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PostAusten Reads: Modern Remakes > What to include here

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message 1: by SarahC, Austen Votary & Mods' Asst. (new)

SarahC (sarahcarmack) | 1473 comments Mod
Member Leah wanted to begin a specific discussion on fiction that uses the writings of Austen in some way to create modern stories, such as Austenland, Midnight in Austenland, Me and Mr. Darcy, Prom and Prejudice, etc.

Please comment on modern remakes that you have read and give us your opinions on these. You may discuss randomly in this thread or begin separate threads within this folder if you want to try starting a longer discussion about a particular one.

Thanks to Leah for the request :)


message 2: by Sophie (new)

Sophie | 1458 comments i can't really help here but i am interested in this as well as i would like to read some of these, excpet i don't want them to ruin the original stories for me or anything which is why i am a bit weary...
these two sound good though and i heard about the film! JJ Field is starring!! Tilney!!! ;) i think i shall watch it... as long as it doesn't depress me too much that this place isn't real... :'( (;))


message 3: by Leah (new)

Leah (princessleia) | 87 comments Soph wrote: "i can't really help here but i am interested in this as well as i would like to read some of these, excpet i don't want them to ruin the original stories for me or anything which is why i am a bit ..."

I know, I think that if someone actually created one they would make scads of money.


message 4: by Sophie (new)

Sophie | 1458 comments And that would just be from me visiting ;)


message 5: by Jennifer (new)

Forest Jennifer (jenniferforest) | 2 comments I must say I haven't read the Austenland books, I was actually a bit appalled at the idea to start with (I can be a bit of a purist at times on Austen) but it is actually growing on me and I just wanted to agree with Soph and Leah's comment above about making a real place to visit like "Austenland". I would so love to visit a grand house like this all set up like an Austen novel, a bit like that TV series "Regency House Party" but for us, where we could go as paying guests. Please let it exist!


message 6: by Sophie (new)

Sophie | 1458 comments haha! well i live in england and have visited the houses which appear in the movies and series which is cool (and i live 20 mins away from Basildon house which was Netherfield in the 2005 P&P actually) so that is the nearest i have gotten...
really want somewhere like this to exsist!!!


message 7: by Leah (new)

Leah (princessleia) | 87 comments Soph wrote: "haha! well i live in england and have visited the houses which appear in the movies and series which is cool (and i live 20 mins away from Basildon house which was Netherfield in the 2005 P&P actua..."

Lucky duck.


message 8: by Sophie (new)

Sophie | 1458 comments have you seen the modern Pride and Prejudice (about 2004) which sounds like this?


message 9: by Louise Sparrow (new)

Louise Sparrow (louisex) | 304 comments Has anyone read A Weekend with Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly?

I really enjoyed it and from the description you gave of Austenland it sounds similar, Jane Austen fans at a convention of sorts, finding their own romances.

It's funny, well written... ok it's not Austen but it's a nice tribute and I couldn't help wanting to be there with them, arguing over who was the best Darcy and which was the best book.


message 10: by Leah (new)

Leah (princessleia) | 87 comments Louise wrote: "Has anyone read A Weekend with Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly?

I really enjoyed it and from the description you gave of Austenland it sounds similar, Jane Austen fans at a convention of sorts, fin..."


I haven't but I will read it if you recommend it.


message 11: by [deleted user] (new)

I read it and enjoyed it. I recommend all Victoria Connelly's books as entertaining fun reads.


message 12: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie (stephanie-jo) | 79 comments I have read all of Victoria Connelly's books. I have also read Austenland and Midnight in Austenland. I have read many of the modern retellings and some are better then others. I also like Beth Pattillo's books that have a Jane Austen theme to them.


message 13: by Leah (new)

Leah (princessleia) | 87 comments I have decided to repost each book I reviewed as a separate thread so that it would be easier for one to talk about a specific book. I am sorry if that inconveniences anyone. I would love it if other members who have read retellings could include their reviews as well. Thanks!


message 14: by Pamela (new)

