SEARCHING FOR CAPTAIN WENTWORTH BY JANE ODIWE - BOOK REVIEW

Synopsis: When aspiring writer, Sophie Elliot, receives the keys to the family townhouse in Bath, it’s an invitation she can’t turn down, especially when she learns that she will be living next door to the house that Jane Austen lived in. But, Sophie’s neglected ancestral home is harbouring more than the antiquated furniture and nesting mice, though initially Sophie tries to dismiss the haunting visions of a young girl. On discovering that an ancient glove belonging to her mysterious neighbour, Josh Strafford, will transport her back in time to Regency Bath, she questions her sanity, but Sophie is soon caught up in two dimensions, each reality as certain as the other. Torn between her life in the modern world, and that of her ancestor who befriends Jane Austen and her fascinating brother Charles, Sophie’s story travels two hundred years across time, and back again, to unite this modern heroine with her own Captain Wentworth. Blending fact and fiction together the tale of Jane Austen’s own quest for happiness weaves alongside, creating a believable world of new possibilities for the inspiration behind the beloved novel, Persuasion (from the author’s site)

Searching for Captain Wentworth is different from Jane Odiwe’s previous Austen-inspired novels, Willoughby’s Return and Mr Darcy’sSecret. Not only  because it deals mainly with characters and events connected with Austen’s last novel, Persuasion - while the others continued the stories of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice  respectively - but especially because the author adds a spicy ingredient to her narrative to avoid writing the usual sequel.  She adds time travelling and creates two parallel narrative levels between which the protagonist, Sophie Elliot, unexpectedly and inexplicably  moves. She   gets  involved in a series of different adventures and is torn between two men. Is it possible to fall in love with two differently  handsome,  kind, extraordinary  gentlemen , one living in Jane Austen’s time and one in the modern world? Make your acquaintance with Charles and Josh in Jane Odiwe’s new book and you will find yourself sympathizing  with the heroine.

JANE AUSTEN AND CHILDREN - BOOK REVIEW

(2010 - hardcover - 256 pp.)

(guest blogger Nancy Parker)

David Selwyn, the chairman of the Jane Austen Society and a leading authority in his field (editor of the Annual JAS Report since 2001,  and author of numerous works and articles on Austen), does a remarkable job highlighting her relationship with children in her novels in his  2010 book, “Jane Austen and Children.” Although not a mother herself, Austen’s works examine the relationships of children and their parents, as well as the role of children in society, how children function as models of behavior, and the nature of childhood. Austen understands that childhood and parenthood are multi-faceted, and Selwyn too knows that in order to investigate Austen’s interpretation of childhood, he must come at it from a multi-dimensional perspective. His expansive work highlights the unseen child as well as the historical background surrounding parenting and the morals of childrearing in this time.

One of the most effective aspects of Jane Austen and Children is the way in which Selwyn demonstrates how the unseen child is sometimes just as important as the child that is explicitly illustrated, as he shows how children who are not present in the novels are just as important as those who are. In a time when many women and children died during the arduous process of childbirth, it is significant to note how important it is that many of the family members who were not alive had just as important of an impact on the family sphere as those who were. As far as birth practices go, one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel was Selwyn's in depth look at the birthing practices of this time, a load of information that would make any modern mother thankful she was not alive in the 18th century.

PRIDE AND PYRAMIDS BY AMANDA GRANGE AND JACQUELINE WEBB - MY REVIEW

Fast paced and with the exotic charm of Egypt added to the appeal of the Regency world, Pride and Pyramids is a delightful surprise.

Mystery, legends, superstitions enter the lives of the pleasing and proper Darcy family on visiting the land of the Pharaohs.

Defying a magician’s wrath as well as the legend saying magical plagues affect archaeologists , the Darcys  seek the tomb of Hammon and Husn to uncover its hidden treasure.

Elizabeth and Darcy have been married 15 years now and have 6 children. Their life at Pemberley is quiet and comfortable but lacks adventure. This is why they can’t resist the proposal of Edward Fitzwilliam, Colonel Fitzwilliam’s younger brother, and join him in his intriguing expedition to the exotic land of the Sphinx with their family and friends. Not only immeasurable riches await them but also danger and betrayal.

Familiar characters from Pride and Prejudice and new lovely ones enliven this novel, which  is the result of the combined efforts of Amanda Grange - best-selling

COMPULSIVELY MR. DARCY BY NINA BENNETON - BOOK REVIEW

It is always the same old story between them.  At first glance things never work properly between Darcy and Elizabeth. They never hit it off in fact, neither when he is a wealthy British philanthropist and she is an  idealist American doctor volunteering in a poor country like Vietnam.

