A Modern Day Persuasion by Kaitlin Saunders: A Review

A Modern Day Persuasion

By: Kaitlin Saunders

ISBN-10: 1439261172

Source: Author supplied copy

Persuasion is one of those novels that are timeless. A tale of second chances for the love of a lifetime, which has the power to completely disarm you and something you never recover from. Persuasion is one of Jane Austen’s most emotional novels for this very reason.

It was with great delight that I read Kaitlin Saunders modern take on Persuasion. A Modern Day Persuasion packs an emotional wallop and there were moments where I found myself tearing up, having a lot to do with Miss Saunders impeccable writing.

Anne is a greeting card designer, which given her emotional and compassionate heart is a great career. I always knew that her family walked all over her, but in the modern adaptation it was much more apparent. I found myself gritting my teeth about how uncompassionate her sisters, and even her father, were. Anne has always been the adult of the family and the weariness, coupled with her heartbreak, shows how vulnerable she really is.

Mary, Elizabeth and Mr. Elliot all have the characteristics of their original counterparts, but they are more developed. Mr. Elliot comes across as a bit softer, yet he still is careless in his concern or Anne. Mary and Elizabeth are only concerned with themselves and they were well-developed ‘villainous’ characters. You just want to wonk them over the head with a nice, fat, leather bound book.

Now, dashing Wentworth still get’s to don a naval uniform, but he makes his money as an author. His actions when he and Anne meet again after so long are not so nice. He’s a prat who redeems himself in the end, of course. He does soften toward Anne as time proceeds and then there is that letter. Oh, that letter!

I really liked this modern interpretation of Persuasion, especially since this is only my second time reading a modern Austenesque novel. It kept all the themes and main plot points of the original so that you knew you were reading Persuasion, but there were some surprises in the pages. I really felt Anne’s pain when Wentworth reentered her life and I also felt how suffocating it must have been to have a family like hers. Captivating, engaging and delightful are all that my final words can convey.

A Modern Day Persuasion is a must if you enjoy Austen inspired novels. Miss Saunders has done a fantastic job and I look forward to her next publication.


Final recommendation: A modern Persuasion worth reading.

Why Jane Austen?, by Rachel M Brownstein: A Review

Guest Review by Laura Handlin (@opheliacat on Twitter)

Explaining Jane

Why Jane Austen? is not only the title of Rachel M. Brownstein’s book—it is a provocatively posed question, open, like so much about Austen and her work, to multiple interpretations. Brownstein’s purpose is, in part, to try “to account for the continuing popularity of the novelist and her novels . . . ” The title is also a nod to scholar and critic Lionel Trilling’s final, unfinished essay, “Why We Read Jane Austen.” Through references to Trilling as well as to numerous other critics, Brownstein shepherds the reader through the changing trends in Austen criticism from the nineteenth century to the present. These critical writings draw upon an area of scholarly endeavor of which even Austen’s most dedicated readers, unless they are scholars themselves, may not be aware.

The prevailing views of Austen have changed over time: early twentieth-century writers viewed her as socially conservative writer who was approved of the conventional society depicted in her novels. The feminist revolution of the 1970s brought about a change in the way critics viewed women writers; their works were examined, for the first time, as products of the female experience—a development that led, one could argue, to a resurgence of interest in Austen. Scholars also began to examine her writings in the context of history, including ever-present background of the Napoleonic Wars. The 1990s—and the films and mini-series of Austen’s books that became so popular in that decade—played up the subversive, satiric side of the novels, the “inside joke” that she shares with her readers (an aspect of her writing that Brownstein illustrates at length). This historical tour of works about Austen makes her seem like a kind of Regency Rorschach, a mirror each age holds up to itself in order to illustrate the values and issues it deems important.

Although the book is divided into chapters with specific subject matter, it seems to blend into a whole, becoming more of a meditation on Austen and an eclectic, although at times unsorted, treasure trove of information about the author, her life, times, and work. Brownstein is a professor of English Literature at Brooklyn College, and some of the book’s most interesting and illuminating offerings are her accounts of how she teaches Austen to her classes—introducing students at a large, public, urban school to the world of early nineteenth-century rural English gentry. The students’ questions and her responses make fascinating reading, and are windows into an accomplished and knowledgeable teacher’s classroom techniques.

