Entries Tagged 'Jane Austen' ↓
January 2nd, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, England, France, Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Secondary Romance, Virgin
Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is enchanting and will assuredly transport you to another world. Georgette Heyer, praised to be the new Jane Austen, was born in 1902 and her tales are quite old but hold the same classic feel as any one of Austen’s novels. I can picture the whole novel as a movie and am surprised that I’ve not seen it made into one. Of course I haven’t checked in at IMDB so I could be quite wrong about its silver screen status.
This is my first time reading Heyer and such I found it tough to start (as such it’s affected my rating). The writing while at first difficult to read and to get into because of the level of vocabulary and particular word phrasing which is unusual for today’s standard’s. However it gets easier the more you read. By the end of the book you’re practically flying through the pages trying to get to the end of the story and see the leads get their happily ever after.
In the true spirit of a Regency novel, this novel includes a secondary romance to entertain us. Neither romance goes to the bedroom, in fact the first and only kiss mentioned is at the very end of the tale. My one fault with the story was there was much too much time spent on ditherings going on around the leads and not nearly enough time focused on them. They were more thrown together in the beginning when Dominic kidnapped poor Mary than later.
Mary Challoner is determined to save her sister from scandal and intercepts a letter from Marquis of Vidal to her sister Sophie arranging an illicit tryst. A daring scheme to take her sister’s place and fool Vidal comes to her and Mary rushes through with it, barely thinking out the consequences.
When Vidal finds out he’s most upset and assuming her to be like her untoward and loose sister, Vidal forcibly takes her the rest of the way to France. Once there, Mary is able to make her true nature known and flummoxed Vidal is forced to do the one thing he never thought to do – propose marriage. Imagine his surprise when Mary refuses! What’s a Marquis to do?
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-09-02 05:43:56. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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December 15th, 2008 — About, Comedy of Manners, England, Historical Romance, Jane Austen, Regency, Secondary Romance
What is regency romance and how does it differ from historical romance?
You may well recognize Jane Austen as a regency romance writer. She is best known for works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility
.
So what makes a regency romance?
Well if you look at Pride and Prejudice you can see quite clearly the basic setup of a regency romance. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet stir the hearts of readers as they bicker and dance around each other, but a key element to the novel is that their romance is not the only one. Miss Jane Bennet and Mr. Charles Bingley also fall in love in this classic tale, though perhaps with fewer hindrances on the characters’ part.
To break it down:
Regency romance is based in the early 19th century and will normally revolve around a comedy of manners. The romances are very chaste and do not include conversations about sex between the main characters. In several cases, there will be a side romance to the main one.
The monarchs you will find in regency romances are George IV and William IV. Some novels may be included in this genre, even if George III is ruling, though technically speaking he is not part of this era. George III is before the regency era. The period starts when he was declared insane by the Parliament Regency Act and his son was placed on the throne as acting king. The regency (and post-regency) period ends prior to Queen Victoria’s reign.
Time Frame: 1810-1820, generally speaking.
Historical Romance on the other hand is considered to be everything prior to WWI in history. Contemporary attitudes usually color the writing enabling the female lead to be more educated, witty, or relatable. There are many sub genres to this type of romance including but not limited to pirate, colonial United States, and western.
In conclusion, regency romance is included in theme of historical romance as a separate genre.
Originally posted 2008-06-11 05:27:41. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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December 4th, 2008 — 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, Abigail Reynolds, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, England, Jane Austen, Regency
Abigail Reynolds writes Pemberley Variations. For the uninitiated this means that she takes the classic story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
and plays a what-if scenario. For instance in From Lambton to Longbourn the what-if is what if Darcy and Elizabeth disclosed their feelings before parting ways after Lydia’s fall from grace? The characters in this what-if scenario all bear the same names, and read fairly familiar, but ultimately are recreated and reintroduced. Attraction is played up and scenes Jane Austen would never write appear involving kissing – great kissing, but a staunch Austen fan will probably feel that even this small break in propriety is too much.
