I read this book for the first time in high school and I feel like I owe it to my english teacher for introducing me to the world of Jane Austen. Pride and Predjudice is hands down my favorite novel of hers. I am so impressed with the superbly written dialogue and consistency of all the characters. While reading it, my mind became enraptured with the story and I felt like I was actually a bystander in the book observing Lizzy's and Darcy's relationship and how beautifully their feelings for each other evolved throughout the story. This book is definately appropriate for the mature reader as well as the young at heart. Thumbs up to the great Jane Austen!

Pride and Prejudice is a story I could easily read once a year. Jane Austen's characters are expertly drawn; they entertain and enchant. I simply could not put this book down, and when it was over I longed for it to continue!

This is a great collection for a new Jane Austen fan. It showcases some of her best work but the price is right if you're not sure you want to invest in hard cover editions just yet.

This coffee table quality book contains as much information on Jane Austen and the Regency as the fan would want to know. It covers info on Jane's life, her family, her death, and her books all in a easy to read format with beautiful photos and drawings from her life and movie adaptations of her work. Along with this glimpse at Austen, there are sections on the Regency itself, with all its quirks and mannerisms.

A book for the fan to treasure and look back at time and again!

If you want to know more about Jane Austen or what life was like for her then this is the book. It has an easy to read and understand format. I personally like how each topic is covered in two pages. This book is a must for all you Jane Austen fans. Maggie Lane refers to each of the Austen novels so it helps if you have read them. The book would still be enjoyable even if you haven't read all the novels. The illustrations, photos, and paintings give the book a very polished look. This is a book that I would buy again because I have enjoyed reading it again and again.

Having bought the book based on its shelf appeal--particularly the full-color stills from my favorite movie adaptations of Austen's novels and the lush photography of England--I was thrilled to find much more information than I expected. From the "Who Is Jane Austen" chapter, with its concise yet thorough biography and family history of Jane, to the "Everyday Life" and "Society and Culture" chapters, this book provides today's reader with the historical/cultural/social backdrop of Jane's novels. Chapters are divided into sub-topics, and each sub-topic fits perfectly into a two-page spread. This was especially appealing because if I had only five or ten minutes to spare for reading, it was easy to find a logical stopping place. This book re-ignited my love for Jane Austen and her characters--and I'm planning to read through all five novels again very soon.

If you liked the film of _Sense and Sensibility,_ you'll probably love this book. It's profusely illustrated with black-and-white pictures of both scenes from the movie and off-camera, and has two lush sets of color plates (which don't look quite right in the paperbck version, but which do communicate the beautiful cinematography of the film). This book inclues the shooting screenplay, heavily edited so neophytes can read it without confusion, an introduction by the film's producer, and, most notably, a series of diaries by Emma Thompson during the shooting. While the entries are usually quite brief, they provide a small but revealing windows onto the process of moviemaking, often quite a contrast to the seamless product seen on-screen. Disappointingly, they're not very detailed about the screenwriting process itself, nor about the five-year-long struggle Thompson endured to write the screenplay (when she began it she was a little-known actress and the two leading parts were originally written with real-life sisters Natasha and Joely Richardson in mind, but this detail is nowhere mentioned in the book). Those interested in personal details will be frustrated: although Thompson reportedly began dating Greg Wise, who played Willoughby, during the shooting, it's not mentioned. But there are remarkable insights into Jane Austen, the film, and the process of moviemaking itself, and the diaires help explain how Thompson managed to create such a faithful but lively adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Thompson's bawdy English wit is also brilliantly displayed. This is a welcome look into the mind of a fascinating, articulate, intelligent actress, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at an already-beloved movie. Highly recommended

If you read Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" before or after seeing the 1996 film version then I think it is pretty easy to conclude that Emma Thompson's Oscar for Best Screenplay adaptation was richly deserved. After writing and performing a series of short skits for British television, Thompson was approached by producer Lindsay Doran to write the screenplay. Thompson began by dramatizing every scene in the novel, which resulted in 300 hand written pages to be followed by 14 drafts as the 1811 novel was crafted into the final script. The result was a script that manages to be not only romantic and funny, but also romantic and funny in the best Austen sense of both words.

