My favorite Jane Austen retellings & adaptations
It's the year of Jane Austen, and I'm ready to celebrate with a readalong!
For the last five years,
and I have led a community of (mostly) women in reading classic literature with conversational classes on critical theory, online book discussions, and podcast episodes pairing classics with contemporary novels and nonfiction. It has been a joy—it has also been increasingly difficult to meet the demands of our small business—and this spring we are sharing our final season.To celebrate five years of Novel Pairings and 250 years of Jane Austen, we are reading our favorite Austen novel—and perhaps her very best—Emma. Read along with us as we recap each section over the course of six weeks, sharing plot summary, character analysis, theme tracking, and more. Recap episodes will be available on our public podcast feed (for free!), and we have bonus episodes and events planned for our Patreon crew. I’ll share our recap schedule below, but for more information, listen to today’s Novel Pairings episode and check out our newsletter.
Recap Schedule
Dates indicate when the recap episode airs, so if you want to keep up and avoid spoilers, you will read each section by that date. Of course you can also read at your own pace and join in whenever you want! We always have asynchronous readers in our group, and we’re excited to have you at any time.
March 4: Introduction
March 11: Volume 1, 1-9 or Chapters 1-9
March 18: Volume 1, 10-18 or Chapters 10-18
March 25: Volume 2, 1-8 or Chapters 19-26
April 1: Volume 2, 9-18 or Chapters 27-36
April 8: Volume 3, 1-10 or Chapters 37-46
April 15: Volume 3, 11-19 or Chapters 47-End
Which version should I read?
Our most frequently asked question when we start a new book: which version should I read? Our answer is always whichever version is most accessible for you! But here are links to a few editions that might suit your fancy. We both read the annotated version for the recaps, but we don't necessarily recommend it to everyone—you will hear more about why in the introduction episode.
My Favorite Austen Adaptations & Retellings
The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going. A charming, earnest, read-in-one-sitting book full of heart and ingenius nods to Jane Austen and her novels. It has a Darcy and Elizabeth enemies to friends plot, a famous author named J.E. Fairfax, a matchmaking daughter à la Emma Woodhouse, and plenty of details to keep Austen fans of all ages on a scavenger hunt.
Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard. Technically, Howard’s historical rom-com is a Clueless retelling, but Clueless is an Emma retelling, so we have a very meta-Austen scenario here—and I loved peeling back the layers while reading. Howard pays tribute to Cher/Emma with Lady Vesper Lyndhurst, a privileged and popular debutante with a penchant for matchmaking—but where Cher and Emma skew selfish and shallow, Vesper exhibits a touch more self awareness. I was just as pleased with her character arc as I was enamored with the steamy, banter-filled romance.
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin. More than a Pride and Prejudice-inspired story, this sweet closed door romance also includes Shakespearean tropes like mistaken identities and family secrets. I’m most fond of the Mr. Bennet-inspired character and his heart-warming interactions with Ayesha. The family most resembles Austen’s novel, rather than the main romance, making this a nice Women’s Fiction/Romance mash-up.
A Certain Appeal by Vanessa Kelly. Full of biting wit, social observations, and a Bennet sisters-inspired queer found family, this sparkling ode to the stage deserves a spot on every Austen fan’s TBR. Failed interior designer Liz Bennet works at Meryton, a run down little burlesque club in Manhattan, where she meets Will Darcy, a starchy wealth manager who finds her “tolerable.” When their best friends fall in love, Liz and Will find themselves thrust together too often for their liking, but each subsequent meeting creates new sparks between them.
Do you have a favorite Austen adaptation or retelling? Are you joining our Emma readalong? Let me know!
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Loved Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge - it's a Sense & Sensibility retelling in modern day Austin, TX.
Ever since I first heard you recommend, A Certain Appeal, it has been my go-to book to include with gifts for my girlfriends. Everyone has loved it...even those reluctant readers.