Elizabeth finds out to her dismay how deeply in love with Mr. Darcy she is when the news of Lydia’s foolishness breaks. How could she in all good consciousness expose his sister to her family? She worries a lot about Darcy’s good opinion of her and how the current affairs will certainly provide him with enough ammunition to dislike her from hereafter. To her surprise, Darcy is not at all inclined to think ill of her. He wants her to keep correspondence with his sister, Georgiana, as it his only way to communicate with her. He would marry her tomorrow, no today, if only he could be certain of her regard.
Some provocation on both their parts leads to them sharing their first kiss, part comfort, part passion. One kiss melds into the next and then the worst happens – Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle discover them! Elizabeth does not want to trick Darcy into a connection with her family and he is once again unsure of himself in her affections. This happens a lot actually throughout the novel as they go along their tangent journey toward love and ultimate happiness.
Their insecurities are a little over the top, but ultimately are not distracting from the tale. Reynolds has a way with words and I look forward to reading another Pemberley Variation soon.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars
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November 24th, 2008 — 2.5 Stars, Alexandra Potter, Book Review, England, Jane Austen, Regency, Time Travel, United States of America
Emily Albright is a 29 year old romantic whose first love was Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This love affair started when she was 12 and no man has ever reached the bar that Mr. Darcy set. Of course if you were to look at her string of pathetic dates, you would agree with me when I say who in their right mind would want them? After a disastrous date with Mr. Hair-Plugs, Emily decides never again. She’s tired of dating the worst of lot and refuses to put herself through another Dutch pizza date.
When Stella, her best friend and coworker hears this, she is shocked. Determined to put Emily back on the horse she insists that they go on a 18-30 vacation to Mexico. With images of wet T-shirt contests, drunken frat boys, and too much tequila in mind Emily grasps for an excuse to not go. A brochure to Jane Austen’s England catches her eye and the idea is born. Better still there’s an opening for the week of New Year’s the time of the trip to Mexico and Emily leaps on the idea.
What follows is a story written with humor on par with a Stephenie Plum novel…delicious and wickedly witty. My one complaint with the tale is Spike and I’ll explain. Spike is the only other young person on this tour and he’s there to write a report on the incredible sexy Mr. Darcy, the one man all women would date and hop into bed with given the chance. Spike is set up to be a modern day Mr. Darcy, but let me tell you he is far from the dashing figure cut by the broodingly reserved Mr. Darcy. Spike has a flabby belly, is only kinda cute, and his style of clothing is far from impeccable. Same goes for his manners.
Meanwhile Emily has the incredible chance of meeting the real Mr. Darcy in a series of out of time experiences. Getting her in own way, she finds herself cross with Mr. Darcy for his 19th century mannerisms and breeding and feels self-conscious and foolish by her own 21st century idiosyncrasies. Instead of explaining to him that she’s an American from the 21st and that from her perspective things have changed from style of dress to turn of phrases and what is considered good manners, she leaves him in the dark and always takes his silences as negative non-comments. The truth of the matter is, he finds her American “19th century” ways a breath of fresh air and falls in love with her. When he says as much Emily contridicts him and thinks to herself that the fantasy of Mr. Darcy is not as good as the reality of Mr. Darcy.
What an incredible nit-wit! She throws away the good catch because she can’t be bothered to speak plainly to Mr. Darcy. I find it hard to believe that any woman greeted with a flesh and blood Mr. Darcy would not make the effort to be on the same page with him. Sure she thought he was a period actor for a time but when she discovered the truth Emily should have persevered to explain why she thought he was not telling the truth. Even if he thought she was crazy he would have come around, after all he loved her for her American ways already. So for the ridiculously stupid move on the heroine’s part I have to rate the story below average, because I just can’t reconcile myself to Spike the modern Mr. Darcy Emily Albright wanted.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
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November 5th, 2008 — Abigail Reynolds, Author Interviews, Jane Austen
This is my lucky day. Two author interviews in one week! It’s complete playtime and fun. I hope you enjoy!
