#juliet tilney

[junewongapologia]

Okay The Murder of Mr Wickham may not be technically good JAFF, but it is enjoyable, I listen to the audiobook constantly, and really you're reading it for the OCs who are genuinely perfect.

Jonathan is the best deconstruction of the Autistic Detective trope I've ever read, utterly relatable king in every way. I love the way it's pretty heavily implied Fanny Bertram is also autistic and he has these moments when he clocks her without having the understanding of the reason for it.

Juliet is also great, my favourite thing about her is how hardened she gets to murder immediately. Book one has her screaming at a body, in book 2 she's like 'well, this might as well happen'. Very strong parallels to her mother in Northanger Abbey, tho if I'm honest, Juliet handles it much better than Catherine would have.

Their cute little mutual crush is so great and it blossoming into mutual Exteme Yearning is great. I've never wanted a couple to get together so badly.

Also Mr Whickham is, like, implied to have invented the Ponzi scheme in this universe, which is on brand and hilarious.

[bethanydelleman]

this is a very particular question indeed but I'd love to hear your take on it. if you could adapt all of the austen novels (even lady susan etc) in a modern day setting movie/book, what would you do? how would the characters, dynamics etc? would anne & wenworth still be separated by social status? would emma fall in love with a female knightley? what about lydia? & the whole fanny & edmund thing? I don't mind a long answer, in fact the longer it is, the better it is, i am in love with your austen posts and you haven't been wrong one single time. there's no other blog I'd rather ask about it tbh.

Okay, so, I'm not really a modernizer and this is a very long question. Here we go!

Two general posts about careers that would work for the men and women.

Northanger Abbey:

I wrote this. I think it's the easiest to modernize because Catherine just becomes a modern Twilight girlie or a Brontë fan and the Tilneys can totally still have a cool heritage house.

Emma:

Almost perfectly modernized by the movie Clueless, I wouldn't attempt to do it better. My queer take, which works modern or Regency era.

Pride & Prejudice:

Almost perfectly modernized by the movie Bride & Prejudice. This one hinges so much on class differences and a woman's need to marry that I think it's really hard to do a modern, Western context. However, it would make an excellent Korean drama because of remaining social stratification in that country.

Lizzie Bennet Diaries was fun, but I don't think it worked as well. Fire Island was not for me, but I think it was a pretty good modern take too.

Persuasion:

I wrote a post about this. Probably more than one but that's all I can find right now. Anyway, I think the basic premise can still work even if Anne can get a job, because there are good reasons to reject a penniless guy at 19 even today. Making Anne & Wentworth some flavour of queer can be a good angle too. But the story is essentially about yearning and forgiveness, that is something we still have.

Sense & Sensibility:

Willoughby's sin works in modern times, the real problem is Edward's unbreakable engagement. Having Lucy baby trap Edward (but it's his brother's baby maybe?) would be an option, but then again, hard to explain why Edward has to keep the marriage/engagement a secret. This one is really hard and I don't have a solution.

Mansfield Park:

I just posted about this. But it's strange, people say this one doesn't work as a modern but it totally does. Henry Crawford & Maria's affair is still totally unacceptable today, cheating is a thing most people hate, in fact. You need to eliminate the cousin thing for modern sensibilities and maybe take Fanny out of the house (she's a friend or an employee), but it can work. From Mansfield With Love was okay but I think it can be done better. The play can still be done, but I would choose one that is more well-known, like Romeo and Juliet.

If anyone has better or more ideas, please share! Especially for S&S.

Lady Susan:

I think this one might translate the best after Northanger Abbey, she's a basic Gaslight Girlboss Goddigger. Reginald would be just as aghast that she's sleeping with someone else as he was in the late 1700s. Honestly I wouldn't change much! Lady Susan can be from money or a washed-up actress or something which is why she's trying to marry and not get a job.

