First Impressions

I've read a lot of adaptations in my day and I thought this was one of the most unique. The Amish lifestyle is very well suited to Jane Austen's classic novels of love and society; instead of balls there are singings, but both still have horse drawn carriages (or rather buggies), modesty, manners, and grace. Lots of good clean fun. I look forward to reading the rest of the adaptations in this series.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors

What an enjoyable and fresh take on Pride and Prejudice!! A lot less campy than the movie "Bride and Prejudice;" this Indian version flips around some of the gender roles (Wickham is a girl who cozies up to Darcy and Trisha tries warning him off) and sets it in modern day San Francisco. Dr. Trisha Raje is an acclaimed neurosurgeon and DJ (Darcy) is an acclaimed chef who has moved to the US to help his sister deal with a tumor affecting her eyesight. Dr. Raje is the one helping Emma with her tumor and that puts her in direct contact with DJ. They immediately get off to a bad start; especially when they realize that they have to work together for a catered event for Dr. Raje's brother. Deliciously cute, a realistic slow burn take on a classic. I can't wait to read more in this series!

The Other Bennet Sister

I'm glad to see Mary Bennet finally get her due! And not any meager scraps; this impressive tome is nearly 500 pages! Broken into 4 parts, the first part to me was the most dull as it dealt with the story that Janeites already know so well; Pride and Prejudice. It tells the story through Mary's eyes and we see how willing she is to take on Mr. Collins, befriend Charlotte Lucas and impress her parents. Once we get past that, we're in all new territory. As the only unmarried daughter, once her father dies she has no permanent address. She must look to her sisters for charity. It's a low point in Mary's life. She is penniless, unmarried, and the ugliest and dullest of her sisters. But finally, her situation changes, and she meets not just one man, but two! They both find her witty, they love her booksmarts, and they don't compare her to her sisters! A little wordy and slow, but very engaging. A must for any Janeite!!

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

One of the lames Jane Austen spin offs I've read in a long time. I will admit, I picked this book up solely because I love Jane Austen and I love Christmas. I didn't even bother to read the description (which was obviously a mistake). In this modern day Christmastime Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Darcy Fitzwilliam, one of the wealthiest and influential women in New York City comes back to Pemberly, Ohio for the holidays for the first time in eight years because her mom is sick. After she failed to marry her high school sweetheart, Caleb her father disowned her and took her out of the will so she went to New York and became rich and powerful on her own. She hates Pemberly, but thankfully her best friend from high school, the sassy gay Bingley, is in town so they have a good time catching up while her mother recovers. Also she runs into Luke Bennet and he is a stunner. Maybe something will happen with that. Ugh. It's a nightmare. I didn't even care what happened to anyone.

Eligible

When I think of modern re-tellings of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the Bollywood classic, Bride and Prejudice is my gold standard. This satirical re-telling was definitely more raunchy and more current than I was anticipating. Liz works for a feminist magazine, Jane is a yoga instructor trying to get pregnant before she turns 41, Mary is an anti-social weirdo, and Kitty and Lydia are lazy unemployed bums. All the characters are here but there is more modern drama: mixed race couples, transgender dating, hate sex, and more. I tolerated the novel until I got to the relity tc stuff at the end and I would have given it a 3 if it had stopped there, but out of nowhere the last chapter changes characters and is told from Mary's perspective and is so weird and awful that I had to change my rating to a 2. The writing was OK but I did not care for any of the characters in this re-telling and the ending made me hate life.

Pride & Prejudice

What a classic. No matter how many times you read it, it never gets old. Though not quite as good as Sense & Sensibility (in my humble opinion), I still "greatly esteem" this book. Mr. Darcy is and always will be my favorite fictional character. Thank you Mr. Darcy for setting the bar so high that I know without a doubt I will die a lonely cat lady surrounded by empty boxes of wine. Pride & Prejudice can be summed up in one sentence, "Two people who strongly dislike each other end up falling madly in love despite their initial prejudices." Even though I spoiled the entire plot for you, you should still read it. Ladies, you will have new standards for men and gentlemen... you will hopefully learn how to properly woo a lady. Also... the only movie Mr. Darcy to nail it is Colin Firth, don't even try to argue with me on that one!

Longbourn

Baker, Jo. Longbourn. 11 CDs. unabridged. 13.5 hrs. Books on Tape, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group. 2013. ISBN 9780804149426. 

This brilliant and inventive novel will have Jane Austen and Downton Abbey fans jumping for joy. Jo Baker
brings the below-stairs to life in Pride and Prejudice and manages to create as much intrigue and romance
as the Bennet girls experienced in the original classic. Baker fleshes out the lives of the servants, footmen, and cooks to create a classic tale of love lost, perseverance, and early nineteenth century life that will please even the most critical of Janeites. The story centers on Bennet's maid, Sarah, a naive yet likable young girl. When new footman, James, joins the Longbourn staff, things are turned upside down and may never be the same again. Emma Fielding brilliantly narrates this novel with her smooth English accent and does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life using accents and inflections in all the right places. A must read for fans of historical fiction, Jane Austen, and Downton Abbey. Erin Cataldi, Franklin College, Franklin, IN