LRP: What is it about Pride and Prejudice that keeps you writing in that genre?
I love the characters. I can’t get enough of Elizabeth and Darcy.
LRP: I love them too. What do you think the appeal is for readers?
Abigail: Again, the fabulous characters are a big part. The happy ending helps, too! I think for a lot of readers, Jane Austen lets them escape present day stresses. It’s also fun to compare all the different Jane Austen-related novels to discover how different writers see them. But it comes down to one thing: Jane Austen didn’t write enough books to satisfy her fans!
LRP: Who is your favorite character in Pride and Prejudice and why? In Pemberley by the Sea?
Abigail: Elizabeth Bennet is my favorite character in Pride & Prejudice. I love her spirit, her wit, her sense of the absurd, and that quality of archness mixed with sweetness that enchants Darcy.
As for Pemberley by the Sea, that’s a three way tie. I love both Cassie and Calder, and I feel as if they’re part of my family. But here’s the surprise - the character who really fascinates me and won’t let go is Senator Joe Westing, Calder’s father. He’s such a nasty person that you’d think I’d want to bury him as quickly as possible, but he’s actually very complex. He may even be redeemable!
LRP: I thought Joe was interesting too, but redeemable? I’d like to see that pulled off! How do you define love?
Abigail: I wish I had a good answer for that! But that very question is one of the things that keeps me writing love stories, because it’s a subject you can explore forever.
LRP: The scene where Calder and Cassie get together for the first time has got to be one of the best lovemaking scenes I’ve ever read. What do you think makes a great bedroom scene?
Abigail: Thank you so much! For me, a love scene has to have a certain inevitability about it, a build up, and it has to demonstrate something important about the characters or be important to the plot. Lovemaking scenes that just go through the motions tend to lose my interest. There has to be something else going on, something deeper. For example, Calder has a particular style of lovemaking which reflects his character - pleasing his lover is incredibly important to him. I’m more interested in how a character feels than precisely what is done. As for that particular scene, I have to give a lot of credit to the setting. Anyone who has been swimming in bioluminescent waters can tell you how utterly magical it is.
LRP: If you could pick any actor and actress to play your heroine and hero in a movie, who would they be?
Abigail: Another tough question! I’ll go with Jessica Biel for Cassie. Calder would be the tougher part to play - so much happening below the surface - but I’d say Brandon Routh or Christian Bale would be good.
LRP: What’s the biggest pressure you face in the whole writing and publishing process?
Abigail: Self-induced anxiety, without a doubt. I’m my own worst critic, and I’m always afraid that what I write next won’t live up to what my readers expect. Of course, my readers would probably be happier if I’d just stop worrying about it and write more!
LRP: What is your greatest weakness in writing dialogue?
Abigail: I struggle to keep dialogue simple and natural. Since I started by writing books set in the Regency, my characters have a tendency to speak in long, convoluted sentences with no contractions and lots of semicolons. With my modern books, I have to read the dialogue out loud to make sure it sounds natural.
LRP: I hear you’re writing a sequel to Pemberley by the Sea. Could you tell me more about it?
Abigail: Morning Light starts about a year after Pemberley by the Sea ends, and tells the story of Annie Wright, a good friend of Cassie’s and an artist who owns a small gallery in Woods Hole. She was widowed after just a few years of marriage and has sworn off romance, but a man from her past makes her question her decision. In the meantime, Cassie and Calder are growing as a couple, and they face challenges from both their families. Caro and Joe Westing make return appearances, and Cassie’s brother Ryan is introduced. It culminates at a gala fund-raiser for abandoned dogs (well, you don’t think Calder would be at a fundraiser if there weren’t dogs involved, do you?) where all the main characters discover that they’ve all been acting in the dark.
If you’re interested, the first chapter is posted at my website, www.pemberleyvariations.com.
