Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. She looks great for a 250-year-old! Her novels have inspired readers for generations. And while her original works still hold up today, if you’re looking for more Austen-like reads, here are some YA and adult novels that are retellings of or inspired by Jane Austen’s novels. You can also celebrate with fellow Jane-ites tonight at 6pm in the Hall with a screening of the 2006 Pride and Prejudice film and some Regency crafts!
Debating Darcy
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A life-long speech competitor, Leela loves nothing more than crushing the competition, all while wearing a smile. But when she meets the incorrigible Firoze Darcy, a debater from an elitist private school, Leela can't stand him. Unfortunately, he'll be competing in the state league, so their paths are set to collide. But why attempt to tolerate Firoze when Leela can one-up him? The situation is more complicated than Leela anticipated, though, and her participation in the tournament reveals that she might have tragically misjudged the debaters -- including Firoze Darcy -- and more than just her own winning streak is at stake...her heart is, too.
A life-long speech competitor, Leela loves nothing more than crushing the competition, all while wearing a smile. But when she meets the incorrigible Firoze Darcy, a debater from an elitist private school, Leela can't stand him. Unfortunately, he'll be competing in the state league, so their paths are set to collide. But why attempt to tolerate Firoze when Leela can one-up him? The situation is more complicated than Leela anticipated, though, and her participation in the tournament reveals that she might have tragically misjudged the debaters -- including Firoze Darcy -- and more than just her own winning streak is at stake...her heart is, too.
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
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This version of the Bennet family--and Mr. Darcy--is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help--and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray. Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches. Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
This version of the Bennet family--and Mr. Darcy--is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help--and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray. Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches. Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
In Want of a Suspect
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The tenacious Lizzie Bennet has earned her place at Longbourn, her father's law firm. Her work keeps her busy, but luckily it gives her plenty of reasons to consult (and steal occasional kisses) with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a stern but secretly softhearted solicitor at Pemberley. Lizzie is hired to investigate a deadly warehouse fire and to find the mysterious woman who was spotted at the scene moments before the flames took hold. But when the case leads to the sitting room of a woman Darcy once proposed marriage to, the delicate balance between personal and professional in their relationship is threatened.
The tenacious Lizzie Bennet has earned her place at Longbourn, her father's law firm. Her work keeps her busy, but luckily it gives her plenty of reasons to consult (and steal occasional kisses) with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a stern but secretly softhearted solicitor at Pemberley. Lizzie is hired to investigate a deadly warehouse fire and to find the mysterious woman who was spotted at the scene moments before the flames took hold. But when the case leads to the sitting room of a woman Darcy once proposed marriage to, the delicate balance between personal and professional in their relationship is threatened.
Incense and Sensibility
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Yash Raje, California's first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants-and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash's easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic. Desperate to keep Yash's condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust-his sister's best friend, India Dashwood, California's foremost stress management coach.... Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed, including their one magical night ten years ago-a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens to destroy the dream he's willingly shouldered for his family and community...until now--
Yash Raje, California's first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants-and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash's easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic. Desperate to keep Yash's condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust-his sister's best friend, India Dashwood, California's foremost stress management coach.... Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed, including their one magical night ten years ago-a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens to destroy the dream he's willingly shouldered for his family and community...until now--
Introducing Mrs. Collins
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Charlotte Lucas has never been a romantic. Practical to a fault, she accepted Mr. Collins's proposal with clear eyes and a steady heart, trading passion for security. Life at Hunsford Parsonage may be quiet and predictable, but it is hers to manage--and she's determined to make the best of it, whatever her friend Elizabeth Bennet may think. That is, until an unexpected guest at nearby Rosings Park turns Charlotte's careful world on its head. He sees her, challenges her, and a spark is lit. Torn between what she must do and what she truly desires, Charlotte finds herself at the center of a story she never expected to be hers. A tale of love, loss, and second chances, Introducing Mrs. Collins is for anyone who wondered if there was more to the sensible character we met in Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of a woman who had written herself out of her own life and is only now daring to want more--
Charlotte Lucas has never been a romantic. Practical to a fault, she accepted Mr. Collins's proposal with clear eyes and a steady heart, trading passion for security. Life at Hunsford Parsonage may be quiet and predictable, but it is hers to manage--and she's determined to make the best of it, whatever her friend Elizabeth Bennet may think. That is, until an unexpected guest at nearby Rosings Park turns Charlotte's careful world on its head. He sees her, challenges her, and a spark is lit. Torn between what she must do and what she truly desires, Charlotte finds herself at the center of a story she never expected to be hers. A tale of love, loss, and second chances, Introducing Mrs. Collins is for anyone who wondered if there was more to the sensible character we met in Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of a woman who had written herself out of her own life and is only now daring to want more--
Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen's Unsung Characters
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In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with ... imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen's minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these... stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice's snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility's Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces--
In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with ... imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen's minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these... stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice's snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility's Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces--
Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma
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Seventeen-year-old Evan Horowitz learns the dangers of playing matchmaker in this modern graphic retelling of Jane Austen's Emma.
