Source: Purchased
I’m continuing to make my way through the Holidays with Jane anthologies, which feature six stories that are modern variations of each Jane Austen novel. This anthology contained:
“Twice Upon a Sea” by Melissa Buell (based on Persuasion)
Anne and Finn are reunited after breaking up during her freshman year of college. Six years later, she is a media liaison for the Naval History Office, and Finn is a famous marine archaeologist. The story shows how their relationship began, the hurt they have experienced from the breakup, and the awkwardness of their reunion.
“Castle of the Sea” by Nancy Kelley (based on Northanger Abbey)
This story takes college student and historical romance writer Cat Morland on a two-week Caribbean cruise with her brother and the Thorpe siblings. She meets the Tilneys, Henry and Ella, who hope to start a fashion house. Cat and Henry bond right away over the general disapproval of their chosen professions, and the Thorpes, of course, throw some obstacles onto their path to happily ever after.
“An (Un)Even Exchange” by Jennifer Becton (based on Sense and Sensibility)
Nora Dashwood is a landscape architect who is immediately attracted to her new colleague, Edward Ferrars. They are forced to work closely by their matchmaker boss. Her sister, Marianne, moves in with her following a painful breakup. Marianne immediately distrusts Edward simply because he is male, and she hires a private investigator she meets while working at Mansfield Perk to uncover Edward’s connection to Nora’s obnoxious neighbor Lucy. This was one of my favorite stories in the collection. I enjoyed the interaction between Marianne and Brandon and the adorable awkwardness between Nora and Edward.
“Firecracker” by Jessica Gray (based on Emma)
This cute story takes place at Camp Hartfield, where best friends Emmalyn Woods and Ben Knightley are counselors. Emma takes the shy Melanie under her wing, with plans to make her Firecracker Queen and set her up with another camp counselor. Emma doesn’t believe high schoolers can really be in love, but her views suddenly change when Melanie sets her sights on Ben. I wasn’t sure this story would work, with Emma set at a summer camp with high schoolers, but I loved it from the very beginning. Reading the story in Emma’s voice really emphasized her character evolution.
“Mine” by Cecilia Gray (based on Mansfield Park)
I’m always curious how authors will adapt Mansfield Park given the close love between cousins Fanny and Edmund. This story has Fanny growing up in her aunt’s household with her husband’s family, including his son Eamon. The two become best friends over the years, and after watching Eamon go through relationship after relationship, she hopes that there is finally a chance that they will get together. But Eamon comes home from college in Ireland with the Henry and Mary, sabotaging Fanny’s summer plans — and even her relationship with the Brennan family. I had a hard time sympathizing with Eamon in this story (he was so unlikeable to me), but I thought it was an interesting modern take on Austen’s novel.
“Of Rivers, Rocks, and Rich Men” by Rebecca Fleming (based on Pride and Prejudice)
Set in Meryton, Georgia, Liz and Jane Bennet are wealthy due to the surprise trust funds set aside by their father before his death, but the time Elizabeth spent working as a writer in New York has made her despise wealthy men. So when she runs into William Darcy at Pemberley Acres, his agritourism venture where Liz is spending the summer, the two immediately butt heads. He’s everything she has assumed about rich men, until Jane’s relationship with his best friend force the pair to spend more time together and those assumptions are turned on their head. My only complaint about this story is that it was a story, and I would have loved to see more of the building of their relationship.
Overall, Holidays with Jane: Summer of Love is a solid collection of sweet stories for the Austen fan. I know I will be disappointed when I’ve finally finished all of the collections.
Previous Reviews:
Holidays with Jane: Trick or Sweet
Holidays with Jane: Christmas Cheer
Diary of an Eccentric 