Jane Austen discussion

Finding books that are similar to Austen sometimes feels like an impossible task... or maybe I’m just terrible at researching.

Now, I’ve read the Brontes and Gaskell etc. and am aware of writers like Heyer, but my issue is trying to find books set in the 18/19th century that were published in the last 20 years or so.

Most things appear to be retellings, heavy romance, mystery novels or commercial fiction, which just aren’t what I’m looking for.

So, my question is, do you have any modern book recommendations for books like Austen?
Like books that feel like a 19th ‘classic’ — verbose writing style, slow paced, character driven plot, set in Britain (doesn’t have too though) and maybe with elements of romance, but I’d rather have none than too much.

I write books in this type of historical fiction but I want to really understand the state of where the genre is today.

Thanks :)

Jasmine, the 2 books I am recommending are not modern, but kind of forgotten classics that are worth checking out.

"The semi-deatched house" by Emily Eden & "Miss Marjoribanks" by Margaret Oliphant.

I have yet to find a modern book that you desrcibe.

I would also recommend "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel" by Susannah Clarke. While it's a different genre, the (kind of) historical setting is there andcthe writing is gorgeous.

Thanks Melinda, will be putting those in my to-read :)

Try Geogette Heyer. Her books were mostly published after WWII, but they are still widely read nowadays. Her language is very 19th century and the details very historical accurate.

Yes, I'd recommend GH too. She is an intelligent writer, and incredibly well researched ( a few small errors, but apparently by and large extremely accurate).

Her books vary in tone - some are lighter than others. Some are 'murder mysteries' (she also wrote some contemporary-for-her murder mysteries set in the interwar and post-war periods, all very 'genteel' country house murders).

Of her historical novels, they divide roughly into three.

The first is the 'outlier' novels, more straight historical novels such as The Conqueror (William the Conq) and My Lord John (Henry V's brother, the Duke of Bedford) plus a couple of 'romances' such as Simon the Coldheart (maedival) and Beauvallet (Elizabethan.)

The second are her Georgian novels, which generally predate her Regency ones. These are The Black Moth (published just 100 years ago this year!), These Old Shades, Devil's Cub (DC is virtually a sequel to TOS, as it's about the H and h's son), Powder and Patch and The Masqueraders. I think The Convenient Marriage is also Georgian in setting? One, The Talisman Ring, is pre-Regency but not really full on Georgian (1790s). There maybe a couple I;ve missed.

The bulk of her historical novels are Regency Romances, but very intelligently written. Do give them a try. Lots of recommendations.

There is also a GH discussion group on Goodreads which would guide you through if you wanted.

All the best, and hope you join the vast legion of lifetime Heyerites!!!

Forgot Royal Escape, about Charles II's escape from England in 1650

Try Barbara Pym- she wrote in the 1950s-1970s (and her books were contemporary, not historical) and her authorial voice and social commentary were very reminiscent of Austen.

I just read the first book by Margery Sharp, Rhododendron Pie, and it really echoed Austen’s tone and sense of humor for me. Set in England ca. 1930, though. More drawing-room comedy from the same era can be found in Angela Thirkell’s novels.

The suggestion of Miss Marjoribanks above was the first thing that came to my mind as well. Another possibility written in the nineteenth century might be Mrs. Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters, though the writing is not as elegant as Austen’s.

I agree with you that it’s hard to find present-day work written in Austen’s style where romance is not the primary focus, especially “romance” conceived in a modern way that would have offended Jane Austen! This bugs me too. I wrote a modern-day Austenesque in Austen’s language with the romance on the back burner but that’s not really what you’re looking for.

Since we’re looking for the same thing, I’ll be interested to hear what you find!

Yes Abigail, I really not a fan of most regency romances nowadays, they are just a bit... coarse? for me.
And yes, I’ve read Wives and Daughters and loved it :)

*Wives and Daughters even

Anthony Trollope was a huge fan of Austen. Miss Mackenzie is a fun Austenesque novel of the 19th-century.

Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire series is very Austenesque until you hit WWII anyway.

Belgravia by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellows is a tropey sort of post-Regency story. Not as witty as Austen but similar kind of story.

