Jennifer Becton

The Janeite in me has been coming out lately. I'm not sure if it's the holidays or what but I've been reading more Jane Austen rewrites and Austen related blogs. I recently won an ebook copy of Holidays with Jane: Christmas Cheer and plowed right threw it. Holidays gives the original Austen tales a modern twist, all set around Christmas time. Each story has little sprinklings of the others, most notably the coffee shop Mansfield Perk. Because we all know Jane Austen would love a great coffee shop.

The first story, The Work of an Instant by Jennifer Becton, takes Persuasion and sets it on a modern Navy base. It seems a camo wearing Santa is granting all sorts of wishes this year including showing Anne Elliot that she still has a chance with the dashing Frederick Wentworth. Persuasion is my favourite Austen tale and Becton does it justice. What a fun way to tell the story! I felt myself blushing by how sexy the modern Wentworth was. Well done!

In Melissa Buell's Mischief and Mistletoe, the familiar Northanger Abbey heroine, Catherine Morland, is a modern day thrift store chic fashion designer. When she gets the chance to get away from her sheltered life, will meeting Henry Tilney be mischief enough or will she find herself in a worse situation? Buell's modern Catherine is spot on, exactly as I could see her if Austen had written her today. The updating of the story is flawless and interesting.

A Tale of Three Christmas is Rebecca Fleming's bittersweet twist of Sense and Sensibility. When the Dashwood girls lose their father near Christmas, a journal brings a little joy to Margaret Dashwood as she shares the ups and downs of her sisters' love lives, spread out over three Christmases. Fleming makes the Dashwoods Southern belles and the translation is perfectly fluid. The use of the journal to tell the story and give Margaret a chance to shine was refreshing and sweet. The magic of the journal was very touching (you have to read the story to know what I'm talking about...no spoilers here!)

I really enjoyed With Love, From Emma by Cecilia Gray. Emma Woodhouse is always playing matchmaker but what should she do when she realises that Lance Knightly is her knight in shining armor and not just that jerk that owns the bar down the street. Gray made Mr. Knightly sexy, something that I would have never thought before. Again, a great translation into the modern world with Emma being a very popular small town girl who isn't interested in her own love life but everyone else's is up for pondering!

It's a Wonderful Latte takes a slight left turn from the other stories. Jessica Grey turns Mansfield Park into It's a Wonderful Life, staring Jane Austen as the angel. It's a cute twist with Edmond Bertram becoming Evie St. Laurent, owner of Mansfield Perk (one of them at least) where she works with her best friend, Frank (Fanny in modern disguise). It's not until the Piper siblings come into the picture that Evie realises how much she really (really really) cares for, nay, loves Frank. The twist of the story was unexpectedly fun and the way Grey brought Austen to life was wonderful. I think it was the one I liked the most, if I was forced to pick. But I beg you not to, since all were fab!

Finally, Pride and Presents is Kimberley Truesdale's modern idea of Pride and Prejudice. The Bennet's run the local community center and they are barely keeping their heads above water. Enter the dashing Charles Bingley to save the day and win the heart of Jane Bennet...oh don't think Liz and Darcy aren't involved! Liz wants to take over so her father can retire. Leave it to Will Darcy to save the day when the paperwork they need to keep their lease gets conveniently 'lost'. All the magic of P&P is here with the right amount of modern changes to make it work. Truesdale brought all the best of P&P to her addition, making it a sweet urban Christmas story that anyone can relate to.

Each story made me smile and at times laugh out loud. The authors translated each to modernity with what seemed like little effort (but obviously took great thought!). This is something you could read each year to bring a little cheer into your holidays.

5 of 5 stars for keeping me entertained with lovely modern versions of Austen.
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Truth be told, this really isn't a bad book, and in other circumstances I probably would have given it a 4 or a 5. But alas, it is not one of my favorite genres, so it was a bit slow for me to get through it. Anyone who is really into mysteries and thrillers would probably enjoy this.

The cover is misleading, making it seem as if this would be a lighthearted romp. Don't get me wrong, I don't just look for light, humorous reading, but if that's what the cover looks like it would be, it's a little disappointing when it's not what you expect.… (más)