Rueben's Ramblings

Here is the next list of modern-day writers who, in their own way, have paid homage to Jane Austen’s legendary stories. Each of the authors below have written one book each while the last author has written two books either inspired by Austen’s characters or based on the author herself.

Amanda Elyot
“By a Lady: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen’s England”
Publication Date: March 28, 2006

This book is a tale of time travel, true love, and Jane Austen. New York actress C.J. Welles, a die-hard Jane Austen fan, is on the verge of landing her dream role: portraying her idol in a Broadway play. But during her final audition, she is mysteriously transported to Bath, England, in the year 1801. And Georgian England, with its rigid and unforgiving social structure and limited hygienic facilities, is not quite the picturesque costume drama C.J. had always imagined. Just as she wishes she could click her heels together and return to Manhattan, C.J. meets the delightfully eccentric Lady Dalrymple, a widowed countess who takes C.J. into her home, introducing her as a poor relation to Georgian society, including the dashing Earl of Darlington and his cousin, Jane Austen. When a crisis develops, C.J.—in a race against time—becomes torn between two centuries. An attempt to return to her own era might mean forfeiting her blossoming romance with the irresistible Darlington and her growing friendship with Jane Austen, but it’s a risk she must take. And in the midst of this remarkable series of events, C.J. discovers something even more startling—a secret from her own past that may explain how she wound up in Bath in the first place.

Syrie James
“The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen”
Publication Date: November 6, 2007

Many rumors abound about a mysterious gentleman said to be the love of Jane’s life—finally, the truth may have been found. What if, hidden in an old attic chest, Jane Austen’s memoirs were discovered after hundreds of years? What if those pages revealed the untold story of a life-changing love affair? That’s the premise behind this spellbinding novel, which delves into the secrets of Jane Austen’s life, giving us untold insights into her mind and heart. Jane Austen has given up her writing when, on a fateful trip to Lyme, she meets the well-read and charming Mr. Ashford, a man who is her equal in intellect and temperament. Inspired by the people and places around her, and encouraged by his faith in her, Jane begins revising Sense and Sensibility, a book she began years earlier, hoping to be published at last.

Clytie Koehler
“Lizzy’s Choice”
Publication Date: October 5, 2011

Elizabeth Bennet Collins cannot bear to think of the life that awaits her at Hunsford Parsonage as the wife of her father’s cousin, the odious Mr. Collins. Riding in the ‘Carriage of Doom’ with her gloating husband, her mind alternates between dreading her future and reflecting with chagrin and mortification on her conduct toward Mr. Darcy at the Netherfield ball – and what she learned from him then. Arriving at last in the neighborhood of the parsonage, Mr. Collins insists that they must stop at Rosings Park – where a terrifying Lady Catherine de Bourgh greets her clergyman’s new bride whip in hand. After the Netherfield ball and his confrontation with her, Fitzwilliam Darcy’s warm and tender but forbidden dreams of loving Miss Elizabeth Bennet suddenly become dreadful nightmares of attending her wedding to the odious Mr. Collins. Relieved to awaken from their nightmares, Elizabeth and Darcy each experience confusion about what really did occur on that fateful occasion. Each is deeply shaken by the revelations of the night. Lizzy takes a long walk to Oakham Mount to work off the vestiges of her ill-humor and settle her spirits – well aware that Mr. Collins, heartily encouraged by her mother, awaits a private audience with her. Darcy goes for a long hard ride to work off his distress and order his thoughts – for he knows he must do something. Their chance meeting on Oakham Mount both clarifies and complicates things. Darcy wishes to court her but discovers that he must first overcome Miss Elizabeth’s ill-opinion of him. He begins by agreeing to warn her father and the neighborhood about Wickham’s predacious ways. Unfortunately their efforts do not serve to protect Elizabeth’s young and foolish sister Lydia from seduction by Wickham. She and her sister Kitty are caught sneaking into the family home after meeting Wickham in the woods. Mr. Bennet refuses to force a marriage between his youngest daughter and the cad but the Bennets must plan how to protect Lydia’s and Kitty’s reputations. In the meantime, Caroline Bingley engages in a desperate plot to rid herself of “Miss Eliza’s” interference in her machinations to secure Darcy for herself. The results are quite shocking. The Bennets prepare to leave Longbourn for a long stay in the north in case of an “increase” in the family. But they must have a plausible story to explain their departure – and where will they go? Several unexpected alliances are formed as the attraction between Elizabeth and Darcy, and Bingley and Jane struggle to survive and find their way through everything from misunderstandings to deadly trials.

Laurel Ann Nattress
“Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart”
Publication Date: October 11, 2011

Among the stories in this book include those written by authors Lauren Willig, Adriana Trigiani, Jo Beverley, Alexandra Potter, Laurie Viera Rigler, Frank Delaney and Diane Meier, Syrie James, Stephanie Barron, Amanda Grange, Pamela Aidan, Elizabeth Aston, Carrie Bebris, Diana Birchall, Monica Fairview, Janet Mullany, Jane Odiwe, Beth Pattillo, Myretta Robens, Jane Rubion and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, Maya Slater, Margaret C. Sullivan and Brenna Aubrey.

In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger” a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting” captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes Aunt Jane” imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat” our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales” based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity” finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; and in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,” a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise. Regency or contemporary, romantic or fantastical, each of these marvelous stories reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors.

Diana Peterfreund
“For Darkness Shows the Stars”
Publication Date: June 12, 2012

It’s been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology. Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jump-starting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go. But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one that could change their society or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she’s lost him forever. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, this book is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Margaret C. Sullivan
“The Jane Austen Handbook”
Publication Date: March 8, 2011

Every young lady dreams of a life spent exchanging witty asides with a dashing Mr. Darcy, but how should you let him know your intentions? Seek counsel from this charming guide to Jane Austen’s world. Its step-by-step instructions reveal the practicalities of life in Regency England, including sensible advice on: how to behave at your first ball; how to ride sidesaddle; how to decline an unwanted marriage proposal; how to improve your estate; how to throw a dinner party and much more. This handbook offers readers a glimpse into day-to-day life in Jane Austen’s time. It is the perfect companion for fans of her novels and their film adaptations complete with detailed information on love among the social classes, currency, dress, and nuances of graceful living.

Margaret C. Sullivan
“The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World”
Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Jane Austen published her first novel in 1811, but today she’s more popular than ever. Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, this handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You’ll discover the following: how to become an accomplished Lady; how to run a great house; how to indicate interest in a gentleman without seeming forward; how to throw a dinner party and how to choose and buy clothing. Full of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming, illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living.

More lists coming soon…