After Georgette Heyer try
P.G. Wodehouse for screwball comedy
Alice Chetwynd Ley for old school Georgian/Regency romances
Clare Darcy- Georgette Heyer light
Daisy Vivian-also Heyeresque

More recent authors I like are
Sarah M. Eden - I LOOOVVVEEE The Jonquils!
Jude Morgan
Regina Scott

Regency set mysteries
Darcie Wilde
Lynn Messina A Brazen Curiosity
Stephanie Barron (Jane Austen solves mysteries)
Anna Dean's Dido Kent series
Catherine Lloyd
Shades of Milk and Honey
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Young adult)

Or try
The Mischief of the Mistletoe (loosely based on The Watsons)

Are you into Jane Austen fan-fiction, retellings, sequels? Try
Lady Vernon and Her Daughter a retelling of Lady Susan
The Unexpected Miss Bennet
Darcy and Anne
Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued
An Assembly Such as This / These Three Remain / Duty and Desire
The Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection

What about books with Jane Austen as a character or Austen fans?
Miss Austen
The Jane Austen Society

I've liked Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Taylor (the British author), Elizabeth Bowen and Elizabeth Jane Howard. Also E.M. Delafield. They wrote in the 20th century and I've read mention Barbara Pym as a "modern Jane Austen".

Besides, I've liked American authors Henry James and Edith Wharton, who deal with similar themes. And also Mary Ann Evans (a.k.a. George Eliot).

George Eliot - avoid Middlemarch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (World's most tedious novel.)

Edith Wharton, yes, but aren't all her novels rather sad in the end? (Especially the House of Mirth) I don't think they have happy endings with the right man ending up with the right woman for the right reason, do they? (Haven't read any in a while, so maybe I'm only remembering the sad ones.)

I thought the TV dramatisation of Belgravia very good. I did attempt the novel, but put it aside, as I didn't, at the time, like the 'back story' time gap between the Regency (battle of Waterloo) and the bulk of the setting (a generation on)

But the TV drama did captivate me, I must say - and I guessed the 'twist' of the ending, so was very pleased with myself! :) :)

The cast of Belgravia was also very good!

I also suggest "The Shuttle" & "The making of a Marchioness" by Fanny Burney. Both of the are very good. The characterisation is pitch-perfect.

Beth-In-UK wrote: "Edith Wharton, yes, but aren't all her novels rather sad in the end? (Especially the House of Mirth) I don't think they have happy endings with the right man ending up with the right woman for the ..."

She died before she finished The Bucaneers but she left a summary of what she wanted to happen. It has a positively happy ending for Wharton. The Age of Innocence either has a sad or bittersweet ending depending on how you look at it. Wharton was so unhappy in her own marriage and her peers who were married off to English Lords were deeply unhappy too. If the reader is looking for "light, bright and sparkling" social satire, Wharton is NOT that author.

Thank you re Wharton. I remember, years ago now, there was a dramatisation on British TV of The Buccanneers. Sadly, though it 'ought' to have been a hit (I think it was in the wake of mega-dramatisations such as the highly successful and seemingly endless The Pallisers of Trollope!), it never made much of a hit as I recall.

This is a bit of a one off, but may I strongly recommend The Ladies of Missolonghi. It's an 'oddball' and written by the author of the Thornbirds (which was a huge TV success, though I never really took to it.)

LoM is wonderful though - far shorter, not a saga at all, but the story of a downtrodden poor relation who 'comes good' in smalltown Australia of the 1920s.

It's a bit of a 'fairytale' (won't say why, but there's an element of subtle 'magic' ...maybe!!), but the characterisation is great, and there is a 'baddie' rival to our downtrodden heroine (on the verge of becoming a middle aged spinster) who does get her comeuppance.

I just WISH they would film it - Hugh Jackman is absolutely ideal for the worldweary hero who 'comes home', and finds love in the most unexpected way.

It's one of those novels I have on my keeper shelf, and re-read every few years to cheer myself up (like I do Austen and Georgette Heyer)

May I also recommend anything written by Eva Ibbotson. She is a magical writer, and specialises in Mittel Europa - she was Viennese herself. She wrote for children, but also adult romances. They are highly intelligent (she was a physiologist I believe, or married one, and as well as science the books are all about opera, art etc).

The romances usually involve a 'foreign' heroine - Austrian usually - who has a relationship often with a landed Brit. The setting is usually interwar.

If you look her up on Goodreads there are some very encouraging reviews.

I also strongly recommend Brenda Jagger - usually set in Yorkshire, at the time of the industrial revolution, or thereafter. Her style is very individual, and you either like it or not.

Highly recommended.

