My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park, by Cindy Jones: A Review

First Impressions, as Jane Austen so famously wrote about, are characterized by lingering mental coat-tails. The first impression of a first book by a new author is all important. Cindy Jones’s cover of My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park, is dreamy and girly. If I had been her when I first saw the book’s mock up, I would have been thrilled.

Like the cover, Cindy’s writing style is quite refreshing and as pleasant as a strawberry daiquiri on a hot afternoon, and I eagerly settled in to read the book. But my first impression of her heroine, Lily Berry, is that of a clinging woman who, instead of accepting that her boyfriend has moved on, stalks him. Perhaps “stalk” is too strong a word, but what would you call a woman who drives past her former boyfriend’s house repeatedly to spy on him and his new girl?

Lily perhaps had an excuse. After her mother's death, her father replaced his wife with another woman with undue swiftness. Lily turns to her favorite author, Jane Austen, for solace, which gets her into hot water at work, for she is found reading on the job. In short order, she has lost her mother, boyfriend, and job, and so she takes advantage of an opportunity presented to her and travels to England to join a summer-long literary festival that features an acting troupe performing Mansfield Park.

Lily is on what I call a fast-track maturation arc, in which she will eventually discover that the secrets to happiness and inner peace lie in her own self-confidence and self-worth. Her constant  companion is “my Jane Austen”, a quite unique character who pops up as the voice of Jane Austen at necessary times to give Lily some sensible advice.

There are a number of other particulars in this story that I liked. Lily and her sister Karen email each other back and forth, and these modern epistolary touches, an homage to Regency letter writing, are sprinkled throughout the book, providing a secondary plot (one that interested me more than the main story). I also found the idea of actors creating off-the-cuff Mansfield Park scenarios throughout the season intriguing, and the novel's minor characters are well drawn.

But because of my negative first impression of Lily, I never warmed up to her, and thus her Mansfield Park adventure and romantic dalliances did not engage me as much as I would have liked. When I was introduced to Lily’s roommate – the irresponsible and self-centered Bets, for whom I cared not one whit – I was unable to empathize with Lily’s dilemma of wanting her mother's “borrowed” necklace returned. For, had I been in her situation, I would have ripped that necklace off Bets's neck and not been left in a position of weakness, repeatedly asking for something that was rightfully mine. Be that as it may, Lily does grow up in the end, which is all I will reveal about the book's denouement.

I am aware that other readers might have different first impressions of Lily (some reviewers have compared her to Bridget Jones), and that they will enter into the spirit of this novel as the author intended. That Ms. Jones can write is undeniable. I give My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park 2 out of 3 Regency fans.

Austenprose is holding a My Jane Austen Summer book giveaway! Always such joy.

Book Giveaway and Review of The Jane Austen Handbook: Proper Life Skills from Regency England, Margaret C. Sullivan

The Contest is Now Closed: The first book I ever reviewed for this blog in 2007 was Margaret C. Sullivan's The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World, which has been reissued with a new byline: Proper Life Skills from Regency England. The book's cover is different in color, as is the cover illustration, but the information and charming illustrations contained within this new edition remain the same.

The Pump Room

In the middle of her introduction, Margaret includes the phrase: “Have you ever wondered …?” Without further ado, I shall appropriate her question for this review.

Have you ever wondered which skills a well bred young lady should develop? On pages 16-19, Margaret details the particulars of how a Regency miss became well versed in languages, history and geography, playing a musical instrument, painting and drawing, sewing and needlework, and dancing. Better yet, she includes a full description of a gentleman's education.

A walk in the country

Have you ever wondered how Regency folk spend the season in London, Bath, the country, and seaside? Lovers of the Regency era will adore the clear way in which Margaret outlines the best times to go and which activities are best suited for each place.In London one attends balls and evenings parties, museums, the theatre, and shops. Similar activities are available in Bath, but one also promenades in the Pump Room or can take country walks to Beechen Cliff, for example, for a fine view. The seaside offers a walk on the beach or a promenade along the Cobb.

Bathing, Regency style

Have you ever wondered what gentlemen needed to do to improve their estates? How ladies spent their leisure time? And what about the marriage mart and choosing one's mate? How did one go about proposing? Flirting? Eloping?

These topics and more are covered in this handy reference book, compact enough to carry in one's carry on luggage or purse as one embarks on a lifetime trip to Jane Austen country in England. The book's organization is clear and the information easy to find. As a reference it is accurate, but it is written with gentle humor and with an easy style that makes it a joy to read. The Jane Austen Handbook: Proper Life Skills from Regency England is equally helpful to the Jane Austen neophyte as to the seasoned Janeite. I highly recommend it.

Book Giveaway! Do you have a question about the Regency era or Jane Austen's life? Leave your comment for an opportunity to win a copy of the new edition of this reference guide, now available at Amazon.com. Contest ends March 31st. Congratulations Treasa!

Read my interview with Margaret C. Sullivan on Jane Austen's World at this link.

The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine: A Review

It is no well-kept secret that The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine (now in paperback) was written as a 21st century homage to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. In this modern take of a classic, Betty Weissmann and her two middle aged daughters, Miranda and Annie, meet similar challenges that the Dashwood women faced in the early 19th century – the loss of a husband, and luxurious home and income for Betty, and the absence of a father's loving presence and support in the lives of the two daughters.

I picked up the book and began to read it and could not put it down for the first three chapters, enjoying Cathleen Schine's bright and witty retelling of this classic tale. Joe, Betty's husband of forty-eight years, has decided to leave her for another woman, a fact he withholds from his bewildered wife. Seventy-five year-old Betty had not anticipated this development or equipped herself to live on her own, for she had been a traditional wife, making a comfortable home for her family and not working outside of it.

