Jane Austen Made Me Do it - A Conversation

Welcome to our conversation of the Jane Austen Made Me Do It anthology. If you have read any of the stories, please feel free to join in on the discussion in the comments!

Ana: Did you like the idea of an anthology of stories inspired/related/connected to Jane Austen? Even if I haven’t loved all the sequels/spin offs/etc I’ve read I am always looking forward to read more and see how I like them.

Marg: I have avoided all the Jane Austen spin offs for the longest time. The main reason for doing so is that I actually haven’t read the originals and so I didn’t want to spoil them, at least  not more than what I already knew from movies etc and the pop culture references that I have gained over the years.

Ana: I have to say that not all stories were to my taste. Quite normal when you realise that there are so many periods, types and settings. Since my favorite genre is historical fiction it is not difficult to guess the ones I liked better - Jane and the Gentleman Rogue by Stephanie Barron (it felt that there should be more about this one btw), Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley (a sweet short story in Austen’s style), Heard of You by Margaret Sullivan (I love to know what happens to interesting secondary characters). But I also enjoyed two contemporary tales -  Faux Jane by RJ Meiers and The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey. What about you?

Kelly: I have to admit that I am not a huge Jane Austen fan. I have always been intrigued by her as a person, but I have basically avoided all the spin-offs from her books. I thought maybe I should branch out a bit, though, and this book looked like an interesting way to get brief glimpses of the potential stories that can come about because of Jane Austen. I was basically lost when the stories were about characters from Jane Austen’s novels. I have only read Pride & Prejudice and that was a few years ago now. I think I missed a lot when the stories centred around that.

I did enjoy some of the stories, though. I enjoyed ‘Jane Austen’s Nightmare’ by Syrie James, which was actually the very first story in the book. It is imagined that Jane Austen gets the chance in her dream to visit with characters from her novels. I enjoy the idea because not all of the characters were that happy with how they were written. The funny thing is that when I was reading Ana’s response, I could just basically copy and past because I also enjoyed Jane and the Gentleman Rogue (really must read more than the one book I have read from this series), Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss, Faux Jane by RJ Meiers, and The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey. I also sort of liked A Night at Northanger by Lauren Willig because I like ghost stories.

Marg: Really it was the mention of two authors that made me want to read the anthology - Lauren Willig and Adriana Trigiani! The others were all new to me! One surprise for me was that Frank Delaney is one of the co-authors that writes under the name F J Meier. I had no idea!

As to favourites, mine were Jo Beverley’s Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss, Jane Austen’s Nightmare by Syrie James, Intolerably Stupid and Heard of You by Margaret C Sullivan.

Ana: Kelly aren’t you curious now to try some of Austen’s other books? Some of the stories I enjoyed because they were related to my favourite, Persuasion, and I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed Margaret Sullivan’s Heard of You and Brenna Aubrey’s The Love Letter as much if I hadn’t read Persuasion first. Heard of You is a really sweet story about the Crofts, so well written that I had no trouble believing that that’s their real story. The Love Letter is a contemporary but also very nicely written and with a perfect last sentence!

Kelly: Yes, I really think I would have enjoyed this collection more if I had read the actual novels they were based off. I felt like I was missing out by not knowing the original stories. In some cases it wasn’t that much of a problem for me, but in other cases I wasn’t really all that interested in the story. ‘The Love Letter’ still worked for me, though.

Marg: I thought Heard of You worked pretty well despite the fact that I hadn’t read Persuasion. It was still one of my favourites.

I wanted to specifically comment on Brenna Aubrey’s story The Love Letter. Brenna was the winner of a short story contest that was held to choose one story to put into the anthology. I was very impressed with it, and thought it held up pretty well in comparison to the other stories in the collection.

We thought we would give just a brief one or two line glimpse of our thoughts about each of the stories.

Jane Austen’s Nightmare by Syrie James - (Ana) What if Jane Austen met her characters and found out they weren’t all that happy with how she portrayed them? A true nightmare for the author.

Waiting: A story inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion by Jane Odiwe - (Kailana) A spin-off from Austen’s novel Persuasion where a romance that has been put on hold is rekindled and taken to the next level.

A Night at Northanger by Lauren Willig - (Marg) When Cate left journalism school  she was hoping for CNN or some other respected news agency - not Ghost Trekkers. Ghost Trekkers has however lead her to Northanger which may or not be haunted!

Jane and the Gentleman Rogue: Being a fragment of a Jane Austen mystery by Stephanie Barrons - (Ana) Jane Austen gets to play the detective and find out who is trying to pass some naval secrets to France. She and Lord Harold seem to share an interesting friendship while they both protect the nation’s best interests.

