The Library Vault

One seems so forlorn without books.

Do you consider yourself a “Janeite” (someone obsessed with both Jane Austen as a person and as an author) or simply a connoisseur of classic literature, British literature, 19th century literature, romantic literature, and/or feminist literature? Regardless of which camp you fall into, if you love books by Jane Austen, you may be frequently frustrated by the difficulty in finding books of the same caliber. Many novels purport to be Austen-esque, but then have unhappy endings. They may have similar themes, but be poorly written. Or, my personal pet peeve, they get the romantic leads all wrong.

What does it take to write a novel truly in the tradition of Jane Austen? As a librarian, an editor, and a feminist, I can give you my professional opinion. It must be witty but not condescending. It must be subtle and tasteful. It must feature a degree of social critique, particularly of the upper classes. It must be romantic — but not vulgar or mushy. It must have a strong, sensible female lead and a strong, sensitive, and intelligent romantic male interest. Given that this is the 21st century, you can even mix up the genders or have a same-sex relationship if the same basic principles are followed.

A true Jane Austen-esque novel must be soothing and hopeful to the spirits. In our data-drenched world full of bad news and political gloom, it must be encouraging and uplifting by the end. We love Jane Austen because her novels are both intelligent and happily predictable: no matter how unattainable (Mr. Darcy) or how doomed to marry another woman (Edward Ferrars) the romantic interest may be, we have faith as we read that they will wind up together. Even if the lead character has drastic money problems (virtually every book except Emma and Northanger Abbey) or a questionable family (ditto), the story will end with every hope for the future.

The following are my favorite books in the Jane Austen tradition.

If you enjoyed both Downton Abbey and Pride & Prejudice, try Longbourn by Jo Baker.

For readers interested in how people in times past lived, this novel follows the Bennets’ house maid, Sarah, as she takes care of the family in Pride & Prejudice and falls in love with a new footman. Though the book pulls no punches about the sometimes harsh realities of the servant class in early 19th century England, the story manages to stay uplifting and hopeful.

Detailing the life of an often-overlooked character from Pride & Prejudice, Mary, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow gives robust life to the middle sister. The bookish one of the family starts out as the ugly ducking we know from the plot, and blossoms into a wonderful heroine worthy of an Austen book all her own.

You will never re-read or re-watch Pride & Prejudice without seeing Mary in a whole new light. Even better, the author helps Mary discover herself with the significant aid of one of Pride & Prejudice‘s best characters – Mrs. Gardiner, Elizabeth and Mary’s intelligent and down-to-earth aunt from London.

One of my good friends, and a fellow librarian at Russell Library, gave me a copy of a Pride & Prejudice retelling several years ago. Though initially suspicious about how good a retelling could possibly be (especially one involving a reality tv show), I quickly fell in love with the humor and social satire of Eligible by esteemed author Curtis Sittenfeld.

If you find yourself, like me, cynical of modern television and culture, you will love this book. The main characters of Elizabeth and Jane translate deliciously into a 21st century comedy set in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Silicon Valley.

When I raved to my librarian friend about Eligible, she responded by giving me a copy of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev – now one of my new favorite authors. Sonali Dev wrote her own versions of all of Jane Austen’s major novels based on Indian-American culture, but completely approachable by non-Indians like myself.

Even if you don’t find the culture and characters as beautiful and fascinating as I do, you can count on humor, romance, witticism, and challenging the social norms from these books. Like Jane Austen, Sonali Dev specializes in taking difficult life situations and turning them into hopeful, charming narratives that leave you happy and grateful.

If you like Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, you can continue the love affair(s) by reading the entire Raje series by Sonali Dev:

These four books by Sonali Dev are all very loosely based on Jane Austen novels, with a modern and multi-cultural emphasis.

What are your favorite Austen-like books?