One of Jane Austen's most famous villainesses, Fanny Dashwood, has been transformed into Felicity Barrows, the woman Joe Weissmann loves and for whom he is leaving his wife. Joe wants to be generous with Betty and leave her in her home, but Felicity, who covets his Central Park West apartment, convinces him that the most generous gift he can give Betty is to take the apartment from her, for, as she tells Joe, his wife cannot afford its upkeep.

Betty, on the other hand, cannot conceive of living anywhere else and is shocked when Joe cuts off her bank account and credit. Enter cousin Lou (Sir John Middleton), a generous character who'se made a bundle and who surrounds himself with scores of people, including those whose circumstances are drastically reduced. In the most timely fashion imaginable, he offers Betty the use of his beach house in Connecticut.

Similarities to Jane Austen's plot are woven throughout this modern narrative and are easy to pick out for even the most casual Austen fan. The book follows these three women through their time of physical and emotional upheaval, for the two unmarried daughters decide to move with their mother into Lou's small cottage. Miranda (as impetuous a character as Marianne and never married) faces a major life challenge when a scandal rocks her literary agency, and Annie, a divorced mother of two and as practical as Elinor, decides to commute to her job as a librarian in New York in order to keep a financial handle on her spendthrift sister and mother.

And thus the plot unfolds.

So with everything going for this bestseller (and a New York Times editors' choice and notable book), why didn't I like it more? The tale is comfortably familiar, Cathleen Schine's writing sparkles, and the book is a breeze to read and a perfect accompaniment on a long flight or lazy weekend. The reader meets the modern equivalents of Colonel Brandon, Willoughby, Edward Ferrars, and the Steele sisters, and is treated to contemporary situations, plot twists and turns, and an unpredictable ending. Yet I never became emotionally involved with the characters, always standing back a little.

As a divorced woman who experienced much of the same bewilderment as Betty, I found that the emotional carnage of losing one's best friend and husband, cozy lifestyle, and shared friends was never fully realized in this novel. (Perhaps my problem with Betty's character was that she lacked the depth and complexity that would have made her more interesting to me.) Miranda at forty-nine is as dramatic and immature in many ways as 17-year-old Marianne, who, by dint of her youth had an excuse for being so overly romantic. One senses that with time, Marianne will mature and outgrow some of her more unrealistic sensibilities. That a middle-aged Miranda is still so unrelentingly theatrical struck the wrong note with my inner Elinor.

Annie's reason for moving to the cottage to take care of her mother seemed thin in this age of easy commuting and telecommunications and electronic oversight of bank accounts and bill paying. And so ultimately this book became (for me) a soap opera in print, albeit with many literary allusions and contemporary associations, such as Miranda's appearance on Oprah, but one that - despite Schine's clever writing - never quite won over my heart.

If you decide to pick up The Three Weissmanns of Westport, my recommendation is to read the book on its own merit and to refrain from comparing it to S&S. You'll enjoy it so much better.

• Order the book at this link.
• The Three Weissmanns of Westport, a review on Jane Austen's World

Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski: A Review

Book review from the desk of Shelley DeWees… Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer by Karen V. Wasylowski

Imagine, if you dare…

A soldier stands in the background, far away from the shaded beauty of the stairs directly below you. You can barely see the red-backed, leather-booted militia man but you can tell he walks with purpose, conviction. He’s looking to the right as if he’s about to turn into the lane and boldly move off into the next phase of life with his head held high, confident in his poise and precise in his footfalls. The beautiful spring day is made better by the vision of sun dappled ferns and leaves scattered haphazardly on the stones, billowing around as if they’ve just been disturbed by something….a man….a cloaked man, running after the soldier with a clear demeanor of distress. He runs as if he’s got something to say, something important.

Mysterious. Intriguing, you might say. Gracing the cover of Darcy and Fitzwilliam, Karen Wasylowski’s debut novel, the scene seems to speak, “Yes. Open me. Read me. It will prove interesting.” My senses were tingling, but guardedly. It was going to be a compelling tale of male bonding and growth, perhaps interspersed with a few allegories of debauchery and decadence. Was I about to stumble into a literary man cave? A wordy representation of a place where no female ought to poke her nose? Though the contemptible word “bromance” was used in the author’s own description of her work, her “baby” as she called it, I was moved to give the whole liking it thing a real shot, a good ‘ol college try. With such a lovely cover, it had to be better than a bromance, right? Would a sneaky look into a man cave be that bad?

Well, no. This story is amazing. It’s not just a glimpse into the idle lives of the extremely rich and entitled, and certainly not a flippant narrative of a life unbridled by the constraints of the middle class. It’s not just drinking and billiards, gambling and shooting, and it’s certainly not what I thought it would be (the man cave analogy is officially rebuked). This is a visceral tale that positively drips with social commentary, tackling problems that few Austenesque writers would attempt to undertake.

Ms. Wasylowski weaves a brilliant account of two separate lives, those of a married, measured, quiet man whose strength is in the details, and another loud, energetic, sometimes irksome chronic bachelor who uses his charisma to get what he needs out of life. I’m sure you know which is which, but I bet you’ll be surprised at just how engaging these two characters are. The book itself is divided into two volumes, the first of which deals with Mr. Darcy and his new bride. They’re happy but not irritatingly so (how refreshing), and in fact they engage in a knock-down-drag-out brawl within the first seven chapters! Elizabeth and Darcy slowly figure out their new life together, discovering flaws, faults, one giant secret, and stirring up all kinds of interesting social issues in the meantime. Sexual disparities show up, and Elizabeth marvels at her ignorance and jealously while Darcy is forced to deal with the formidable Lady Catherine DeBourgh (who, in this representation, is a feisty and delicious character). Later on in volume two, the life of Fitzwilliam “Richard” Darcy is explored more thoroughly, and the reader watches helplessly as his greed and foolishness finally catch up with him. What is he to do? Searching for answers at the bottom of a hip flask hasn’t been working out. He’s looking to find someone to spend his life with, but is forced to sift through piles of societal restrictions once he’s found her. England’s position on women, marriage, homosexuality, alcohol, even America’s treachery come into the picture, not tiptoeing over but literally smashing his dreams. What’s a guy to do?

