MY TWO FAVOURITE GIRLS, EMMA AND CHER BY GUEST BLOGGER MELISSA MILLER

Romola Garai as Emma (BBC 2009)

Unknowingly, I was familiar with Jane Austen before I had ever picked up one of her novels. As a child of the 90s, I was captivated with the film Clueless. The film offered a glimpse into a glamorous world of designer clothes, wealth and romance. Although it was wildly out of my everyday reality, I viewed Cher Horowitz's Beverly Hills world as the quintessential representation of popularity in teenage America.

It wasn't until years later, when I was studying English literature in college, that I discovered the movie had been written as an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. After re-watching the movie and reading the novel, I was pleasantly surprised at how well each of the works captured the snobbery, frivolity and generosity that is transferred between social classes.

Cher Horowitz and Emma Woodhouse are both arrogant, spoiled daughters of over-indulgent fathers. Though their time periods are separated by more than a century, there remain distinct similarities among the demands and expectations of their elitist societies. While Emma lives in the well-bred haven of nineteenth century England, Cher's Beverly Hill high school is ruled by a similar combination of money and charm. In both instances, snobbery is rampant.

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.

WENDI SOTIS - DREAMS AND EXPECTATIONS: GIVEAWAY WINNERS.

Welcome back to all the readers who commented Wendi Sotis's interview and entered the giveaway of her Dreams and Expectations.  Here are the names of the lucky ones!

1. suzan has won the paperback

&

2. kaewink gets the eBook  

Congratulations to both winners and many thanks to Wendi Sotis for being our guest!

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.

THE FUTURE MRS DARCY BY MARIA GRACE - GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Here I am to make two of my readers very happy. I've just picked up the names of the winners of Maria Grace's volume II of Given Good Principles: The Future Mrs Darcy.

Congratulations to ...

1. Jewels 1328 who wins the signed paperback
2. Luthien 84 who gets the e-book version

Thanks to lovely Maria Grace for being again a kind and generous guest and to all of you who read her post and entered the giveaway contest. 

Guest Post - Barbara Tiller Cole: Party Like It’s Austen Regency Time At the Upcoming Decatur Book Festival: Now With 28 Authors Participating

http://www.darcyholicdiversions.com/p/jane-austen-then-and-now-events-at.html 

Barbara Tiller Cole, Austen-inpired author and Lady Host at Darcyholic Diversions, is here to present a great upcoming event to My Jane Austen Book Club readers. If you don't live far, you might even be interested in taking part in it. If only I didn't live in Italy! This would be a fabulous occasion to meet our favourite authors and bloggers. Read more and if you can, don't miss the chance to be there!

What happens when an independent Austen-inspired author and a rapid Austen fan join forces? The Jane Austen: Then and Now events at the upcoming Decatur Book Festival Labor Day weekend, that’s what—now with 28 authors participating as of today as Laurel Ann Nattress is joining us! It has been a joy to be the Author Liaison and Program Chairman for the upcoming event, working along the side of the Event Chairman, Jan Ashe.

Lovely Janeites: Lauren Bailey - Re-Approaching the Jane Austen You Knew in High School as an Adult

For high school students, one of the most groan-worthy aspects of summer vacation is typically the summer reading list. Even as an avid reader and book lover, I hated the summer reading list for school. Not only did I not want to be required to read seven books over my summer in the sun, I couldn't stand being told what I was allowed to read. Of course, I was proven wrong plenty of times. Most of the books on the summer reading lists were classics that I absolutely adored after the fact, but some I just couldn't get into. Sadly, Jane Austen was one of those authors I just couldn't connect with as a particularly young 14 year old just entering high school.

The summer before my freshman year in high school, Pride and Prejudice was on the "required reading" list. I picked up the book, hearing of it many times before of course and fully expecting to love it. But, that just wasn't the case. I couldn't find my footing in the lofty and unattainable language, I couldn't relate to the characters, and I was completely bored by the plot. I know, I know—you Austen-ites out there are begging to just shake my 14 year old self. I understand. But, I do think that my experience with Austen for the first time serves as an apt lesson. After only reading part of the novel and feigning having read the rest in high school, I sworn off Austen forever—at least that's what I said. 