Another recommendation is Santa Montefiore. She is a contemporary author, but some of her books are set 'a while back', such as pre/post war and then 60s/70s as well.

Her style is a little 'telegraphic', but very readable I find. The tales usually involve characters who have 'past lives' (as in, their youths), and who revisit, often in Italy (!), to 'find themselves' again.

They are 'life enhancing' novels, and leave one feeling good.

They usually have a mix of characters, each of whom is pretty well delineated, who have their own 'arc' as the story proceeds, so that is quite satisfying.

@Beth-In-UK:

You're right. Maybe that's why I like Mansfield Park the best, It ends with: And they lived tolerably comfortable ever after. Like Newland Archer.

Ah, it's that old life dilemma isn 't it? To settle for 'tolerantly comfortable' or to hold out for 'blissfully romantically happy ever after'.....tricky call to make.

(Remind me about NA - is he the one that fell for the 'European Countess' but never married her in the end because she was a bit too dangerously exotic??!)

The Ladies of Missalonghi is actually a rip-off. The original for that story is "The Blue Castle" by L.M. Montgomery. While I quite liked LoM, The Blue Castle is simply delightful.

You're right, it is! I agree the Blue Castle is a magical book (set in Canada rather than Oz). (I always felt sorry for the poor woman who was actually dying though!!!)

It well deserves to be better known - and would also make a brilliant film.

So glad you reminded me of it. I think, somewhere, I have a copy - I hope, but it is hard to find I suspect. The Anne of Green Gables series, which personally I was never that much into, lovely as they are, takes precedence usually.

Melindam, I mentioned Eva Ibbotson - is she someone you know at all? I think she published in English, but her world is your world!!! Of course, she presented Mittel Europa 'for' the English, so it's a romanticised version, but on the other hand, her depictions of England and her English characters and settings 'work' for the English, so perhaps her Central European settings and characters work for you in return??

I don't think Blue Castle has the 'magical' element of LofM though, for better or worse. I remember being surprised by it in LoM the first time I read it, so it was quite cleverly done I thought.

Beth,

thank you for the recommendation. I haven't read Eva Ibbotson yet, but she's on my reading-radar now. :)

For me, the magical element destroyed LoM a bit. I thought it was so unnecessary. I would've liked it much more without it. :)

When The Blue Castle was recomended to me, I could not find a printed version, so I bought the complete works of LM. Montgomery on kindle (for a laughable 1.99 usd kindle sale).

I feel the same way about "The Shuttle" by Fanny Burney. It's such a pity it's not well-known or recognized, though Persephone books thankfully republished it.

Its lovers would absolutely deserve their place among the Hall of Most Famous Literary Couples among Elizabeth & Darcy and the rest. And it would make a great mini-series. With the theme intercontinental marriage bw a dollar princess & an impoverished British aristocrat and strong women coming to to the rescue of family, etc... it should be a hit!

Melindam, I must say I have never heard of The Shuttle, and will look out for it. The title is pretty offputting I must say!!

If you do try Eva Ibbotson it will be interesting to know what you make of her. Her writing style is quite 'different' and you may not like it. Her books will either charm, or not, I feel.

I'm not sure which one to recommend first - I'm tempted to say A Countess Below Stairs (though I think it's been republished under a different name?), because it was the first one I ever read. The story is of a Russian countess, in post-revolutionary exile in the UK in the twenties, who goes to work as a maid in a great country house in England - and falls for the heir (who has to marry money to save the estate, etc). It's full of humourously drawn characters, and the central 'trope' is that 'of course' everyone (upstairs and downstairs) all realise the 'new Russian maid' has never been a maid in her life, and is 'of course' actually 'nobility' but no one ever tells her so.

Some of her novels are 'darker' as they deal with the imminent Holocaust, and getting people out of Vienna in time etc.

She doesn't do many Hungarian characters, and those she does do are usually minor - and, yes, play up to the general trope that All Hungarians Are Very Dramatically Excitable (which may either irritate or amuse you!)

Overall, though, she deals with the 'post-Austro-Hungary' era, and there is great poignancy in what she writes - makes you feel what was so recklessly thrown away by the Great War.

Yes The Shuttle (referring to ships crossing the pond and back) is not a very enticing title. It may explain the book's obscurity.

LOL, I've heard worse about Hungarians than "dramatically excitable" but considering the present politicians, I have to say, unfortunately not much has changed since the 20s or even before.

Which makes me recommend a a book by a HU writer. He has nothing in common with JA, though he appreciated her writing.