There is little else anyone can say to you, clever reader, except this: Read this book. A cutesy romance of love and lace it is not. Darcy and Fitzwilliam is a gripping interpretation of life in Regency England, bravely attempting to bring issues of tension to the table. Domestic violence, alcoholism, harsh words, sex, royalism, and loathsome small-mindedness abound, and all through the vision of Jane Austen’s characters.

It’s intoxicating. It’s absorbing. It’s excellent.

Gentle readers, This is Shelley DeWees's fifth book review for me and the second for Jane Austen Today. (She has also reviewed for my other blog, Jane Austen's World.) Shelley also oversees her own blog, The Uprising, which features vegan recipes. Yum. She lives in the northern U.S. I shiver just thinking about the cold.- Vic

Review: The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen, by Carol Adams, Douglas Buchanan, and Kelly Gesch

“No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine.” -Northanger Abbey

No one who had ever seen a vegan feminist, a composer, and a graduate student would have supposed them to write a book about Jane Austen. However, in a bold move as unassuming as Catherine Morland, these three have strayed from their usual career paths and done exactly what we thought they’d never do: written a clever and engaging partner book for Jane Austen lovers everywhere.

Touting itself as a something-for-everyone work, The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen weaves non-spoiler plot summaries of each of the novels with interesting tidbits of information: interviews with Jane scholars and artists, framework for the “ideal Jane Austen tour”, a description of fashionable Regency Era dress, and answers the age-old question we all must ask of Mr. Bingley, “What the heck is ‘white soup’?” There is a Jane Aptitude test (challenging even for the most dedicated addict), analyses of film adaptations and gift ideas for your best Janeite friends, an original song entitled “On Reading Jane Austen” and a delightful section about why young women look upon walking so favorably. Witty comments abound, and the reader finds themselves engrossed almost immediately in this amusing little adventure!

Among the most interesting aspects of the 218-page paperback is the summary of Northanger Abbey and the breakdown of Gothic clichés so readily parodied within. Catherine Morland’s mind runs away from her upon arriving at the abbey—looking around every corner for danger, assuming the worst about the mysterious General Tilney, and expressing dissent at the furniture being “in all the profusion and elegance of modern taste.” Upon investigating a strange Japanese cabinet during a predictable “dark and stormy night,” Catherine finds—horror of horrors!—a laundry list! A stack of bills for services rendered! SAY IT AIN’T SO! The Companion seems to chuckle along with the reader during these positively ridiculous happenings, describing Northanger Abbey as “the education of a naïve reader—both the reader in the book, Catherine Morland, and the reader holding the book, you.” (What? Did you expect something else in that cabinet? Me too.)

The Companion does what it claims, which is, in basic terms, to awaken interest in Jane Austen. I found my imagination buzzing with possibilities about the characteristics of Jane’s life during my short visit to The Companion, my mental imagery growing more intricate with every passing article about carriages, dresses, and ruminations about dinners that require a change of clothes. However, I was keenly aware that my imaginings were most-assuredly inaccurate, a usual side effect of a “brain candy” book. Those who value a scholarly approach to Jane Austen may find the work to be a bit trite, overly concerned with contemporary details that mattered little in Jane’s world. A reader who expects a significant contribution to Austen research will be disappointed, and may trip over some less-than-perfect areas of writing and a sloppy table of contents, penned by seemingly unqualified authors. But for those who wish to simply lean back and enjoy need look no further—The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen is victorious, inciting more curiosity and unapologetic musings than many Austen addicts have felt in a long while.

Gentle readers, please welcome reviewer Shelley De Wees, who will be contributing her book reviews to Jane Austen Today and Jane Austen's World in the future. Check out her website, The Uprising, at this link.

May We Recommend ... Jane Austen, An Illustrated Treasury

Jane Austen: An Illustrated Treasury, by Rebecca Dickson.

Now available at Barnes & Noble for the astonishing price of $19.98 (only $16.98 if you are a member), this elegant book, which I purchased with a holiday gift card looks and feels like a blog between covers. Opening this book is like clicking on Jane Austen's World, Austen Prose, or Jane Austen Sequels, where you can learn tidbits about Jane's life, annotations about the regency period and her novels, and read critiques, quotes, and sayings about her family and friends in relatively short and easy-to-read essays.

Moreover, this coffee table book is beautifully designed and offers pull outs of Jane's letters, portraits, and other memorabilia. If you know of a Jane fan in your family who feels uncomfortable surfing the web (hint: mother or grandmother), then this might be the perfect gift for a birthday or Valentine's day.

Did I gush enough to convince you? Good. At Amazon.com used copies of this book go for almost twice the price. Also recommended for gift buying by Austen Prose - Vic

Jane Eyre's Daughter

With Jane Austen sequels proliferating, it’s about time someone created a sequel to Austen’s rival Charlotte Brontë! In this sequel to Jane Eyre, young Janet Rochester is consigned to Highcrest Manor and the guardianship of the strict Colonel Dent while her parents journey to the West Indies. As she struggles to make a life for herself guided by their ideals, she is caught up in the mysteries of Highcrest. Why is the East Wing forbidden to her? What lies behind locked gates? And what is the source of the voices she hears in the night? Can she trust the enigmatic Roderick Landless or should she transfer her allegiance to the suave and charming Sir Hugo Calendar? Riding her mare on the Yorkshire moors, holding her own with Colonel Dent, or waltzing at her first ball, Janet is a strong and sympathetic character, and like her mother, she will need all her courage ...