Faux Jane by F J Meier - (Kailana) Did you know it was impossible to possess a signed first-edition of Pride & Prejudice? Many people do not, so it makes easy targets for swindlers and thieves.

Nothing Less than Fairy-land by Monica Fairview (Marg) - Emma and Mr Knightley are married but it is not all smooth sailing. In order to compromise, Knightley has agreed to live at Emma’s home, but Mr Woodhouse is not making it easy.

Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane by Adriana Trigiani - (Ana) On the occasion of her niece’s wedding Aunt Jane shares some interesting advice and congratulates her.

Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss by Jo Beverley - (Kailana) This was a quaint story about the magic behind mistletoe for a woman that has been widowed and a man that she believes is too good for her. Jane Austen makes an appearance and inspires a romance.

When Only a Darcy Will Do by Beth Pattillo - (Marg) An impoverished student in London is trying to make a little cash on the side and so has organised a tour of Jane Austen’s London. Each week she dresses up in period costume and waits for her first paying customer. When he turns up full dressed as a Regency gentleman she finds out that sometimes only a Darcy will do!

Heard of You by Margaret C Sullivan - (Ana) How the Admiral Croft and Sophie Wentworth met and fell in love, and the role that Captain Wentworth played in their story.

The Ghostwriter by Elizabeth Aston - (Kailana) Sara, an author, is in love with Mr. Darcy to the point where the man she is with, Charles, can’t take it anymore. He leaves her, but her life is about to drastically change because Jane Austen herself appears to help her out with both her career and her love life.

Mr Bennet Meets His Match by Amanda Grange - (Marg) The story of how Mr and Mrs Bennet met!

Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! by Janet Mullany - (Ana) A teacher makes Jane Austen appealing to her students by making them imagine that the characters are the Beatles.

Letters to Lydia by Maya Slater - (Kailana) As the title says, these are letters that are written to Lydia Bennet. They come from Maria Lucas who played a minor role in Pride & Prejudice, but was present for most major events.

The Mysterious Closet: A Tale by Myretta Robens- (Marg) Cathy needs a break from her life, especially given her broken heart, and so books a room at a converted abbey, not realising that it was haunted... or perhaps Henry is real?

Jane Austen’s Cat by Diana Birchall - (Ana) Jane Austen likes to tell stories to her nieces and in this one the main characters are cats.

Me and Mr Darcy, Again.... by Alexandra Potter (Marg) - A Mr Darcy obsessed tourist in London realises that her fascination with him may be getting in the way of her happiness. With Mr Darcy  helping to orchestrate events with her boyfriend will there be a happy ever after?

What Would Austen Do? by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway - (Marg) When your name is James Austen there’s not much chance that you wouldn’t know the stories of Jane Austen, or at least think you know them without actually having read them. That is until you meet a young lady who you think may be a kindred spirit. Contained my favourite quote of the whole anthology.

“In Jane Austen it’s always a big deal - what people are versus what people think they are.”

The Riding Habit by Pamela Aidan - (Ana) - A sequel of Pride and Prejudice. Mr Darcy want to teach his wife to ride but her first day doesn’t go as smoothly as planned.

The Love Letter by Brenna Aubrey - (Marg) - Mark is a Doctor just about to sit the most important exam of his career. What he doesn’t need is the distraction of a mystery page from a book, and thinking about his love life, particularly the woman he left behind a few years before.

The Chase by Carrie Bebris - (Marg) The story of the ship board battles which led to Jane Austen’s brother becoming a Captain in the Navy. He eventually rose through the ranks to become Admiral of the Fleet

Intolerably Stupidity by Laurie Viera Rigler - (Ana) - Contemporary writers are tried by how they portrayed Mr Darcy in all the sequels and spin offs they wrote. Judge Catherine de Bourgh presides...

For the King by Catherine Delors - A Conversation

For the King by Catherine Delors is one of the books we were eagerly awaiting in 2010 after all the buzz surrounding the author's first release, Mistress of The Revolution, one of Ana's favourite reads of 2008. Alex, Ana and Marg were happy to have received review copies and couldn't help but start discussing it soon after.

What do you think this book was in terms of genre?

Marg: Whilst it is historical fiction, it wasn't really a mystery for me. I have been trying to think of a way to describe it, and the only thing that I would come up with was a fly in a spider's web. The reader knows who the perpetrators were, but it was only as you read further you got to find out about their motivations, and more intriguingly how all the characters were connected together. There were times that you wondered exactly who was the spider and who was the fly though.