In Nina Benneton's story, Elizabeth can’t understand the reason for the reverence Darcy gets from all the people around him:

 “It ‘s hard to be intimidated by a guy who faints at the sight of blood” ,  she thinks at first, after their awkward, catastrophic meeting in the emergency room  of the hospital where she’s been asked to treat injured Charles Bingley, Darcy’s best friend .

Furthermore, why is this Darcy so hysterically worried for his friend? And why are the two men  keenly supporting Mr and Mrs Hurst’s application for an adoption, when the married couple themselves don’t seem so truly interested ? 

Elizabeth has her own suspicions. All funnily wrong, actually. Nonetheless,  that is what gives start to an amusing series of misconceptions,  misunderstandings and misadventures which will lead the reader, fatally as well as predictably,  to the highly longed for  rewarding happy ending.

LOVELY JANEITES - ALEXA SCHNEE, REDISCOVERING AUSTEN

Alexa Schnee is a young, very young, talented writer. She has recently re-discovered Jane Austen and wants to share her new enthusiasm. Alexa has always wanted to be a writer. She loves the smell of the bookstore, because nothing in the world smells exactly like it. When she isn’t writing, she’s murdering some musical instrument or hitting the road. She will never, ever like maths and will always love dancing in the Montana rain. She is currently attending Sarah Lawrence College near New York City.

I took a Jane Austen course at my school, Sarah Lawrence College, this last semester. I loved diving into Austen’s work—mostly Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and, of course, Pride and Prejudice. But when we came to the Minor Works, I found I was a bit unprepared to discuss these writings. We get a glimpse at a young Austen—an Austen uncolored by life experience and publication. We can almost imagine her standing in front of her family in her parlor acting out scenes and skits she had written. We can see her parents laughing at her satirical wit, her early observances of the ridiculous, her

MR DARCY FOREVER BY VICTORIA CONNELLY - SISTERS ARE FOREVER ...BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Sarah and Mia Castle are closer than best friends and share just about everything, including a deep and abiding love for all things relating to Jane Austen. Their annual trip to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath is a highlight of their lives - until the year they discover that no matter how close two sisters may be, it's impossible to share one man between them. Even if he does seem their own perfect Mr Darcy, if one wins him, won't both of them lose?

The two main settings in this novel are dreamy places for any Austen fan: first Barton Cottage, or at least the house in Devon used in 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, the one to which Marianne and Elinor have to move after their father’s death,  and then Bath in the days of the Jane Austen Festival.

Bath is the place where Catherine Morland met Henry Tilney and it was where Captain Wentworth declared his love to Anne Elliot (p. 61)

Sarah is the Elinor-type and as a much elder sister in a family with no parents she has to take care of Mia,  Marianne’s alter ego in this modern romance. Sarah has the conservatism of  Elinor, the prudishness of  Fanny Price  and suffer from OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) while Mia has the naivety of Catherine Morland, the recklessness of Marianne Dashwood and dreams of being an actress. Could two sisters be more different?

Sarah’s 18th birthday gift for Mia is a week to spend together, the two of them, at Barton Cottage but her plan will be ruined by an unexpected presence: Alec is the most handsome, fascinating man the two sisters have ever met. Mia loses her head and starts flirting openly with him, Alec seems more interested in Sarah though ...

This will be the beginning of the end for Sarah and Mia’s close relationship, they are more like best friends than sisters. But they can’t share the same man, can they?

Three years later and a great deal of life after the two sisters are both in Bath for The Jane Austen Festival, none of them knowing of the other presence. They haven’t spoken nor seen each other since their week in Devon.

Bath will offer them new chances and new acquaintances ( a Brandon-type and an Edward-Ferrars-type, of course! ) and, especially, an opportunity to meet again.

What about the Mr Darcy in the title? Read this lovely romp to the end and he will be there in his wet shirt for Mia, for Sarah and for all of you! 

What I especially like in Victoria Connelly's Austen-inspired trilogy is her humor. Her prose is witty and her narration characterized by a very light touch which makes you want to turn the page quickly and never put the book down. You are there - at least I was - giggling all the time. And daydreaming, of course! She deals with ordinary life, ordinary heroines/heroes with their ordinary misadventures but she succeeds in making them rather extraordinary, really special. 

Another element I definitely  appreciate is her ability to find the Austenesque in present day ordinariness. Bravo, Ms Connelly! These three modern day romances are really sunshine on a rainy day. I've loved them all. This latest one, Mr Darcy Forever, nonetheless. 


GIVEAWAY TIME!


There's 1 new brand paperback  for the US readers interested in this book. I must thank Sourcebooks for granting  me the copy for this giveaway. Leave your comments adding your e-mail address and good luck. If you want an extra chance to win spread the word on twitter or facebook! The deadline for this contest is April 30th. Good luck!