Antal Szerb was an aglophile and wrote a tongue-in-cheek mystery-adventure-whodunit The Pendragon Legend. Think of it as a Da Vinci Code in the 1930s.

The English translation is excellent. I read the book both in HU and EN, so I can say that on authority. :)

Thank you - I shall look out for it!

I wonder if the FB novel would benefit from a more enticing title?!

I have read lots of books that based on Jane Austen books and the favorite I have read is the Other Bennet Sister. I really fell in love with the book. I felt it was close to Jane Austen writing and it answered the question of what was Mary story? I fell in love with Mary and felt a kingship with her. She was a child that her parents really didn't love and the story is Mary finding her own life. I highly recommend this book. Like I said its my favorite out of all the books written like Jane Austen books!!

Christine, I've got the book, and am part way into it. Overall I think it's well written, and believable.

Like you, I've always felt sorry for Mary - probably because like her I wear glasses, so know what a blow that was when i was young (how lucky my generation were when contact lenses came along).

I think she deserves a happy ending. As does Kitty, in fact, who is also, after Mary, the most ignored Bennet daughter. I hope the two of them get together a bit more now that repellent Lydia is off being Mrs Wickham...

I forgot: if only for historical interest, Catherine Austen Hubback, one of Frank Austen's daughters wrote a continuation of Jane Austen's unfinished manuscript "The Watsons" and published it as "The Younger Sister" (1850). It's not VERY good, obviously, but it's a curiosity if you can find it.

I wonder if the niece knew what her aunt had in mind for the rest of the plot then? Then however not-very-well written it was, at least we'd know how the story was supposed to pan out.

Of course, that assumes Jane Austen knew herself! I'm not sure all authors know the plots when they start to write - sometimes they change 'all of their own accord' as 'characters' start to take over unexpectedly, or things make 'difference sense' as you write them down??

I liked Shades of Milk and Honey. Haven't finished that series though.

There's a mystery series by Rose Melikan that is sort of like Jane Austen. The first book is called The Blackstone Key.

I did try The Blackstone Key, and the one after that one, and they are indeed, very well and intelligently written. However, they are, to me at least, a bit 'stolid' so I'm afraid I abandoned them.

I recommend 'The Other Bennet Sister' by Janice Hadlow. It is the story of 'Pride and Prejudice' and what happens afterwards from Mary Bennet's point of view. I absolutely loved it. It really makes you look at Mary Bennet in a different light and it feels quite Jane-Austenish

I agree - I've got The Other Bennet Sister, and though I haven't finished it yet, so far it's proving both well written and plausible.

I've always felt sorry for poor Mary. Bad enough to be the middle sister, let alone the only plain one.

I hope she gets a happy ending - she deserves it. My heart goes out to her.

Beth,

You are the second person in as many days to mention this book is well written. I think I should read it! It would be interesting to see how the few threads of Mary's character given to us by Jane Austen are pulled into a subsequent plot line!

Shana

Taking on Austen for a 'sequel' is a daunting prospect for any writer, but I think this author does succeed pretty well (so far.) Hope you enjoy it. Maybe if there are enough readers of it here we can discuss it together??

I am also reading a book called 'Darcy's diary' by Amanda Grange which confesses Mr. Darcy's true feelings and mortification/joy for the events that happen in 'Pride and Prejudice'. Its style almost matches Jane Austen's and I would really recommend it.

I did buy The Other Bennet Sister and an half through it.

Florence, I have a suspicion I may have that Darcy's Diary book as well - must sort out my crowded bookshelves. I don't think I've read it however, though I think I glanced at it. It must have appealed enough for me to have bought it.

Shana - looking forward to a discussion on TOBS at some point (and I must keep reading it too!)

Florence, I have The Private Dairy of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater in paperback. Not the same as what you have, but certainly the same concept. I really enjoyed Slater's book and the cover is a lovely and famous 18th or 19th century painting (I relied on this same idea for both the covers of my books). I do recommend this book.

Beth, I look forward to discussing The Other Bennet Sister with you. You will have to let everyone know when you have finished. I highly doubt I am the only one on here who has finished it. It is a quick and easy read. Nothing like my weeks-long slog through The Improvement of the Estate, by Allistair M. Duckworth!

Shana

I have finished 'The Other Bennet Sister', Shana, and loved it.

Florence, That is great news. So glad you liked it. I think Beth will be finishing it sometime soon as well.

Shana