Ana: Yes, I think it's only part mystery with Roch Miquel's investigation of the attack that opens the story but it is definitely much more than that. To me it was a window to the history of that period. The political, social, economical aspects of the society that came out of the French Revolution are all represented in this story.

Alex: For The King is a story about a police investigation, but not quite a mystery, at least not for me. At the same time we learn more about the political games of the Post-Revolutionary Paris and the early years of Napoleon Bonaparte as the First Consul.

The main character in the novel is Roch Miquel, and therefore is pretty key to the reader's enjoyment. What did you think of Roch?

Ana: I didn't immediately warm up to him. I found him a bit cold at first. Too devoted to his work, to the point of serving an "evil" master, and without compassion for others. This changes as the story develops though. As I got to know him better I understood his coldness more as a defense and as his position becomes more vulnerable and makes him question himself he definitely shows a softer side with his little informant and Alexandrine.

Alex: Like Ana I had some troubles with Roch Miquel, especially in the first part of the story. He really rubbed me in the wrong way with his self righteousness. His opinions about his father's friend, Vidalec and his daughter, Alexandrine, are incredible harsh and unfair. He always seems worried about his work and his appearance (and Blanche!), but seems incapable of seeing around him the people who really care for him. Halfway through the book he slowly changes and becomes more likeable. His transformation is believable, there's no sudden change of heart, something that I really appreciated.

Marg: I think part of the strength of the characterisation of this novel is that just when you think you have know the character, you learn a little bit more about them and realise that you actually don't really know them as well as you thought.

How about Blanche?

Ana: I also had some problems warming up to Blanche. While in the end I could understand what drove her to act as she did I find myself liking Alexandrine a lot better as the female character in this story. Blanche ends up sacrificing almost everything for the cause and I actually feel that I should have liked her better than I did, she did what she had to do to get the job done and not only that didn't work but the men around her see her as less than worthy because of it.

Alex: Blanche was probably the character in this book that really left me unmoved. Since the beginning I found her annoying in her apparent perfection but you feel also that she is too good to be true. Nonetheless her dedication to the cause is something that sometimes I couldn't help but admire. I do agree with Ana about Alexandrine. She is the quiet girl, honest and strong, who is always willing to help those she loves. I really enjoyed every scene she was in (I keep wishing for more!), especially the one where Roch accompanies her to her home after a day of work at The Mighty Barrel. That was lovely!

Marg: The more we learnt about Blanche the less I liked her. I got her motivation, but the choices that were made were often quite abhorrent to me. It is hard to believe that the reader, and more importantly Roch couldn't see through her outer appearance. I guess this is one of those cases where the saying love is blind might be applicable.

Alex is lucky enough to live in Paris, (yes, I am jealous (Marg)) so we specifically wanted to ask her about the characterisation of Paris in this book.

Alex: Paris is definitely one of the main characters of For The King! While I was reading it, I often imagine myself with the book in my hands walking the streets and places mentioned in the story. The descriptions and details are so rich and gripping! I see some of these places every day, others don't exist any more (like the Rue Saint Nicaise) but I heard about them before and I could easily picture Roch running around in search of those sneaky assassins. Many books are written with Paris in the background often mentioning some of the most known places in town without going further, which can sometimes be a little frustrating. For The King seems to be born out of Catherine Delors' love for Paris and its history. This is, at my eyes, one of the strong points of this book. The Post-Revolutionary Paris was brought back to life and I enjoyed every moment.

Did you have an inkling that the title of the book was more than just a title? Did that made you think differently about the story?

Ana: I was quite surprised when I realised that it was the code name of a character. One of the things that this book taught me was that there was an active movement plotting to put the Bourbons on the throne again so I guess the title gave me pause, it made me think that the center of everything was that movement and how wide their connections were.

Alex: I was also surprised by the fact that the title was also a code name, especially when I found out it belonged to someone I really didn't expect. Later in the historical note, Catherine Delors gives us more information about this "For the King" and to whom that alias belonged originally, which I found really interesting. I was familiar with the Chouans and the Chouannerie but I never went much further than their ideals and some other small details, so this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about it.

Marg: There were lots of examples in this book of where there was a new fact revealed and then suddenly a whole lot of things either suddenly come to have more meaning or at the every least start to make sense. The title was a key example of this happening.

The obvious villains were the royalists who organised the bombing but for me (Ana) the most sinister character ended up being Fouché, Napoleon's Minister of Police, for whom Miquel worked. Who did you think were the bad guys in the story?

