Laurie Viera Rigler's Blog: Jane Austen Addict, page 22

Valentine's Day Sucks, but Northanger Abbey Doesn't.

Which is why I'm spending my Valentine's night watching JJ Field,
Felicity Jones, Carrie Mulligan (she of the Oscar nomination for AN EDUCATION),
and the rest of the brilliant cast of NORTHANGER ABBEY , which airs on PBS
Masterpiece Classic tonight.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a romantic who is happily in love with my wonderful husband. But let's face it, Valentine's Day is
a holiday designed to make single people feel bad about themselves (and I spent
many years in...

Fiction to Film Interview

Please check out Fiction to Film's interview with me, where I answer reader questions and provide advice for authors seeking a publisher, discuss my love of Jane Austen, the idea of bringing my Austen Addict novels to the screen, and much more.

EMMA on PBS Masterpiece Classic

Are you as excited as I am about the new EMMA miniseries on PBS Masterpiece Classic?

If so, please read my post on PBS's Remotely Connected blog, and let me know your thoughts!

Victoire Sanborn of Jane Austen's World and Jane Austen Today has also posted about EMMA.

How about watching EMMA as a communal experience with fellow Austen fans? If you've got a Twitter account, join the live Twitter party during Sunday's broadcast, 9-11 Eastern AND 9-11 Pacific time.

Along with PBS and Masterpiece, a

A Marvel Idea: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Graphic Novel

When Paula Dacker, a librarian friend (whom I wrote about here in a previous post), gave the Marvel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE graphic novel the thumbs-up, I knew I had to get a copy. And it did not disappoint. From the girlie-magazine-like cover with
headlines like "Bingleys Bring Bling to Britain" and "How to
Cure Your Boy-Crazy Sisters" to the scrumptious illustrations by Hugo
Petrus, it was a blast. Adapter Nancy Butler did a fine job of retaining the sense
and...

A magical new year to you all!

Many delightful surprises on the very first day of 2010:

Two of my favorite book bloggers included RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT in their best-of lists for 2009.

Historical-Fiction.com named RUDE AWAKENINGS "MOST ENTERTAINING" of 2009:

AND Peeking Between the Pages included it in its 10 Favorite Books of the year.

Apart from that, there were giant bulldogs, fairies on horseback, origami creatures, and all manner of wondrous beings roaming the streets of my town. In others words, the...

Librarians Rock--Especially When They Spread the Word of Austen

I've said before on this blog (and to anyone who'll listen),
librarians are my heroes. That's because libraries were the sanctuary of my
childhood. Growing up in a home with few books, libraries were magical places that
opened doors to unimaginable worlds. I always left the library and bookmobile
with armloads of books that I devoured. And there were always more. For a kid
like me, it was absolute heaven.

Today, I have the honor of meeting librarians all the...

Jane Austen: 234 years old, and as young as ever

December 16 is Jane Austen's birthday, and I wish that I could give her a present. I wish that I could thank her for all the joy her work has given me. For every time I re-read one of her novels, I revel in the pure pleasure of a well-loved tale. But along with the familiarity is ever-unfolding discovery, for these are stories that are all about human nature, its beauties as well as its follies.

And isn't there always something new to learn about ourselves and those around us? That's the...

Northanger Abbey, Twitter Version: Chapter 12

When last we left Catherine, she returned home after John Thorpe lied and tricked her into a carriage ride, only to hear that Henry and Eleanor Tilney had shown up just minutes after she left with Thorpe.

Here is the next chapter:

Eager to make amends, Catherine goes to the Tilneys'—and is turned away by
their servant. She is "dejected and humbled."

That night she
forgets her woes for a bit @ the theatre—till she spots Henry in an opposite
box; he bows coldly—no smiles for...

Nick Hornby's latest brings Austen devotees to mind

I just read JULIET, NAKED by Nick Hornby who, along with Zadie
Smith, is my idea of a contemporary Jane Austen. Both Hornby and Smith make profound observations of human nature, give us romance without sentimentality, have a divine sense of humor, and are simply masterful storytellers. In my
writing workshops I inevitably read passages from various Hornby novels and Smith's ON BEAUTY
as examples of the best in contemporary fiction.

 

For this reader, JULIET, NAKED brought...

Northanger Abbey, Twitter Version: Chapters 9-11

Here's my latest recap of NORTHANGER ABBEY, Twitter version. Follow me on Twitter, or check back here for more recaps. Better yet, read the book.

[JJ Feild and Felicity Jones in the delightful 2007 ITV adaptation of NORTHANGER ABBEY.:]

Chapter 9: 

Northanger Abbey date from hell:Thorpe takes Catherine
for a drive, boasts of his dangerous horse & asks if Mr. Allen is "as
rich as a Jew."

 

Next Thorpe scares Catherine as to the perilous
state of her brother James's carriage, & then...