LRP: I’ll have to go check that out! What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Abigail: I want them to love the characters as much as I do (that’s a tall order!), but the biggest thing is that I want them to find comfort and pleasure in the story. I often hear from readers, especially of the Pemberley Variations, that they re-read my books again and again, and they’re the books they take out when life is stressful or painful. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
LRP: Could you provide a picture of your workspace? I’d love to see where you do your writing!
Abigail: That would require a whole book of pictures! My motto is “Have laptop, will travel.” I have two teenagers, one home-schooled and the other with special needs, and I write at their swim lessons, play rehearsals, doctor’s appointments, karate classes, and just about anywhere else. The place I associate most with writing Pemberley by the Sea is my son’s hospital room. He had a serious brain injury when he was 8 and was hospitalized for months. I stayed with him the whole time, and I wrote big chunks of Pemberley by the Sea there, because at 3:00 in the morning, Cassie and Calder would always be there for me, and the salt marsh was a mental respite from the depressing hospital room.
At home, I don’t have a desk per se. I write at the dining room table, on the couch, lying in bed, and just about anywhere else. The only constant is that there’s usually a cat on my lap trying to interfere with my typing.
LRP: Is there anything else you’d like to share with Love Romance Passion?
Abigail: I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them!
LRP: Thanks for chatting with us Abigail!
If you’d liked to learn more about her other Pride and Prejudice variations check out her website listed above!
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November 3rd, 2008 — 5 Stars, Abigail Reynolds, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, Jane Austen, Secondary Romance, Teacher, United States of America, Writer
Jane Austen fan or not you can not help but love Abigail Reynolds’ Pemberley by the Sea. I devoured this four hundred plus page book within days, it was so good. Based on the plot and characters of Pride and Prejudice, this novel is truly one of the best renditions of the tale. Taken to a modern level, Pemberley by the Sea explores science and art equally.
Let’s start with the heroine: Cassie Boulton is a marine biologist on tenure-track with a small liberal arts college. She spends her summers in Woods Hole working on research and taking in the salt marshes. Life hasn’t been easy for Cassie, there are things in her past she doesn’t want anybody to know for fear they’d think of her differently. Cassie presents herself as the golden girl; she was the top of the class and one of the few lucky ones to land a prestigious job and research grant right out of school.
Cassie’s best friend is Erin, who is looking to join biotechnologies instead of academia. Erin is the conventional pretty one: long limbed, blue eyes, and blonde. Erin has been unfortunate enough to have in her past one particularly nasty boyfriend so when she meets Scott at a local dance, Erin convinces Cassie to come pass judgment on him over lunch the next day. This is where Cassie is formally introduced to Calder, our hero, though of course if you know the story of Pride and Prejudice you know they’ve met before at the dance.
Our hero Calder Westing, hates the publicity and fangirls that follow him due to his last name. His father Joseph Westing is a senator, his brother is in the House of Representatives and Calder he’s the first Westing to eschew politics all together. Instead, he writes under a pseudo name and publishes his books despite his father’s disproval. Calder is intrigued by Cassie from the very beginning but his quiet, withdrawn and taciturn nature gets in his way from expressing himself. This must be a first for a published author. Wink.
Cassie can’t believe Calder is actually interested in her. She thinks he tolerates her presence because he’s watching out for Scott and because he’s bored. She’s surprised to find herself drawn to Calder and unable to resist his kisses. When they make love it overwhelms her but when the passion clears Cassie is horrified to have given in so easily. She doesn’t do casual sex and she just gave herself to a man who is surely going to think of her as another notch on his bed post. Upset she leaves Calder behind and makes excuses to not see him.
My favorite part in the whole novel has to be the bioluminescent water play. My second favorite section is reading Calder’s book Pride and Presumption as he struggles to explain in writing where verbal communication failed him. This part is so sweet it just jerks your heart. With Cassie reading his true feelings and feeling the same in return, I wondered how on earth the novel could continue for a few hundred more pages. But it does and the novel beautifully unfolds as Cassie’s fears, Calder’s fears and his family all try to break apart the lovebirds. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet had it easy in comparison. Even Jane and Bingley had it easier than Scot and Erin if you can imagine!
