Monday, January 20, 2014

spinoffs and sequels // P+P

Just a few Austen-ish reads I've picked up lately...
12698885
 
Dear Mr. Darcy Amanda Grange
I liked this retelling of Pride and Prejudice...in letters! Some of them were predictable, like the letters exchanged between Lizzie and Jane, but several of them were absolutely hilarious! Getting to read letters from Mary Bennet, especially, showed a whole new side to her character...and gave hints about what happened to her after P+P finished. I loved seeing the new possibilities and character quirks that weren't explored in the original.


Death Comes to Pemberley
P.D. James
I read this book back in the summer (one of those novels I snuck off the library shelves while I was at work!) I remember liking it mainly because, hello, it was murder mystery + Lizzie Bennet all at once! It was interesting to see how James wrote the characters, and it was neat to get a little peek at what they might have looked like five years in the future.


Prom and Prejudice
Elizabeth Eulberg
This one is a modern retelling, directed more to a young teen audience. It wasn't as well written as the previous two, but I enjoyed it anyway. Something about the translation between past and present appeals to me...I'll read almost any modern retelling of an old classic. In terms of plot and translation, I thought Eulberg did a good job (although as I said, the actual writing was a bit clunky in places.)

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
the official website!
This is another modern retelling...through a series of vlogs! If you haven't already seen the LBD floating around YouTube, go check them out. They're SO funny, and really well done. Lydia's plotline was done especially well, in my opinion. They made Pride and Prejudice come alive - the translation to modern-day was done seamlessly and didn't feel forced or predictable at all. Even though I already knew how it was all going to play out, the LBD kept me on the edge of my seat, frantically clicking "next episode!"

(note: the first few episodes can be a bit crude...it doesn't stay that way, jsyk.)

 

3 comments:

  1. LOVE the Lizzie Bennet Dairies <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. ^^^Me too. And the END. OH MY GOODNESS. I WATCHED IT RIGHT BEFORE AN ONLINE CLASS AND I WAS SO HAPPY FOR THE ENTIRE TIME (class usually gets me down xP). And then I watched over and over and over and over and over. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I spent way too much time per day watching the series. Like...20+ episodes in one day. They were so short...until "just one more" became 16. because, you know. Just three episodes isn't nearly enough.

      Delete

Comments from you make my day! ♥ True story.