Jane Dawkins
Author of Letters from Pemberley: The First Year
About the Author
Series
Works by Jane Dawkins
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- Executive Secretary
graphic designer
book designer
editor
painter
ceramicist - Short biography
- Jane Dawkins was born in Palestine and grew up in Wilton, a small English country town in Wiltshire, neighbouring county to Jane Austen's Hampshire. She now resides in Key West, Florida, with her husband and the three most wonderful Golden Retrievers in the whole wide world.
Before moving to Key West Jane lived and worked in Germany, London, New York City, and New York's Hudson Valley. From her early days as an executive secretary in businesses as varied as records, opera management and international oil, not to mention happy days at the top of the World Trade Center in NYC at Windows on the World, she struck out on her own as a gourmet food producer, then as a graphic/book designer, editor, author, painter, and lately, ceramicist.
Her interests are wide ranging, including Jane Austen and the English Regency period, theatre, music (all kinds, from heavy metal to opera and classical), human and animal rights, ceramics, writing and the endlessly stimulating environment of people and events that she encounters daily in Key West.
[retrieved 3/29/2014 from Amazon.com] - Birthplace
- Palestine
- Places of residence
- Wilton, Wiltshire, England, UK
Germany
London, England, UK
New York, New York, USA
Hudson Valley, New York, USA
Key West, Florida, USA
Members
Reviews
Light, fluffy read. I actually enjoyed this more than E. Aston's Mr. Darcy's Daughters. The addition of Austen's characters from other books was interesting, although I confess I couldn't figure out who a few of them were.
I usually steer clear of Austen sequels since I often find they distort the characters in a way that is unforgivable. However, this was a tolerable pastiche of Austen's work. Focusing on the first few months after Elizabeth's arrival at Pemberley, the novel follows her letters to Jane, describing how she is settling into her new role as Mrs Darcy.
Not only does Dawkins draw on the characters from Pride and Prejudice, she also uses characters from other Austen novels, disguising their names show more (e.g Mr Knightey as Mr Dayley). I have to confess I found some of this a little contrived. Imagine Mr Darcy being an intimate friend of Mr Eliot and Kitty Bennet being best friends with Anne? Some of the character placing in my opinion therefore didn't quite hit the mark.
However, on the whole the novel was entertaining and didn't do anything too horrendous with the P & P characters. Dawkins style is not Austen's and I feel like often the tone of Lizzy Bennet was overly serious, yet a nice easy read for Austen fans. show less
Not only does Dawkins draw on the characters from Pride and Prejudice, she also uses characters from other Austen novels, disguising their names show more (e.g Mr Knightey as Mr Dayley). I have to confess I found some of this a little contrived. Imagine Mr Darcy being an intimate friend of Mr Eliot and Kitty Bennet being best friends with Anne? Some of the character placing in my opinion therefore didn't quite hit the mark.
However, on the whole the novel was entertaining and didn't do anything too horrendous with the P & P characters. Dawkins style is not Austen's and I feel like often the tone of Lizzy Bennet was overly serious, yet a nice easy read for Austen fans. show less
One of the best Pride and Prejucice continuations that I have read, and I have read quite a few continuation books. Did this is one sitting. Loved it.
I've owned this book for nearly two years and have just now pulled it off the shelf and actually read it. I really did like it; it was quite enjoyable, and better-written than the other Austen sequels I've tried (which, granted, wasn't many). The author injects just about every character from the six major Austen novels, as neighbors or friends of the Darcys, but under different (also Austen-related) names, which makes this not only an oh-goody-more-about-Elizabeth-and-Mr.-Darcy sigh-fest, show more it's also basically one long set of clever puzzles, figuring out who's whom. show less
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- Members
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- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 12
- ISBNs
- 11