Review: Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Various
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SOURCE:
Library Book
This anthology is a JOY for Austen fans! It’s really hard for me to critique the stories because each of them succeeds at capturing a facet of Jane’s life and work or the effects of Jane fever would have on contemporary Austenites lives.
So here are my thoughts on a few of my favorite contributions to the book:
Jane Austen's Nightmare by Syrie James
Darcy, Elizabeth, Jane, Emma, Anne. All of these characters live and breathe in our hearts . For Jane's fans meeting these characters in person would be a dream, but what about their creator? what would the characters say if they could talk to their maker? Would they be happy with their lives? Angry? I really liked this story. I really felt Jane’s and her characters reactions were realistic and I liked the ending.
Waiting: A story inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion by Jane Odiwe
Waiting is an addendum of sorts. It doesn't change anything about the ending of the original story but it does give readers a bit more insight into the emotions of Anne and Captain Wentworth as they move towards the culmination of their story.
A Night at Northanger by Lauren Willig
A cute little ghost story with a contemporary woman (Cate) encountering the ghost of Jane Austen who councils her on life and love. Very nice representation of Jane.
Nothing Less Than Fairy-Land by Monica Fairview
This story tackles one of many readers thoughts about Emma: What happened after Mr. Knightly moved in ? Monica handles this situation very realistically . The reader begins to fear for the fate of the young lovers until Emma using her famous meddling skills to create a very interesting solution. Very sweet story.
This is just a tip of the stories in this volume. I will confess I enjoyed the stories that involved Austen's characters or Jane herself more than the contemporary ones but this is a very balanced anthology.
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