Be aware that this is the Original Script, not to be confused with the Shooting Script. This should be clear as soon as you beginning reading, because originally Thompson had the scene shifting back and forth between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor/John and Fanny Dashwood (credit for this revision must go, I believe, to Film Editor Tim Squyres, who recut the scene so that we get all of one side and then the other instead of alternating back and forth as in the original script). Overall the strengths of Thompson's script are in two main directions. First, she manages to convey the scope of the novel in a two-hour screenplay, no mean task. Second, the little details she adds to Austen's story are simply marvelous. For example, her use of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not the marriage of true minds"), which Marianne and Willoughby share to their great mutual delight and which Marianne repeats standing in the rain looking at Willoughby's new estate. In fact, Thompson revised the first scene to make it even better, having Willoughby misquote a key word in an elegant bit of foreshadowing. Thompson also makes one nice little change at the end. While Austen has Elinor bolt from the room to cry outside during the happy ending. Thompson creates a wonderful moment by having her stay in the room and having the rest of her family flee. There are not too many scenes where you are crying and laughing at the same time, but Thompson certainly created one (and has the added virtue of relying on herself as an actress to nail the performance as well). All of these are marvelous examples of playing to the strength of the cinema to bring Austen's novel to the screen.

But we get much more than just the screenplay in this volume, because Thompson includes excerpts from her diaries kept during both the writing of the screenplay and the actual production of the film. It would be nice if there was more insight into what she was thinking when writing the screenplay as I am always interested in how decisions were made and where inspiration comes from, but Thompson makes up for that with her little tales of working with director Ang Lee and the rest of the cast in making the film. Finally, in the Appendices, there is a very choice little treat, namely Imogen Stubbs' Prize-Winning Letter, written to Elinor from Lucy. Do not worry; by the time you read it you will understand why it is so hysterical. There is also a list of the fine homes and estates where "Sense and Sensibility" was filmed if you happen to be roaming around England and are interested in looking for such things.

Most for-sale screenplays are just that -- screenplays. Emma Thompson, who wrote the screenplay for the delightful Jane Austen film "Sense and Sensibility," chose to include journal entries throughout the filming of the movie as well, in addition to the winning entry of a contest to see who could write the best letter from Fanny to Elinor.

There is wit in the descriptions and the photos, all well-captured. The journal entries are entertaining and a good look into the making of a movie. Although be forewarned -- because they dress like the characters of S&S, they do not talk like them. There is definitely some verbal crudeness in the book, men and women alike, but if you can overlook that (or are used to it) then this book will be a delightful read for any Jane Austen fan.

"Emma" is Jane Austen's final gift to the world before she was claimed by her "last illness" at the age of forty. Altough serious matters are raised in the book, it remains comic and light-hearted- which tells us something about the author and her determination to look at life as if it were a big grotesque performance, where every character (especially Emma) has to be intensified to the point of absurd. Some say Jane Austen wrote for "adolescent girls." Not true. Her novels, just like Shakespeare's comedies, can be read at any age. As a literature student I greatly admire Austen's style and her unique characterization. It is certainly her best. Read and enjoy!

Though not her favorite novel, Austen's Emma shines as one of her most beloved. The character of Emma is both believable and lovable. This particular edition is a great keepsake, one you can pass down to your own daughter.

Emma is basically a darling snob. She has a kind, loving heart, and really wants to do good, but makes a tangle of everybody's lives, including her own. I'm sick of flawless, shallow, empty heroines, so Emma's faults and conquering of faults endear her. The unabridged book is slightly complicated (such as old-fashioned language) but if you savor it slowly it is well worth it. The plot is clever, sweet, funny and leaves a satisfied, warm kind of glow in the pit of your stomach. The perfect ending makes you want to cry. Don't spoil THIS novel with any trashy sequels.

TRY WATCHING the Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam "Emma."

Primary sources are always the best in understanding the mindset of a period. Here we have a thick collection of Jane Austen's letters, which have been very well annotated by the editor. The contrast between the Memoirs of Harriette Wilson (who lived in the same period, published by the famous courtesan in 1825) are hilarious. Witty but staidly Anglican Jane at one point savagely attacks the very high aristocrats romping their scandalous way through Harriette's world, that "race of Pagets". Jane Austen's letters let us have a glimpses of what daily life in the English gentry and aristocratic class was like in Regency England; seeemingly trivial details such as the buying of Wedgwood china with the personal crest, buying the breakfast set separate to the other china sets (longing to see what a Regency breakfast set looked like! The breakfast set is mentioned in Sense and Sensibility) are actually very difficult to find out about, it is not something historians generally write about. The notes by the editor are fascinating and could lead to further research, for example how did one lord prove his title after being a Dublin potboy? And the gentleman who divorced his wife after the proper lady decided to become a professional actress...usually it was the other way around, the actress became a proper lady! The biographical details added by the editor on various gentry/aristocratic families mentioned in Jane Austen's letters are very tantalising.

