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Monday, September 13

Jane Austen Books Galore: Sequels, Prequels, Mash Ups and More

Fall is a busy time for publishers, who are pushing their new offerings out just in time for the holiday season. In my review queue are:

Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition, by Patricia Meyer Spacks

"Drawing on extensive knowledge, wisdom, and original insights, Professor Spacks is a monumentally intelligent guide to Pride and Prejudice. Reading Austen's masterpiece with her commentaries at hand is like reading it with a better, wiser friend: someone who is able to anticipate our questions and reactions and someone who also knows Austen and her people intimately."
--Deidre Lynch, University of Toronto

Harvard University Press: Coming out soon in October

Dancing with Mr. Darcy: Stories Inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House, by Sarah Waters

An anthology of the winning entries in the Jane Austen Short Story Award 2009, which celebrates the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s arrival in the village of Chawton, where she spent the most productive years of her literary life

A Harper Original Coming out in October





Life in the Victorian Country House by Pamela Horn

Country houses formed a distinct community and power base within the broader Victorian countryside. This book shows how landed families' day-to-day existence depended on the skills of the indoor servants who provided their meals and ministered to their general comfort, and the outdoor staff who contributed to their leisure and sporting pursuits. It considers the relationship - and the divisions - between those living 'above stairs' and and the carefully considered hierarchy of domestics who met their needs 'below stairs'.

Also considered are the wider social activities of the two groups who, while living under the same roof, experienced a very different daily round. That applied to preparations for the holding of house parties and the running of sporting events, as well as the important social influence exerted by the London 'Season'.

Random House: Coming out in late September

Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge by J. Marie Croft

Impeccable comportment is mandatory in Regency England, a society governed by strict rules of conduct. Perfectionist Fitzwilliam Darcy, heir to an august ancestral estate, is the epitome of an unimpeachable gentleman, at least until...
Our hero's immaculate image is somewhat tarnished when he and his traveling companions arrive, hot and sweaty, at Pemberley and decide to take a fateful plunge into a scummy pond.  An embarrassing encounter on the estate's lawn leaves a long-lasting impression on Jane and Elizabeth Bennet, who are new acquaintances of Georgiana and Anna Darcy.

Available in October

A Darcy Christmas: A Holiday Tribute to Jane Austen, an anthology

Share in the magic of the season in these three warm and wonderful holiday novellas from bestselling authors.

Christmas Present by Amanda Grange, A Darcy Christmas by Sharon Lathan, and Mr. Darcy's Christmas Carol by Carolyn Eberhart

Coming out from Sourcebooks in October


The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Convinced that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother’s soul mate, Georgiana Darcy enlists her clever and not at all snobbish cousin Anne de Bourgh in ensuring that pride and prejudice aren’t able to keep these two hearts apart. All is going according to plan until Lydia Bennet brings scandal on the family by eloping with George Wickham, and Darcy is called away from Elizabeth’s side before he has a chance to propose. It will take all Georgiana and Anne’s considerable matchmaking talents to ensure that Elizabeth and Darcy are reunited in time to claim their happily ever after.

Coming in January from Sourcebooks; you may pre-order the book here

Let's not forget the mash-ups!

Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson

"Emma Woodhouse—handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition—had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress her. Until the vampire attacks began ...

An Amazon.com reviewer said: Wayne Josephson converts Emma into a vampire thriller with stakes and tea. Although everyone knows vampires exist, Emma is terrific as she goes from totally clueless to Regency Buffy like slayer. (Merry Genre Go Round Reviews 20100802)  Read the first chapter on scribd.

The book is available now. Order at this link.

Jane and the Damned: It's more than her wit that is biting, by Janet Mullany

The “stakes” are high and vampires rule when legendary author Jane Austen joins the ranks of the undead in Janet Mullany’s bloody wonderful literary mash-up, Jane and the Damned. In the bestselling tradition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters; and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, comes a supremely smart and wickedly fun novel that renders the beloved creator of Persuasion and Emma truly immortal—as Mullany pits a transformed Jane Austen and her vampire friends against savage hordes of invading French!

A Harper Collins book, due in late September. Click on this link to order

3 comments:

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

I bought the Emma mash up!!

Suvikki said...

Waiting for that first one!

Adriana Sales Zardini said...

Oh Vic! So many books to read! :)