Ladies in Waiting by Adriana Trigiani, Sarah MacLean, Eloisa James, Elinor Lipman, Audrey Bellezza, Karen Dukess, Emily Harding, Nikki Payne, Diana Quincy

Title:  Ladies in Waiting

Author:  Adriana Trigiani, Sarah MacLean, Eloisa James, Elinor Lipman, Audrey Bellezza, Karen Dukess, Emily Harding, Nikki Payne, Diana Quincy

Narrated by:  Shiromi Arserio, Billie Fulford-Brown, Fiona Hardingham, Angel Pean

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 11 hour and 14 minutes

Source: Audiobook Review copy from Simon & Schuster.  Thank-you!

What secondary character in fiction would you like to see get a happy ending?

Ladies in Waiting is a short story anthology celebrating Jane Austen and her classic novels. Written by a variety of best-selling authors, it was put together to honor her for her 250th birthday.

My thoughts on this book:

• I read this in June for a selection for the JASNA Northwoods book club.  Sadly, I missed the club due to an illness.

• This was a great collection of stories featuring Austen’s secondary characters finally getting their chance in the sunlight.  

• This is a perfect read for those that loved the Other Miss Bennett and are looking for something new.

• Characters such as Margaret Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility, Lydia Bennet from Pride & Prejudice, Miss Bates from Emma, and Caroline Bingley from Pride and Prejudice get second changes.

• I loved the story of the widowed Lydia finding a chance for love and redemption with a local clergyman.

• I also enjoyed the story of Margaret Dashwood realizing her childhood friend Hugh may be more than a friend.

• Another favorite story was about Miss Hetty Bates and learning about her scandalous past and one true love.

• The worst part was that I wanted more stories, especially secondary characters Jane Austen’s other novels.

• I liked how it focused on lesser-known characters in the stories, but wish it would have included characters from all six Austen books rather than just Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, and Emma.

• Why were there two stories on Miss Bates?  I enjoyed the second Miss Bates story much more than the first story.

• The stories were sometimes set in different time period and places.

• Each story started with a quotes from the original novel, a brief description of the character and a preview of the short story from the author.

• I thought the last half of the stories were the best of the bunch!

• This was great on audiobook.  I enjoyed the narrators and music between each stories.

Overall, Ladies in Waiting was an entertaining mix of stories on intriguing Jane Austen characters who deserve their own day in the spotlight.

Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

 

Title:  Emma of 83rd Street

Author:  Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Narrated by:  Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 40 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. 

What character from a classic novel can you imagine living a great life in modern times?  Emma Woodhouse from Jane Austen’s classic novel, Emma, has always seemed to me to be a woman that could make it in any time period.

Emma Woodhouse is beautiful, rich, and clever.  She lives with her father in an Upper East Side neighborhood in Manhattan.  Emma successfully matches her sister with their childhood friend, Ben.  Ben’s brother, George Knightley, is their neighbor.  Will Emma successfully find a match for her new friend Nadine? Will she find a love of her own?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this audiobook last month for the March pick for the JASNA Northwoods book club.  Our club all enjoyed this book.

·       I loved Emma’s love for the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful love.  She takes Nadine to a showing at Christmas.

·       There are dual narrators in this novel, Emma and Knightley.  This worked wonderfully on audiobook with two different narrators.

·       I love how Emma can be made modern in so many different ways.  My gold standard is the 90’s classic movie, Clueless, but I loved the characters and settings for this modern-day version.

·       I thought this novel did a good job of keeping true to Austen’s characters while making its own story and characters.

·       The novel was steamy towards the end.  It got to be a bit much for me as I am more a closed-door romance fan.

·       There was a nice set-up at the end of the next novel, Lizzie of East Hampton. This is a modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice.  The first chapter was also shared.

·       This novel was the first in the “For the Love of Austen” series.

·       This novel was a friends-to-lovers romance although at times it seemed liked enemies-to-lovers as Emma and George liked to bicker.

·       It was a fun lighthearted novel that I really needed at the time I was reading it.

·       Emma and George Knightley had great chemistry.

·       This book would make a fun romcom movie.

·       I loved Emma and George’s character growth throughout the novel as Emma tries to get a job and stand on her own two feet.  George must leave his past behind and learn to not be so critical of himself and others.

Overall, Emma of 83^rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is a delightful modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma with great characters, story, setting, and chemistry.