The Professor by Charlotte Bronte

Rereading The Professor after all these years was fascinating, but I have been dawdling for three weeks now over this post and still feel uninspired. My first issue is that I have to somehow relate it all back to Jane Austen, as I declared I would upon accepting the All About the Brontes Challenge. Secondly, I don't want to engage in the rather boring exercise of critiquing a text that is blatantly stamped with all the hallmarks of "a first attempt", despite the authoress' protests to the contrary in her preface. Where does this leave me? After assuring you that this tale of a young man making his way in the world, finally finding his path at a Belgium boarding school, is very worthwhile reading in spite of its foibles (or, perhaps, because of them), I propose to write about some archaic nonsense, which I shall impose upon my reading and thereby color it . What kind of archaic nonsense did I have in mind? Have you ever heard of the noble Science of Physiognomy?

In brief, and according to Wikipedia, physiognomy "is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face." In essence, facial features are said to be measures of intelligence, kindness, stupidity, and madness. It belongs to the same school of thought as phrenology, but physiognomy has the added distinction of being highly subscribed to by the artists of the time. Its influence is easy to see in Victorian literature, writers often describing their characters' "physiognomies" in depth. The Brontes are no exception; indeed, Charlotte is the darling of feminist literary theorists exploring the implications of the physiognomy of madwomen. In The Professor, William Crimsworth judges everyone based upon such notions, from his estranged brother's wife ...

I sought her eye, desirous to read there the intelligence which I could not discern in her face or hear in her conversation; it was merry, rather small; by turns I saw vivacity, vanity, coquetry, look out through its irid, but I watched in vain for a glimpse of a soul.

... to the entire Flemish race (of whom I beg will take no offense at the following quote) ...

Flamands they certainly were, and both had the true Flamand physiognomy, where intellectual inferiority is marked in lines none can mistake; still they were men, and, in the main, honest men; and I could not see why their being aboriginals of the flat, dull soil should serve as a pretext for treating them with perpetual severity and contempt.

The novel even catalogs his students, in almost epic style, based upon such observances of their appearance and characters. Physiognomy is so much an assumption that we must conclude that, for Charlotte, it was a truth, as incontestable as God.

Here's where Jane, with a mischievous smile, chimes in with a witty set down, for well she knows that while "one [might have] all the goodness" another might have "all the appearance of it." Austen pays not the slightest heed to physiognomy, which was only just coming into prevalence during her lifetime. In fact, she emphatically warns us how deceptive appearances can be in the form of charming rascal after charming rascal: Willoughby, Wickham, Crawford, Churchill, and Elliot. The entire plots of Pride & Prejudice and Emma are based upon how one should never make assumptions based upon appearance. Austen barely even provides a basic description of her heroines' looks, drawing only the vaguest pictures of what these ladies look like (to the convenience of modern cinema).

On that note, I abruptly wrap up my musings on physiognomy and leave you with one last quote from and thought on The Professor, having absolutely no relevance to the previous subject. I find it remarkable that Charlotte Bronte, the orchestrator of all Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester's violent emotions, wrote the following:

Novelists should never allow themselves to weary of the study of real life. If they observed this duty conscientiously, they would give us fewer pictures chequered with vivid contrasts of light and shade; they would seldom elevate their heroes and heroines to the heights of rapture - still seldomer sink them to the depths of despair; for if we rarely savour the acrid bitterness of hopeless anguish ...

Though this is the policy she employed in writing The Professor, we'll see how well she adheres to it in Villette, my favorite Bronte novel and the one which I am reading next.

Read my review of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

The Pemberley Chronicles: Recollections of Rosings by Rebecca Ann Collins

Warning: Slight spoiler alert. Please proceed with caution, though I do not believe that reading my review will diminish your enjoyment of the book. For some reason I don't seem to be able to review The Pemberley Chronicles without giving something away.

Read my review of volume seven, Postscript from Pemberley, here.

Read my summary of the first six books in The Pemberley Chronicles here.

His eyes were fixed on Marianne, and, after a silence of some minutes, he said, with a faint smile, "Your sister, I understand, does not approve of second attachments."

"No," replied Elinor, "her opinions are all romantic."

"Or rather, as I believe, she considers them impossible to exist."

"I believe she does. But how she contrives it without reflecting on the character of her own father, who had himself two wives, I know not."

