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.

A Noteworthy Courtship by Laura Sanchez

I have never seen the movie You've Got Mail, nor do I want to, so when A Noteworthy Courtship arrived in the mail and I read on the back that it is based on both Pride and Prejudice and You've Got Mail, I was a bit leery. I wondered what on Earth has Austen to do with the shenanigans of a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romantic comedy and if I would need to see the film in order to appreciate the book. It turned out not to be the case, though a reader who is familiar with the film might catch something in reference to it that I missed. You've Got Mail seems to have only contributed a plot device to this novel; Jane Austen and Laura Sanchez did the rest.

Those who have not seen this early internet era tale of romance, like me, probably still know what it is about: two singles meet online and create a romance out of email, or something like that. In A Noteworthy Courtship, Ms. Sanchez has stripped the technology out of this scenario and contrived an anonymous and clandestine correspondence between Darcy and Elizabeth by means of notes left in a particular book in the Meryton bookseller's store. The story picks up after the day after the Netherfield Ball, the residents of that house having chosen not to flea the neighborhood. The result is a smooth courtship for Bingley and Jane while Darcy and Elizabeth's remains as messy and full of misunderstandings and apprehensions as ever. It is apparent that Ms. Sanchez took great care in the writing of this book, which amply demonstrates her respect for Austen. The details fit with those of Pride and Prejudice and the plot is untainted by those scenes of sexual intimacy that I find so distressing. I particularly enjoyed references to Austen's other novels, some subtle and others were more obvious. For an example that manages both, I turn to two of the notes that Darcy and Elizabeth pass back and forth. The first is from Elizabeth:

Your comment on "romantic notions" puts me in mind to a current novel, which you most likely have never have read as it is written by "a lady", wherein a Mr. Ferrars does not find happiness until he walks away from his fortune and chooses to live modestly, married to the woman he loves. If you doubt that a character who acts in such a way could exist as a hero in a published and well circulated work, the novel is entitled Sense and Sensibility.

Mock me if you dare, but I have read Sense and Sensibility, and while I enjoyed the lady's style, I believe her story supports my point. Your Mr. Ferrars, champion of contentedness found in nothing more than his true love at his side, is also a man who does the honorable in the name Miss Steele only to be made a pauper, and find his brother in receipt of his fortune. The next we hear of him, his brother has gained the hand of Miss Steele, but Edward is glad to be free of the fiance for whom he abandoned his fortune and declares his love for Miss Dashwood. Does this not show the error of following the fickle whims of the heart?

I love the notion of Austen's characters debating her work. While the topic is indisputably Sense and Sensibility, one hears echoes of Northanger Abbey as well.

I enjoyed this book and, when I came to the end, found myself wanting more. Unfortunately, the blooper reel that makes up the end of the novel cured me of this desire. Ms. Sanchez fills the last several pages with revised and edited out scenes. There was a reason she didn't use them and their inclusion in the book feels like a ploy to increase the word count.

A Noteworthy Courtship has all the elements I look for in JAFF: familiarity twisted with alternative perspective, allowing me to consider Austen's work in new and refreshing ways while maintaining the comforting feeling I derive from her novels. While I can't call this book excessively diverting, I can assure Janeites of it's perfect pleasantness.

Giveaway Winner and Poll

Congratulations to the Muse in the Fog, winner of the first giveaway ever hosted by this blog and the proud, new owner of a copy of Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer. Entrants (few but thorough) assure me that this is a complete edition of the book (there was a bit of confusion about page count; read the original post here). Please join me on March 9th for my review of Black Sheep when The Classics Circuit comes to call!

It was just about the time I started this blog that I began reading Heyer's books. Since then I have consumed a few dozen. While it has always been my intention to keep this blog as Austen specific as possible, it occurs to me that many Janeites, like myself, are also discovering Heyer for the first time, as Sourcebooks continues to obligingly rerelease her many novels. So I throw the question open to readers - should I post reviews/opinions on the works of Heyer or should I be satisfied with my one visit from The Classics Circuit? I am posting the poll in the sidebar and will leave it open through March 13th. Please vote and leave your opinion on this matter in the comments. I'm quite curious to learn your thoughts.