Contemporary lovers, Jane Austen fans, I recommend wholeheartedly this book to you. Abigail Reynolds will draw you in and keep you there through all the twists and turns. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I hope this gets made into a movie and that Matthew MacFadyen plays his contemporary counterpart like Colin Firth did with Bridget Jones’s Diary
as Mr. Darcy.
Rating: 5 Stars hands down.
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October 11th, 2008 — 3.5 Stars, England, Jane Austen, Movie, Regency
The Masterpiece Theater version of Mansfield Park is my first foray at watching this particular novel come to life. True Austen purists will find the film a disappointment. Too many characters are left out and several are given so little back story that newbies to Mansfield Park will be a bit confused at the beginning. But I honestly enjoyed it despite its flaws.
Quick Story Overview:
Fanny at the tender age of ten was sent to live with her aunt and uncle, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. She soon ran across four cousins, two male and two female. Life eight years down the road depict them to be thus: Tom is the eldest son, but he parties and gets drunk in excess; Edmund is the second son who is destined for life as a clergyman; Maria is engaged to be married to Rushworth; and Julia is the youngest daughter. The story starts when Sir Thomas leaves freeing the occupants of Mansfield Park from his tyranny.
The actors and actresses were engaging and you even like the slimy characters. There is no trouble at all in locating the Mr. Wickham in this novel/movie. It’s plain as the nose on your face. Henry Crawford and his sister Mary are both trouble at a glance. Henry is told to focus on Julia, but his attentions turn inevitably to the more beautiful Maria. Can we say scandal in the making? Why yes, we surely can. Mary is disappointed to learn that Tom is not at home and has in fact run off to London, where she can’t follow because her father has installed his Mistress into their home. Instead she focuses on Edmund, much to Fanny’s displeasure.
I found Edmund, the hero, to be wonderfully cast with Blake Ritson. Very Byronic hero. He was handsome, of good character, a little blind to what was going on around him perhaps but eager to throw off his unfortunate decision to love Mary Crawford and start anew with what was right under his nose the whole time. His epiphany scene is really quite phenomenal and will surely make your heart leap out of your chest. For no other reason, you should rent the movie to see that scene.
Fanny, played by Billie Piper, is the heroine and she is lively with a wonderful smile. At some points you think she’s holding an orange peel over her teeth when her mouth is closed. Is this something that the British do? I noticed this in BBC’s Persuasion
that characters held their mouths funny. Her dark eyebrows and blond hair is a bit of a distraction too. She wears her hair down for the movie so if this Regency inaccuracy is going to bug you, you are now forewarned. Over all I found that Billie played her part quite well.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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October 4th, 2008 — 5 Stars, Comedy of Manners, England, Jane Austen, Movie, Regency, Secondary Romance
I’m pretty certain a select group of individuals will think what I’m about to say is sacrilegious. I think that the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland, and Matthew Macfadyen is the best version of this Jane Austen classic made to date. Sorry – sorry! I know the die hard A&E fans loved Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, but I’m going to stick with what I said. The main reason I love the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is pretty simple… better acting! Especially in the way Elizabeth Bennet and the mother are played.
Keira Knightly plays Miss Elizabeth Bennet to a tee. You could not ask for a better actress in this part. Opposed to Ehle who was over the top and rude, Knightly stayed just shy of too much is too much. Knightly plays Elizabeth with sass, a sprinkling of saucy wit, humor, intelligence, and grace. Her remarks are sharp and cutting without getting annoying (think Ehle as nails on a chalkboard grating). Whereas Knightly plays Elizabeth as able to fun herself and others, Ehle played Elizabeth haughty, arrogant, and more than a touch above her company. It is my opinion that Knightly played Elizabeth without overdoing it.