Jane Eyre’s Daughter by Elizabeth Newark: Coming Out in September by SourceBooks

Reviewed by Lady Anne

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when we read a book we love with characters that become friends, we wish to continue the relationship. Thus the frequency of sequels, prequels, and variations on the theme that are books about Jane Austen as well as about, most notably, the Darcys and the imagined lives they led after the close of Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Eyre’s Daughter is an example of this genre. Young Janet Rochester is a somewhat sulky 16 year old, jealous of her father’s love for her mother and afflicted with some Freudian-inspired issues. She fancies herself isolated in her family, and perhaps she was, as she is left behind when her parents and brother go off, first to the West Indies to resolve some problem on the plantation there, and then to visit China and the countries in the South Pacific. She and we are apprised of this venture the day before Janet is sent off to school, where she is comfortable enough, although she raises some question about one of the teacher’s sexual proclivities. A bruising rider, she chases down a runaway horse belonging to another student, and thereby meets the brother and sister who have been the tenants in Thornfield Hall during the family’s absence. When her schooling concludes, she goes to live at the home of Colonel Dent, whom her parents had named as a guardian should they not return from their journey, (she does hire a companion to preserve the proprieties) and encounters several puzzles: a mysterious secretary, inexplicable comings and goings in the night, and questions about the Colonel as well as the tenants of Thornfield. And then she receives word that her parents’ ship was lost at sea.

There is little of Jane and Mr. Rochester in the book; the plot could have stood on its own devices, a somewhat predictable but very pleasant story of an interesting young woman coming into her own. Young Janet Rochester, when she stands up for herself, draws on her memories of her father. But her memories are not particularly familiar to those of us who also have memories of Mr. Rochester. At least she is far more interested in clothes and society than her mother was, and while mildly scholarly in her bent, she is definitely not so high-minded as her mother so famously was.

There is some unnecessary introduction of sexual depravity at the edges of the story; Jane’s companion escaped from her relatives into Jane’s hire because of the uncle’s pawing, and the Thornfield tenants, brother and sister, were incestuously involved, which made her brother’s designs on Janet a most unpleasant development for the sister. But these were not necessary, nor did either advance the plot. Colonel Dent’s rigid, if misguided, sense of propriety and those secrets he kept were far better done, and were great plot movers.

Jane Eyre’s Daughter is a pleasant read , a friendly coze in the mid-to-late- Nineteenth Century. It will not give the avid Jane Eyre fan much in the way of seeing Jane in later life, but young Janet becomes a strong and interesting heroine in her own right.

About Lady Anne:
A confirmed Janeite and co-founder of Janeites on the James (our Jane Austen group), an expert on all things Georgette Heyer and the Regency Era, a lady well read and well bred, Lady Anne is known for her discerning eye for both literature and her breath-taking garments made by a select mantua maker. Cloth'd and coifed, Lady Anne knows few equals, and when she enters a room she is a commanding presence. She is also Ms. Place's special friend and confidante.

A New Mr. Darcy Sequel: Seducing Mr. Darcy

Inquiring readers, we have asked author Gwyn Cready to write about her new book for us. Laurel Ann will review it soon. Here then, is another Mr. Darcy post. Three in two days! Think Jane's hero is worth the attention?

Hi. I'm Gwyn Cready, author of Seducing Mr. Darcy. Like you, I'm a lifelong Jane Austen fan. I starting reading Austen in high school, added the luscious film adaptations to my repertoire (specifically the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice, which my family and I watch every year on vacation, as well as Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow) and have never stopped since.

If I had to choose a favorite of Austen’s novels, I suppose I'd pick Pride and Prejudice. One ends up with two happy couples there, after all, though I believe from a hero standpoint I am equally as fond of Mr. Knightley as I am Mr. Darcy.

I'm very grateful to Vic and Laurel for letting me have this opportunity to talk to you. I hope I earn my keep here--well, at least for a day. My new book, Seducing Mr. Darcy (Pocket Books, $6.99) comes out July 29. It will be a selection in the Doubleday Book Club and was chosen to be the Alternate-to-Main selection in the Rhapsody Book Club. It's the sexy, funny story of Flip Allison, an ornithologist at the Pittsburgh Aviary who, by way of a massage in which one can imagine oneself in one's favorite book, finds herself launched not just into Pride and Prejudice, but right into the arms of Darcy himself. She awakes from her massage restored and refreshed only to discover her fling with Darcy was not just a dream and, in fact, has changed everything about the book. She's forced to enlist the help of Magnus Knightley, an imperious, Darcy-like British scholar, to undo the damage before legions of Jane Austen fans revolt.

Do you have to be a Jane Austen fan to love this story? I know that's not going to be a big issue in this group, but a lot of people ask it and the answer is no. As long as a reader thinks having a quick fling with her favorite literary hero would be a hot prospect for an unscheduled afternoon (Oh, Jamie Fraser, why don't you ever call?), I think she'll be pretty happy.

Perhaps a more relevant question for this group is, will a Jane Austen fan be horrified by the story? A purist, perhaps--especially because my books tend to be funny and sexy, and this one is no different—but most other fans I think will accept it for what it is and enjoy it. I'll admit it did feel a little odd borrowing someone else's characters, but based on the squeals of delight I hear when I tell women the plot, I think I've hit on one of the mother lodes of female fantasy.

And let’s not forget, Austen exercised in a little literary mash-up herself, sending up Gothic novels in Northanger Abbey.