Pamela (atomicempress) | 58 comments I have some recommendations some were rec.'d to me more serious then others but since I know some people like different things I thought I'd include them all, some of these authors were mentioned but not the titles so I thought I'd add them -

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
Seducing Mr.Darcy by Gwyn Cready
Jane Austen Ruined my Life by Beth Pattillo
Mr. Darcy Broke my Heart by Beth Pattillo
The Dashwood Sisters tell all by Beth Pattillo
Definitely not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos
Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly
A Weekend with Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly
Forever with Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly
A Modern Day Persuasion: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Novel by Kaitlin Saunders
The Importance of Being Emma (Darcy & Friends)​ by Juliet Archer
Persuade Me (Darcy & Friends) by Juliet Archer
Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart by Monica Fairview
My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy S. Jone
Pride and Popularity (The Jane Austen Diaries)by Jenni James
Northanger Alibi (The Jane Austen Diaries) by Jenni James
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Rigaud

And I don't know if this counts or not its set in world war 2 so its more modern than the original but not our modern.
Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Hope this helps some.
-Pammie


message 15: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie (stephanie-jo) | 79 comments Pammie---I love the Victoria Connelly and Beth Pattillo books. I have My Jane Austen Summer & Jane Austen Made Me do it on my TBR list. There is another one that just came out called All Roads Lead to Austen. It is a story of a woman who spends part of the year going through Centeral and South America leading Jane Austen reading groups in Spanish to see if the concepts are the same. I can't wait to read this one either.


message 16: by Pamela (new)

Pamela (atomicempress) | 58 comments I haven't read that many myself but I have a ton of these on my kindle waiting to be read and some in my wishlist on amazon. Yes I saw The one you mentioned, I'm curious about that one. Stephanie you have to let me know how it is - I don't have a lot of money as I'm on disability but my birthday is in mid-July so I am starting to put a list together. I have the Beth Pattillo's on my kindle and two of the Victoria Connelly's so I can at least get a taste. I also found a really unique series that doesn't really fit in any category that is about Jane Austen as a Regency era detective. I haven't read them yet either but I have the first 9 on my kindle from a friend who bought them, but there are currently 11 in all.The first one is Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery by Stephanie Barron.

I also think A Modern Day Persuasion could be good from the reviews I've read, and am interested in My Jane Austen Summer. And as I've said elsewhere want to check out Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star as it was one of the most popular modern retellings when it came out. I started reading Pride and Predjudice for my Summer of Jane but got distracted because I had been in the middle of another book before I started so I decided to stop, finish the other book since I had committed to finishing it with a friend and then re-start P&P fresh. I have a habit of reading many books at one time when the mood strikes and I'm trying to handle that.
-Pammie


message 17: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie (stephanie-jo) | 79 comments Pammie--i understand the whole financial issue. That is why I am doing more books from the library. I have a nook, so I try and find the free books. I have tried the mystery series by Stephanie Barron. Didn't get very far, may need to try again after my classics summer.


message 18: by Bill (new)

Bill (bill_bee) | 81 comments Stephanie wrote: "Pammie--i understand the whole financial issue. That is why I am doing more books from the library. I have a nook, so I try and find the free books. I have tried the mystery series by Stephanie ..."

Pammie and Stephanie - I have read and enjoyed all of Ms. Barron's mysteries as soon as each one was published. -Bill


message 19: by Pamela (new)

Pamela (atomicempress) | 58 comments Stephanie & Bill - I have heard that Oprah put book 11 which is Jane and the Canterbury Tale on her list of 9 books everyone should read, or something to that effect.
-Pammie


message 20: by Alana (new)

Alana (bovygirl) | 2 comments I really enjoyed The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. She uses threads from each Jane Austen novel to parallel the lives of these women (and one man) in a book club. The thing I liked about it is that it was subtle and not in-your-face theme parallelisms. The movie wasn't half bad, but the book was better.


message 21: by Leah (new)

Leah (princessleia) | 87 comments Pamela wrote: "I have some recommendations some were rec.'d to me more serious then others but since I know some people like different things I thought I'd include them all, some of these authors were mentioned b..."

You should create a new thread for each one of these that doesn't already have one, and tell us your review of it.


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