Why Jane Austen? contains lots of treats for the Austen devotee, in particular an in-depth analysis of Emma as well as a discussion of English tourism, the cult of scenery, and visits to great houses (Pemberley, anyone?) This includes a mention of what is known as the Frog service of tableware—painted with views of England—that the firm of Wedgwood and Bentley made for Catherine the Great of Russia in 1773–74, a highly publicized commission that jump-started, if you’ll pardon the pun, the English craze for scenery—at a time when travel to the Continent was limited by world events and domestic travel in England became very fashionable.

There is also, of course, Jane Austen the woman—who remains an elusive figure despite all the attempts that have been made to learn more about her from her novels and any other evidence researchers can find. The reticence that Austen displayed in life, Brownstein argues, was a “conscious aesthetic choice,” a rejection of what Coleridge called the “age of personality”—and he had never even seen a reality TV show.

In the introduction, the author describes her work as “biographical criticism,” telling readers that she provides “no bright new take on Jane Austen.” She offers, instead, an enticing assortment of thoughtful analysis, historical context, literary criticism, and personal anecdotes. We continue to read Austen and to reread her because, as Brownstein says, we see ourselves in the novels—and maybe because we think Jane Austen can see us.



JANE AUSTEN FOR PRESIDENT

Jane Austen for President! That was the subject of an email I received in my inbox and naturally I was intrigued. After finding out more about Gone Reading and Founder and CEO Brad Wirz, I am pleased to inform you, my dear readers, about this amazing philanthropic organization.


I consider Janeites to be some of the most literary individuals on the planet and we cannot imagine a world without books. Well, neither can Gone Reading, which was founded on the simple idea of bringing “the magic effect of reading to places where it doesn’t exist.” It is Gone Reading’s belief that when people have access to reading materials that their life can change for the better. Wouldn’t our dear Jane approve? After all it was her witty pen which declared that “after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

Gone Reading has pledged to donate 100% of their company profits to fund new reading libraries and other literacy projects in the developing world. Fantastic! By purchasing gifts for you or your bibliophile friends you can help bring the joy of reading to others.

This brings me to the novel idea of Jane Austen for President. As election season approaches for the 2012 season we can campaign for our favorite literary leader who understands human nature with wit, prose and a keen intellect and help a great cause.

Pick up your Jane Austen for President coffee mugs for the office and a water bottle for when you walk your dog.

Don’t forget to pick up a Jane Austen for President 2012 t-shirt so your pooch can be the envy of all the other dogs at the bark park.

You should probably pick up a book bag too as it’s sure to spread the word about our dear Jane.

There are plenty of Jane Austen gifts in the Gone Reading online store as well as other great products for you. Remember 100% of the profits go to fund new reading libraries and other literary projects.

I also hope you will join me in the Jane Austen for President 2012 campaign. Oh, did I mention Mr. Wirz reads Austen too?



Visit The Gone Reading Online Store.

FIND OUT MORE at http://www.gonereading.com/

Jane Austen Made Me Do It Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress: A Review

JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT

Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Paperback: 464 pages. Also avaliable as an e-book.

ISBN: 979-0-345-52496-6

Source: Supplied by the editor



Laurel Ann Nattress (of Austenprose.com) should be proud of her achievement as represented in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It (JAMMDI) anthology. The short stories complied here are a reminder to us of the enduring heart of Austen which acts as old friends to us. We all come to Austen for various reasons, but just like a cold winter’s night curled up on the couch under a blanket, with a cup of hot cider, we find a familiar comfort that only Austen can give.


I am going to do this book review a little differently as this is an anthology and not a full length novel. I am going to talk about a few of my favorite stories and some of my not so favorite stories.