Here are the terms I felt I had to meet if I were going to borrow Austen’s characters and plot. First, my writing had to demonstrate a genuine love and respect for Jane Austen. Second, if I was going to put a heroine into Darcy's arms, it had better be long before he meets Lizzy Bennet. And third, whatever travails I put Darcy and Lizzy through, I needed to ensure they ended up happily ever after.


I knew the character of Magnus Knightley, the Austen scholar devastated by the destruction of his favorite story, would speak for the Austen lovers out there and ensure I met the first part of the terms. This left me with the relatively easy task of concocting a zippy little plot to meet the next two. And here we are.

People ask who I'd cast as the hero, and for me the answer is Colin Firth. Probably no surprise. He is who I had in my mind as I wrote both the Mr. Darcy and Magnus Knightley characters. What might surprise you, though, is that Firth was also who I had in mind when I was writing the two heroes from my first book, Tumbling Through Time (there’s even a couple jokes in the book about them looking like Colin Firth), as well the hero in the book I'm writing now (working title, Stripped Bare.) One man, three books, five heroes. I really need to drop the guy a thank-you note.

Here's an excerpt from Seducing Mr., Darcy if you'd like to give it a try. I also invite you to visit the picture section of my website. I like to offer photos related to each story so that readers can see what was in my mind as I was writing.

I also have a surprise for this group from DesignHerGals.com that I think you’ll love. If you've never been to DesignHerGals.com, you should go. The only way to describe it is that it's like paper dolls for grown-up girls. I just adore it. You get to design an illustration of yourself or a friend, selecting hair color, hair style, eye color, clothes and other "fun stuff." That’s me, pictured in my DesignHerGal form. The designing is free, and when your "gal" is complete you can send her for free in ecards to anyone you’d like. However, if you find you love your gal so much, you can’t live without her, you can also put the image on stationery, notecards and mugs, etc., and buy it.

Here’s the part you’ll love. To mark the launch of Seducing Mr. Darcy, DesignHerGals.com has created an exciting bonus- the opportunity to pair up your gal with Mr. Darcy! That’s right. You and Mr. Darcy, together at last. To have a gorgeous and very Colin-Firth-like Mr. Darcy standing next to you, just select "Outfits." You’ll see him right near the top, alongside a beautiful Regency dress. Just click and—boom!—you’ll feel like you’re in the story, too, just like Flip.

You can also go to "Fun Stuff" and choose to hold a copy of Seducing Mr. Darcy.

The DesignHerGals Foundation was set up to help women with Stage IV breast cancer. A portion of all their sales go to this worthy cause. I lost one of my bridesmaids to breast cancer and another of my friends is battling the disease, so this means a lot to me.

Thanks so much for letting me join you for a day. I'm open for questions and eager to hear your thoughts.

Gwyn Cready
www.cready.com

Bio: Gwyn Cready is the author of Tumbling Through Time and Seducing Mr. Darcy. She has a BA and an MBA from the University of Chicago. She's put in her time as a brand manager and now waits patiently for a blurb from Colin Firth. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh.

Lydia Bennet's Story: A Review

Lydia Bennet’s Story: A Sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice by Jane Odiwe (new Sourcebook cover on left, and UK cover below) is a fun and spirited romance. In it, the narrator follows Lydia to Brighton, where she meets up with Wickham and runs off with him. She thinks he is taking her to Gretna Green, but when he announces that they have only enough funds to get them to London, this foolish young girl naively goes along with his plan, still thinking her “Georgie” intends to marry her.

We already know the story as written in Pride & Prejudice from Elizabeth Bennet’s perspective. In her narrative, Jane Odiwe gets into Lydia’s mind. She contrasts Wickham’s general disinterest in Lydia (except to get her into his bed) with Lydia’s youthful ardor. Through Lydia’s journal, we come to understand the process that brought her to forget her strict and genteel upbringing, and throw everything to the wind to follow a worldly man, one who has merely toyed with her in order to escape his creditors. She brushes aside indications of his bad temper and profligate ways, always looking at the sunny side and making excuses for him.

But something happens to our Lydia. As she gets to know her husband intimately, her eyes are opened, and though she will never possess the wit and wisdom of her elder sister, Elizabeth, she does mature with the passage of time. Be it far from me to spoil the plot of this novel, or its plausible ending. Simply know that when you purchase this novel, you will be transported to Brighton and London and all their Regency charms, and revisit some of your favorite Pride & Prejudice characters.

Jane Odiwe has a knack for describing the settings in her narrative, and writing in Lydia’s breathless tone in the journals. I enjoyed the book, much to my surprise. I only say this because I generally don’t read sequels. This one was entertaining, and had me turning the page to find out how the story ends. You can order the book at Amazon.com.

Photo: Lydia and Wickham, 1995 A&E Pride & Prejudice.

My rating for this novel: Three regency fans.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

What if Jane Austen had written a memoir that was uncovered almost two hundred years after her death? Can you imagine the excitement among literary historians, Janeites, and the academic world in general? Unfortunately, no such event has happened, but Syrie James, author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen has created a remarkable book, one that "could" have been Jane Austen's lost memoir. The book, with its lovely cover, is treated like the real thing, and comes with a foreword, footnotes, author's insights, and more. But it's not the extras that excited my interest: It is Ms. James' spot on research and writing style.
My sisters in arms, the Janeites on the James, know that when it comes to Jane fiction I expect the story to be written well, the dates to be accurate, and the "feel" of the piece to echo Jane's style of writing. We have had some spirited discussions on the topic this past year, with me often taking the lone position of wishing to discuss Jane's novels and characters only. So it is unusual for me to gush like an excited tweeny about a Jane spin-off. But there you have it.