I choose Matthew Macfadyen as the better Mr. Darcy simply on the fact that I love how he says his lines, the emotion in his face, and that he’s my kind of drop dead gorgeous. Firth is quite handsome and plays his part well but saddled with Ehle, it’s no wonder he thought so ill of her at first! Who can withstand the deep-rooted passion that he carries through his tone and posture? I know I can’t! Yowza! You’ll have to tell me who you think is the better Mr. Darcy and why! Let’s start a list going for pros and cons. I’ll even help by giving Colin Firth the pro of the wet white shirt… Grin.
I also find I just enjoy the cast of side characters better in the 2005 version. The mother is by far the best played and I have seen them all – including the Laurence Olivier aka 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice. I can stand Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet even as I hate her (the mother) if that makes sense. Lydia and Kitty and Mary are perfectly well suited. Some will say Mary is too pretty in this version, but I like what the director said about her part. Check out the commentary on this film – I loved it and learned much trivia for future Trivial Pursuit matches.
Mr. Binghley is a delightful boob in this film. He’s so adorable how he stumbles all over himself around Jane Bennet. You’ll love him on sight! He’s eager and open and amiable in all the right ways. He’s just what a young man ought to be! Grin. His sister is perfectly wonderful for her role, again an actress who can play her part without going so far as to gross you out in it.
The scenery alone is enough reason to buy this movie, but think of the many rainy days and cups of tea you will enjoy while falling head over heals in love again and again. What’s your favorite version?
Rating: 5 Stars
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September 24th, 2008 — About, Cursed Lead, Gothic, Jane Austen, Suspense/Thriller, Widow or Widower
Gothic romance is a genre you can’t find all too easily today. It was a popular genre a few decades ago and lovers of this romance sub-genre will have to troll secondhand bookstores to find titles. Classics of this genre are novels such as Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter. Well known authors of Gothic romance/horror include Ann Radcliffe of the past and Stephen King of the present.
A typical Gothic romance revolved around conflict and mysteries. It made the heroine choose between two male characters for love. One is bright, sunny, cheerful and charming. The other was dark, mysterious, secretive, and brooding. Plotlines of cursed leads and daring adventures took place on wind-swept moors, and places that were haunted. The heroine would embark on a thrilling journey to discover if her hero was worthy of love. Her task usually boiled down to find out if the hero really murdered his first wife, brother, mother, insert other relation.
It is interesting to note that Radcliffe introduced this brooding male as the Gothic villain, which developed into the Byronic hero. She is considered a pioneer of the genre. The movie Becoming Jane
shows a meeting between Radcliffe and Jane Austen but there’s not basis for this meeting. However it does provide an interesting backdrop on the dual rise of the two types of popular novels.
As Gothic or dark romanticism developed it became more distinctly separated. The first direction of Gothic novels glorifies gore. The second took on the key aspects of modern romance. This new evolution made the focus on the romance instead of the mystery. These are the romances that disappeared after the eighties.
So what is a Byronic hero?
Trivia: The name of this hero comes from the English poet Lord Bryon.
The hero himself is highly intelligent, urbane, sophisticated and introspective. In other words he’s arrogant, mysterious, seductive, and moody (see bipolar). We see male figures like this all over, you could make the argument that Mr. Darcy is a Byronic hero on top of being a Regency hero, as Byronic heroes dislike social formalities and functions. Of course Mr. Darcy doesn’t have a troubled past or flippant air towards the wealthy and privileged, as he is one of that set. While Mr. Darcy was disliked he was not a complete social outcast and exiled from polite company. All these things are attributed to the Byronic hero.
What’s a good modern Gothic romance?
Some titles of the modern Gothic romance include: Bells of Widow’s Bay by Miriam Lynch, Castle Midnight by Evelyn McKenna, and Satan’s Rock by Marilyn Ross.
Authors to look for include (past and present authors): Victoria Holt, Dorothy Daniels, Theresa Weir, Phyllis Whitney, Barbara Michaels, Allison Knight, Mary Stewart, Joanna Challis, and Megan McKinney, Kay Hooper, Eve Silver… to name a few.
Trivia: In the 1980s Harlequin had an all Gothic line of books. See here for Gothic titles. Harlequin Intrigue also contains several titles that could satisfy your craving.
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