudice sequel by British author Monica Fairview, Caroline Bingley is our heroine. Caroline is sincerely broken-hearted when Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy Bennet that is, until she meets his charming and sympathetic American... Continue Reading →
Originally self-published in 2007 as A Letter to Lady Catherine, this Pride and Prejudice spinoff has a surprising new heroine – Anne De Bourgh! Yes, I heard that collective gasp of astonishment. A whole novel devoted to Mr. Darcy’s sickly, unaccomplished, and henpecked cousin? Indeed! Judith Brocklehurst’s novel may have been given a grand makeover... Continue Reading →
In the fifth installment in her Pink Carnation Series, more Napoleonic espionage ensues as Lauren Willig spins her captivating tale of the exploits of Robert Lansdowne, the reluctant Duke of Dovedail, and his bookish young cousin Charlotte in The Temptation of the Night Jasmine. Set in England in 1803, Robert’s unexpected return to his ducal estate... Continue Reading →
In her fourth book in the Jane Austen in the 21st-century series for young adult readers, (and some older adults who are forever young at heart), author Rosie Rushton tackles Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, retelling the story with a contemporary twist. Her teenage Lizzie Bennet and sisters are still hunting for... Continue Reading →
This time travel romance novel has a great hook in the title – Jane Austen’s name, and we all know that it caught your attention, cuz, you’re reading my review! When an author sets out to ‘entrap’ (or more kindly stated) ‘entice’ us into noticing their book over all of the other thousands of books... Continue Reading →
We'll confess all right up front. We don't quite understand what the fuss is over Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Jane Austen ate our brain long ago and we have been an Austen zombie ever since, attentively working away for 200 years for her cause in pursuit of more brains to initiate into the holy... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Christina Boyd: Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy. What is it about Jane Austen's male protagonist in Pride and Prejudice -- this aloof, arrogant man -- that draws women to him like a moth to a flame? The mere mention of Mr. Darcy, sighs and dreamy-eyed, flushed expressions flourish. But enough... Continue Reading →
Book review of The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Mary Street. In this parallel story to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, we see Mr. Darcy's side of the story.
