Jane Austen’s books are more popular today than they were two hundred years ago. Some readers study Austen to learn about the literature and society of the 19th century. Others return again and again to her novels because they love the characters and elegance of the period. The Jane Austen Society of Lancaster County is bringing a touch of Jane Austen’s world to the Lititz Public Library on Saturday, April 25th with a high tea fundraiser to benefit the library. Complete with music and costumed servers, the high tea features scones, sandwiches pastries, salad, fruit and tea. Tickets are $21.50 and can be purchased at the library.
Testaments to the appeal of Jane Austen are these contemporary novels written in homage to her characters and plots. They are available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James
A woman believes she has discovered the existence of a lost Jane Austen manuscript when she finds a letter tucked in an uncut page of a two-hundred-year-old poetry book.
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
As six Californians get together to form a book club to discuss the novels of Jane Austen, their lives are turned upside down by troubled marriages, changing relationships, and love.
Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
In 1814, when one of the holiday guests dies in a tragic accident during a Christmas Eve visit to the home of a wealthy and politically prominent family, Jane Austen suspects foul play.
Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay
Jane Austen’s books help two estranged sisters rediscover the meaning of family when one leaves her career in New York to help the other fight breast cancer.
Emma, Mr. Knightley and Chili-Slaw Dogs by Mary Jane Hathaway
After the sudden death of her father, a journalist returns to her Southern hometown to care for her mentally fragile mother, reuniting with a longtime friend and meeting a fascinating young man.
Just Jane by Nancy Moser
Jane Austen lives simply in the English countryside with her family, entertaining them with her stories, seeking romance and observing human nature.
Longbourn by Jo Baker
The downstairs residents in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are the main characters in a story where the arrival of a new footman threatens the orderly realm of the servants’ hall.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
Pemberley is thrown into chaos after Elizabeth Bennet’s disgraced sister Lydia arrives and announces that her husband Wickham has been murdered.
Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
When Franny Price is brutally killed on the grounds of Mansfield Park, Mary Crawford teams up with a private detective from London to discover what really happened.
Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen
Accepting a job in post-World War II London, a small-town, American girl stumbles on a stately home rumored to be the inspiration for Pemberley and decides to research letters and journals to discover the real Darcy and Elizabeth.
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough
A sequel to Pride and Prejudice finds the willful third Bennet sister in her late thirties and setting out in search of adventure while her sisters worry about her at home.
The Matters at Mansfield, (or, the Crawford Affair) by Carrie Bebris
Following the birth of their first child, Elizabeth and Darcy are looking forward to enjoying life at Pemberley but family commitments draw them to Mansfield where they get involved with marriage arrangements, star-crossed lovers, deceit, mistaken identity and murder.
The Matchmaker by Sarah Price
An Amish retelling of Emma shares the story of a young woman who has a passion for playing matchmaker with her friends and pays the price for interfering in people’s lives.
March 13, 2015