This collection of Jane Austens letters is a must for all fans who would like a peek inside the mind of the author. It is the most extensive collection to date and Le Faye has done quite a lot to make it as accessible as possible. It features all of the surviving letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra plus some letters to some of her brothers, a niece, etc. It also includes three letters from Cassandra to various relatives from the time immediately after Jane Austens death and so also shows Jane Austen from another persons perspective. The only drawback of this book is that all the notes are in the back, arranged by the number of each letter, and so you find yourself flipping back and forth quite a lot but it is an annoyance well worth putting up with.

I have read quite a few bibliographies on Jane Austen but there is no competing with her own words. If you have any kind of interest in Jane Austen as a person then you should definitely get this book.

Proving that Austen was as fun and readable in her everyday letters as she was in her novels. These letters (about 160 of them) are great fun to read. The biting wit of her novels is clearly evident here.

As pretty much most people know Jane Austen was incredibly close to her sister Cassandra and most of these letters are from Jane to Cassandra while they were separated. After Jane's death Cassandra destroyed goodness knows how many of Jane's letters and all of her own - so this small collection is all that is left - along with some to her neices and other family members.

The collection was first put together in the 1930's by Chapman, but Le Faye has uncovered a few more since then (as I understand it).

The book is great value for money. Le Faye has done a phenomemal job in providing all the support information you will need to read and understand any aspect of the letters. They are footnoted clearly. There is a biographical and Topographical index in here - along with a chronology of Jane's life, and a chronology of the letters themselves - and if all else fails there is a comprehensive index.

For the history buff there is a great amount of really useful everyday infomration - for instance in 1813 apples were scarce in the country and cost 1 pound 5 shillings a sack. And insight into Jane herself - in April 1811 she is searching for a novel called 'Self Control' but says "I am always afraid of finding a clever novel too clever." Perhaps something that guided her own writing.

Over 600 pages of great value reading, pure pleasure and wealth of information.

Meet the Bennet sisters: demure Jane, witty Elizabeth, bookish Mary, impressionable Kitty, and lusty Lydia. It's the usual story: they don't have much in the way of dowries but need to marry upstanding English gentlemen...

Elizabeth Bennet quickly emerges as the heroine with her wry sense of humor and take-no-prisoners attitude to social life. She puts all twentieth century heroines to shame when she tells off Mr. Darcy (while maintaining perfect decorum). Unusual twists and turns spark up the "marriage plot" of the book. There are some great villains, too.

Austin lays out all of her witt and charm within the first three pages of this novel and by the third and fourth chapters you won't be able to put the book down. If you find yourself unable to keep up with Georgian style of writing (or if you are guy), however, this may not be the best book for you. ;)

Jane Austen is tricky; most people have to develop a taste for her style, and I was no exception. I tried to read this book three times before I finally completed it. When I did finish it I immediately read Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, and I'm reading Mansfield Park right now. In many ways Pride and Prejudice remains my favorite of all her books. Jane Austen always creates brilliant characterizations and Elizabeth Bennet is the best of all of them; she sparkles just as I imagine Austen did among her friends.

Jane Austen is my favorite author, and having all of my faovrite works together is great!

Leah

I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK :-) well, what else can I say?...

And I spend " the whole book absolutely fixated on the critical question: will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy hook up". Happy end or not , read it and find out.....

This book is so magnificent. I have never known an author to wind so many diverse characters in one family. Austen makes you sympathize with the constraints of society and identify with Eliza. I've read most of her other books, but this is my favorite. Mr. Darcy is the man you love to hate; then you have to love him because he changes for Elizabeth. I'd reccomend this book to anyone interested in dialogue and dry, subtle humor.

Jane Austen's classic novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE begins with the oft-repeated line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Paula Marantz Cohen lets her readers know, right on the opening page, that she is of a similar mind. "Take it from me," the book opens, "A nice widower with a comfortable living can be nudged into settling down by a not-so-young woman who plays her cards right." Her debut novel, JANE AUSTEN IN BOCA, takes the action and gentle intrigue of Jane Austen's 18th century country gentry and schleps them all the way to a Jewish "retirement club" in Boca Raton, Florida. In this club, dogs wear embroidered jackets because in Boca "many dog owners feel their pets should be entitled to enjoy an accessory now and then." It is a sweet and gentle look into the lives and loves of some pretty hilarious senior citizens. I'm way under 70 and about as WASP-y as they come, but I still liked it.