I commence this review of the eighth volume in The Pemberley Chronicles with the above quote from Sense & Sensibility because I have come to the conclusion that second attachments are the pervasive theme of the series. Yes, several of the characters enjoy very happy first attachments, but as each book proceeds, Rebecca Ann Collins focuses increasingly on the more mature and fuller love to be found later in life, after early romantic expectations have been disappointed. Such is certainly the case in Recollections of Rosings, where the focus falls upon the eldest daughter of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas, Catherine Harrison.

While the back cover of this book would lead you to believe that this story is primarily about Catherine's youngest daughter, Lillian, and conflict over her romance, it is her mother's relationships that dominate. Following in her mother's footsteps, Catherine (the favorite and namesake of Lady Catherine de Bourgh) married the rector of Hunsford at the age of twenty-nine. As the book begins, disaster has struck at Rosings in the form of a devastating fire. In his anxiety to help in the emergency, Dr. Harrison overexerts himself and has a heart attack, precipitating a rapid decline. The family is relocated to the Dower House on the estate, where the doctor breaths his last, leaving Catherine and Lillian, the only child still at home, alone.

Into this scene comes Frank Burnett, an expert brought in to assist the in the preservation and restoration of the scorched main house. Soon it is revealed that this same man, in Catherine's youth, held the position of librarian at Rosings and that the two had developed a close friendship. Due to the will of a rather officious and overbearing lady (need I mention names?), that friendship came to an abrupt halt. Now, with no one to stand in their way, Catherine and Frank have the freedom to get to know each other again.

The most striking thing about this novel are the images of Rosings, that imposing edifice that so impressed Mr. Collins with its expensive fireplaces, after the fire:

It was nearly four days since the fire, yet parts of the building were still smoldering - the smoke, acrid and dark, drifting upwards - while everywhere across the once immaculate park was strewn the debris of days past, Scorched walls, crumbling masonry, and shattered windows - all those many dozens of windows that her father used to speak of in a hushed voice, whose glazing had cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh a fortune - shattered now, hung with raged bits of rich curtains blowing in the wind.

Catherine gasped. She could hardly breathe, and beside her Lillian was weeping as Jonathan and Mr Grantham helped them alight. The driver of the vehicle they had hired stood beside them open-mouthed, so shocked he seemed to have been paralysed, unable to even recall the agreed hire when Mr Grantham attempted to pay him. "Jesus!" he said. "Jesus, I never seen such a sight before!" and it seemed he spoke for them all.

Rosings, in this novel, stands as a monument to Lady Catherine's legacy. It's near total destruction represents the end of her notable influence, freeing those who were subjected to her rule from the burden of her legacy. Strangely, I feel almost sorry for the great lady as her morals, priorities, and values are swept away in a tide of change. But if nothing else, the Victorian Era was about progress, and the younger representatives of the Darcy, Fitzwilliam, and Collins families are clearly members of this evolving world, while Lady Catherine is distinctly a relic of the past.

This book almost entirely focuses on this next generation while their elders - Darcy, Lizzy, Jane, and Charlotte - are very much relegated to the background. I prefer it when Ms. Collins includes these original characters more. There is even a marriage from Longbourn without any mention that the ceremony is taking place in the same church that saw the Darcys and Bingleys married, the unions that are the premise for the entire saga. Several other things bother me about this volume. While Ms. Collins is usually a very careful writer, she obvious overlooks a typo that skews the chronology of events, includes an episode of high drama that does nothing to advance the plot, only making the book unnecessarily longer, and never even has it occur to Catherine, while mourning lost years of potential happiness, that had things proceeded differently she would not have her beloved children until the very end, when the obvious is thrust in her face. For the woman who is supposed to be the heir to all of her mother's kindness and pragmatism, I find this frustratingly oblivious.

So this isn't my favorite episode in this sprawling Victorian epic, but neither is it the one I liked least. Like all Ms. Collins' books, it's somewhat repetitive and dry, but if you don't read this book, how can you proceed to the next? A Woman of Influence will be released in June and promises to be about the life and times of Rebecca Tate, Catherine's younger sister. I fear this book is going to be a lot like My Cousin Caroline, more of a recap than new material, but I will, of course, read it anyway.