According to the Memoir, Jane's true love was a Mr. Frederick Ashford, a man she meets in Lyme. At this juncture in her life, Jane lives in Southampton and has stopped writing. No letters exist from this period, and it is assumed that Cassandra destroyed them. Syrie James, curious about that silent period, said during an interview, "I was intrigued by the story that Jane's sister Cassandra confided to her niece: that the only man Jane ever truly loved, was an unnamed gentleman she once met at an unspecified seaside resort. This tantalizing anecdote is known as the mysterious "seaside romance." Everyone wonders: who was that man? What happened to him? I decided to invent him."

Unfortunately, Jane and her true love never marry. Mr. Ashford comes with a secret, one that makes sense for that era and which is revealed late in the book. Thus the ending is bittersweet, but it is uplifting at the same time. Jane emerges from the affair having experienced romantic love in a deep and mature way. In real life, the unnamed gentleman Jane purportedly loved died, but you will have to find out what happened to Mr. Ashford by reading the Memoir.

If you were wondering which book to read in front of a fire during a cold snap, or what gift to purchase for a fellow Janeite, this book is that perfect item. Syrie James' own words about her research and preparation sum up why I so highly recommend her novel:

I felt a great responsibility to remain true to Jane Austen's known history, and to accurately represent not only her, but her real-life friends and family members. It was a challenge to interweave my love story with the known dates, times, places and facts of Jane Austen's life. When I was finished, I hoped it would be difficult for even the most discerning Jane Austen scholar to determine where fact ended and fiction began.

• Click here to learn more about the author Syrie James.

• Click here to order the book online.

My rating for the book: Three Regency fans.

Mr. Knightley's Diary

Mr. Knightly, a 37 year old bachelor, has reached a time of life when he is ready to settle down and start a family. But no young lady catches his eye – except for the pretty, young, and very privileged Emma Woodhouse, who, in his opinion, needs to learn to mind her business . . .

After having spent over half my life getting to know Emma through Jane Austen’s eyes, I confess I am delighted to read her story from a male perspective. In Amanda Grange's novel, Mr. Knightley's Diary, we meet all the characters, including Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Smith, Miss Taylor, Miss Bates, Frank Churchill, and Mr. Elton. In a sense, Mr. Knightley leads a curiously parallel life to our meddling Miss Woodhouse, and he encounters her, as well as all the main characters, in each of the crucial scenes in Jane's novel.

I am especially thrilled to meet the Martin family in their own environment, and to observe their affection for Harriet Smith first-hand. We see Mr. Knightley's jealousy of Frank Churchill unfold, and his awareness of his love for Emma grow. These details, implied by Jane, are more fully described by Amanda Grange. Interestingly, I found myself mesmerized by the plot: Would Mr. Knightley get his Emma or not? Even though I knew the ending, Amanda Grange's rewriting of the plot is so fresh that one can feel Mr. Knightley's jealousy as he watches Frank Churchill flirt with her.

Mr. Knightley’s point of view is all the more enjoyable for the reader who is well acquainted with Emma's plot. In addition to satisfying our curiosity about what goes on in Mr. Knightley's mind, Amanda Grange’s writing style is easy and elegant, and the novel moves along quickly. Mr. Knightley's Diary is not a new release, since the hardback version came out last year, and Amanda Grange has created other similar diaries for Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth. Apparently this prolific author is busy polishing off the final pages to Edmund Bertrum's Diary. I can't wait to read it.

My rating for this novel is three out of three regency fans.

A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith: Review, Part II

Often a journey is more pleasant if one slows down and savors it. I had hoped to review Lori Smith's book, A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love & Faith, in one fell swoop, but my busy summer schedule would not allow it. This was to my benefit. Everywhere I went I took Lori's manuscript with me, like a comfortable friend. I discovered that this is no facile book to be read quickly, for Lori investigates such important concepts as faith, morality, and the decisions that change one's life and set one on a different path.

In fact, this book resonated deeply with me, a fallen Catholic girl. Like Lori, I stayed in a monastery. Last week I was a guest of the Benedictine nuns for two nights, and experienced the same sense of peace that Lori describes in Alton Abbey, the monastery she stayed in when she visited Steventon (above) and Chawton Cottage. But unlike Lori's silent monks, my nuns chattered like magpies and lived in the moment, working in the real world to bring home the bacon.

Lori describes her visits to Jane's homes vividly, including Edward Austen-Knight's Wedgewood china (above) with its geometric pattern of purple and gold around the edge, which he chose in London when Jane was with him. In fact, Lori weaves the personal details of Jane's life and the details of her own past and present seamlessly in her exquisitely crafted journal.

We learn about the love the two elder Austens had for each other, and what a close-knit family they had created; how Henry championed Jane's career and bragged about his sister's authorship; how Edward waited just a tad long to invite his mother and sisters to live in Chawton Cottage; how close Jane felt to Anne Lefroy, who was 27 years her senior; and which character flaws Jane might have had in common with the spoilt and indulged Emma, whose picnic at Box Hill (below) resulted in Mr. Knightley scolding her for humiliating poor Miss Bates.

My favorite section in Part II is Lori's description of the British Library. Its fascinating contents were a revelation on her part (See the previous post), especially the variety of rare and original manuscripts. This section of the books ends with Lori's visit to Godmersham Park (below). She describes a horrendous journey on the A road that ended with the kind gesture of a cabby and a breathtaking view of Edward's fabulous mansion. Lori's next stop is Winchester, which begins the last part of the book. I can't wait to read it.

Review of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Imagine waking up in someone else's body in another time period with no clue of how you got there or how you'll make it back home. That's the situation author Laurie Viera Rigler has set up in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. One day our heroine Courtney Stone wakes up as Jane Mansfield, a 30-year-old spinster living in turn of the 19th Century England. The day before she was in Los Angeles nursing her hurt over a breakup with a lout of a boyfriend, and the next thing she knows she is confronted by a strict, harsh-eyed Regency mama who deplores her daughter's unmarried state.

