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. The first author listed below has written seven books while the latter author has written six books either inspired by Austen’s characters or based on the author herself.

Mr. Darcy’s Daughters: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“Mr. Darcy’s Daughters: A Novel”
Released on April 8, 2003

Picking up twenty years after Pride and Prejudice left off, Mr. Darcy’s Daughters begins in the year 1818. Elizabeth and Darcy have gone to Constantinople, giving us an opportunity to get to know their five daughters, who have left the sheltered surroundings of Pemberley for a few months in London. While the eldest, Letitia, frets and the youngest, Alethea, practices her music, twins Georgina and Belle flirt and frolic their way through parties and balls and Camilla — levelheaded and independent — discovers what joys and sorrows the city has to offer an intelligent young woman.

The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy: A Novel”
Released on March 1, 2005

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s musical daughter Alethea makes a disastrous marriage to a man whose charming manners conceal an unpleasant nature. Flinging caution to the winds, she flees her marital home, masquerading as a gentleman, and accompanied only by her redoubtable maid, Figgins, she sets off for Venice to take refuge with her sister Camilla. But events conspire to thwart her plans. Before she can meet up with Camilla, chance and her love of music lead her into the world of Italian opera, while her encounter with the aloof and difficult Titus Manningtree, in Italy to pursue a lost Titian painting, is to change her life — although fate has several more tricks to play before she can find happiness.

The True Darcy Spirit: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“The True Darcy Spirit: A Novel”
Released on February 28, 2006

After being disowned by her family, Cassandra Darcy — the artistic eldest daughter of Anne de Bourgh (and granddaughter of the infamous Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Darcy’s cousin in Pride and Prejudice) — strives to make a living by painting. But struggling to succeed in bohemian London turns out to be the least of her worries. To begin with, there are the unwelcome advances of a certain Lord Usborne, and then there are the letters bequeathed to her by a friend — highly compromising letters written by Princess Caroline that her husband, the Prince Regent, would very much like to possess. In league with Lord Usborne, the prince enlists the services of Cassandra’s cousin, Horatio Darcy, who is a lawyer, to track down the missives. When Horatio’s investigation leads him straight to Cassandra, he initially disapproves of her lifestyle until he finds himself utterly charmed by it — and particularly by her. Romance may prove elusive, however, as social obstacles and the efforts of a vengeful Lord Usborne conspire to divide the two would-be lovers.

The Second Mrs. Darcy: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“The Second Mrs. Darcy: A Novel”
Released on March 6, 2007

The story follows a reluctant heiress who has been left a widow by Darcy’s cousin Christopher. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a husband. So say the friends and family of impoverished widow Octavia Darcy when she unexpectedly inherits a fortune, but she has a different view and looks forward to a new life of independence. Escaping from the efforts of her half brothers and sisters to marry her off, Octavia goes to Yorkshire to find out more about the family she never knew, and while she is there she meets and crosses swords with landowner and politician Sholto Rutherford. When she returns to London to share a house with the dashing Lady Susan, Octavia, now secure in her new life, becomes caught up in the romantic problems of her niece. Then, the shadow of George Warren, the old nemesis of the Darcy family, falls over her, and she is threatened with the loss of both inheritance and reputation.

The Darcy Connection: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“The Darcy Connection: A Novel”
Released on March 4, 2008

Mr. Collins of Pride and Prejudice is now the Bishop of Ripon, living with his wife, Charlotte, and their two daughters, who have reached marriageable age. The elder, another Charlotte, is extraordinarily beautiful, and her parents hope her looks and connections will ensure a brilliant marriage. Her sister, Eliza, while not as handsome, possesses a lively intelligence that, in Mr. Collins’s opinion, is too like her godmother, Mrs. Darcy. In London, Charlotte’s beauty wins her many admirers, despite her small fortune. But Eliza’s wit and attempts to interfere in what she considers an unsuitable marriage for her sister infuriate her family and Charlotte’s suitor — until Eliza herself meets her match.

Mr. Darcy’s Dream: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“Mr. Darcy’s Dream: A Novel”
Released on February 3, 2009

When Phoebe, a young niece of Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy, is shattered by an unhappy romance, she retreats to Pemberley and is joined by kind-hearted Louisa Bingley, unmarried after three London seasons. Once the young ladies are situated in the house, several handsome strangers also arrive — all hopeful of winning the girls’ hearts. As preparations for the ball which Mr. and Mrs. Darcy are to give at Pemberley gain momentum, mischief and love triangles abound, making life as difficult as possible for anyone connected with the Darcy family.