Interview with Fenella Miller, Author of Miss Bennet and Mr Bingley

Last week I reviewed Miss Bennet and Mr Bingey (read the post here) by Fenella Jane Miller. In it I complained about the cost of the book and am, in turn, extremely happy to announce that it is now available in ebook format at RegencyReads.com for a far more reasonable price - only $5! For those of you who wanted to read this sweet retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Jane and Bingley's perspective but were daunted by the $25 cover price, I encourage you to take advantage of this far less expensive format. Several other of her novels are also available for download, ranging in price from $3 to $5.

Since posting my review, I have been in contact with Ms. Miller, who has kindly agreed to indulge me with an interview! I hope you enjoy my conversation with this very well-established Regency Romance author.


Please tell us how you first found Austen, as I love to hear how fans initially fell in love with her work. Is that where your interest in the Regency period first developed or were other forces at work?

I was a voracious reader as a child, had read all the books in the children's section of the local library and the librarian suggested I try Georgette Heyer; she also suggested I read Leslie Charteris, he who wrote the Saint books. I think that's why I read 90% historical and thrillers even now. From Georgette Heyer I naturally progressed to Jane Austen and the Brontes, and yes this is where my love of the Regency period began and why i I am so comfortable writing in it now.

You have so many books in print - when did you first start writing?

I wrote my first full-length book when I was about 13, and decided then one day I would be a published writer. I wrote my second in my 20s, and then wrote three of four more over the next years as well as a dozen beginnings to novels I never completed. All these were contemporary romance, which is perhaps why I was never successful. As a full-time mother and teacher I only had the long summer vacation in which to write and never had time to finish anything. When I took early retirement seven years ago I finally got my opportunity to write full-time. I sold a full-length book and a novella in April 2005. Since then I've had eight more books published by Robert Hale, these are all in large print, and ten novellas to My Weekly Pocket Novels, D. C. Thompson. Four of these are already in large print and the rest will no doubt appear in due time. I've also written three WW2 full-length books and three other regencies which are now out with various publishers. I also have a Victorian family saga with a big publisher in the UK.

How did you develop/first conceive of the idea for a story focusing on Jane and Bingley?

I was at the Romantic Novelists Association summer conference in 2008 and Amanda Grange, (Darcy's Diary and many other excellent Jane Austen retellings) suggested that I write a book about Jane and Bingley as it hadn't been done at that point. When I got home I read Pride and Prejudice, I do this fairly often as you can imagine, and decided that Jane did need her own story.

I imagine the process of taking a preexisting work, like Pride and Prejudice, and creating a new story out of it was rather different than developing an entirely new tale of your own. Did you find writing Miss Bennet and Mr Bingley easier or more challenging than your previous books? Did you have to alter your methods?

Yes, I did find it far more difficult working round a cast of characters that was so well-known and loved and also with a plot already written for me. I was reluctant to tamper with a masterpiece - hence I didn't put in nearly enough new material.

My favorite part of Miss Bennet and Mr Bingley is the time spent in London, of which Austen tells us very little. Which details from Pride and Prejudice most inspired the storyline you developed for that period?

I took a little snippet of information about Jane having been written poetry and introduced that character. I also wanted her to do more than sit about moping.

You employ several tactics to firm up Mr Bingley resistance to the removal from both Netherfield and Jane Bennet. Did you feel like he needed to be vindicated?

I do indeed, I think that he sometimes appears to be over influenced by others. I tried to rectify this by the chapters I added.

Similarly, you present Jane in a situation that requires her to show a lot more gumption than is typically attributed to her. Did your interpretation of her character already attribute this strength to her or did you feel the need to endow her with additional force?

Jane can appear overly polite and subdued; I think there is evidence in the book that she was a capable young lady - after all it was to her everyone turned when they had a problem.

You made a conscious decision to provide Jane with accomplishments that Austen denied her, specifically the ability to play the pianoforte. In fact, you make her more proficient than Elizabeth. Please share your thoughts behind this choice.

I wanted there to be more depth to the apparent friendship with Miss Bingley, the two needed to share more than just an interest in fashion plates. As Caroline is a proficient pianist it seemed the simplest way to give them something they had in common.

Shall we see any more Austen adaptations form you in the future? What are you currently working on?