Laurie Viera Rigler takes us on a fun and frothy romp through the Regency period as our heroine encounters one bewildering situation after another trying to understand what's happened to her and why. Readers who are expecting a time travel novel with the depth and breadth of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series might be disappointed in this book's superficial fun. But the fans that adored Jude Devereaux's Knight in Shining Armor or the time travel movies Somewhere in Time, Kate and Leopold, and Big will definitely have a rollicking good time.

The themes of intrigue, romance, and a fish out of water are fleshed out with the cultural shocks that our heroine experiences as she becomes accustomed to a world of chaperons, lack of running water, a cool and calculating mother, and unhygienic hostelries. What I found most interesting about this time travel book is that as Jane, Courtney looks entirely different. In her regency persona she is taller and prettier, and can embroider with the skill of an experienced seamstress. Although Courtney has all of Jane's talents and some of her memories, her thoughts and emotions are rooted in the 21st century. This dichotomy places us firmly in the mind of our bewildered heroine, who as Courtney is exceedingly attracted to the suitor her alter ego Jane rejected. It doesn't hurt that our hero, Charles, is as dapper as Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth.

There are a few problems of logic, as all time travel novels share. Jane's strange behavior and lack of memory are explained away as the result of a fall from a horse. And although Courtney was an avid reader of Jane Austen's novels, as Jane she has a hard time coming to grips with the lack of baths and ready-to-wear dresses and a tightly circumscribed world that is not as romantic as she had once thought.

As a reader who is interested in the Regency Era, I would also have loved to have read more details about dress, manners, interiors, and architecture. These were spare, but because of this economy of detail, the book moves along quickly. Frankly, I couldn't put it down at times. I also have a confession to make: This is the first Jane Austen fan book or spin off that I have finished. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is as light and pleasing as a summer sherbet, which, as we all know, is a perfect tonic for a hot summer day.

I give it three out of three regency fans

Lady Anne's Review of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Lady Anne is the most well read of our Janeites of the James group when reading about all things Austen, including Jane's fan fiction. She has agreed to read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and report on her impressions of this novel out in stores tomorrow. Lady Anne is one tough reader to please when it comes to any topic pertaining to the Regency Era. Faint praise from her is fine praise indeed. Here, then, is her review. Mine will arrive in a few short days.

Courtney Stone is a 30-ish single living in LA with a nothing job, a crummy apartment, and lousy taste in men. Like many in her situation, she obsesses over trivialities and takes solace in vodka and the occasional Xanax. But she finds her best relief from the woes of her life in re-reading Jane Austen. Jane Mansfield, a 30-ish single living in Regency England, lives at home with her harsh mother and vague, artistic father. Like many in her situation, she sees only misery and unhappiness before her. In her search for a way out, she consults a fortuneteller, who has apparently done a few terms at Hogwarts School, and who, in the aftermath of a riding accident, slips the very 21st century mind and psyche of Courtney into the body and life of the Regency Jane.

In the fairly predictable incidents that unfold, author Laurie Viera Rigler takes a clear look at the marrying money theme that runs through Austen’s books, as well as the realities of everyday living for the gentried classes and their servants. Courtney/Jane, while chafing against the chaperonage inflicted upon her, a little strict by 1813 for a woman of 30 even by Regency standards, learns to appreciate the fabric of the life she got so much comfort from reading about. It doesn’t hurt that Mr. Edgeworth, an eminently respectable suitor, is also charming and handsome, and everything she had looked for in a man, but couldn’t find in 21st Century LA. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is a good summer read, and fun for every Jane Austen fan.

A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure Love & Faith, Review of the Book, Part One

A WalkWith Jane Austen is a lovely book, full of unexpected insights and revelations. Lori Smith's revealing and personal account is a pure joy to read. As a single, independent and talented woman she is in want of a man, but will not compromise her principles or her quest to experience romantic love in order to simply be with one. Sound familiar? This is one of the many parallels of Lori's life to Jane's. However, the one distinct difference between the two women is that Jane lived a geographically circumscribed and rather "eventless" life, whereas Lori is a seasoned world traveler who has embarked on a risky but life-altering journey.

In Part One of this very personal three part account, Lori travels to Oxford. Sitting in a church, she muses about Jane Austen's faith. As I read Lori's words, it occurs to me how universally loved Jane has become. Studying the world map sitting on my blog, Jane's fans live in China, Korea, Italy, South Africa, Chili, Mexico, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Bahrain, and of course, all the former British Colonies. How is it that Jane is able to attract a close following from so many countries and faiths? As Lori points out, while Jane is religious and operates from a moral foundation, she was spiritually reserved. "'She was 'more inclined to think and act than to talk' about her faith." Lori is so right, and I wonder if Jane's reserved approach to faith in her novels is one of the reasons she is so universally approachable and loved. In addition to our admiration of Jane's enormous writing talent, her novels about families, friends, and love gone awry and set right again resonate with people from a variety of backgrounds and religions.

At Oxford Lori meets several guys from D.C., one of whom is named Jack. At first impression she likes his easy going humor and affability. And although Jack confesses that he had just begun to see another woman and wasn't expecting to meet someone else, Lori cautiously and inexorably begins to fall for him. Her analysis of life as a single woman and quest for a man to share her life echo those of many single women. This includes Jane, who also preferred to spend her life single rather than settle on a mate just for the sake of getting married. Part One of the book ends with Lori spending a wonderful evening with Jack and friends, one that is filled with conversation and laughter.