[thegirlwiththeleadarrow]

I swear by this rate Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney will take revisiting all six completed novels AND Austen’s various novellas/incomplete books to get together…

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: The Late Mrs. Willoughby (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #2) Author: Claudia Gray Genre/s: historical, mystery, Jane Austen pastiche Content/Trigger Warning/s: murder Summary (from author's website): The suspenseful sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which sees Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney reunited, and with another mystery to solve: the dreadful poisoning of the scoundrel Willoughby’s new wife. Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey are not entirely pleased to be sending their eligible young daughter Juliet out into the world again: the last house party she attended, at the home of the Knightleys, involved a murder—which Juliet helped solve. Particularly concerning is that she intends to visit her new friend Marianne Brandon, who’s returned home to Devonshire shrouded in fresh scandal—made more potent by the news that her former suitor, the rakish Mr. Willoughby, intends to take up residence at his local estate with his new bride. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley are thrilled that their eldest son, Jonathan—who, like his father, has not always been the most socially adept—has been invited to stay with his former schoolmate, John Willoughby. Jonathan himself is decidedly less taken with the notion of having to spend extended time under the roof of his old bully, but that all changes when he finds himself reunited with his fellow amateur sleuth, the radiant Miss Tilney. And when shortly thereafter, Willoughby’s new wife—whom he married for her fortune—dies horribly at the party meant to welcome her to town. With rumors flying and Marianne—known to be both unstable and previously jilted by the dead woman’s newly made widower—under increased suspicion, Jonathan and Juliet must team up once more to uncover the murderer. But as they collect clues and close in on suspects, eerie incidents suggest that the killer may strike again, and that the pair are in far graver danger than they or their families could imagine. Buy Here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-late-mrs-willoughby-claudia-gray/18822240 Spoiler-Free Review: And yet another delight of a novel in this series! The mystery is a little less structured now because it's happening within the context of a small town instead of just one manor house, but it just opens up more opportunities for twists, and this book DEFINITELY takes advantage of that. The way rumors were used, in particular, was interesting: they opened up alternate ways of viewing the suspects, but also breathed life into the town, showed its dynamics: who was loyal to whom, and who was connected to whom. It also made the true culprit a bit less obvious, which is always fun. While the mystery at the heart of the plot is pretty fun, I was a lot more focused on the character dynamics this go-round. Marianne and Brandon were a delight to read about, especially after what happened in the previous novel, and it was just as lovely to see Elinor (Ferrars now, given that she's married), and to see the rest of the Dashwood clan. It was nice to read how Elinor and Marianne get on after their respective marriages, as well as to see how well Elinor and Edward have settled into married life. And of course, there's Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney. As a second murder brings them together again, it becomes immensely clear to the reader that these two have Feelings for each other - but keep on being unable to express it. This can get a bit frustrating in a good way, especially because Jonathan and Juliet keep on making entirely mistaken assumptions about what the other is thinking or feeling. It's true they can read each other very well, often able to discern each other's intent from just a glance, but they are most definitely NOT mind-readers. Please note that all of this is a GOOD thing: I like me a slow-burn romance, and the kind of misunderstandings these two have about each other are pretty much par for the course of a Regency novel - and, given that Jonathan is neurodivergent, make sense.

Given how this book ended, of course, I'm fairly sure that there's going to be at least one more in the series, because the protagonists need to get together - and this time, hopefully, in matrimony.

Rating: five glasses of port

[devotionsforconfession]

Semi spoilery ramble about the Mr Darcy & Miss Tilney Mysteries:

OK right so I read The Murder of Mr Wickham like when it came out last year and I finished The Late Mrs Willoughby yday and!! I still love both oc main characters and have never been more frustrated by an ending as I have been w TLMW bc I was so desperate for them to just!!! Confess their feelings!!!

Also more than anything I kind of love the fact that it's a deconstruction of the Magical Autistic Detective Trope. Literally the last thing I expected these books to be but it's like top 3 reasons why this book is so good.