Alex: For me, the big, bad guy was Fouché. He is the politician nobody can trust and who would plot against his own mother if that would make him gain even more power. His background is rather revealing. He readily embraces the new ideals of the Revolution, later he turns a blind eye to Napoleon's coup d'état remaining his Minister whom he will help years later to his downfall. Of course, he manages to stay, for some time, minister of Louis XVIII and will finally be accused of regicide. A man who traitorously switches allegiance as he see fit to fulfill his own ambitions without any scruples is certainly a ruthless villain!

Marg: I don't think I have ever read a book that is set during this time where Fouche is portrayed as anything other than manipulative, duplicitous and just plain evil. Then again his rival Dubois wasn't all that much better. For the most part most of the characters were all different shades of grey. there weren't too many two dimensional, or black and white, characters in the novel.

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For the King is released on 8 July! Over the next couple of weeks we will have full reviews and a guest post from Catherine Delors, so keep visiting to find out more about this book!

To Defy A King - A Conversation and a giveaway

Ana, Alex and Marg are all confirmed Elizabeth Chadwick fans from way back (we are trying to work on Teddy and Kelly, but despite all of our encouragement they haven't caved just yet! I am not sure what they are waiting for!!). We have all just finished reading Elizabeth Chadwick's latest release, To Defy a King, so we thought that we would do a conversation about the book. We will post our proper reviews later. 

Marg: So Ana and Alex, it's been a while since the last Elizabeth Chadwick new release, and we were all very excited about this one? Was it worth the wait?

Ana: Most definitely! I loved it! I would be happy with anything that EC chooses to write about but I definitely have a soft spot for her Marshall characters. And I loved Mahelt in this book. I loved how she grew up from a hot headed teenager to someone more serene and willing to think first and compromise but still strong and ready to defend herself and her family. And I loved Hugh for not crushing her and taking the time to know her and the best way to deal with her.

Alex: I couldn't agree more with Ana. I'll read anything by Ms Chadwick but the Marshal family has a special place in my heart. Reading about William Marshal and Isabel de Clare made me even more curious about their offspring. Mahelt is their first child and their only daughter for several years. I don't have any difficulties seeing her as her daddy's little girl. 

The wait was excruciating but it's always the case for Elizabeth Chadwick's books. I still have four of her books in my TBR pile to be read between future releases. It's hard to go more than 6 months without a Chadwick fix!

Marg: I have a few books left to go out of the back list as well. I am working through them very slowly because I don't know what I will do when I have to wait for new ones and not have any unread books left.

Ana: What did you think of Mahelt, Hugh and their relationship? I thought it interesting when Isabelle Marshall tells Mahelt in the end that they were afraid of giving her to the Bigods both for her and their sake.

Marg: Mahelt was certainly very confident and sure of her sense of self when she arrived to be his wife, and she never lost that sense of who she  was even when that set her to clash with Hugh, or more precisely with his father, and you are right, I loved that whilst Hugh had every right to try and crush that sense of independence and form her into a sombre lady who would meet the normal standards of  how a young lady would behave, he didn't do that. Whilst Mahelt had to learn to behave appropriately, he found other ways to encourage her to maintain her sense of self, for example, by buying her a flock of sheep.

Alex: Mahelt was a Marshal and acted like one, but without her father's tact, as Isabelle de Clare says. She knows what she wants for herself and her family and even if she knows that she is a Bigod wife, her loyalty is always, in the first place, to the Marshals. I think her mother feared that she might not be able to become part of the Bigod family and that her husband would crush her more exuberant and independent personality condemning her to more feminine and domestic tasks. I love that Hugh understands immediately that Mahelt needs to be more than a wife and a mother.  

Marg: William Longespee - good guy, bad guy or just misunderstood?

Ana: I didn't see him as a bad guy although he certainly did some things that I see as bad but I thought that he was mostly a flawed character. Being left behind by his mother as a child probably made him enjoy the fact that King John needed him so much to the point of being jealous of others. And he was very much aware that he was a King's son and as Roger Bigod so accurately puts it, he is bothered that he is a bastard and Hugh is legitimate and born to a fortune twice his. All this makes him a very troubled character to deal with especially to someone as different from him as Hugh is.

Alex: Definitely not a bad guy. For me he is just someone who tries very hard to find his place and most of the times in a very clumsy manner. The two horses scenes really incensed me! But, I could feel how he desperately wanted to belong somewhere. He didn't have a place with the Bigods, so he tries to please and be loyal to his royal brother. Of course, his ambition and competitiveness didn't always play in his favor. But his scenes with Ela were very sweet.

Marg: Let's talk about Ida and Roger. We first met them in The Time of Singing, and they are Hugh's parents so this book kind of follows on from their story. I must confess that I was saddened to see what had happened to them. Roger seems so rigid and set in his ways as he has gotten older, and I hated how he couldn't show Ida how much he still cared for her. Why do you think that was?