I think the straight Austen-esque bubble has burst. Unless I want to write Jane Austen retellings with vampires/ghosts/angels I think it unlikely any new authors will find a publisher. Therefore I don't think I'll be writing any more, much as I'd like to. I was intending to write a mystery involving the disappearance of Kitty whilst staying at Pemberley, and Mary discovering she was perfectly suited to detection. I envisaged a series of these books, rather like our very English, Miss Marple, written by Agatha Christie.

I'd like to thank Ms. Miller for the time she took in answering my questions. I do hope she is incorrect about an Austenesque bubble, especially as I think a Mary Bennet sleuth story sounds positively delightful.


Fenella Miller lives in Essex in an ancient cottage with acres of unspoilt woodland. Her husband and a Border collie share the house. She has two children and two grandchildren. Fenella has always written but was too busy teaching in both secondary and primary schools to complete a book until she was able to give up work six years ago. She now has over twenty different titles published.

Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

I'd like to welcome Georgette Heyer, courtesy of The Classics Circuit, to First Impressions: A Tale of Less Pride and Prejudice. I feel like my blog/book has a very apt title today as the book I am to review, Black Sheep, can also be described as a tale of "less pride and prejudice" as our heroine, Miss Abigail Wendover, throws aside (with some assistance) all her family's notable pride and societies prejudices to be with our hero, the black sheep himself, Mr. Miles Caverleigh.

I picked this book because I had not yet read it and have been spending the past several months working my way through Heyer's Regency romances. I'm so pleased I alighted on this one. Miles Caverleigh is, hands down, my favorite Heyer hero encountered thus far. Most of her heroes are impeccably dressed "pinks of the ton", be they dandies or corinthians. They are at the apex of their social world, their cravats are the envy of London, and emotion is something foreign to them until the right lady comes along to steal their hearts. Miles Caverleigh is the opposite. Banished to India as a young man, he returns to England some years later without a care for fashion, convention, or what his relatives might think of his eccentricities. More on him in a moment.

Abigail (Abby) Wendover, at twenty-eight, has given up the notion that she will meet the right man and has focused her concerns on managing (with the dubious assistance of her older sister, the also single Selina) her seventeen year-old niece, the high spirited, headstrong, wealthy, and, of course, beautiful Fanny Wendover. Our story begins when Abby returns to her home in Bath after several weeks of visiting with relatives. She has been warned that Selina has permitted (and assisted) Fanny to fancy herself in love with a known fortune hunter, Mr. Stacy Caverleigh, the nephew of Miles. Abby is determined to prevent her niece from being ensnared by Stacy, so when she hears someone referred to as "Mr. Caverleigh" she assumes it must be Stacy and, putting aside "missish" regards for convention, introduces herself. I will now quote almost the entire episode, which is dreadfully long, because it highlights what Heyer does best - completely outrageous and ridiculously funny dialogue:

'Mr Caverleigh?'

He had picked up a newspaper from the table in the centre of the room, and was glancing through it, but he lowered it, and looked enquiringly across at her. His eyes, which were deep-set and of a light grey made the more striking by the swarthiness of his complexion, held an expression of faint surprise; he said: 'Yes?'

If he was surprised, Abby was wholley taken aback. She had formed no very precise mental picture of him, but nothing she had been told had led her to expect to be confronted with a tall, loose-limbed man, considerably older than herself, with harsh features in a deeply lined face, a deplorably sallow skin, and not the smallest air of fashion. He was wearing a coat which fitted too easily across his very broad shoulders for modishness, with buckskins and topboots; his neck-tie was almost negligently arranged; no fobs or seals dangles at his waist; and his shirt-points were not only extremely moderate, but even a little limp. She was so much astonished that for a full minute she could only stare at him, her brain in a whirl. He had been described to her as a young, handsome town-beau, and he was nothing of the sort. He had also been described, by her brother-in-law, as a loose fish, and that she could far more readily believe: there was a suggestion of devil-may-care about him, and these deeply carven lines in his lean countenance might well (she supposed) betray dissipation. But what there wasin him to have captivated Fanny - and Selina too! - she found herself quite unable to imagine. Then, as she continued to stare at him, she saw that a look of amusement had crept into his face, and that a smile was quivering at the corners of his mouth, and she perceived very clearly why Fanny had allowed herself to be fascinated by him. But, even as an answering smile was irresistibly drawn from her, it occured to her that Selina, even in her sillier moments, would scarcely refer to a man of her own age as a very pretty-behaved young man, and she exclaimed, with that impetuosity so frequently deplored by the elder members of her family: 'Oh, I beg your pardon! I mistook - I mean, - I mean - Are you Mr Caverleigh?'

