Scan barcode
brinastewart's review
3.0
I was expecting a type of fan fiction but it turned out that it was a short story competition and this was a compilation of entries starting with the winner and runner up. I enjoyed reading all the different stories and they were not just of characters from Austen's stories, but some were focused on Jane, as the main character or they mixed characters from her different stories.
cstefko's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House/Cottage, written for a contest judged by Sarah Waters. The results are pretty mixed, with several stories doing absolutely nothing for me. I considered giving up entirely a few stories in after a particularly lackluster story. But there were a few worthwhile reads in the collection. My favorite was “Second Thoughts,” a story which imagines Jane Austen’s inner thoughts on the sleepless night between accepting the marriage proposal of a family friend and revoking her acceptance the following morning. I thought it really got to the heart of not only Austen herself, but her writing style and philosophy as well. I would skip this book unless you’re a diehard Austen fan!
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House/Cottage, written for a contest judged by Sarah Waters. The results are pretty mixed, with several stories doing absolutely nothing for me. I considered giving up entirely a few stories in after a particularly lackluster story. But there were a few worthwhile reads in the collection. My favorite was “Second Thoughts,” a story which imagines Jane Austen’s inner thoughts on the sleepless night between accepting the marriage proposal of a family friend and revoking her acceptance the following morning. I thought it really got to the heart of not only Austen herself, but her writing style and philosophy as well. I would skip this book unless you’re a diehard Austen fan!
zshorn18's review
4.0
As with all short story collections by a variety of authors, some are much stronger than others. However, I enjoyed the majority of them and was struck by the powerful voices of the authors picking up and extending a world that I found only moderately enjoyable in its original form. Recommend to fans of Austen or short story collections.
boekenhonger's review
3.0
Some stories were good, others were just not for me. I enjoyed the story about Austen getting judged by her own characters very much.
mishale1's review
4.0
Great book. I've been on an Austen kick lately and gave really been enjoying stories inspired by Austen herself or her characters.
This book has a number of very well written short stories by Austen fans. It was interesting how many different stories could be inspired by her books and how many different ways those inspections were shown.
This book has a number of very well written short stories by Austen fans. It was interesting how many different stories could be inspired by her books and how many different ways those inspections were shown.
rachelcabbit's review
3.0
"Dancing with Mr Darcy" is a collection of 20 short stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House. It was a pretty neat little read. I dipped into it between revision and if I got stuck researching for my essays. I really loved the first story (which actually won the competition that brought this book about). I forget the title, but it was something like 'Jane Austen on the Styx' and was about Jane being judged by her older female characters who believed she had misrepresented older women in her novels. It was so well written! In fact, most of them were. Quite inspiring too - made me feel like writing more, but alas, my university work was more important.
Each writer has their own unique style. I don't normally enjoy stories that modernise Austen, but I was pleasantly surprised by the modern-day stories that had some Austen flair.
Each writer has their own unique style. I don't normally enjoy stories that modernise Austen, but I was pleasantly surprised by the modern-day stories that had some Austen flair.
juliaogden's review
3.0
A friend gave me this book as a gift because she knows that I love Austen. I enjoyed the stories somewhat, and I did keep reading until the end. Perhaps that is not such a resounding recommendation, but for Austen fans, this book is a pleasant-ish way to spend a few hours.
teresac's review against another edition
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent collection of stories inspired by Jane Austen/Chawton House. Though, I admit, I wasn't expecting just how 'unrelated' some of the stories were to the works of Jane Austen herself. Somehow I thought that the stories would largely take place in the worlds of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, etc...
The stories were excellent, and really made me think. I particularly enjoyed "Jayne," "The Jane Austen Hen Weekend," "Tears Fall on Orkney," "The Watershed," and "Marianne and Ellie." Some left me confused (I think the lack of italics to denote changes in thought or the imaginary was what threw me) - for example, "We Need to Talk About Mr. Collins."
The whole collection was enjoyable and gives a fresh look on Jane Austen, her works, and her life. I would highly recommend it to any fan of Jane Austen. And no - there's hardly a mention of Mr. Darcy (except briefly in two stories) so don't go expecting anything there.
The stories were excellent, and really made me think. I particularly enjoyed "Jayne," "The Jane Austen Hen Weekend," "Tears Fall on Orkney," "The Watershed," and "Marianne and Ellie." Some left me confused (I think the lack of italics to denote changes in thought or the imaginary was what threw me) - for example, "We Need to Talk About Mr. Collins."
The whole collection was enjoyable and gives a fresh look on Jane Austen, her works, and her life. I would highly recommend it to any fan of Jane Austen. And no - there's hardly a mention of Mr. Darcy (except briefly in two stories) so don't go expecting anything there.