NOTABLE FAVORITES:

Jane Austen’s Nightmare by Syrie James: A clever story which asks the question, what would happen if Jane Austen met her literary creations? Not all her creations are happy with their portrayals either. Syrie draws on factual accounts of how Austen’s works were received when they first published which adds a sense of realism to the story, in addition to being cleverly funny. This story just proves why Syrie James is one of my favorite authors.

When Only a Darcy Will Do by Beth Pattillo: The plot: an American girl studying in London, England who is trying to make ends-meat by giving Jane Austen tours and finding the Mr. Darcy she didn’t realize was there. This is an enchanting tale with an unexpected ending.

What Would Austen Do? by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway: Having a male lead, not a female lead, was a fresh change which I can support. This story was laugh-out-loud funny and well written. A high school boy is accused of doing something improper (like drugs) by school administrators because he has good manners and dresses differently from all the other kids. GASP! This was a charming tale and was cleverly done.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey: The winner of the JAMMDI contest and a well deserved winner at that. She writes a modern twist on Persuasion, which is wonderfully executed and exhibites the same tense emotion of the original work which inspired it. I just have one question: Did our hero pass his medical boards or not?


NOTABLY LIKED FOR ITS NOTABLE DIFFERENCE

The Chase by Carrie Bebris: This story stood out because it is not inspired by an Austen work and is not about Austen herself. This story is about her brother Francis William Austen and it focuses on a particular battle in his Navel career which helped elevate him to post-captain. I really enjoyed this story as it was off the beaten path. It was almost out of place in the anthology, but not quite. This is a gem hidden within.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

A Night at Northanger by Lauren Willig

Jane and the Gentleman Rogue: Being a fragment of a Jane Austen mystery by Stephanie Barron

Jane Austen, Yeah,Yeah,Yeah!  By Janet Mullany

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley



STORIES NOT SO LIKED


Note: The opinions expressed below are merely that, opinions, and are in no way a reflection on the talent of the author’s themselves. For we know these authors are talented and that we cannot dispute.


Faux Jane by F.J. Meier: The ability of the author (a husband and wife team) is not in dispute, but I did not like this story at all. I couldn’t warm to the characters, the dialogue was difficult to follow and I felt this story was poorly executed.

Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane by Adriana Trigiani: This wasn’t a bad story, but a minor quibble of mine keeps me from embracing it wholeheartedly. This is a letter from Jane Austen to her soon to be married niece Anna. A Regency piece that had me up until the mention of tweets, emails and text messaging which caused me to discredit the story. Like I said it is a minor quibble, but a quibble none the less.

Me and Mr. Darcy, Again by Alexandra Potter: I really wanted to like this story, but I just couldn’t. Emily, our heroine, has hopped across the pond on an impromptu vacation after a fight with her boyfriend Spike. She can also see Mr. Darcy and this is where my problems arose. I’m not against fictional characters being given a life of their own in a story, but in this story it just didn’t feel right. It felt forced in order to drive the plot. My response to this story was merely tepid.



With a few notable exceptions, I enjoyed every story in this anthology. The stories that appear are a tribute to what Jane Austen has given us and are a stunning example of how she continues to inspire us.



Final Recommendation: For admirers of Austen, you will enjoy this anthology of Austen inspired shorts.

 
 
Editor Bio:
 
A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress is the author/editor of Austenprose.com a blog devoted to the oeuvre of her favorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributor to the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine. Classically trained as a landscape designer at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, she has also worked in marketing for a Grand Opera company and at present she delights in introducing neophytes to the charms of Miss Austen’s prose as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottage near Snohomish, Washington where it rains a lot. Visit Laurel Ann at her blog Austenprose – A Jane Austen Blog, on Twitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

October with Jane Austen: The New Releases Edition

Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion
By: Janet Mullany


It is 1810, and the Damned are out of favor—banished from polite society. Jane Austen’s old undead friends have become new neighbors, raising hell in her tranquil village just in time to interrupt Jane’s work on what will be her masterpiece. Suddenly Jane’s niece is flirting dangerously with vampires, and a formerly respectable spinster friend has discovered the forbidden joys of intimate congress with the Damned (and is borrowing Jane’s precious silk stockings for her assignations). Writing is simply impossible now, with murderous creatures prowling the village’s once-peaceful lanes. And with the return of her vampire characteristics, a civil war looming between factions of the Damned, and a former lover who intends to spend eternity blaming her for his broken heart, Jane is facing a very busy year indeed.