DEAR MR DARCY BY AMANDA GRANGE - GIVEAWAY WINNER

Thanks to Amanda Grange for her interesting guest post: "How many stars out of five did Jane Austen get from her contemporaries?" and many thanks to all the readers who entered the giveaway leaving their comments.

Among them,  my congratulations to ...

Lori 

who has just won a copy of Dear Mr Darcy, Amanda Grange 's latest release.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY - WENDI SOTIS, DREAMS AND EXPECTATIONS

Join me and welcome author Wendi Sotis at My Jane Austen Book Club! Get the opportunity to meet a new lovely Janeite and  talented writer,  as well as the chance to win either a paperback or eBook version of her Pride and Prejudice  variation, Dreams and Expectations. Read the giveaway details below. 

Fist of all welcome Wendi and thanks a lot for accepting my invitation. My first question for you is, how did you come to write a Pride & Prejudice variation?

I found the  Jane Austen fan fiction community while searching for a version of P&P from Darcy’s point-of-view. I found quite a few that I loved, but I also realized that they weren’t quite what I had envisioned myself.  So, I started writing one of my own.  One night, I had a dream of a scene that never happened in the original novel, and decided to create my own story around that instead.  This eventually became Dreams and Expectations, and incorporated most of what I had already written for the Darcy’s POV story.

LOOKING FOR MR DARCY

(by guest blogger Kelsey Clark) 

If you are a girl, as I assume most of you reading this are, then you know what I am talking about when I say we are looking for our Mr. Darcy. We are looking for that special someone who may not look the best from the outside but is secretly perfect for us on the inside.

Now, we need to be careful with this impulse to ‘Darcy-fy’ guys. Not all guys are like Mr. Darcy; a jerk at first glance but inside a gentleman. Some guys are just jerks through and through. A lot of women get this romantic view on guys. Like their coarse outer demeanor is really just cause by pain and loneliness and YOU will be the one to get through to them. This is how women get stuck with abusive and neglectful guys, even smart women.

Of course, I am sure there ARE guys like Mr. Darcy out there; ones that have trouble expressing their true selves. But there is a thin line between prejudice and wisdom. Prejudice keeps good people (like Elizabeth and Darcy) apart. Wisdom keeps good women from being sucked into relationships with bad men. Know the difference.

AUTHOR GUEST POST & DOUBLE GIVEAWAY: MARIA GRACE, THE FUTURE MRS DARCY

Join me and welcome Maria Grace at My Jane Austen Book Club. Read her guest post, leave your comment and get a chance to win "The Future Mrs Darcy". There is 1 signed paperback for US readers and 1 e-book version for readers from the rest of the world. So,  please,  don't forget to add your e-mail address to your comment and specify which country you write from. The deadline for this giveaway contest is 23 August.

Given Good Principles is a three part series that explores what Jane Austen’s  Pride and Prejudice  might have looked like if Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice no longer played a central role in their relationship. For both, mentors and situations provide opportunities for reflection and growth, making them very different people when they meet.

In the first volume of the Given Good Principles series, Darcy’s Decision, Fitzwilliam Darcy faces the challenges presented, when, in the midst of dealing with Wickham’s attempt to compromise Georgiana, he discovers his father’s darkest secrets. With the help of his mentor, Mr. Bradley, Darcy struggles to overcome some of the blackest moments of his life.

AMANDA GRANGE, HOW MANY STARS OUT OF FIVE DID JANE GET FROM HER CONTEMPORARIES? - "DEAR MR DARCY" BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY

This has been an incredibly prolific year for Austen-inspired author, Amanda Grange. After Henry Tilney's Diary and Pride and Pyramids, a new novel has just been released, Dear Mr Darcy. In this lovely guest post, Amanda wonders how many stars out of five would Jane have got from her contemporaries if Amazon or goodreads had been around at that time. Leaving your comment  and adding your e-mail address you can get a chance to win a copy of Amanda Grange's Dear Mr Darcy. Check the giveaway details at the end of the post.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

As I’m a novelist with a new book out this month, Dear MrDarcy, I’m eager to know what everyone will think of it. This made me think about the reactions to Jane Austen’s books when she was a new novelist instead of a classic author.