THE THREE COLONELS BY JACK CALDWELL - GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT & BOOK REVIEW

Last week Jack Caldwell was here at My Jane Austen Book Club as my guest , one of the many  stops in his blog tour for the launch of The Three Colonels - Jane Austen Fighting Men (see guest post). On that occasion Sourcebooks granted you readers of this blog two copies of the book, 1 e-book version and 1 paperback. The giveaway contest ends today and I'm going to reveal the names of the two winners in a while. But  first,  I'd like to share my review of the book with you, since I was lucky enough to read  it meanwhile. 

Did I like The Three Colonels?YES! One of the best Austen sequels I've read so far!

MY REVIEW

Jack Caldwell contributes  a male outlook on Jane Austen World. His  The Three Colonels – Jane Austen Fighting Men  is sequel to Sense and Sensibility  and Pride and Prejudice with hints to Tolstoj's War and Peace. It also  includes  characters from  other major novels by Austen as well as new ones created by Caldwell himself.  What Jane Austen had not even hinted at – the Napoleonic Wars – Jack Caldwell  brings forward  in this brilliant tale set in one of England’s most challenging  moments .

Bonaparte, prisoner  in Elba, succeeds in escaping  and marches on Paris .  King Louis flees the country so Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French Republic. It is war again and the country is not ready.  Lord Wellington needs his best men and they must urgently answer the dreaded call.

Colonel Brandon will have to answer that call, for example. He has long been inactive and is now a very happy husband to Marianne and proud father of a baby girl, Joy.  He is one of the few officers Lord Wellington trusts in his enterprise to stop Bonaparte once and forever.   Useless to say  Willoughby steps forward  on hearing Marianne is alone at Delaford Manor.

Colonel  John Buford  - a new fascinating character with the reputation of being a libertine entertaining married ladies -  meets, wooes  and marries  Caroline Bingley.  She used to be rude, grasping, selfish and cold, but ... love can do magic. When she becomes Lady Buford she totally transforms herself  into a generous woman in love.  At first she probably  marries John Buford  for his position and for his charm, while he marries Caroline for her good looks and her  brilliant personality.  Nonetheless their mènage  will be filled with  intriguing, passionate and even highly dramatic moments.   

Since Lady Catherine De Bourgh has estranged her other nephew,  Fitzwilliam Darcy both  as her trustee at  Rosings Parks  and as her favourite elegible husband to her daughter Anne, Richard Fitzwilliam  is coping with the hard task to  substitute  his cousin in those duties.  While trying to save his Aunt’s property from total failure in a period of  deep economic crisis, he realizes  he has new feelings for Miss De Bourgh. Anne’s health has greatly improved in the last  years and she has gained energy and charm.  Colonel Fitzwilliam’s  new plans and affections will have  a hard time since, suddenly,  he has to leave for Belgium and meet other  duties. 

Even Wickham’s regiment must join Wellington’s Army but  he  doesn’t like the idea of going to war.  He hadn’t joined the army to fight in a war and he  blames Darcy for his unfortunate destiny. 

The historical scenario described by Jack Caldwell moves from  London to Vienna for the  1815 Congress . He deals with politics, of course,  but  he doesn’t  spoil the excitement and glamour of the social gatherings  nor renounces to use the typical  Austenesque light touch.

As Lady Beatrice Wellesley, cousin to Wellington,  says to Caroline Bingley (now Lady Buford) :  “ It is far different from the London society or even the Court of St James. Here empires may rise or fall. Wars may break out or be ended. This world attracts a certain type of individual – hard clever people who are used to having their own way and know how to get it”

This novel was a delightful discovery . Different from other sequels I’ve read , yet in the trend of the Austenesque  vogue, it champions love, loss, redemption, duty and war . It is a real page turner and a must-read for lovers of Austen - inspired novels and historical fiction in general.  

Are you ready to discover who the winners of last week's giveaway contest are? Here we go, then! 
The paperback of The Three Colonels is GranJan  while the e-book version goes to Luthien84! 
Congratulations to both of you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your new read! Many thanks to Jack Caldwell for being my guest and to Sourcebooks publishers for granting the copies for the giveaway contest

HENRY TILNEY'S DIARY BY AMANDA GRANGE - MY REVIEW

A lovely page-turner, a charming re-telling of  Northanger Abbey focusing on Henry Tilney and on his personal vision of the events  we loved reading  in Jane Austen’s  amusing tale of Catherine Morland’s adventures.

In Amanda Grange’s Herny Tilney’s Diary we meet a very young hero - almost 16 at the beginning - writing about his careless holidays back home from school, his older brother Frederick’s bravado, his special bond with his sister  Eleanor, his mother’s frail health, his father’s strong temper  and authoritative grasp on his own family.  On the whole,  a happy picture, especially because Henry is a very sensitive, humorous, witty boy who loves dearly his family and life  itself. He is destined  to become a clergyman and is  in search for his heroine. What is the characteristic he can’t renounce? She must love Gothic tales as much as he does.

