by Jane Dawkins. (You can read my first review, of Old Friends and New Fancies, here.)
has just been re-published for our reading pleasure. This novel is subtitled "An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen." That's right: novels---plural.
; Tom Bertram, Mary Crawford, and William Price from Mansfield Park
; and James Morland from Northanger Abbey
. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, Captain and Mrs. Wentworth, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ferrars, Mr. and Mrs. Knightley, and numerous other characters make large and small appearances. The setting is mainly Bath, Pemberley, and the Bingleys' estate. Who wouldn't want to go back to Pemberley?Mr. Darcy: ". . . we have got into shocking ways since my wife married into the family."Or this exchange between the irasible Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Darcy:
Mrs. Darcy: "On the contrary, I think I have educated you all admirably."
Elizabeth: "We have all been enjoying your piece so much. It must be delightful to be able to play like that. My aunt is such a lover of music that she cannot hide her enthusiasm."That is just how I imagine Elizabeth would get along with Lady Catherine, once Elizabeth had established herself as Mr. Darcy's wife and mistress of Pemberley, and made it clear to Lady Catherine that she would not be trifled with.
"And why should I hide it, may I ask?" demanded Lady Catherine. "My judgment has often been of great service to young amateurs, among whom you might include yourself, Elizabeth."
"Yes, I know," replied Elizabeth, good-humouredly . . ."
.
Any Harry Potter readers out there? Well, if you review Deathly Hallows, you could win a signed first edition of Sorcerer’s Stone, some Harry Potter movie tickets, or… wait for it… a broomstick. You know you’re reading it, so you might as well win some stuff and share it with me.
The review with the most votes wins, so please vote for me (if you haven't written your own review, of course!):
JULY 18thPlease, keep the plot a secret! Don't spoil it for others who have been waiting years for answers.
We are almost there! As launch night looms, let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Stephen Dewey knows he lacks the magic to play Quidditch quite like they do in the Harry Potter novels but he does all he can to create an authentic experience for fans of the teenage wizard.They use the Quaffle, Bludgers, even the Snitch, and, sometimes, costumes. Sounds like fabulous fun!
Dewey, a student at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, organizes the campus Quidditch club of about 40 Potter devotees imitating the aerial game of the book series.
Although Bucknell has not played its first official game -- that is expected in September -- Dewey's club has received $150 from the college to buy supplies, including hula hoops and a volleyball that stands in for the fictional "quaffle."
Also on the equipment list are the brooms on which J.K. Rowling's Quidditch players fly around during games and which Bucknell players are required to hold between their legs.
"I wanted to emulate the magical nature you find in Harry Potter books," said Dewey, 20, a student of music and education. But he admits he has to make concessions to reality. "A lot of that you can't really replicate exactly because we are not witches and wizards."
Dewey said he's received "some puzzled looks" when recruiting but that even the skeptics want to know more. He suspects they are secretly Harry Potter fans.
"They are usually curious to know how I could make this into a playing game," he said. "Running around on brooms does appeal to a surprising number of college students."
What better way to honor Jane than by reading her delightful novels today? I highly recommend any of them, though my favorites are Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.voting does not end until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (July 24th)
vote simply by adding your comment below, base it on whatever merit you choose, voting does not end until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (July 17th)
, which is due out at midnight, 20 July 2007. I hope he doesn't . . . and so do many others.LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of Harry Potter fans have signed a petition urging J.K. Rowling to keep writing novels about the boy wizard after she admitted she could "never say never" to more books.But what does Rowling think?
The "Save Harry!" petition calls on Rowling to reverse her decision to end the bestselling series with the seventh and final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
"Millions, perhaps billions of us, love reading his adventures and we never want them to end," says the online petition, launched on Monday at www.saveharrypotter.co.uk.
"I think that Harry's story comes to quite a clear end in book seven," she told the BBC at the weekend. "But I have always said that I wouldn't say never.A glimmer of hope!
"I can't say I will never write another book about that world, just because I think: 'What do I know, in 10 years' time I might want to return to it'. But I think it is unlikely."
Rowling said some characters will die in the last book, but wouldn't say if the boy wizard is among them: "It's not a bloodbath, but it's more than two," she said.I am sure that I will cry when I read next weekend (can you believe it?). Rowling "broke down in tears during the completion of her final book" in the series.
came out and I finished reading it, I found a horrid little video online. Some dreadful guy got the book, looked at who died, and drove past a line outside a bookstore shouting the information while videotaping it. People started shrieking. I think I will if that happens. :) Seriously, though.Now, as the July 21 release of the seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," approaches, fans who have waited the better part of a decade to find out the ultimate fate of Harry, his friends and his nemeses are taking no chances.
But how far do they have to go? Must they close their eyes, cover their ears and scream, "LALALALALALALA?"
Pretty much.
In fact, if you want to get in touch with a rabid Harry Potter fan on the weekend of July 21-22, you might be out of luck. Readers are planning media blackouts — no computers, no cell phones, no TV, no radio. And if that's not enough, they're threatening to get physical.
"I'll beat the crap out of the person who spoils it for me," Pritthish Chakraborty wrote in an e-mail. Chakraborty, 17, who runs a fan Web site, Harry Potter Beyond, in his native Bangladesh, was spoiled two years ago when a "friend" sent a picture message to his cell phone of the page describing Dumbledore's death.
Many fans don't want to give up the excitement and camaraderie of a midnight release party, but they know they're putting themselves at risk.
"We advise people — I know this is terrible — to bring headphones to the book release and put them on as they leave the store so they're not subject to the idiot across the street screaming the end to them," said Melissa Anelli, webmaster of The Leaky Cauldron, a prominent Harry Potter fan site.
Some excellent advice. I won't be on the internet around that time, until I finish reading it.
When do you plan to get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Are you worried about people spoiling it for you?
vote simply by adding your comment below, base it on whatever merit you choose, voting does not end until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. (July 10th)
Let's go, Janeites!
I am going out to the lake for a few days, but I could not leave without wishing our beloved nation a happy birthday. We are blessed to live in the most wonderful place in the history of the earth. Every day here is a precious gift from God.
Thank you to all members of our government at the federal, state, and local levels. Thank you, as well, to our police and fire crews. They keep us safe and save lives every day.
Thank you to all who chose to exercise their rights by voting. We keep this country running, for better or for worse. Thank you to all who chose to exercise their freedom of religion---in a peaceful manner. Thank you to all who chose to exercise their right to bear arms---in a peaceful manner (until we must fight the good fight). Thank you to all who protect Life.
Thank you to our Founding Fathers, for creating this wonderful, beautiful nation. I hope it never vanishes from the face of the earth. Thank you for having the courage to sign a piece of paper that changed the world for good---for the best.
Thank you, my fellow Americans, for being here and making our economy run. For going to work every day. For raising families. For going to church. For loving this country. Let's keep America America.
Read the Declaration of Independence here.
"I shall soon be rested," said Fanny; "to sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment."And I thought I would post this picture that my pen-pal in England (he's American) "Gentleman Jay" sent, which he took inJane Austen
Mansfield Park
Chapter IX, pg. 77
