Jane Austen's England (Georgian/Regency)

[Margaret]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for a thread on the burgeoning genre of sequels to Jane Austen's novels. I was finally enticed to read one. Colleen McCullough's The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, about Elizabeth's bookish sister Mary (the one who had such a crush on the Reverend Mr. Collins). It's light reading, sort of a cross between historical romance and a thriller with the emphasis on the latter. I found it entertaining, if not a candidate for my "Best of 2009 List." (I've posted a review at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info/Independence-of-Miss-Mary-Bennet.html.)

Have any of you Jane Austen fans read some of the other sequels by modern authors? Any assessments of the good, the bad and the ugly?

[annis]

Years ago I had a go at Emma Tennant's "Pemberley" which is a sequel to "Pride & Prejudice", beginning a year after the wedding of Elizabeth and Darcy. I didn't ltake to it- Elizabeth had somehow in a year turned from a sparkling, confident young woman into a dithering wuss!

I did like "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet", even if our hero Darcy does show his dark side. There's plenty of sly humour, and I enjoyed seeing Mary grow from the rather pompous and sententious prig of P&P into a courageous person in her own right.

Some of the novels inspired by Jane Austen are good as well, even if not directly sequels. For example, I found Jude Morgan's "An Accomplished Woman", very witty and entertaining.

[princess garnet]

I enjoyed A Visit to Highbury and Later Days at Highbury both by Joan Austen-Leigh, a descendent of Jane Austen. The first book is seen through Mrs. Goddard's eyes--the schoolmistress in Emma--who narrates in the first person. The author does a good job of respectful her ascendent's work and lets Mrs. Goddard give her thoughts on events. The sequel is a series of letters exchanged by Mrs. Goddard and her sister. Both were delightful reads; I read these in college. Unfortunately both of these books are out-of-print.

[Volgadon]

Don't you mean a descendant of one of her brothers? Jane was a spinstress with no offspring.

[LoveHistory]

I've read a few good ones. I highly recommend Caroline's Comeuppance by Tess Quinn. I also enjoyed Lizzy, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Sandra Listorti.

Also Helen Baker has written several. A P&P sequel The Book of Ruth (kind of hard to believe but her original characters are great; a Mansfield Park sequel; a finished version of The Watsons; and most recently a finished version of The Brothers (which apparently Jane wrote aroiund eight chapters of before her death.

All of those are available on Lulu.com

Volgadon is correct. Jane had no direct descandants. Joan is descended from one of her brothers. Edward Austen-Leigh I believe.

[Mello]

I've read the first book of Pamela Aidan's trilogy "An Assembly Such as This". It is told from Darcy's POV and is very good. She writes very well in the Austen-style, although there are chunks of dialogue lifted staight from P&P when Darcy and Lizzie are together.

I've been told to stay away from any Linda Berdoll books - unless you like Regency soft porn.....;)

[LoveHistory]

I'm a member of a really cool P&P fan site with some great fanfic writers. Currently migrating to a new site. Used to have over 1400 members all over the world.

[MissMarplestein]

Years ago I had a go at Emma Tennant's "Pemberley" which is a sequel to "Pride & Prejudice", beginning a year after the wedding of Elizabeth and Darcy. I didn't ltake to it- Elizabeth had somehow in a year turned from a sparkling, confident young woman into a dithering wuss!

I did like "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet", even if our hero Darcy does show his dark side. There's plenty of sly humour, and I enjoyed seeing Mary grow from the rather pompous and sententious prig of P&P into a courageous person in her own right.

Some of the novels inspired by Jane Austen are good as well, even if not directly sequels. For example, I found Jude Morgan's "An Accomplished Woman", very witty and entertaining.

So, you enjoyed "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet"? I am a fan of Colleen McCullough...I usually love her writing style, but I thought this novel fell short. I thought the writing almost childish, almost too simple. Although I do agree, I was happy to see that Mary finally found herself and happiness!

[nona]

I worry about reading something from a modern author following Jane Austen, right now I have a classic love for P&P and am scared to read something that might wreck that image for me.

[nona]

I went ahead and bought The Second Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Darcy's Daughters and The Darcy Connection, all by Elizabeth Aston. I have not read them yet but will soon.

[Margaret]

Do let us know what you think of them when you finish reading!