Esp bc it's set when autism just... wasn't understood to be a thing, it's shown to be hard for Jonathan!! He doesn't have magical powers, he has special interests in mostly obscure stuff! People are mean to him or confused by him or don't understand him and he is just convinced that he's never going to have friends who he can ever really be himself around.

And like there have not been many scenes that made me more visceral uncomfortable that the bit in book 2 when he's at a dinner party and one of his old schoolmates clocks that he has a crush, and intentionally asks him abt his special interest so he'll humiliate himself by going on and on about it without noticing. Like I felt that IN MY BONES I think we all have an experience like that if we don't mask carefully enough.

Sometimes Juliet gives neurodivergent vibes too, she just seems to be more adept at masking so it's less obvious to the reader, herself, and everyone else. Like Jonathan is semi regularly overwhelmed and frequently, sometimes unconsciously stims by rocking, and his parents and everyone around him have just convinced him there's something wrong with him.

Juliet has moments where the mask slips and she's blunt and is totally unaware of the unspoken social dance happening around her and she's like huh society's a fucking weird place wish it made more sense. Ah well. Alas.

I think the author does the Canon Austen characters brilliantly too!! I know some ppl have said that Fanny and Edmund annoyed them in book 1 but honestly (and this may be bc I'm a Mansfield Park girlie) I loved them and I loved the way their story paralleled their book! Fanny is right and Edmund comes to realise that is basically what it's about, and Fanny's strength of character beneath all her difficulties being assertive is basically the best thing about her.

Loved the Knightleys. Hilarious. Thought Emma was going to eat him mid way through the book and not in a good way, so; accurate. Darcy and Lizzie not communicating, her misunderstanding and being annoyed at him, him thinking his stoicism is going to help them through a hard time when actually it's isolated them from each other - nice parallel, like it.

I felt endlessly bad for Wentworth and Anne, hope they come back all better in a future book.

Honestly loved Brandon and Marianne, I felt like they were very true to their book characters.

Anyway my very fervent hope is that next book we get a Lady Susan Cameo, an icon, truly That Bitch. Or maybe they go to Sanditon idk, give me some resolution for that squad.

Got the vibe that maybe Juliet is going to Bath at some point in the near future. So I wonder who she'll meet then. I mean obviously Jonathan bc fate wants them to fall in love and get married and she can teach their kids how to climb trees and he can teach them the piano, but who else!!

Book only just came out and I'm hype for the next one but honestly it ended on a cliffhanger for them!! I want them to be friends again! No juliet he does like you he just can't make eye contact and doesn't like other people touching him!! I want them to meet again and solve idk the fucking stabbing of Sir Walter Elliot or Aunt Norris or Mr Elton!

And also comes their feelings the agony of not knowing kills me lol.

11/10 no notes. Well. Many notes but all of them good!!

[bargainsleuthbooks]

The Late Mrs. Willoughby (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery) by Claudia Gray #ARC #BookReview #NewBooks #JaneAusten

There's a new mystery featuring Jane Austen's characters' children. I thoroughly enjoyed #TheMurderofMrWickham, would it be the same for #TheLateMrsWilloughby #NetGalley #ARC #BookReview #Jane Austen #newbooks #MrDarcyandMissTilneyMystery #vikingbooks

Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey are not entirely pleased to be sending their eligible young daughter Juliet out into the world again: the last house party she attended, at the home of the Knightleys, involved a murder—which Juliet helped solve. Particularly concerning is that she intends to visit her new friend Marianne Brandon, who’s returned home to Devonshire shrouded in fresh…

[otislotus]

The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray

Summary (from the publisher):

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In this tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

- I enjoyed this so much, that I put both sequels on my holds list at the library before I even finished it!

- Although the language is modernized, the flow and pacing suit Austen’s style very beautifully.

- the murder mystery aspect was really well done. I guessed the perpetrator only a bit before they were revealed, which is probably what the author hopes for (that last clue!). And there weren’t any really obvious red herrings (like when the author really wants you to guess wrongly which I find a little insulting really)

- I enjoyed the neurodivergency of Jonathan Darcy. I thought it was really well represented in a historical time and style where autism had not been described and named.