Some of Jane’s family knew that she was “A Lady”, the author of Sense and Sensibility, but not all. When one of her nieces, Anna, came across a copy of Sense and Sensibility in the local circulating library, she threw it aside with “careless contempt, little imagining who had written it, exclaiming to the great amusement of her Aunts who stood by “Oh that must be rubbish I am sure from the title”. 

If Amazon had been around in 1811, no doubt Anna would have given it a 1* review!

DO WE READ JANE AUSTEN FOR THE RIGHT REASONS?

I found this video interview with Fran Lebowitz discussing Jane Austen's fame on You Tube by chance and it made me think over and over about something I have always been convinced of.  I have already mentioned that fact here on My Jane Austen Book Club, especially when I began writing this blog a couple of years ago. Maybe you noticed that I often asked Austen - inspired writers in our "Talking Jane Austen with..." sessions if they didn't think that movie and TV  adaptations had misled our reading and interpretation of Jane Austen's novels. Most  film versions -  if not all of them -  focus on the romantic aspect of the love stories told in the books and that gave start to the illusion that Jane Austen's work  was mainly romance. Honestly, Jane Austen is one of the least romantic authors  I've read in my life, of that I am definitely convinced. The most unromantic proposals or happy ending  in books can be found in  her works. She made slight exceptions for Emma (If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more)  and Persuasion ( You pierced my soul ) but, still, what Jane Austen cannot be considered  is a romantic writer. I don't love her the less for that, and you also know how much I love watching the TV series or the films adapted from her works. 

VISITING BATH & LYME REGIS

Bath - The Crescent

Bath - One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it

On my tour of England from north to south last year (HERE) I couldn’t complete my Jane Austen pilgrimage, since my friends and I were following more than one trail (Richard III, movie locations, literature, abbeys and cathedrals) and each of us had put her own special goals on our common schedule. This is why we decided we would complete my Austen tour this year  visiting the South – West region of the Island and  starting from Somerset (we landed in Bristol),  more precisely  from Bath.

Me at the Roman Baths

The most common opinion on the years Jane Austen spent in Bath wants them unhappy and unproductive.

Jane arrived in Bath with Cassandra and her parents in 1800, after her father had unexpectedly announced his desire to retire from the ministry. Young Jane must have been really depressed if not shocked, though Bath was not and is not an unpleasant place .

Those (1800- 1809) are the years of The Watsons, which she left unfinished, of Harris Bigg-Wither’s proposal (her only marriage proposal for what we know), which she rejected, but those are tragically and especially the years when her father died and left Jane, her mother and her sister doomed to live on the financial contributions of the Austen men.

JULY BOOK GIVEAWAYS - WINNERS

A good day to the lovely readers of My Jane Austen Book Club. I hope you are all enjoying these very hot summer days and reading good stuff. A good Austenesque novel? 

 I'm just back from England where the weather was extraordinarily fine and I'm so busy  catching up with all the things left behind? 

I promise I''ll post about the Austen trail of my tour soon but for  today I just have to give a proper happy ending to the book giveaway contests  running at My Jane Austen Book Club in the latest weeks. 

Regina Jeffers's  modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Honor and Hope, has been won by Samantha Remington. 

PAMELA AARES, JANE AUSTEN AND THE ARCHANGEL - GIVEAWAY WINNER

Every life deserves one great love ... and Jane Austen would have deserved a great one for all the glorious moments she has granted us with her writing. Jane Austen & the Archangel by Pamela Aares tries to imagine a great love story for a great heroine. Have you read my author interview? 

There was a chance to win a copy of the book leaving a comment + e-mail address below that post. I hope you did it!