Part Two of the journey begins with Lori thinking the whole world beautiful. But I'll reserve a more detailed analysis of this section for another time. Ever the optimist, I had hoped to review this book chapter by chapter, however my current schedule simply will not allow it. Look for my next synopsis of this wonderful book over the weekend.

Visit Lori's website here: Jane Austen Quote of the Day
Visit Lori's other website here: Following Austen
Pre order the book here: A Walk With Jane Austen, Lori Smith

Coming Soon

In addition to my review of A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith (see the book cover on my side bar), Penguin Books has asked me to review Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Lauren Viera Rigler. I am spending this weekend curled up with both books - Isn't that lovely? - and will publish my thoughts as soon as I am done. I must say that both books are clothed in lovely covers.

Pre order copies of both books at Amazon.com. Confessions is coming out August 1, and A Walk will be coming out this fall.

Please be aware that I am reviewing these books only as a Jane Austen fan. I am not paid by the authors or publishers, do not earn money through my blog, or advertise any products for financial gain.

Jane, A Tribute to A Too Short Life

On the anniversary of Jane Austen's death - she died 190 years ago today - I thought I would put a different spin on things and celebrate her life. Jane means so many things to so many people, and her popularity, instead of diminishing, increases each year. What is it about Jane that attracts so many to her? It seems that every time we turn around, another book about Jane's life sits on a shelf in a book store and she is more popular than ever.

In her new book, A Walk With Jane Austen, author Lori Smith describes the first time she encountered Jane Austen in college. She discovered Pride and Prejudice in a used book sale, and so, over Christmas break, her love affair with Jane Austen began. My own relationship with Jane's novels started during my fourteenth summer. Like Lori I have read Jane's marvelous words ever since. But I digress. This post is meant to be a review of Lori's quest to strengthen her relationship with Jane and, in doing so, gain a better sense of her own life, which was whirling out of kilter.

During a critical juncture in Lori's life when she faced a personal crisis, she chose to do what many of us yearn to do but few actually dare, which is to leave everything behind and embark on a life altering journey. Lori's account about her search for Jane is written on several levels, as a memoir and personal journey of faith and discovery, as a search for the places where Jane Austen lived and trod, as a straightforward history of Jane's life, and as a way to deepen her understanding of the author.

One January not long ago Lori gave her notice at work. "In February I walked away from meetings and coffee breaks and lunch breaks and paid vacation and health insurance to the gloriously terrifying world of writing full-time." Lori did not choose an easy road when she decided to walk with Jane Austen. Writing a memoir might seem straightforward on the surface, but...

There are enormous difficulties in reconstructing anyone's life, for however copious the evidence of letters, diaries, journals, and eye witness accounts, there is always the problem of interpretation, of the subjectivity of witnesses, and of the basic contradictoriness of the human being. Moods and emotions are volatile, but when recorded on the page are often forced by posterity to carry a much greater weight than was ever intended by their author. The Art of Writing Biography

Lori's journey is deeply personal, but one she willingly shares with her readers. The first chapter ends with her heading for Oxford, the city where Jane's parents met and married.

I plan to review Lori's book chapter by chapter. The book, published by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a Division of Random House, Inc., will be available this fall. Click here to visit Lori's blog.

Click here for my post about Jane's last illness.

A Walk With Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure Love & Faith

How delightful. Author Lori Smith has asked me to review her new book and I said I would be honored. A manuscript arrived in the mail today. So, here is what I shall do - Walk With Jane chapter by chapter and report back to you.

If you want to know more about Lori, check her wonderful site, Jane Austen Quote of the Day.

Review of Jane Austen for Dummies: My Take

The Janeites on the James meet every other month or so. This past time I brought my new stash of four Jane Austen resource books and showed them around. One elicited a laugh the moment the Janeites saw it: Jane Austen for Dummies.

"Let them laugh," I thought, handing it around and keeping quiet. Sure enough, the first Janeite, the youngest among us, opened the book playfully. As she leafed through the pages, she became thoughtful. "This is good," she declared, keeping the book a long time.

"Hah," I thought. "That shows 'em." At the end of the evening one of the Janeites borrowed the book, and all declared they were going to order it as soon as possible. The majority of us have graduate degrees, and all of us can only be described as discerning females, so this was no mean feat.

The contents in this book alone are worthy of praise. In addition to a clear and concise organization of thoughts and topics, the author, Joahn Klingel Ray, PhD, writes with much authority. The book is an outstanding addition to any Jane lover's library. Dr. Ray is an English Professor at the University of Colorado and the pAST President of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

Believe me when I say: She knows her stuff. The book is rather large to put in one's purse, so I would bring The Jane Austen Handbook when traveling. But for reference at home, I would turn to this book as well.

My rating? Three Regency Fans. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore or google the name to purchase this fabulous find.

Review of The Jane Austen Handbook

Book Review: The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World, by Margaret C. Sullivan (Editrix of Austen Blog)

This book is both informative and a hoot. Two of us Janeites on the James looked through it today at lunch with delight, knowing we had found a fun, informative, and handy Jane guide. I loved the appendix most, and the glossary alone is worth my money. Ms. Leellie, a tad younger than moi, just couldn’t get enough of marriage proposals, engagements, and the like.

If you would like a quick reference about attire, carriages, getting around, playing card games, servants by duty and rank, treating the sick, giving dinner parties, and attending balls, then this guide presents information about them all in an easy and accessible format.

I think this book would be a particularly useful introduction for young Janeites who have just discovered their passion for Jane Austen. As for those of us who are slightly longer in the tooth and who have loved Jane for almost as long as she's been buried, this is a must-have, quick pocket reference.

My Rating: Three Regency Fans
Run, don’t walk to the bookstore and purchase this guide.

Click here for order information.