To continue my rereading Austen series (find my blog on Sense and Sensibility here), here are my thoughts on Austen’s second novel, and my favourite, Pride and Prejudice. I’ve been rereading it in conjunction with writing a lecture on it, which has meant that more so than ever, I’ve been thinking about the novel in…
Continue reading ➞ Rereading Jane Austen | Pride and Prejudice
Happy 245th birthday to my favourite author of all time, Jane Austen. Born in Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16th 1775, the seventh child (and second daughter) of George and Cassandra Austen, she went on to write six full novels, two incomplete novels, a short epistolary novel and several notebooks full of juvenilia, not to mention…
Continue reading ➞ My 10 favourite Jane Austen quotes and why
What if Darcy never wrote the letter to Elizabeth after she rejected the proposal? Monica Fairview's novel explores just this, and throws a second chance at one of the best-loved fictional couples.
I've been invited to do something a bit different today, which is incredibly exciting: I'm hosting Dr Gabrielle Malcolm's new book, There's Something About Darcy, on my blog for the day as part of her blog book tour! As soon as I heard about Malcolm's book, I knew it was for me - as someone who…
Continue reading ➞ Review & Book Tour: “There’s Something About Darcy”, by Gabrielle Malcolm
Today Agora Books are re-publishing Jane Aiken Hodge’s study of Jane Austen, and I was lucky enough to have been gifted an advance copy to review, so thank you Agora! As anyone who knows me might have guessed, I jumped at the chance to review a book about not only my favourite author but also…
Continue reading ➞ REVIEW: “Only A Novel: The Double Life of Jane Austen”, by Jane Aiken Hodge
I swear one of my favourite genres of books could be called “modern retellings of classics”. I am always on the lookout for them, in particular Jane Austen retellings, which is why I am hoping that eventually the Austen Project, which paired Austen’s six novels with six contemporary bestselling authors, will eventually resurface with modern…
Continue reading ➞ Updating the Classics: Five Modern Retellings of Classic Stories to Read and Love
For me, autumn always seems to be period drama season, and also, that means Sunday nights spent in front of the TV watching the drama unfold against the backdrop of different historical periods, whilst I drink either tea or wine and the weather gets colder. I love how period dramas can give you a feel…
Continue reading ➞ Favourite Period Dramas: Darcy, Green Gables and Morse
Sudbury Hall will always be one of my favourite country houses to visit as it is so close to home (it is another lovely Derbyshire country house), so I have very vivid memories of visiting (including a school trip when I was five in which I fell in love with this 1920 portrait of Violet,…
Continue reading ➞ Portraits, carvings and Pemberley: Sudbury Hall
In celebration of Jane Austen's birthday, I thought I'd write about the joys, wit and importance of her work.