'Well, I've never been given any reason to suppose that I'm not!' he replied.

'You are? But surely - ?' Recollecting herself, Abby broke off, and said, with all the composure at her command: 'I must tell you, sir, that I am Miss Wendover!'

She observed, with satisfaction, that this disclosure exercised a powerful effect upon him. That disturbing smile vanished, and his black brows suddenly snapped together. He ejaculated: 'Miss who?'

'Miss Wendover,' she repeated, adding, for his further enlightenment: 'Miss Abigail Wendover!'

'Good God!' For a moment, he appeared to be startled, and then, as his curiously light eyes scanned her, he disconcerted her by saying: 'I like that! It becomes you, too.'

Roused to indignation, Abby, losing sight of the main issue, allowed herself to be lured into retorting: 'Thank you! I am excessively obliged to you! It is an outdated name, commonly used to signify a maidservant! You may like it, but I do not!' She added hastily: 'Nor, sir, did I make myself known to you for the purpose of discussing my name!'

'Of course not!' he said, so soothingly that she longed to hit him. 'Do tell me what it is you do wish to discuss! I'll oblige you to the best of my power, even though I don't immediately understand why you should wish to discuss anything with me. Forgive me! - I've no social graces! - but have I ever met you before?'

'No,' replied Abby, her lips curling in a contemptuous smile. 'You have not, sir - as well you know! But you will scarcely deny that you are acquainted with another member of my family!'

'Oh, no! I won't deny that!' he assured her. 'Won't you sit down?'

'I, sir,' said Abby, ignoring this invitation, 'am Fanny's aunt!'

'No. are you indeed? You don't look old enough to be anyone's aunt,' he remarked.

This piece of audacity was uttered in the most casual way, as though it had been a commonplace instead of an impertinence. He did not seem to have any idea that he had said anything improper, nor, from his general air of indifference, could she suppose him to have intended a compliment. She began to think that he was a very strange man, and one with whom it was going to be more difficult to deal than she had foreseen. He was obviously fencing with her, and the sooner he was made to realise that such tactics would not answer the better it would be. So she said coldly: 'You must know very well that I am Fanny's aunt.'

'Yes, you've just told me so,' he agreed.

'You knew it as soon as I made myself known to you!' She checked herself, determined not to lose her temper, and said, as pleasantly as she could: 'Come, Mr Caverleigh! let us be frank! I imagine you also know why I did make myself known to you. You certainly contrived to ingratiate yourself with my sister, but you can hardly have supposed that you would find all Fanny's relations so complaisant!'

He was watching her rather intently, but with an expression of enjoyment which she found infuriating. He said: 'No, I couldn't, could I? Still, if your sister likes me - !'

'My sister, Mr Caver;eigh, was not aware, until I enlightened her, that you are not, as she had supposed, a man of character, but on of - of an unsavory reputation!' she snapped.

'Well, what an unhandsome thing to have done!' he said reproachfully. 'Doesn't she like me anymore?'

Abby now made the discovery that it was possible, at one and the same time, to be furiously angry, and to have the greatest difficulty in suppressing an almost irresistible desire to burst out laughing. After a severe struggle, she managed to say: 'This - this is useless, sir! Let me assure you that you have no hope whatever of gaining the consent of Fanny's guradian to your proposal; and let me also tell you that she will not come into possession of her inheritance until she is five-and-twenty! That, I collect, is something you were not aware of!'

'No,' he admitted. 'I wasn't!'

'Until that date,' Abby continued, 'her fortune is under the sole control of her guardian, and he, I must tell you, will not, under any circumstances, relinquish that control into the hands of her husband one moment before her twenty-fifth birthday, if she marries without his consent and approval. I think it doubtful, even, that he would continue to allow her to receive any part of the income accruing from her fortune. Not a very good bargain, sir, do you think?'

'It seems to be a very bad one. Who, by the way, is Fanny's guardian?'

'Her uncle, of course! Surely she must have told you so?' replied Abby impatiently.

