Tag: Mansfield Park

Mini Reviews (22) – A Few More Austens

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  1. The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz
    ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
    There are a few wonderful lines (see yesterday’s post), but overall I was very disappointed in this book. Horowitz did her best at putting the plot of Jane Austen’s Persuasion in a modern context, but she forgot to keep the characters’ charm. Also, there is a so much fat shaming in this book! There is an entire chapter dedicated to describing a character who 1) isn’t in Persuasion, 2) isn’t in the rest of this book (except for a brief telephone conversation), and 3) is fat (I know this because the author said it repeatedly).
  2. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    Mansfield Park will never be my favorite Austen, and this dramatization is unevenly adapted, but with this amazing cast, it was a joy!
  3. Pride & Prejudice : A BabyLit Counting Primer by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    Perfect! My favorite is #10.
  4. Cozy Classics: Pride and Prejudice by Jack and Holman Wang
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    Utterly adorable!

Austen in August (3) – Jane Austen Made Me Do It

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imageI received Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart for my birthday last year. I’ve already reviewed the stories based on Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey , as well as several that are more generally Jane-esque. In this post I review the stories based on Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, as well as a few Christmas stories (the first three listed).

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

Overall, I enjoy Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries. Lord Harry is a fun character, but Jane herself lacks something. The stories don’t have the wit and sparkle of Austen’s writing.

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

The heroine thinks P&P is racy and fanciful, and yet she competes with her own daughter for a rich man’s affection. Weird.

Nothing Less Than Fairy-land by Monica Fairview ⭐ ⭐

Sure, change the personality of several major characters (from Emma) to make writing your story easier. No one will notice. :/

Waiting by Jane Odiwe ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

A nice look at one woman’s idea of Anne and Captain Wentworth’s first courtship.

Heard of You by Margaret C. Sullivan ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

I was looking forward to this one, as I LOVE Sullivan’s other books! I enjoyed seeing a young Wentworth and watching Admiral Croft and Sophy fall in love.

When Only a Darcy Will Do by Beth Pattillo ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

A sweet little romance.

Mr. Bennet Meets His Match by Amanda Grange ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Mr. B. has always been one of my favorite literary characters! Reading a story about him as a young man was delightful!

Letters to Lydia by Maya Slater ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

The story was decent, covering the back 1/2 of P&P from Maria Lucas’ POV. The writing was like Regency Era texting, which was probably the point, but was difficult to stomach.

Me and Mr. Darcy, Again . . . by Alexandra Potter ⭐ ⭐

Basically, Em is delusional, willing to go all the way to England because she had a fight with her boyfriend, and generally annoying. The only reason I gave is a second star was for the character names. The MC is Em (my sister’s name) and her sister is Stella (my nickname), and Em has a boyfriend named Spike (my other nickname). That made me smile.

The Riding Habit by Pamela Aidan ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

Meh, it was okay, I guess. I’ve certainly read better P&P fanfic.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This story won a contest to be in this book, and I’m not surprised it won. It’s one of the best stories in the collection!

Intolerable Stupidity by Laurie Viera Rigler ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

An interesting idea, but muddled and confusing.