Let's talk Austen!

Tonight, I feel like discussing one of my all time favorite authors - Jane Austen! I doubt I will be able to be brief on this topic, so it might get a little long. Consider yourself warned! :)

I read my first Austen novel, Northanger Abbey, in an English Honors class my freshman year of college. I feel compelled to admit that it wasn't love at first sight... But, as I read more of the book, and had the opportunity to discuss it in class with the other students and our professor, I'm happy to report that I really started to appreciate her writing and her humor :) So much so, that I decided to read more of her novels.

Sadly, the novels of Jane Austen are few in number. They include: Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Lady Susan. Another novel, Sandition, was unfinished at the time of Austen's death. It was later finished by another English author under the pseudonym "Another Lady." A nod to the fact that Austen's name did not appear on her books when they were originally published? They said simply, "By A Lady." There are a few other works, either unfinished, or short works from her early years that are available for Austen fans as well.

My favorite Jane Austen novels:

Pride and Prejudice and Emma (I also love the BBC movie adaptations of these novels) I like all her stories, but these two are my favorites. Why? Who knows! I just love them! P&P is probably the most widely read Austen novel. I don't know this for certain, but that's my guess. Emma, like Northanger Abbey, is a story that I wasn't sure I really liked at first, primarily because the heroine is a brat. I ended up liking her though and the story succeeded in securing it's place as one of my favorites :)

Austen inspired works that I like:

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James - This book is a great read for Jane fans. It's written as a manuscript from a person who finds Austen's memoirs. It's wonderfully written and it was hard for me to remember that I what I was reading was fiction, not actual memoirs. I definitely recommend it.

The movie, "Finding Jane" - This is a movie about Jane Austen's life. Very little is known about her, but this is a good presentation of what is known/believed about her life.

Austen inspired works that I DON'T like:

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough - I was really disappointed in this sequel to P&P written by an author whose books I usually like. I had two main complaints. First, there were too many things happening throughout the book and too many plot lines to follow. It definitely neeed some simplification, in my opinion. Second, McCullough did not stay true to the characters that Austen originally created so long ago. In this sequel, most characters became very unlikable and I just didn't enjoy reading about what these characters had become in this novel.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - Supposedly, each section/character of this book is supposed to mimic an Austen story line/character. I felt it was unsuccessful and didn't feel like it was in the style of Jane Austen at all. Obviously, my opinion is not shared by all, since it was a successful book and was also made into a movie (which I did watch and didn't like - big surprise right? lol).

So, if you love Jane like me, I hope you enjoyed this little review. If you haven't ready any Jane, I hope you're now inspired to pick up a book and give her a try! Happy reading!!