During a trip to Bath,  Henry meets  Catherine Morland, who not only loves reading Gothic novels but even believes them true accounts of possible realities. She is also innocent, honest, sincere, lovely and cute so Henry starts believing he may have found his heroine, even if she is not in possession of a great fortune.

What does he love in her? In his diary he writes: 

 “Miss Morland was not jaded by her surroundings, nor did she pretend to be. It was entertaining to see how much she enjoyed the bustle, the rooms, the  people and the dancing, instead of affecting boredom, like the other young ladies, saying that there was not one interesting person to be met with in the whole of Bath. Instead, she was charmed, and through her eyes I found that some of the charm of Bath was restored for me”

General Tilney, Henry’s father, is instead in search for wealthy partners for all his children. His stubborness makes life hard for Eleanor,  for example, since she is supposed to marry a marquis or a viscount but is in love with humble Mr Morris. So why is the General eager to make penniless Miss Morland the perfect match for his younger son, Henry? That’s really unexpected  -  if not unbelievable - to Eleanor and Henry , who both like Catherine very much and are really  hopeful their father is going mild in his old age. They are terribly wrong, unfortunately.

If you love the irony and wit in  Northanger Abbey ,  you will obviously  enjoy this amusing re-telling from a different perspective. Henry is such a brilliant hero and through his diary  we can know about the young Tilneys’  early lives and the events that shaped them and, moreover,   we can follow his innermost thoughts and feelings at meeting his “in-training” heroine. 

As a tender, thoughtful knight  he will  rescue Catherine,  like the sensitive, brave hero of the Gothic tales he loves . But not from a devilish villain , he saves her   from her imagination, inexperience and naivety which might have  led her to an uncertain  future or to a very negative epilogue (something similar to that of Isabella Thorpe?)

Ms Grange's diaries are indeed a great way to discover more about our beloved Austen heroes. Before Henry Tilney's Diary  she wrote and publish Mr Darcy's , Mr Knightley's, Colonel Brandon's, Edmund Bertram's and Whickham's diaries which make an unmissable series on a well-provided  shelf of Austenesque reads.

Read my interview with Amanda Grange about Henry Tilney's Diary
Read Amanda Grange's guest post about Colonel Brandon's Diary 

MERITS AND MERCENARIES BY A LADY - A REVIEW

This novel was a pleasant surprise in its originality, a newly written story planned and narrated following Jane Austen's style, wit and sharpness with intelligence and talent. Not a sequel nor a prequel, not a spin-off, none of the protagonists or characters are taken from Austen's major six, nonetheless Merits and Mercenaries does take readers back to those charming atmospheres and plunges them into the dynamics and manners of the society Austen herself so brilliantly depicted. What is remarkable is the skillful echoing of Jane Austen's wit and irony through refined diction and detailed research.

Merits and Mercenaries is the first published novel in an ambitious and promising project of seven,  called The Bath Novels of Lady A. ,  defined as  Regaustenian  . 

I was intrigued as soon as I started reading the Preface to the novel itself, which is a smart fictional connection between Jane  Austen's biography and the so-called Bath novels. It relates the mysterious story of how fortuitously Cassandra Austen came to own a series of manuscripts after her beloved sister's death - seven "dissidents" which quite differed from the perfect published major six - and why she decided to leave them to a person Jane trusted and love, Miss Anne Sharp. 

The tales are so tacitly attributed to the"devil" of Jane Austen's quill but written by a lady , who doesn't reveal her identity,  but in her thorough and creative tribute to that genius demonstrates great love and respect.

The plot develops between Hampshire and London  following the pursuit of love and self-discovery of trusty and admirable protagonsits such as Mr William Halford - as honorable as handsome and of excellent breeding - and Miss Katherine Huntley - intelligent, beautiful and truly generous young woman.  Their path to the fullfilment of their wishes will not only be full of menaces from unscrupled villains but also made hard by their own praiseworthy principles,  which will turn themselves  into obstacles and delay the two young lovers happy ending.

Vividly written villains crowd the tale and make the comedy in it become often drama. The opposition of good and evil is, of course,  the main contrast leading the thread of the events but there are others very Austenesque clashes: the country and the town, duty and love, comfort and poverty, appearance and reality, sense and sensibility. 

Amusing  and  well-written, I'm glad to add Merits and Mercenaries to my "Austenesque Reads" shelf .

Read also 

Talking Jane Austen with Lady A.

Politics & Polemics / The Arch ‘A’ in Austen. Guestpost by Lady A.