The central plot of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE concerns the very British Bennet family's attempts to marry off their five daughters and all the subterfuge and machinations contained therein. The first two-thirds of Cohen's book borrows fairly heavily from Austen's classic. All the main characters are here. Elizabeth Bennet is now Flo Kliman, a retired University of Chicago librarian, while Elizabeth's sister Jane shows up as May Newman, a softhearted widow. Mrs. Bennet is turned into May's daughter-in-law Carol, a woman who "was constantly striving to improve the lives of those around her, whether they liked it or not." Carol believes May is depressed and needs some companionship, preferably of the Jewish widower variety. She, like Mrs. Bennet, hopes to help her mother-in-law snag a live one, whether May likes it or not.

The man for whom Carol sets her cap (a turquoise sequined cap, I'm sure) is Norman Grafstein, a fellow Boca resident and acquaintance from back home. The courtship of these two septuagenarians is, of course, not a smooth road --- nor is the improbable but inevitable romance that develops between May's friend Flo and Norman's friend Stan, the Elizabeth and Darcy of the book. In a portrayal of retired life that is neither overly sentimental nor tragic, Cohen allows her characters to be real people who enjoy and embrace life. The men, especially, view their retirement as a second youth. Feel free to insert your own Viagra joke here. The women form remarkably close friendships with each other --- and at times, it sounds more like they are all kids away at summer camp than in their "twilight years."

Like Jane Austen, Cohen has a flair for observations and dry humor. Carol, who is a force of nature, is seen by May as "the incarnation of a good fairy in the guise of a suburban yenta." On noticing another friend's "unusually extensive cleavage," Flo thinks, "breasts, beyond the age of forty-five, she took to be assets best kept under cover. Flo was distinctly in the minority among her peers in Boca Raton, however, where cleavage was as common as Bermuda shorts and often worn with them." Cohen's story is much less pointed than Austen's. Her characters may be fools, but they are well-meaning fools. The plot moves quickly, as one might expect with a novel that weighs in at only 258 pages, but one has plenty of time to get to know the characters and to root for them as they find much deserved happiness.

In EMMA, another of Jane Austen's classics, she writes, "Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced and the inconvenience is often considerable." Cohen must have taken this advice to heart, as the reader will probably see the end coming a mile away. It may be predictable and fluffy, but JANE AUSTEN IN BOCA is satisfying, like a nice chewy bagel or maybe some mandelbrot or some kugel or a sweet piece of rugelach. Maybe my next book should be a cookbook.

--- Reviewed by Shannon Bloomstran

This is a rare book in modern fiction. It has an elusive element that many authors seek but few attain: it has charm.

Jane Austen in Boca is a Pride and Prejudice novel set in a modern-day Jewish retirement residence in Boca Raton. Unlike many efforts to borrow Jane Austen's plot lines, this book successfully translates the plot into its setting. The characters are witty, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always interesting. Even though I knew perfectly well how it had to come out, I read as though I were in a genuine state of suspense. In other words, the book lured me into its world and into the minds of its characters with enormous success. If only life were really like this!

This book is a delightful read. It is elegantly written and beautifully paced. Without Jane Austen's acerbity, it was nonetheless both compelling and comedic (in the classical sense of the term). I look forward to more fiction from this author.

It is obvious this book was written by an English professor. How refreshing! It is a hoot - very, very entertaining. I can tell a book will be good when I start casting for the movie in my mind (Rita Moreno as Lila, Bea Arthur or Olympia Dukakis as Flo and Sally Field with aging make-up as May, although we could re-think the May casting). This is a vacation read (or in my case a week-end read, as I couldn't put it down). Buy the book! Let's encourage Professor Cohen to write again. I'd hate to lose sight of these delightful ladies.

It should have been a time of mourning and private grief for Jane Austen as she contemplates the recent death of her beloved sister-in-law, Elizabeth. But it can hardly be that, not when Sir Henry Towbridge, one of England's most trusted of advisors and her own Gentleman Rogue, bursts in on her life again with a tale of betrayal, treachery and intrigue.

Sir Harold has but recently returned from Oporto (in Portugal), where he made the acquittance of (and became quite smitten with) a beautiful, rich widow, Sophia Challoner. Sir Harold now firmly believes that Sophia is actually a French agent and that she has some evil and dastardly plan up her sleeve that she means to carry out now that she's installed herself at Netley Lodge in Southampton. Because he's well known to the lady, Sir Harold wants Jane to keep an eye Sophia, to note all her comings and goings as well as who all her visitors are. Fortunately for Jane, a fortuitous turn of events brings her to Sophia's notice, and the two strike up a friendship. But the more time Jane spends with Sophia, the more she begins to wonder about Sir Harold's allegations against Sophia. Is she the treacherous and heartless spy Sir Harold believes her to be? Or could Sir Harold be wrong about Sophia? As acts of sabotage and murder begin to mount, Jane finds herself torn between her two friends and not at all sure what she should do...

