Thank goodness for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Work is kicking my butt this week and I am behind in reviews, but I can at least do a post on the daily topics. Today’s is Forgotten Treasure:
Sure we’ve all read about Freedom and Mockingjay but we likely have a book we wish would get more attention by book bloggers, whether it’s a forgotten classic or under marketed contemporary fiction. This is your chance to tell the community why they should consider reading this book!
I’ve been reading the posts on this topic with particular interest. I always love to see the hidden gems highlighted. I’ve been pondering what book to highlight myself all day. There are a lot of books that I consider oldies but goodies but which I see people still pimping (and rightly so), like Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, The Changeover by Margaret Mahy, and Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. What book should I choose?
I chose..
Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field
This was one of my top five reads of 2008 I think. And I’ve mentioned it a couple of times on the blog. Let me repeat myself. This is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a journalist named Jasmin Field as the Elizabeth character and a Hollywood star named Harry Noble as the Darcy character. They meet when Harry is in London directing and starring in a theatrical version of P&P, and casts Jasmin in the lead role, even though he manages to insult her by calling her the “Ugly sister”. It’s very British and there’s lots of friends and socializing and some swearing. And I loved it. It probably falls under “chick lit” but it’s not fluffy by any means. It has one of my favorite modern-day interpretation of the first Darcy proposal scene. I’ve read most of Nathan’s backlist (one book away from reading them all), and this was my first, and thus has a special place in my heart. I wish more people had read it.
By the way, I didn’t sign up for the interview swap on Tuesday (because I meant to and then forgot about it), but I did do an impromptu one at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader!
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Oh there are Forgotten Treasures posts about Howl’s Moving Castle and The Changeover? I haven’t seen those! I need to catch up on browsing through BBAW posts later after work.
As for your pick, it’s going straight to my wishlist! P&P is my favorite Austen and I’d love to read this retelling. It sounds intriguing.
Not particularly talking about Forgotten Treasure posts, I mean I still see people reading and reviewing those books. 🙂
Oh I hope you do read it.. I’d love to see what you think.
I just called to ask my local bookstore about this and they never had it. Might have to order it abroad.
I’ve only recently discovered Diana Wynne Jones – awesome.
She is. I agree completely.
Oh I believe I read all Nathan’s novels too, I surely read Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field and it’s great.
I’ll never forget my shock when I read the first pages of “The Learning Curve” and found out what happened to her, she deserves to me remembered.
I know, only 6 books. 😦 I think knowing that there will be no more, I have a very hard time reading THE WAITRESS which is the last book of hers that I haven’t read.
Glad that you know it and liked it! 🙂
surprisingly I also read Vanity and Vexation by Kate Fenton that I didn’t like but I noticed your review, if you like Austen retelling I highly recommend The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz, it’s loosely based on Persuasion and I loved it
Oh thank you, any Austen retelling rec is welcome by me! I think I saw that book while searching for Austen retellings. It was on my Reminder List on paperbackswap as a possibility. Because of you, I just ordered it. 😀
Have you read THE MAN WHO LOVED PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (also published as PEMBERLEY BY THE SEA) by Abigail Reynolds? Another one I really liked.
Yes, VANITY AND VEXATION was not bad, but I had problems with it.. I didn’t like it as much as other retellings out there.
I haven’t but I am taking note of it , I never get tired of those , Thank u:)
I’m a bit tired of the Austen mania, but this sounds like a cute book for when that fades. Thanks for the recommendation!
There is the danger of overkill, but I never seem to get sick of the modern-day retellings for some reason. That and fairy-tale retellings. I’m a junkie.
I adore most things Austen but I’ve never touched a retelling. Part of it must be literary snobbery and part just fear that it won’t live up to the original. I think I’ll have to try Pride and Prejudice and Jasmin though. I’ve seen it rec’d all over BBAW posts.
I’m also adding The Family Fortune to my TBR, too. Persuasion is my favorite.
Ah. Well..the best thing is not to compare it to the original – it’s very hard to live up to. Just view it as an homage like CLUELESS.