'Well, no!' he said, still more apologetically. 'She really had no opportunity to do so!'

'Had n0 - Mr Caverleigh, are you asking me to believe that you - embarked on this attempt to recover your own fortune without first discovering what were the exact terms of her father's will? That is coming it very much too strong!'

'Who was her father?' he interrupted, regarding her from under suddenly frowning brows. 'You talk of her inheritance - You don't mean to tell me she's Rowland Wendover's daughter?'

'Yes - if it should be necessary for me to do so - which I strongly doubt!' said Abby, eyeing him with hostility. 'She is an orphan, and the ward of my brother James.'

'Poor girl!' He studied her appraisingly. 'So you are a sister of Rowland Wendover! You, know, I find that very hard to believe.'

'Indeed! It is nevertheless true - though in what way it concerns the point at issue -'

'Oh, it doesn't!' he said, smiling disarmingly at her. 'Now I come to think of it, he had several sisters, hadn't he? I expect you must be the youngest of them. He was older than I was, and you a mere child. By the by, when did he die?'

This question, put to her in a tone of casual interest, seemed to her to be so inapposite that the suspicion that he was drunk occurred to her. He showed none of the recognizable signs of inebriation, but she knew that her experience was limited. If he was not drunk, the only other explanation of his quite fantastic behavior must be that he was slightly deranged. Unless he was trying, in some obscure fashion, to set her at a disadvantage? She found it impossible to understand what he hoped to gain by his extraordinary tactics, but the look f amusement on his face made her feel, uneasily, that he had an end in view: probably an unscrupulous end. Watching him closely, she said: 'My brother died twelve years ago. I am his youngest sister, but you are mistaken in thinking me a mere child. I daresay you wish I were!'

'No, I don't. Why should I?' he asked, mildly surprised.

'Because you might find it easier to flummery me!'

'But I don't want to flummery you!'

'Just as well!' she retorted. 'You won't succeed! I am more than eight-and-twenty, Mr Caverleigh!'

'Well, that seems like a child to me. How much more?'

She was by now extremely angry, but for the secong tome she was obliged to choke back an involuntary giggle. She said unsteadily: 'Talking to you is like - like talking to an eel!'

'No, is it? I've never tried to talk to an eel. Isn't a waste of time?'

She choked. 'Not such waste of time as talking to you!'

'You're surely not going to tell me that eels find you more entertaining than I do?' he said incredulously.

That was rather too much for her: she did giggle, and was furious with herself for having done so.

'That's better!' he said approvingly.

She recovered herself. 'Let me ask you one question, sir! If I seem like a child to you, in what light do you regard a girl of seventeen?'

'Oh, as a member of the infantry!'

This careless reply made her gasp. Her eyes flashed; she demanded: 'How old do you think my niece is, pray?'

'Never having met your niece, I haven't a notion!'

Of course, it's love at first sight, at least as soon as the heroine will allow herself to recognize that fact. Heyer novels are notoriously formulaic, but I keep reading for the laughs. Yes, it's slapstick, but hysterical nonetheless, precisely in the tradition of Britain's best comedy, from Gilbert and Sullivan to Monty Python. Heyer's work is far from great literature, and I have enormous issues with comparisons between her and Austen, as I think, but for setting, they are worlds apart. Still, my husband and I keep devouring book after book, reading aloud to each other and laughing hysterically all the while. Black Sheep is amongst my favorite so far, right next to Friday's Child, Cotillion, Fredericka, and Arabella. I believe I will, in time, read all her novels and then return to my favorites, happily romping through English history with some of the most colorful characters in print.

The Intrigue at Highbury by Carrie Bebris

I just wasted (questionable term) the better part of the day reading Carrie Bebris' latest Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery, The Intrigue at Highbury, largely because I could not put it down. While I have enjoyed the entire series, which is lots of fun, this volume is by far Ms. Bebris' best. What make this book so superior to the rest? Three things.

First, unlike the other books in the series, this book is not entirely told from the Darcy's perspective, giving the Knightley's not just a supporting but a staring role. I am always happy to while away my time with the Darcys, but the further integration of the Emma cast of characters (and not just one or two, but all the residents of Highbury) makes this book particularly interesting. After all, the felicity of the Darcy's company can only be improved by the addition of the Knightley's.

Second, the themes Austen employs in Emma are in full force here, unlike Ms. Bebris' other adaptations, which typically involve elements of mysticism that are certainly not native to our beloved Jane. Gypsies, blunders, riddles, and (dare I quote the title?) intrigue were already there, ready and waiting to be expanded into a murder mystery. This grounds the book much more in the reality Austen created than its predecessors.

Third, Emma, being something of a detective novel in the first place, is particularly suited to Ms. Bebris' style of adaptation. The fact that many of the characters have already been implicated in manipulation and deceit further adds to the mystery, keeping the reader open minded about the potential culprit even after the solution has presented itself. And if multiple rereads of Emma hasn't taught you to pay particular attention to the information conveyed in Miss Bates' seemingly meaningless prattle, this book will remind you of your folly.

I was particularly impressed with Ms. Bebris' blending of period prejudices towards Gypsies and the modern, cultural recognition of Roma. I was a bit uncomfortable at the beginning of the book with her adoption of strictly dated preconceptions towards this deeply misunderstood and maligned race, though was able to rationalize it as historically accurate. When she began employing terms like Roma, let alone legitimate Romani terminology, all without the imposition of modern sensibilities, I was not only gratified but awed.

Are there problems with this book? Yes. It makes me wonder if Ms. Bebris, like so many others before her, harbors a dislike of Emma which is revealed in the text. Not that Emma is portrayed in a vile manner, but she appears a silly young woman, still overly concerned with appearances and matchmaking, not having retained the lessons she learned after meddling in her neighbors' lives. Also, neither she nor Mr. Knightley are endowed with the sharp and intelligent discourse that makes both characters so attractive. Then again, while she makes a stab at capturing the Darcys' verbal prowess, it also falls short, and she has had five novels in which to try and perfect it.

This is a rushed review, as I really have neglected what I should have been doing today, but I wanted to get my thoughts down while they were fresh. I highly recommend this book and suspect that even those who haven't been fond of Ms. Bebris' earlier books will find much to enjoy here. If nothing else, it's a romp through Highbury - always a pleasure.

First Impressions Animated Scene

This is rather silly. Inspired by Mags of AustenBlog, I wasted an unconscionable chunk of my day at xtranormal animating a scene from my book. The result is rather stilted, emotionless dialogue and a Charlotte and Elizabeth who have been reduced to rather tarty looking Lego characters (please ignore the miniskirts), but it was fun nonetheless. I'm not sure it will make anyone more likely to read my book, but I do hope it doesn't prove counterproductive. Enjoy.

Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley by Fenella J Miller

I was very excited to find Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley, happily paying the $25 Amazon charges for this UK published book. After all, a story about Jane and Charles' romance, especially one sporting cover art by Jane Odiwe, holds a lot of promise. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed. It was a pleasant read, but I didn't feel like Jane and Charles were developed by Fenella J. Miller any more fully than Austen had left them, which is what I was wanting. Especially towards the end, it still felt like Elizabeth and Darcy's story, only with Jane and Charles acting as narrators. Still, it is a sweet book. It's my expectations which did it disservice.

The book begins when Darcy arrives at Netherfield and continues into the first few months of marriage. The most interesting part, from my perspective, was the time which Jane spends in London, where she becomes reacquainted with the gentleman who once wrote her some "very pretty" verses. It is during this period that we really get a sense of what Jane might have been feeling in response to Bingley's seeming defection and the extent of that gentleman's heartbreak. We also have a highly amusing interlude involving a duel. But upon the return to Longbourn, I found myself growing bored.

For the most part, the book sticks to the details of Pride and Prejudice, though Ms. Miller, like others before her, seems to have felt the need to endow Jane with musical skills that Austen explicitly states she does not possess. Other than that, I recall no glaring diversions from the original text. I feel like with just a bit more tweaking and further character development this book could have been great. I really wanted it to be.

For those who can never get enough Pride and Prejudice, I highly recommend this book. For me, I prefer fan fiction to provide new discourse and perspective on the original tale, and in that sense Miss Bennet & Mr. Bingley fell short. Nevertheless, there is always joy to be found in any romp through Austenland. If I hadn't paid so much for the text, I would be more satisfied.

I was previously unfamiliar with Ms. Miller but have learned that she is the author of several regency romances. If anyone has read any of these books, I would love to know your thoughts. Thanks.