- I suspect that the author was not a big fan of Mansfield Park because the portrayal of Fanny and Edmund Bertram were less than stellar (but perhaps I’m reading too much into it because I don’t like Edmund much either). I also thought the characterization of the Wentworths was a little flat, but also I have only read Persuasion once, so maybe I was missing some subtleties.

- I didn’t enjoy the marital strife depicted among some of the couples (especially the Darcy’s and the Brandon’s) because I really like to imagine happily ever after for my blorbos, but I have to admit that it really suited the story and was very realistic.

- overall I loved it and I’m hoping hard the sequel gets delivered to my library in time for me to pick it up before out road trip next week!

Decided to keep track of the books I’ve read this year because I’m always reading something, but can never remember anything when people ask for book recs

These are books I’ve read for myself. I’ll make a separate post for books I read aloud to the kids.

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: For Fans of… Knives Out 

Did you enjoy the newest Knives Out mystery, Glass Onion? Here are some read-alikes you may enjoy!

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander 

Lord Bertram Deeley, a renowned amateur British collector of antiquities is entertaining his closest friends at a lavish cruise up the Nile to his home at Luxor when he suddenly collapses after offering a welcome toast, a victim of the lethal poison cyanide. Who amongst this group of his nearest and dearest would want to kill their generous host: an archeologist whose dig Deeley was funding until he suddenly withdrew support? A powerful politician whose career Deeley had secretly destroyed? A dyspeptic aristocratic English spinster whose hired travelling companion seems determined to protect her employer? Or even the formidable Mrs. Hargreaves, Lady Emily’s mother-in-law, who may have spurned the advances of Lord Deeley when they were both younger? A key clue may lie with several ancient ushabtis, exquisite three-thousand-year-old sculptures that played a role in yet another murder in Ancient Egypt, a crime with a very real link to Lord Deeley’s death. Lady Emily and Colin gather their suspects together to reveal the identity of a killer whose motive is as shocking as it is brilliant.

This is the 16th volume in the “Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries” series. 

The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith 

In the Swedish criminal justice system, certain cases are considered especially strange and difficult - the dedicated detectives who investigate these crimes are members of an elite squad known as the Sensitive Crimes Division. These are their stories.

The first case: the small matter of a man stabbed in the back of the knee. Who would perpetrate such a crime and why? Next: a young woman's imaginary boyfriend goes missing. But how on earth do you search for someone who doesn't exist? And in the final investigation: eerie secrets that are revealed under a full moon may not seem so supernatural in the light of day. No case is too unusual, too complicated, or too, well insignificant for this squad to solve.

The team: Ulf “the Wolf” Varg, the top dog, thoughtful and diligent; Anna Bengsdotter, who's in love with Varg's car (and possibly Varg too); Carl Holgersson, who likes nothing more than filling out paperwork; and Erik Nykvist, who is deeply committed to fly fishing.

This is the first volume in the “Detective Varg” series.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray 

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances - characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered - except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party - before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 

Alan Conway is a bestselling crime writer. His editor, Susan Ryeland, has worked with him for years, and she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. Alan's traditional formula pays homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. It's proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

When Susan receives Alan's latest manuscript, in which Atticus Pünd investigates a murder at Pye Hall, an English manor house, she has no reason to think it will be any different from the others. There will be dead bodies, a cast of intriguing suspects, and plenty of red herrings and clues. But the more Susan reads, the more she’s realizes that there's another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript - one of ambition, jealousy, and greed - and that soon it will lead to murder.

This is the first volume in the “Susan Ryeland” series. 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands - the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps. Now one of them is dead... and another of them did it. Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?

