The characters that Jane Austen created and her own life continues to fascinate readers – so here is a few of our favourite books inspired by her novels or even her life…
Mr Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange: what we loved about this version of Pride & Prejudice is the fact that Amanda Grange stays completely faithful to the book but also adds depth in the way in which she deals with Mr Darcy’s character. By telling it from his perspective it offers a chance for avid fans of the book to perhaps see that we were all just as blinded as Elizabeth was to his real character. Some of the diary entries are slightly trivial, but yet somehow that still sweeps the reader into the era in which writing and reading was even more of immense importance. The romance is also still sharply present here and it is lovely to read of Darcy’s gradual changing opinion of Elizabeth in the most tender and private of ways. Amanda Grange also wrote diaries for Captain Wentworth, Colonel Brandon and Mr Knightly.
Longbourn by Jo Baker: while the servants tend to play a bit of the side note to the main characters in Jane Austen’s novels, Jo Baker cleverly puts them right at the centre of things here – offering insights into their own lives and looking after the Bennet family.What Baker’s book does so well is to remind the reader is that servants had lives outside their own duties as well and this was a really beautifully written book that I can’t recommend enough.
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: the ultimate take on Pride & Prejudice, Helen Fielding’s wonderfully hilarious book is filled with warmth and highlights just how Jane Austen’s stories can be re-told for a modern reader without losing the message or romance. Long live Bridget and her stories!
Georgiana Darcy’s Diary (parts 1 &2) by Anna Elliot: told in two parts, it is always interesting to find out more about the secondary characters and how their stories developed in a follow up. Georgiana Darcy is certainly no exception to this – sweet and smart it is a real pleasure to read how she develops and grows into a woman in the wake of her experience with Mr Wickham as well as seeing her relationship with her brother and Elizabeth helps her. By having her innermost thoughts written, Georgiana becomes her own fully fledged character in her own right.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow: having read this book, I left feeling that Mary Bennet was the sister who deserved the happiest of endings having been constantly overlooked by her sisters and parents and it is lovely to read her character coming through so wonderfully here as well as seeing how she develops way past the events of Pride and Prejudice. For anyone who has felt overlooked, this book will give you hope.
Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull: this debut novel from Jessica bull does effectively intertwine the real life of Jane Austen with a murder mystery that leave you wanting more. By acknowledging her family life and combine it with a fictional murder it does offer readers the opportunity to imagine what Jane Austen would have been like as a person and also potentially how her tenacity could get her into trouble. Engaging to read it is a nice twist to what we imagine Jane Austen’s life would have been like.