Mr. Darcy's Bite

By Mary Lydon Simonsen

Mr. Darcy has a secret...

Darcy is acting rather oddly. After months of courting Elizabeth Bennet, no offer of marriage is forthcoming and Elizabeth is first impatient, then increasingly frightened. For there is no denying that the full moon seems to be affecting his behavior, and Elizabeth's love is going to be tested in ways she never dreamed...






Darcy has more than family pride to protect: others of his kind are being hunted all over England and a member of Darcy's pack is facing a crisis in Scotland. It will take all of Elizabeth's faith, courage, and ingenuity to overcome her prejudice and join Darcy in a Regency world she never knew existed.

Caroline Bingley
By Jennifer Becton

When Charles Bingley and Mr. Darcy made proposals of marriage to the Bennet sisters at the end of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Caroline Bingley was both distressed by her brother's choice of bride and humiliated by Mr. Darcy's rejection of her. And she made her objections known.







Now banished from her brother's household, Caroline must return to her mother's home in the north of England until she can make amends with both Bennet sisters. Desperate though Caroline may be to return to polite company, she absolutely refuses to apologize to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and instead, she seeks an alternative route back into society in the form of Mr. William Charlton, heir to a barony.






Through her connections with Mr. Charlton's sister Lavinia, Caroline begins to infiltrate the household in the hopes of securing the gentleman and his title for herself. However, she must also contend with her vexing emotions regarding Mr. Patrick Rushton, a once-wealthy landowner, and the meddlesome opinions of Mrs. Rosemary Pickersgill, the companion sent by her brother.




When all that Caroline has ever dreamed of attaining--an ancient family name, a title, and a home of her own--is finally within her reach, will she grasp for it even if it means disregarding the workings of her own heart? Or will she cast off the trappings of society and give herself to true love?

Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Stories by: Lauren Willig • Adriana Trigiani • Jo Beverley • Alexandra Potter • Laurie Viera Rigler • Frank Delaney & Diane Meier • Syrie James • Stephanie Barron • Amanda Grange • Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Carrie Bebris • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley

“My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen—her novels, her life, her wit, her world.




Pride and Prejudice: The Jewess and the Gentile
By Jane Austen and Lev Raphael
Get ready for Pride and Prejudice with brisket. Lizzy Bennet's an Anglo-Jew with a Jewish mother, some Jewish attitude, and lots to say about Mr. Darcy, who has some serious attitude problems of his own when it comes to “Hebrews.” When these two proud people meet, is it still love at first...slight? Will prejudice keep them from bridging the gap between Jew and Gentile? Austen's classic novel gains new layers of comedy and drama in this subtle, ingenious mash-up. There are no monsters here. Raphael doesn't do violence do Austen's text, but lovingly and meticulously reinvents the book and helps readers see it and Regency England through a brand new prism.

Mr. Darcy's Undoing

By Abigail Reynolds

A passionate new Pride and Prejudice variation explores the unthinkable-Elizabeth accepts the proposal of a childhood friend before she meets Darcy again. When their paths cross, the devastated Mr. Darcy must decide how far he'll go to win the woman he loves. How can a man who prides himself on his honor ask the woman he loves to do something scandalous? And how can Elizabeth accept a loveless marriage when Mr. Darcy holds the key to her heart? As they confront family opposition and the ill-will of scandal-mongers, will Elizabeth prove to be Mr. Darcy's undoing?



Why Jane Austen? by Rachel M Brownstein: A Book Review

Why Jane Austen?

Author: Rachel M. Brownstein

Hardcover: 320 pages



Publisher: Columbia University Press (June 28, 2011)


ISBN-10: 0231153902

Source: Supplied by the Author's Public Relations Dept.