[vgriffindor]

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Quite charmed by this. Imagine if all of Austen's characters inhabited the same sphere of existence. Now imagine them gathered together at the Knightleys for a summer house party, upon which the vile George Wickham imposes his sleaze. Not for long, though; on the first night, he is found murdered. One of the guests is guilty, and it's up to the young duo of Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney to solve the crime. If you like historical fiction and murder mysteries on the less grisly side, you'll find this enjoyable. The mystery is less whodunnit and more about the secrets being kept, but that's in true Christie fashion. If you like Austen (and I mean if you really like Austen; there's the full gamut here, from Pride & Prejudice to Mansfield Park) you'll be delighted to revisit beloved characters and see a glimpse into their futures.  My favourite part was the fresh addition of Jonathan and Juliet, who feel new and fun yet completely canon. There is also the definite, nicely done job of making it clear that Jonathan is a young man on the spectrum. It was a nice way to highlight neurodivergence, and Gray has included other touches of diversity that show up throughout. Overall, it reads a bit like really excellent fanfic; but that's a compliment. Claudia Gray has paid solid tribute to famous literary characters and managed to balance a fairly twisty mystery in between it all.

[raskolni-kin]

im a SUCKER for period/classic lit au (english major thing ig)

so for tomgreg (like seriously we have matt mac the king of period drama here???), apart from p&p (which is the obvious choice), i think these are some interesting choices if anyone needs an idea lol

northanger abbey au: another austen work. nerdy gothic novel fan imagining that the rich manor he visited and its handsome owner were like the novel he read??? but mr. tilney was a lot kinder than tom tho lol

jane eyre au (yeah inspired by that post) if you wanna go full unhinged gothic romanticism (i would recommend wuthering heights too but i can’t stand any more whitewashed heathcliff smh)

north & south au: kinda enemies to friends to lovers, poor but progressive protagonist from countryside newly arrived in rich industrial town vs capitalist factory owner. pretty tomgreg imo

anything romeo & juliet inspired au (ex: west side story): rival grandfathers, rival business season3 mood blah blah blah, and before you bonk me into cliche jail just do whatever retelling and add anything you want lol

bridgerton au: not really classic but we all love gossips about rich ppl here, also a good opportunity to add whatever minor ships you want (kenstew, gerriroman, the sapphics👀) bonus if greg has been the lady *whatever you name* behind these news pamphlets all along

anything time travelling au: yeah awkward unemployed stoner boi greg hirsch no title no money fell from the sky into the cold and arrogant mr. darcy-wambsgans whatever’s arms skdkksksk YES (i might watch too much outlander)

spy au but its during wartimw: yup that mr. bond scene lol, like imagine old james bond novel/movie vibe or casablanca. greg as a new spy (sent by kendall or uncle ewan or whoever) to work with the corrupted roy family but OMG YOU CANT FALL IN LOVE WITH THE TARGET

[alex-is-procrastinating]

Thanks, @mostbrilliantidiot, for tagging me.

10 favorite characters (in no particular order):

Amy Santiago from Broolyn 99

Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing

Fred Weasley from Harry Potter

Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey

Ron Stallworth from BlacKkKlansman

Anne Boleyn from The Tudors

Hermione from Harry Potter

Mercutio (and Benvolio) from Romeo and Juliet

Coraline from Coraline

Sansa Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire

Nickname: Alex (I prefer Alexandra, but it’s a mouthful)

Zodiac: Gemini

Height: 5'9"

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw (though sometimes, it says Slytherin)

Last thing I googled: “sleep potion ingredients" for a WIP

Song stuck in my head: The Monarchs Song from Horrible Histories

Followers: 258

Amount I sleep: 7 hrs

Lucky number: 9

Dream job: writer or historian

Wearing (currently?): jeans and a red crop top

Favorite songs (according to spotify):

Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Awkward Conversations by The Front Bottoms

Full Moon Tonight by Silvastone ft. Bellsaint

The Man by Taylor Swift

Istanbul (Not Constantinopel) by They Might Be Giants

Favorite instrument: Piano

Random fact about me: As a kid I learned the first chapter of Harry Potter by heart as a dare but my prodigy days are over and now, I can’t even remember to take my shopping list.

