The Final Reviews!

I know April is officially over {and has been for awhile now}, but I have three final books to review for AUSTEN-INSPIRED APRIL!
Not all of these books were on my original list, but because I finished the list I made, I decided to do a few more books. So there!

The first book is actually just a short story, and it was on my original list. LADY SUSAN by Jane Austen {yes, that one}.
So Lady Susan isn't so much "Austen-inspired" as "Austen-written." In the book, there are three stories by Jane Austen--two of which are unfinished, as she passed away before she could complete them. But Lady Susan is complete and is, in fact, hilarious. The story is told through letters between Lady Susan and the various people in her life, including her best friend {whose husband doesn't approve of Lady Susan}, her sister-in-law, her sister-in-law's brother and mother, and her lover {who happens to be a married man}. Lady Susan is an unashamed flirt who is both searching for a husband for herself and for her shy daughter. The whole story is about 100 pages long, so it's fairly short, but if you aren't sure you want to venture into the written form, take heart! They are releasing the film version, Love and Friendship, later this month.

Next on the docket, we have...MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale.
This is a sequel, of sorts, to one of the other books I reviewed, Austenland. It centers around Charlotte, a recently divorced mother of two and very successful business woman who simply needs a break. So she decides to visit Pembrook Park in England for three weeks. The simpler way of life intrigues her...as does the murder mystery the actors have created for the guests. But when a real-life body appears in the house and then disappears, has Charlotte stumbled on to an actual mystery? And will she find romance in Austenland? 

Midnight in Austenland is very clearly an homage to Northanger Abbey and other gothic novels. Such an interesting genre! I highly recommend this one.

Our final book of the month is DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P.D. James.
This book is actually written as a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It has been six years since Elizabeth married her Mr. Darcy, and all is well at Pemberley. She and Jane are still the best of friends. Elizabeth has become a mother to two young boys. And, on the night of Lady Anne's Ball {named for Darcy's mother}, her younger sister Lydia shows up in a hysterical rage:  her husband, George Wickham, is dead! When Wickham is found kneeling over a different body, Darcy finds himself searching for the truth when his estranged brother-in-law is accused of murder. 

Amazing novel! P.D. James did a fantastic job of emulating Austen's style and bringing new life to her beloved characters. A very quick read, and very hard to put down {at least in my opinion}. My next adventure is to watch the three-part mini-series from PBS {which is on Netflix, thank goodness!}. I'm super excited to watch Matthew Rhys {from The Americans} step into Mr. Darcy's tight-and-moody breeches.

Summer is almost here! If you're in need of a good read, look no further {because I've reviewed them all above...ha ha}! Granted, none of these are about people on the beach, but there's no reason one couldn't lay on a beach and be transported to Austenland...actually, that sounds like a marvelous idea!

Join me as the month goes on for my new theme....
MIDDLE EARTH MAY!!!
A great time to revisit some old favorites, don't you think?

~Stay Gold!

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