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Jane Austen: Books, Movies, Music
Any Jane Austen fans out there? She’s one of my favorite authors; possibly my favorite. I wish she’d lived longer and written many more books. I’m sure she would have preferred that, too!
I have seen, if not every, then nearly every movie adaptation of all her books – and own most of them on DVD! I like to watch them over and over, year after year. Like visiting with old friends I know will never let me down.
I’m no purist. I enjoyed the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightly enormously, whether her bangs and fashions were strictly period-correct or not. I do love the 1995 version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as well – possibly better. But they are very different movies. The mother in that version is delightfully awful! And oh, Mr. Collins!
Then there’s Sense & Sensibility; the 1995 film with Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and the lovely Alan Rickman is a favorite, of course. Wonderful! But I also enjoyed the 2008 version starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield.Emma would drive me insane were she a real woman of my acquaintance, but she makes a terrific book character and film, so sure of herself as she makes a mess of everything. I very much enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance. In researching this, I believe I’ve discovered several versions I haven’t seen yet! I’ll have to remedy that.
Northanger Abby doesn’t do much for me, nor, I’m afraid, does Mansfield Park. I’m willing to be persuaded, if you have another opinion on these two.
And speaking of persuading me, my favorite of Austen’s books is Persuasion. A second chance at romance classic. It’s never too late! What a wonderful message.
Which version is my favorite? Well, the 1971 version, starring Anne Firbank, is very sensible and well done, and I quite enjoyed it.
I also loved the 2007 version starring Rupert Penny Jones and Sally Hawkins – despite the very awkward kiss at the end! It’s beautifully done, and Anne’s sisters and father are so well portrayed!
And I won’t hear anyone put down the 2022 version starring Dakota Johnson, as it is simply delightful. I enjoy it when she “breaks the fourth wall”, speaking directly to the camera – to me! I enjoy the “color-blind” casting, too. Why not? Dakota’s Anne Elliot is very relatable. I believe she made me cry at least once. And the soundtrack! There’s a song called “Quietly Yours”, by an artist called Birdie, that is so achingly lovely that it transports me.
I enjoy listening to this, and other Austen soundtracks when I write. It blocks out the noise of my enthusiastic household without distracting me. Do you have a favorite soundtrack for writing? For homework? For housework? For exercising? What is it?
Another time I’ll talk about more music I enjoy in the background while I write. For now,
Happy listening, happy viewing, and happy reading! -
“The Darcy Secret”, a “Pride & Prejudice” Variation
Author Kelly Miller Delivers Another Terrific Jane Austen Variation!
I just finished reading author Kelly Miller’s latest Austenesque variation on Pride & Prejudice, “The Darcy Secret”. I love all of Austen’s classic romances, and Pride & Prejudice is in my top three.
Miller has written a number of variations on this and Austen’s other novels. I recommend checking them out. They’re all available from Amazon.com.
I wish Jane Austen had lived another ten or twenty years and published another ten or twenty books! But since she didn’t, the next best thing is reading well-executed books based on Austen’s works and characters.
Unlike the Pride & Prejudice & Zombies series – which I loved, I have to admit – Miller’s variations stick pretty much with canon. She takes a few risks and sends the characters down roads the reader doesn’t expect. But for the most part, I’m always happy and satisfied with what happens in each, stand-alone variation.
In “The Darcy Secret”, the reader begins the story learning about a terrible legacy which Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy will have to deal with. He only learns the terrible truth upon the eve of his wedding to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Can he go through with the wedding? Will Elizabeth still want him?
Additionally, suspicion is cast upon Darcy’s young sister, Georgiana; is she hiding a violent streak in her personality? Has she even committed . . . murder?
What happens when an old flame of Darcy’s makes inappropriate, drunken suggestions to Darcy in front of Elizabeth?
And what happens when an old friend of Darcy’s decides he’d make Elizabeth a better husband than Darcy?
Finally, our characters have to deal with a terrible tragedy in the loss of a family member. Who is it, and how does it happen?
You’ll have to read “The Darcy Secret” to learn the answers to all of these questions. You won’t be sorry – it’s a fast-paced, easy-to-read tale that will grip you from beginning to end.
Once you find out what an excellent storyteller Miller is, be sure to look up her backlist. My personal favorite is her “Persuasion” variation, titled “Captive Hearts”.
You’ve got some thrilling, satisfying hours of reading ahead of you with Kelly Miller! Enjoy!
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