Favorite author: if you make me choose, probably Neil Gaiman. 

Aesthetic: All over the place which cool kids call eclectic, I heard

Favorite color: Red

Last film I watched: Palm Springs

Last show I watched: Criminal Minds

Last thing I texted: "So much! John Donne 😍😍“

Sweet, spicy, savory: Spicy

Pets: None. My apartment is too small for even the littlest dog.

no pressure tags: @humanity-sucks2002 @mademoisellelottchen @shakespeareisbetterthanchocolate @girlfromenglishclass

[kateeorg]

Getting to Know Me(me)

rules: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better

top 3 ships:

Currently it’s: - Steggy (Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter) from MCU - Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey (and its various web series adaptations)  - Fakiru (Fakir/Ahiru or Fakir/Duck) from Princess Tutu (because THIS SHOW DESERVES MORE LOVE)

(Honorable mentions to Ron/Hermione, Ned/Chuck from Pushing Daisies, Darcy/Lizzie from Pride & Prejudice/Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Westallen from The Flash, and Karolsen from Supergirl)

last song:

“Make Your Own Kind of Music” by Case Elliot

lipstick or chapstick:

Lipstick, though I’ll often apply both at once.

last movie:

Letters to Juliet (and part of Groundhog Day)

reading:

Just finished The Selection by Kiera Cass (NOT my usual style, but was recommended to me by more than one person) and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (more my usual style). Deciding on what next!

Tagged by:

@bounding-heart

Tagging:

@live-long-cherokee-rose @captain-ameriadoc-brandybucky @whatswithtodaytoday @rynneer and anyone else who wants to do it. (no pressure though! only if you feel doing this and/or you haven’t done it already.)

[douxreviews]

Shakespeare in Love (1998) Review

“Comedy, love, and a bit with a dog. That’s what they want.”


This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and probably my favorite movie that’s been made since I’ve been alive. It’s as close to perfect as I can imagine. I love everything about it. I think it’s rarest quality is that it’s equally enjoyable whether you’re a Shakespeare expert or if you don’t know “King Lear” from the broad side of a barn.

William Shakespeare, struggling playwright is working on a new play: “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter.” But he’s facing a bit of writer’s block. He needs a new muse. Aphrodite Baggett just isn’t doing it for him anymore. Enter Viola de Lesseps, a noblewoman with a love of the theater and of the works of Shakespeare in particular. It sounds sappy, but the story is told with such a sense of humor that it is impossible not to love. It is at once hilarious, beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly romantic.

Will writes “Romeo and Juliet” while living out a blessedly less depressing version of it. He breaks up with a girl named Rosaline and writes a scene where Romeo pines over a girl of the same name. He speaks with his love on a balcony and then writes the famous balcony scene. Again, it could be sappy, but it is done with a light enough touch that you end up laughing through those scenes instead of cringing. Shakespeare in Love doesn’t for a second take itself seriously, one of its greatest strengths.

Unlike more recent Shakespeare-centric movies, this one does not claim to be non-fictional or really, at all accurate. An early shot in the movie shows a mug that appears to have been purchased in an old-time tourist shop. “A Present from Stratford-upon-Avon,” Shakespeare’s birthplace. I’m not a historian, but I’m 99% sure novelty mugs were not around in the sixteenth century. If you had any doubts of the seriousness of the movie, the appearance of Will’s Freudian analyst less than ten minutes in should put that to rest. That bit always struck me as very Mel Brooks. It’s also a great way to get Will’s backstory out quickly.

Shakespeare in Love utilizes a lot of dialogue straight from “Romeo and Juliet.” One of my favorite parts of the movie is the rehearsal montage, which shows the cast rehearsing the movie and then cuts back to Viola and Will running lines in bed, with Will playing Juliet. Honestly, most of the large chunks of Shakespeare I have committed to memory come from watching this movie again and again and again. It also makes several references to “Twelfth Night,” most notably the end sequence, the cross dressing, and the name Viola.

