Thematic Sunday: Jane Austen Retellings

So I've spent most of last year reading the Jane Austen books. The most fascinating thing to me is the fact that Austen herself has sort of inspired a mini-genre of retellings/reimaginings/sequels, and so much more. I'm pretty confident that when it comes to retellings of classics, Austen is probably one of the most retold. Probably the only classic that rivals her books in the retellings is Sherlock Holmes. In the large world of Austen retellings, here are some that I recommend.

Jane Austen Retellings/Reimaginings/Sequels/Tie-Ins etc.

1) Austenland by Shannon Hale

Why: A woman who is obsessed with the Austen books (particularly Mr. Darcy), gets sent on a vacation to a resort that caters to hardcore Austen fans.

2) Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding

Why: Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. You most likely know the movie.

3) Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James

Why: A sort of sequel to PandP where Elizabeth and Darcy must solve a murder that happens on their estate. Check out the BBC mini-series this inspired.

4) The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Why: A book about a book club who read through the Jane Austen books and all the drama in their lives that mirror the books themselves.

5) Longbourn by Jo Baker

Why: Pride and Prejudice told from the servants POV.

6) For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Why: Say it with me now: Persuasion, set in space. You know you want to read it.

7) Jane Austen Heroes series by Amanda Grange

Why: Basically all the Austen novels from the men's POV. There's only three shown here, but Grange did all six novels.

8) Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron

Why: What if Jane herself became a amateur sleuth?

9) Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Why: YA modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice

10) Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters

Why: You probably know that there's a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It's been everywhere and the movie comes out in a month or so. But you might not know that they did a bunch of other monster mash up with classics including Sense and Sensibility.