Writing Jane Austen: A Novel by Elizabeth Aston

ELIZABETH ASTON
“Writing Jane Austen: A Novel”
Released on April 13, 2010

Critically acclaimed and award-winning—but hardly best-selling—author Georgina Jackson can’t get past the first chapter of her second book. When she receives an urgent email from her agent, Georgina is certain it’s bad news. Shockingly, she’s offered a commission to complete a newly discovered manuscript by a major nineteenth-century author. Skeptical at first about her ability to complete the manuscript, Georgina is horrified to know that the author in question is Jane Austen. Torn between pushing through or fleeing home to America, Georgina relies on the support of her banker-turned-science student roommate, Henry, and his quirky teenage sister, Maud—a serious Janeite. With a sudden financial crisis looming, the only way Georgina can get by is to sign the hugely lucrative contract and finish the book.

Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen’s Emma”
Released on March 15, 1997

Jane Austen’s Emma has been a favorite novel for Austenites since 1816. In the mid-1990s it became a favorite movie for millions of new admirers. A key reason for Emma’s success is that the story has two heroines-Emma Woodhouse and Jane Fairfax. In Austen’s novel, Jane’s background is left obscure and the turmoil underlying her current reduced circumstances in mysterious. At last we learn her whole story in Joan Aiken’s superb retelling of Emma-this time from Jane Fairfax’s point of view.

The Youngest Miss Ward by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“The Youngest Miss Ward”
Released on December 1, 1998

Jane Austen herself might be pleased with Aiken’s sequel to Mansfield Park, focusing on the life of a newly created younger sister to the three Ward women. Lacking beauty or a dowry, and therefore without social prospects, Hatty Ward is forced to work as an unpaid governess for difficult charges amid depressing surroundings. As the durable Hatty moves from one unhappy living arrangement to the next, Aiken effectively portrays England in the late 18th century, when social class strictly dictated the norms of behavior and an independent, clever young lady was often scorned by her elders. Hatty is an admirable heroine, resolutely facing the challenges thrown her way, finding solace in poetry and the accomplishments of her arduous work. References to the distant French Revolution and to the indentured servant route to America bring period authenticity to the story.

Lady Catherine's Necklace by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“Lady Catherine’s Necklace”
Released on February 1, 2001

In Lady Catherine’s Necklace we are reintroduced to that monster of unfeeling snobbery Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her toadying curate Mr. Collins, familiar to all from Pride and Prejudice. When a carriage accident brings Priscilla Delaval and her brother Ralph to the door of Rosings, Lady Catherine’s residence in Kent, a chain of events is set in train which includes, among other things, a brush both with death and with the lower orders for Lady Catherine (in which she discovers a surprising talent for culinary improvisation), and the belated discovery of a skeleton in the cupboard of Lady Catherine’s late husband Sir Lewis.

NOTE: Joan Aiken passed away in 2004 so the following three books were released posthumously:

The Watsons and Emma Watson: Jane Austen's Unfinished Novel Completed by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“The Watsons and Emma Watson: Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novel Completed by Joan Aiken”
Released on March 1, 2008

Emma Watson returns home after 14 years spent with a beloved aunt, whose re-marriage has caused a significant change in Emma’s circumstances. Used to a life of ease, warmth and intelligence, Emma is thrust back into a home where, with one exception, her sisters are petty and jealous, if not vulgar, her father is ill and weak, and her brothers are not men of fine minds.

Mansfield Park Revisited by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“Mansfield Park Revisited”
Released on October 1, 2008

After heroine Fanny Price marries Edmund Bertram, they depart for the Caribbean, and Fanny’s younger sister Susan moves to Mansfield Park as Lady Bertram’s new companion. Surrounded by the familiar cast of characters from Jane Austen’s original, and joined by a few charming new characters introduced by the author, Susan finds herself entangled in romance, surprise, scandal, and redemption.

Eliza's Daughter: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility by Joan Aiken

JOAN AIKEN
“Eliza’s Daughter: A Sequel to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility”
Released on November 1, 2008

Because she’s an illegitimate child, Eliza is raised in the rural backwater with very little supervision. An intelligent, creative, and free-spirited heroine, unfettered by the strictures of her time, she makes friends with poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, finds her way to London, and eventually travels the world, all the while seeking to solve the mystery of her parentage. With fierce determination and irrepressible spirits, Eliza carves out a life full of adventure and artistic endeavor.

More lists coming soon…

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