We've weathered February and I, for one, am happy to welcome March. It is a month of transitions - at least according to my Republic of Pemberley 2010 Brock wall calendar. In March Catherine Moreland visits Northanger Abbey, Elizabeth enjoys the dubious pleasures of the Hunsford Parsonage, Mrs. Elton first graces Highbury with her presence, and poor Fanny is left languishing in Portsmouth, learning thoroughly the lesson Sir Thomas meant to teach in sending her there, though without the desired results. I for one am quite happy sitting in my overflowing office, waiting for the snow to melt, and hoping this is the month that will finally see my book in print. Happy March everyone! In the spirit of my mother-in-law, I declare this my favorite month, as she dubs each day her's.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Attention Wary Readers: This review contains a few, minor spoilers, but nothing particularly ruinous to the enjoyment of the book in question. Proceed at your discretion.

I read this book after reading some pretty positive reviews, despite my reservations about the time travel scenario, which I've never really liked, having taken an aversion to books like The Devil's Arithmetic and Playing Beatie Bow when they were forced upon me at a young age. To my surprise, at the end of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict I found myself wanting more of an explanation from Laurie Viera Rigler regarding the time travel aspect of the book. How does a woman from them modern era suddenly wake up in the body of a Regency lady? I guess that's why she wrote the follow up book, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. However, while I liked the first book far better than I thought I would, I'm not ready to rush out a buy a second volume of Ms. Rigler's work. Why? Because I find I do not at all care for her heroine.

Courtney Stone is suppose to, I guess, represent the modern, American woman, with relationship troubles, a boring job, bills to pay, and body image issues. I, however, am very relieved that I know few people suffering from the degree of neurosis that Courtney displays. Yes, it is interesting to view the Regency world from the perspective of a person bordering on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but my amusement in her disgust at the lack of sanitation doesn't make me like her any more. Yes, she feels sorry for the servants who have to lug water by the bucketful up to her room so she can maintain some semblance of her customary bathing habits, but it doesn't stop her from making them do it more often than she should. Yes, her antics in the closet of an older hostess, fueled by a very understandable desire to play dress up in Georgian Era clothing, are entertaining, but they also display a shocking degree of disrespect for other people's property. She is like a teenager and, having been one, I can empathize while still feeling simultaneous repugnance for the adult who continues to behave in such an egocentric manner. I found nothing to like in this woman and bristle at the notion of her being representational of Austenites, as I sincerely believe we are not such a selfish bunch. What I do know is that we are typically not horrified at the notion of going outside without makeup on and tend to have a great penchant for empire waistlines, which, for some reason, Ms. Rigler derides at length (this was particularly painful to me, as I so adore them).

My dislike of the heroine aside, this book (a very fast read) has some absolutely fascinating moments in it, when Regency England comes alive in a way that directly plays to the sensibilities of Austen fans. I want to focus on two scenes that I found particularly affecting. The first highlights some of my complaints from the proceeding paragraph, though in this particular circumstance I feel great sympathy for Courtney's perspective. The setting is the Cross Baths in Bath and, while I find Courtney's longing for hand sanitizer annoying, I too would have great reservations about taking a dip in such salubrious conditions:

As we enter the sweltering pool in preposterous yellow bathing attire that covers us from neck to ankle, my nostrils are assaulted by a potpourri of body odors rising from the boiling flesh around me. Spiced-orange pomanders, which sit in floating bowls tied on ribbons around our necks, lose the battle against the stench rising from the steaming water before it even begins. But even the smell of this human soup is not as revolting as the sight of some of our fellow bathers. Just a few feet away from us, a stout woman grimaces as a younger female helps her unravel soiled bandages from her legs and then submerge those legs, open sores and all, into the water. Her companion isn't in much better physical shape herself. She has a loud, phlegmy cough that she makes no attempt to shield from the breathing passages of anyone within ten yards. The proximity of this pair is enough to make me scramble out of the water and stand shuddering at the edge of the pool.

In this scenario my scruples are even higher than Courtney's as I would never have set a foot in the water to begin with. But then again, I do enjoy water parks and their accompanying (properly chlorinated) wave pools, while I have a feeling Courtney does not. I guess reading the next book might be elucidating regarding exactly how germ-phobic she is. My ramblings aside, moments of historical reenactment like this are what kept the book compelling in spite of its heroine. It becomes easy to ignore her, even in the first person, when Ms. Rigler brings her surroundings alive and allows the reader to experience this unique, unpolished perspective of the era.

My very favorite scene, in which Ms. Rigler brought tears of joy to my eyes, is when Courtney accidentally encounters Jane Austen. Overhearing her name, Courtney tracks our dear lady down in the street and makes a right fool of herself, babbling rather incoherently about works not yet published and future film adaptations. Nevertheless, here is Miss Austen herself! What a wonderful moment! The first person narrative allows readers to feel, for a fleeting moment as Courtney tracks the receding bonnet through the busy town, that we too are about to meet this amazing woman who has bequeathed such a profound source of joy - her novels - to humanity. Then Courtney starts blabbing and the moment is ruined, but it was simply marvelous while the illusion lasted.

I imagine I will, at some point, read Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. I'd like more of an explanation as to how this body swap took place and am interested in learning how Jane Mansfield (our Regency lady) fares in modern LA. But as it is the glimpses of history that made Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict compelling for me, I feel no rush to sate my curiosity. For those who enjoy Austen but do not know that much about the period in which she wrote, it might be a rather valuable novel. For me, I'm not sure the elucidation was necessary, but I enjoyed nonetheless.

Rainy Days by Lory Lilian

I sit here on the cusp of yet another, multi-day weather event, and what better way to weather snowy days than with Rainy Days, Lory Lilian's first "What If?" novel (the second being Remembrance of the Past, discussed here). When I read books of this sub-genre, especially when they are on the lengthy side (this one is just under 400 pages), I find myself either instantly totally captivated or completely bored, the twist in the Pride and Prejudice plot usually taking place right out of the gate. This book belongs to the former category: utterly charming from page one.

It's two days before the Netherfield ball. Darcy is already deep in battle with his burgeoning feelings for Elizabeth, who is well established in her dislike for our hero. Of these days Austen tells us:

If there had not been a Netherfield ball to prepare for and talk of, the younger Miss Bennets would have been in a pitiable state at this time, for from the day of the invitation to the day of the ball, there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. No aunt, no officers, no news could be sought after; -- the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy. Even Elizabeth might have found some trial of her patience in weather which totally suspended the improvement of her acquaintance with Mr. Wickham; and nothing less than a dance on Tuesday, could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday endurable to Kitty and Lydia.

Just because the adverse weather keeps Kitty and Lydia from pursuing a walk and Elizabeth from the enjoyment of Wickham's company, does not mean that the young lady who walked three miles in mud to Netherfield would be prevented from making the most of any lulls in the storm to at least enjoy three turns, as Mr. Woodhouse would say, around her family's own grounds. It is also very easy to believe that a restless Darcy, cooped up with Miss Bingley and repressing his feelings for Elizabeth, would likewise head out (on horseback, of course) at anytime the weather permitted, perhaps accidentally straying out of Netherfield's park and onto neighboring lands. Behold our intrepid heroes, caught in the sudden downpour that both should have expected and forced to shelter together until it passes. They do not reach an instant understanding but, nonetheless, the groundwork is laid for the future. Of course, two such characters must create some of their own impediments to happiness, and there are certain relatives that will insist on interfering, so it is not all smooth sailing. Ms. Lilian flushes out her tidy prose with fully developed Gardiners and Matlocks, as well as some rather steamy encounters between the young lovers.

A few characters really stand out as particularly delightful in this text, namely Lady Matlock (who often shines) and little Rebecca Gardiner, a charming little girl who prefers to be called "just Becky" and provides a great deal of the book's comic relief. The former's forceful personality is aptly demonstrated when she declares, "Oh, for heaven's sake, Darcy, take her hand and be done with it. You are acting like a schoolboy!" Becky is also rather direct in her speech, and when the two ladies meet great fun ensues:

"Lady Ellen, allow me to introduce to you my youngest cousin, Rebecca Gardiner."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Rebecca Gardiner." The girl remained silent, and Lady Ellen turned to Elizabeth. "Does Miss Rebecca Gardiner not know how to speak?"

"Oh, I know how to speak," Becky finally answered, "but you are so beautiful that I forgot the words."

Her little face was so honestly impressed that Lady Matlock smiled in delight.

"Why thank you, dear! That is the most charming compliment I have heard in quite a while."

"Oh," answered Becky, suddenly talkative again as she felt herself on secure ground, "I am very good at compliments; everybody knows that. But you should know my name is Becky, not Miss Rebecca Gardiner."

Elizabeth decided to interrupt, as a talkative Becky could be a dangerously voluble one. "Lady Matlock, please forgive us. My cousin can be very...forward when she likes someone, and she tends to speak about many things that are not entirely proper."