The film also has some fun with a few well known facts about Shakespeare. For instance, it can be seen as explaining the “Fair Youth” sonnets, which are addressed to a young man. Historians and literary critics have debated whether these sonnets were meant platonically, written in character, or if Shakespeare may have been bisexual. Shakespeare in Love offers a far simpler explanation: the poems were inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow in drag (so obvious). Also commented on is Shakespeare’s tendency to borrow from other writers. Here, he gets a quite a lot of help from Christopher Marlowe in addition to stealing random lines from people he meets.

My one minor issue with the movie is Colin Firth. He plays the bad guy. And he has weird, villainous facial hair. Why is Mr. Darcy being so violent? And why does he want to marry Emma Woodhouse anyway? What happened to Elizabeth Bennet?! Okay, so my issues with Colin Firth may be a little weird and unreasonable. He does a fine job. It’s just...he’s evil and I have a difficult time dealing with it.

Bits and Pieces:

How hot is Voldemort’s little brother as Will? Super hot.

I really want a leather jacket like Will’s.

“Romeo and Juliet” isn’t the only Shakespearean play to have undergone a name change. “One Gentleman of Verona” is also mentioned.

One of many nods to modern actors and writers: a lot of the actors Henslowe hires moonlight as waiters.

The bartender in the scene between Will and Marlowe deserves an award for most distracting extra ever.

John Webster, the boy fired from his role as Ethel grew up to be a playwright known for his exceptionally violent works.

Judi Dench is my favorite screen Elizabeth I (Apologies to Cate Blanchett, whose love interest in Elizabeth is played by Joseph Fiennes. The film also features Geoffrey Rush.).

Henslowe’s obsession with the pirate king is strangely poetic as Geoffrey Rush would go on to play Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

The nurse’s eyeroll when she sees Will in his disguise as Miss Wilhelmina reaches Liz Lemon levels of epicness.

I love Henslowe and Mr. Fennyman checking the script for the writer’s quarrel.

Quotes:

Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to transcribe the entire movie?

Shakespeare: “As soon as I find my muse.” Henslowe: “Who is she this time?” Shakespeare: “She is always Aphrodite.” Henslowe: “Aphrodite Baggett who does it behind The Dog and Trumpet?”

Henslowe: “Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.” Mr. Fennyman: “So what do we do?” Henslowe: “Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.” Mr. Fennyman: “How?” Henslowe: “I don’t know. It’s a mystery.”

Will: “Romeo and Rosaline,” scene one. God, I’m good!” Henslowe: “Rosaline? You mean Ethel.”

Mr. Fennyman: “Who’s that?” Henslowe: “Nobody. He’s the author.”

Will: “We are in desperate want of a Mercutio, Ned, a young nobleman of Verona.” Ned: “And the title of this piece?” Will: “Mercutio.” Actor: “Is it?” Will: (glares)

Henslowe: “Juliet? You mean Ethel.”

Will: “I have a sonnet to write.” Henslowe: “A sonnet? You mean a play.”

Will: “He dies with such passion and poetry as you ever heard...A plague on both your houses!” Ned: “He dies?”

Viola: “I do not know how to undress a man.” Will: “It is strange to me too.”

Henslowe: “You mean no dog of any kind?”

Wessex: “Nature and truth are the very enemies of playacting, I’ll wager my fortune.” Queen Elizabeth: “I thought you were here because you had none.” Royal burn.

Viola: “It is a house of ill repute!” Will: “It is, Thomas, but of good reputation.”

Ned: “Marlowe attacked and got his own knife in the eye. A quarrel about the bill.” Henslowe: “The bill? Oh, vanity, vanity!” Ned: “Not the billing! The bill!” One of my favorite jokes ever.

Henslowe: “The show must...you know...” Will: “Go on!”