Seventeen-year-old Evan Horowitz learns the dangers of playing matchmaker in this modern graphic retelling of Jane Austen's Emma.
Most ardently : a Pride & prejudice remix
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While exploring the city dressed as a young gentleman in 1812 London, trans boy Oliver meets and falls in love with Darcy, forcing him to choose between a life of pretending to be something he's not or risking everything for a life that is truly his own.
While exploring the city dressed as a young gentleman in 1812 London, trans boy Oliver meets and falls in love with Darcy, forcing him to choose between a life of pretending to be something he's not or risking everything for a life that is truly his own.
Polite Society
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In this modern reimagining of Jane Austen's Emma, Delhi's polite society is often anything but polite. Beautiful, clever, and more than a little bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. Having successfully found love for her spinster aunt, she sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and most helpless friend. But when her aunt's handsome nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by old money and new; relentless currents of gossip; and an unforgettable cast of socialites, journalists, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that her good intentions are no match for the whims and intrigues of Delhi's high society--or for her own complicated feelings toward her cherished childhood friend, Dev. Pairing razor-sharp observation and social comedy with moments of true tenderness, this delicious whirl through the mansions of India's dazzling elite celebrates that there's no one route to perfect happiness.
In this modern reimagining of Jane Austen's Emma, Delhi's polite society is often anything but polite. Beautiful, clever, and more than a little bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. Having successfully found love for her spinster aunt, she sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and most helpless friend. But when her aunt's handsome nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by old money and new; relentless currents of gossip; and an unforgettable cast of socialites, journalists, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that her good intentions are no match for the whims and intrigues of Delhi's high society--or for her own complicated feelings toward her cherished childhood friend, Dev. Pairing razor-sharp observation and social comedy with moments of true tenderness, this delicious whirl through the mansions of India's dazzling elite celebrates that there's no one route to perfect happiness.
The unlikely pursuit of Mary Bennet
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When Mr. Collins dies after just four years of marriage, Charlotte is lost...In desperate need of support, she writes to her best friend, Lizzie. Unable to leave Pemberley, Lizzie sends her sister Mary Bennet in her stead. To Charlotte's surprise, Mary Bennet is nothing like she remembers...Before long, Charlotte is enraptured, and with each stolen glance and whispered secret, their friendship quickly blossoms into something achingly real. But when her time at the parsonage begins to dwindle and a potential suitor appears, Charlotte must make a choice--the safety and security of another husband, or a passionate life with Mary outside the confines of the ton's expectations.
When Mr. Collins dies after just four years of marriage, Charlotte is lost...In desperate need of support, she writes to her best friend, Lizzie. Unable to leave Pemberley, Lizzie sends her sister Mary Bennet in her stead. To Charlotte's surprise, Mary Bennet is nothing like she remembers...Before long, Charlotte is enraptured, and with each stolen glance and whispered secret, their friendship quickly blossoms into something achingly real. But when her time at the parsonage begins to dwindle and a potential suitor appears, Charlotte must make a choice--the safety and security of another husband, or a passionate life with Mary outside the confines of the ton's expectations.
Unmarriageable
In this retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider.
The scandalous confessions of Lydia Bennet, witch
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This lively retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, as told from the perspective of Lydia, the much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, is filled with enchantment, intrigue and boundless magic as she comes to learn that, for a witch, promises have power.
This lively retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, as told from the perspective of Lydia, the much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, is filled with enchantment, intrigue and boundless magic as she comes to learn that, for a witch, promises have power.
Sex, Lies and Sensibility
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Two sisters roll up their sleeves to run a dilapidated inn but must learn to work with the locals in this deliciously spicy novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility.
Two sisters roll up their sleeves to run a dilapidated inn but must learn to work with the locals in this deliciously spicy novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility.
Where the Rhythm Takes You
Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, Where the Rhythm Takes You is a romantic, mesmerizing novel of first love and second chances. Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at the Plumeria, her family's gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It's been two years since Reyna's mother passed away, two years since Aiden--her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything--left the island to pursue his music dreams.