"Is that so, Becky? Well, Elizabeth, you must not apologize for that. I have always liked girls who hold decided opinions and know how to talk about many things."

"Do you let your girls talk about many things?" asked Becky, suddenly ignoring both Elizabeth and Darcy, her interest completely drawn to her new acquaintance.

"Unfortunately, Becky, I have no girls - only two boys."

"Becky, Lady Matlock is Colonel Fitzwilliams's mother," explained Darcy.

The girl looked from him to the lady, and back to him, and then her face brightened in revelation. "Oh... You are trying to make fun of me like my brothers. She cannot be the colonel's mother!"

"Why do you say so, Becky? Lady Matlock is the colonel's mother," said Elizabeth.

"She cannot be! Because she is beautiful and the colonel is old! He is as old as Mr. Darcy."

A disconcerted expression spread over Darcy's face, trying to follow her logic. "So I am old now, Becky? A few days ago, you said I was pretty!"

"You are pretty! But you are old, too, and so is the colonel."

Ms. Lilian and I have been engaged in an email conversation about the role of sex in Austen adaptations which I hope to post at a near, if still unknown, date, and so will not dwell on the matter here. All I will say is that while Rainy Days is rather steamy at times, it is mostly due to the very passionate make out scenes between Darcy and Elizabeth, who thankfully do not precede their wedding vows. I hope to be able to announce soon when the post will be up, as the "sex issue" is a question I have been struggling with for a very long time. For those of you who, like me, are uncomfortable with Darcy and Elizabeth's intimacy, I urge you not to allow it to deter you from reading this delightful book. The sex is not nearly as overt as it can sometimes be and the plot remains strong even if you do glimpse over some of the kissy parts.

On the back of the book, Ms. Lilian quotes John Updike: "Rain is grace...without rain, there would be no life." While Updike might seem a world away from Austen, the quote is very appropriate, capturing the early ambiance of the story - the glories and terrors of an intense storm, very like those of love. You know how film adaptations of Austen like to depict our heroines, at moments of emotional intensity, drenched by rain ( i.e. the 1995 Sense and Sensibility and 2005 Pride and Prejudice)? That's because a rain storm so aptly evokes the power and ferocity of our emotions when we succumb to romance. In this tale, Lizzy has little option but to quickly revise her first impression of Mr. Darcy and fall madly in love with him.

Giveaway - Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

Attentive readers will know that on March 9th Georgette Heyer, courtesy of The Classics Circuit, will be the subject of my post. In preparation, I duly ordered a copy of Black Sheep from Amazon. Per our routine, my husband and I read this very fun novel together. While we have gotten somewhat accustomed to Heyer's abrupt endings, this one threw us into confusion (largely because we wanted more). Convinced that, as the end came at the bottom of a page, there were pages missing, I checked the page count on Amazon. It was listed as 288 pages while the novel had only 279. I wrote to Sourcebooks and received no response. I emailed Amazon and they sent me a second copy of the book, also with only 279 pages. If anyone out there has it in their ability to confirm the length of this novel, I will be very appreciative if you will do so. In the meantime, I have two copies of a potentially damaged publication. Instead of returning the unread copy to Amazon, I intend to use this opportunity to host a giveaway, something I have never done before. I am inclined to believe the copy on offer is complete and the page listing is wrong, but make no guarantees. To make this questionable prize your very own, I invite you to do one of two things:

1) Become a follower and leave a comment including your email address before March 1st.

2) Leave a comment including your email address before March 1st.

I am not as sophisticated as some and will employ the old fashioned, name-pulled-out-of-a-hat technique to choose the winner, who will be announced on March 1st.

Black Sheep product description (courtesy of Amazon):

Abigail Wendover, on the shelf at 28, is kept busy when her niece falls head over heels in love with a handsome fortune hunter and Abbie is forced into a confrontation with his scandalous uncle.

Miles Calvery is the black sheep of his family- enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, disconcertingly blunt and brash. But he turns out to be Abbie's most important ally in keeping her niece out of trouble.

But how can he possibly be considered eligible when she has worked so hard to rebuff his own nephew's suit for her niece? And how can she possibly detach from an ailing sister who needs her? This is a heroine who has to be, literally, swept off her feet . . .

I'm quite anxious to see how this giveaway notion plays out and suspect it will be great fun. Good luck to all who enter!