Mr. Tilney: “In the name of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth!” Queen Elizabeth: “Mr. Tilney! Have a care with my name, you’ll wear it out.”

Queen Elizabeth: “But I know something of a woman in a man’s profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that.”

four out of four sonnets

sunbunny, who is still a little in love with Joseph Fiennes because of this movie

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: The Murder of Mr. Wickham (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #1) Author: Claudia Gray Genre/s: historical, mystery Content/Trigger Warning/s: murder, sexual harassment (off-page) Summary (from author's website): The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In a tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

Buy Here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-murder-of-mr-wickham-claudia-gray/17502444 Spoiler-Free Review: This was a recommendation from my good friend Hope, and BOY is it a DELIGHT. I had to do some quick Wiki catch-up on a lot of the characters because there were plenty of holes in my memory for what happened to all these characters, but once that was done it was easy to dive right in.

Now, it might seem strange to put these familiar characters in a murder mystery, but I think that's part of what makes this book so compelling. It's sort of the same logic behind some of the darkest, most tragic series getting a crapton of coffeeshop AU fanfics: you want to see these characters in a different setting completely, in many cases one that's tonally different from the original, while still trying to maintain much of who they are. In the case of this book, taking Austen's mostly-genteel characters and settings, and then making them the stage for a murder, has a similar appeal. Even more intriguing, one of those aforementioned beloved characters is probably the murderer, which just adds to the appeal in my opinion.

(I also gotta say that I am unsurprised that Wickham is the murder victim here. Honestly, couldn't have happened to a better person. /s)

While I think the mystery itself was pretty well-plotted, what I most enjoyed was how this novel continued the lives of Austen's characters beyond their respective happily-ever-afters, and did so in a way that shows that, while a wedding might signify the end of a story, it does not signify the end of lives being lived. Marriage isn’t an ending; it’s a beginning: a beginning of a new way of living, with new ways of thinking and being and living with another person - especially true for characters of the Regency period when a couple wouldn’t have really had a very good chance to settle in with each other until after the wedding. I liked how this book showed that just because the wedding’s over and everyone’s ridden off into the sunset, it doesn’t mean that their lives are perfect.

This is most clearly shown in the character dynamics presented in the story. While a lot of their interactions feel familiar (and therefore "authentic" to the characters Austen wrote), there's also a lot that does not, because these are people who have changed over the time they've been married to each other. Austen's characters have layers, but Gray has added more layers, made them more complex and nuanced, by showing how the couples play off each other now that they're married. I think it's that combination of the familiar and the new that really makes the character dynamics shine and makes this book a joy to read.

While reading about Austen's characters is definitely entertaining and one of the major charms of this book, there's also the two original characters: Jonathan Darcy (son of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth) and Juliet Tilney (daughter of Henry and Catherine). They were truly the stars of this book, and that's saying something given the powerhouse cast. Juliet is sharp in a way that reminds me of Elizabeth, almost, but the way she melds that sharpness with compassion and competency are truly her own, and make her a true standout.

And then there's Jonathan. It becomes immediately clear to the reader that he is neurodivergent: possibly autistic, but I can't say for sure as I'm not an expert. It was interesting to read how that fit into Regency society's understanding of such things, and how Jonathan and his family, and eventually Juliet, adjusted to it and helped Jonathan with it. I don't think the Regency period could even describe or had a word for Jonathan's neurodivergency, but it was still good to see the author handle the topic well.

Overall, this is a Jane Austen pastiche that does more than just parrot Austen’s works by expanding on the boundaries set in place by the original books, breathing new life into the characters by using the murder mystery as a way to imagine new angles to their dynamics. The original characters fit in well, and indeed managed to hold their own against the more familiar cast. There were many ways this could have been handled poorly, but I'm glad that this is an instance of a concept being handled very, very well. Rating: five bloody handkerchiefs

[rebeccachapmanbook]

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A summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature?s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen?s leading literary characters.The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances?characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it?s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they?re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered?except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party?s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys?