Friday, October 23, 2009

Sourcebooks did it again ...

This time the book is entitled Searching for Pemberley. It comes out in December. Written by Mary Simonsen, it was originally called Pemberley Remembered, released in '07, and is the story of an American, Maggie Joyce, living in post-war England who becomes friends with the former residents of the home believed to have been Austen's model for Pemberley. Maggie uncovers the romance that was the inspiration for the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy against a back drop of deprivation and cultural upheaval. I usually don't care for modernizations of Austen's work but the juxtaposition between the lavish regency period and post-war desolation is effective. I enjoyed this book, maybe because it is such a far cry from your typical Austen fan fiction - an entirely new story set in a most non Austen-like era. Congratulations to Ms. Simonsen.

Added 11/24/09 - I just learned from the author herself that Searching for Pemberley is not only Pemberley Remembered but also a continuation of that story. Now I'm off to put a copy on my wish list. A review is sure to follow.

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