Here's the name of the lucky winner: Julie Martin Wallace

Congratulations to her and many thanks to Pamela Aares

P.O. DIXON, BEWITCHED, BODY AND SOUL: MISS ELIZABETH BENNET - GIVEAWAY WINNER

Here I am to announce the name of the winner of P.O. Dixon's Bewitched, Body and Soul: Miss Elizabeth Bennet as promised.

Congratulations to Sonia!

And many thanks to P.O. Dixon for writing "Can you die of a broken heart?" especially for My Jane Austen Book Club and for granting our readers a copy of her book.

CECILIA GRAY, AUSTEN VERSUS UPDATED - GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY

Cecilia Gray is the author of a new YA series, The Jane Austen Academy: 

 The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down… 

Enjoy her post, Austen versus updated and leave your comment  to get a chance to win an e-book version of the first novel in the series, Fall for You, A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice (the winner will choose either mobi (Kindle), epub (Nook/iPad) or PDF format) . Don't forget to add your e-mail address to be contacted in case you win. This giveaway contest ends on July 30.

************************

Oh, to have grown up in Jane Austen’s times.There was so much to worry about. So much repressed angst. So many reasons to storm away,fist to mouth, with repressed emotion.

A few hundred years has done nothing to lessen the drama.

Developing The Jane Austen Academy series meant updating all the major plot points and themes so they’d retain their Austenesque essence but feel fresh and relevant to my characters. It meant keeping the Austen Dilemma with a modern twist.

Is that you Mr. Darcy? Darcy figures in Modern Pop Culture by guest blogger Susan Wells

Long after the publication of Jane Austen's beloved "Pride & Prejudice," the world has been on a never-ending quest to recreate the gentlemanly Darcy figure in books, television shows, and movies again and again. It comes as no surprise how frequently you'll see strands and threads of the handsome, prideful, and mysterious Mr. Darcy weaved into modern literature and film. In fact, Mr. Darcy is probably Jane Austen's most well-known, recreated character of all time.

Women, in particular, have become rather obsessed with Darcy ever since Jane Austen first penned him in 1813. Why is it that one character has completely transformed the male figure in both film and literature? Well, if there is a man more balanced in both heartfelt sincerity and prideful sass than Mr. Darcy, I'd love to know who. No seriously – I would.

Mr. Darcy is a combination of both utter perfection and human imperfection. He snubs the beautiful Elizabeth Bennett is such an artful way at the beginning, but wins her heart and hand with ever-so-subtle romantic gestures in the end. He isn't the only character that ever behaved in such a way, however. Study some of your favorite shows or movies in modern pop culture and you'll be surprised how often you'll see Darcy behaviors embedded into the personalities and personas of male leads. In fact, though he is seated deep in the past, Mr. Darcy manages to inject himself into most every romantic male lead nowadays. Check out these three famous characters that embody the Darcy figure in modern pop culture.

REGINA JEFFERS, HONOR AND HOPE - GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY

Jane Austen’s works are often classified as “romances.” The assumption comes from the premise that if the heroine meets a handsome man in Chapter One, he must be the hero. Fitzwilliam Darcy is the romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, and although he does not appear in Chapter One, he does make an appearance by Chapter Three, and Austen’s chapters are short in comparison to contemporary writers. However, if you know nothing of the story line nor do you have sweet dreams of Colin Firth emerging dripping wet from a placid lake (Sigh!) or of Matthew Macfadyen walking through the morning mist with an open shirt and lots of chest hair (Sigh!), you may not think much of the infamous Mr. Darcy.

Quite frankly, upon our first meeting of this wonderful character, he is a jerk. He makes a horrendous “first impression.” But that is the thing with Austen. Her original title of the novel and her theme are one and the same: first impressions are misleading.

From the first line of Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” Austen plays a merry game with her readers. “First impressions” are misleading: Darcy does not come to Hertfordshire seeking a wife; Wickham is not the perfect mate for Elizabeth; Jane might be more beautiful than Elizabeth, but she lacks her sister’s depth of character; Darcy’s best quality is not his wealth, nor is his worst quality his pride. Austen’s theme permeates every line, and, generally, the reader does not recognize that our favorite author hits us over the head with it. Readers simply sense the resonance found within Austen’s works.