I have to admit for all my love of Jane Austen I have never picked up a biography, except the ones in the front of her novels, which admittedly are brief. Yet, that doesn’t mean I don’t like the art of opposing viewpoints. It’s the one thing I miss about Graduate School----the critical analysis. When the opportunity to read and review Rachel M Brownstein’s Why Jane Austen?, I jumped at the chance.

This book fed my academic loving heart. Miss Brownstein takes a critical look at what draws us to Jane Austen and what makes us stick around. Pop culture is a funny thing as it can cultivate or destroy a beautiful thing. Jane Austen has caught onto the masses like a fever that refuses to abate. So, really what does draw us to Miss Austen?

It seems and I am not surprised after my foray into Women’s Studies that Jane Austen is tied to, at least in critic’s minds, feminism. Brownstein brings this to our attention and explores what it is about Jane Austen that ties her to feminism or the belief in general. Let me not dissuade you into assuming this book is all about feminism, let me caution you for a moment to say that while a look at Jane Austen and feminism is certainly a theme throughout the book that it is in no way the main stage.

Brownstein takes a look through out to study at the use of language in Jane Austen. For example, just moving the word truth to a different area of a sentence can change the meaning entirely and Jane Austen was a master at it. In fact I had not even considered the implications because I read Jane Austen just because I enjoy it, but perhaps I should pay more attention to Austen’s prose.

Taking a look at each of Jane Austen’s works Brownstein takes us on a riveting ride throughout. As I mentioned earlier this is a critical analysis of Jane Austen and what her work meant and still means today. Of all her novels Pride and Prejudice (P&P) is a favorite of most of us. There is a charm about it. Something I did not know is that Mansfield Park (MP) was the novel Austen published after P&P. MP is usually the least favorite of the Austen novels. What inspired Austen to write two dramatically different novels?

I could go on about how Brownstein deftly takes a look at Austen in film, the desire for Austen prequels/sequels and how something of a bygone era continues to draw us to her. Brownstein makes you think---stop and consider and reconsider----your views on Jane Austen.

However there is something almost more interesting than Jane Austen herself in Brownstein’s book and that is a look at Lord Byron and other authors which may have influenced Austen, but by far Lord Byron is the best. Mr. Darcy is an iconic Byronic hero. Was that Jane Austen’s aim? Lord Byron is the antithesis of Jane Austen. For all of Byron’s impropriety Jane Austen counters it with her proper novels. It was a debate, sadly I had been unaware of, but now that I know of it I am intrigued. Brownstein does much to abate my intrigue by exploring the Byron connection.

Wollstonecraft is the perpetuated mother of feminism in academia, also arguably the predecessor of the Byronic approach to human emotion. There are shades of Wollstonecraft in Austen argues Brownstein. They are products of romanticism, a period in literature which gave us arguably the best classics.

Brownstein’s look at Jane Austen and why we gravitate toward her kept me riveted. It’s intelligent work like hers that make me fall in love with reading again. Why Jane Austen should be a part of any Austen devotee’s curriculum.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, You're a Darling!

If you haven't already check out my Colonel Fitzwilliam on IndieJane. He's pretty sexy!

I wanted to do a short post to update you all on my book. I have never considered myself having a huge social life, but it has suddenly exploded. I have invitations flying at me right and left, which means less time to devote to writing. As much as I would like to dream about being a full time writer I do work 8 hrs a day (sometimes on Saturdays too), plus my outside commitments. My point is my edits are going slower than anticipated.

Any who, Colonel Fitzwilliam is the man of the hour. My PTSD, ever tortured, hero is turning into a man in love. Poor man doesn’t know what to do with all these new found feelings of love and jealously. Being a military man he is quite accustomed to having things just so, but he knows what he wants and he will get it. Ah, so strong and self-assured. Well, most of the time.

For an excerpt of my novel you may go to a previous blog post titled A Meet Cute between a Hero and a Heroine. It's not perfect yet, but it will give you an idea.