While a lot of the novel did focus on the question as to whether or not Sophia Challoner was a treacherous French spy, the authour did take great care to pepper her mystery-intrigue plot with plenty of other suspects, several likely scenarios as to what was really going on, as well as a few rather interesting plot twists, in order to keep things humming and the reader guessing. Told with plenty of interesting historical facts and gossipy tidbits, and in a prose style that managed to be authentic without seeming anachronistic, I thoroughly enjoyed "Jane and the Ghosts of Netley" and had to finish it in one sitting. "Jane and the Ghosts of Netley" proved to be truly riveting reading.

I have been waiting (impatiently) for two years for the next book in the Jane Austen mystery series. The Ghosts of Netley does not disappoint! Barron fans will be engrossed in this page-turner with its smart dialogue and clever intrigues. Warning: have box of tissues ready as you near the end. My only complaint is the abrupt ending leaves us having to face the torture of waiting a year or two for the story to pick up again. Stephanie, please don't let us wait so long!

It has been over two years since Jane Austen has last seen Lord Harold Trowbridge, the second son of the fifth duke of Wilborugh. Most of the realm sees him as a rakehell and a rogue, but Jane knows that is his public persona. Behind the scenes he works for the government as a spymaster looking for ways to defeat Napoleon. In 1808 in the port town of Southampton, Lord Harold asks Jane to spy upon the new woman into town.

Sophia Challoner, a woman he believes is a spy for Napoleon, left the besieged town of Oporto, Portugal to reside in Netley Lodge. While Jane watches the home, someone sets fire to the docks and the new ship that was ready to be put to sea. While Harold thinks the culprit is one of Sophia's agents, Jane isn't so sure because she has come to know and like the woman. When a local servant is killed, someone sets up Harold to take the blame. Before a jury can judge his guilt, Harold's servant, who is supposed to give evidence diappears and he is afraid that his valet is Sophia's latest victim.

Fans of historical novels, Regency readers and espionage thriller buffs are going to find JANE AND THE GHOSTS OF NETLEY very much to their taste as the heroine finally acknowledges her true feelings for the Duke's son while readers see why Harold might reciprocate. She is an independent free thinker who doesn't always play by society's rules. The first person narrative allows the audience to understand how the heroine feels about the restrictions placed upon women and how she gently maneuvers events to do what she wants. Stephanie Barron has written an exciting cerebral mystery thriller that will keep readers turning the pages until they uncover the identity of the spy.

Harriet Klausner

Only 11 of the 30 chapters of this book were actually written by Jane Austen. However, the completion made, though somewhat livelier than I am used to from Austen, fits in quite well with the start that had been made.

The plot is extremely light compared to Austen's other books -- there are indeed, some very annoying characters, but what ill-spirited characters there are give no real distress to the heroine of the book, as is usual in the other books. Many of the "comic" characters are allowed to show some improvement (which is odd compared to such Austen creations as Mrs. Bennett, or Robert Ferrars), but who knows? The 11 chapters written by Austen seemed written in a very light spirit, and perhaps something like this novel would have been the result.

I think it a very good read.

Every loyal Janeite must read Sanditon. It was destined to be her greatest work, but unfortunately she stopped working on it and died shortly after doing so. Sanditon is unique in its setting,a small seaside resort, and its characters. Jane Austen continued in her sucession of "deficient" men by the name of Edward (those who have read Sense and Sensibility or Love and Friendship know the other two)but, this Edward is perhaps the worst man that she ever created because he "considers it his duty" to seduce women. Do not be repelled by the villany of Edward though because there are many wonderful and deep characters to be found. The Parkers are very amusing. Who could fail to be amused with a trio of Hypochondriacs? There is also the visting Charlotte, the unfortunate cousin Clara, a wealthy young heiress of mixed racial background, and several other characters. You will yearn for an ending (of course as a fragment it does not have one)and if you are like me you will want to know more about Sydney, Mr.Parker's brother who is quite frequently mentioned and praised by the Parkers. Sadly none of the continuations of Sanditon are perfect or seamless as some may claim, however, I believe that the ending by Anna Lefroy is the closest to the intent of the author.

The book I read was published in 1986 and I have not been able to find another copy.