Ana: I have to confess I haven't read The Time of Singing yet and after reading this one I was actually happy with it because now I'll have a chance to see another side of Roger. If I had seen just this one I think I would have been really sad yes... he is a man who takes his responsibilities so seriously that his family life falls in the shadow. He managed to keep them all safe but at what cost?

Alex: Like Ana I didn't read The Time of Singing, but I remember reading some reviews and I was quite surprised by this Roger. I had some troubles warming up to him... He worries so much that he might loose what he has that he forget to enjoy his life with Ida and his children. When he wakes up it's too late. I was sorry for him, but mostly I was sorry for Ida.

Marg: Ladies, you need to read The Time of Singing! 

Ana: One thing I really liked was how so much of medieval life is conveyed without it being obvious. The food, the daily chores, the organization of the castle, the marriage traditions and the people's expectations about life, religion, king... not to mention the way the political events are woven in the story. This is really what HF is about isn't it?

Marg: This for me is really where Elizabeth Chadwick's strength is in her storytelling. I am always reminded when I read her books that whilst the house I live in now, my transport, and the way I live my life are all very different to what Mahelt and the other characters would be used, fundamentally our emotional needs are no different - our need to provide and protect our children and the need to come first with our chosen partner for example.

Alex: I'm always amazed how Elizabeth Chadwick brings back Middle Age to life. The moment I open one of her books, I'm gone for another adventurous journey many centuries back in time. The scene when Mahelt defends her "castle" from her brothers and trows them handfuls of salve, I could actually smell the thing. 

Alex: The story ends in 1218 just before several deaths in Mahelt's family changed her life completely. Did any of you wanted the story to continue or you were satisfied with the final scene?

Ana: I think it was right to finish when it did because most of the novel is about the conflict with King John. It shaped their lives till then and I saw it as fitting that the story ends when that conflict is resolved .

Marg: I always want more! Having said that, it did seem that the novel ends up at a point where as a reader we can just close the book knowing that the life of Mahelt and Hugh will go on without us, if that makes sense. They have faced many challenges, some of which could have destroyed them, and now they are ready to go forward together. Reading the author's note did make it obvious that there was so much that could have been written about Mahelt, but I was satisfied with where it did end.

Ana: Do you think we will have more Marshall novels? Or better yet is there any secondary character that interested you enough to hope for a book for them? I had one after reading The Greatest Knight but none in this story... Knowing that the Marshall name ended with this generation is kind of sad isn't it?

Marg: I am really not sure. What I do know is that regardless of whether there are more Marshal novels or if this is the last, whatever Elizabeth Chadwick comes out with next I will be reading because I know that I will end up with a really enjoyable read.  I am also pretty sure that like this book, I will find it difficult to put down the next book. There is a down side to devouring each new Chadwick novel as quickly as we all did and that is the wait for the next one!

Alex: That would be something interesting to ask Elizabeth Chadwick, but I'm sure she'll continue to give us incredible stories with extraordinary characters no matter what.

Marg: Do you have a favourite scene or line you would like to share?

Ana: Maybe the scene where Hugh and Mahelt are both at the loom after their son is born. I thought that was a symbolic scene of the life they were creating. Which was yours?

Alex: Ana's scene is also among my favorite, but I would add also Mahelt's "encounter" with Prince John (the girl finally did something that many of us would like to do to that creep), every scene with William Marshal because he is my favorite hero, when Ida shows Mahelt William Longespée baby shoes (I had tears in my eyes).

Marg: I enjoyed that scene, and also many of the scenes where Ida and Mahelt shared the page. I must confess to sighing out loud when I read the scene where Hugh left the note for Mahelt to read before he went off to battle.

Ne vuz sanz mei, ne mei sanz vus.

(No you without me, nor I without you)

Marg: If you had to give this a rating out of 5, what would you give it? It was a solid 5/5 for me.

Ana: definitely a solid 5 for me also.

Alex: A 5/5 for me too but I would give it a 10 if I could. To Defy a King is a must read for any historical fiction fan!

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Now for the giveaway! Alex has a gently read spare copy of The Time of Singing, the book that tells the story of Hugh's parents, Roger and Ida, and she is happy to give it away! (This book is due to be released in the US later this year under the title For the King's Favor.)

- the giveaway is open worldwide

- only one entry per person

- please leave us a valid email address

- open until the 20th May 2010 midnight GMT

The winner will be chosen randomly (with random.org). Don't forget that there is still a giveaway To Defy a King. You can enter that giveaway by clicking here. Who knows. If you are lucky you could end up with both!

Good luck to everyone!