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Awesomely Austen
Awesomely Austen - Illustrated and Retold: Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's classic story, with witty black and white illustrations throughout.
Fanny Price is one of nine children, and her family are very poor. So when a distant relative offers to take her in - giving her the opportunity to grow up wealthy and comfortable - her parents jump at the chance.
But money doesn't always bring happiness, and Fanny struggles to settle into her new home, where the family are very cold towards her. Her only friend amongst them is Edmund, who tries his best to help her be happy.
As she grows up, Fanny realises that Edmund is the most important person in her life. But will he ever see her as more than the timid little girl who arrived at his home so many years before?
Ayisha Malik is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner and lover of books. She has read and reread Austen's books throughout her whole life and is perfectly placed to bring Mansfield Park to a new audience.
Eglantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations.
Illustrated and retold editions are also available Pride and Prejudice, Emma , Persuasion , Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey . The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.
Fanny Price is one of nine children, and her family are very poor. So when a distant relative offers to take her in - giving her the opportunity to grow up wealthy and comfortable - her parents jump at the chance.
But money doesn't always bring happiness, and Fanny struggles to settle into her new home, where the family are very cold towards her. Her only friend amongst them is Edmund, who tries his best to help her be happy.
As she grows up, Fanny realises that Edmund is the most important person in her life. But will he ever see her as more than the timid little girl who arrived at his home so many years before?
Ayisha Malik is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner and lover of books. She has read and reread Austen's books throughout her whole life and is perfectly placed to bring Mansfield Park to a new audience.
Eglantine Ceulemans captures all of Austen's satire and wit, bringing her colourful casts to life with warm and funny black and white illustrations.
Illustrated and retold editions are also available Pride and Prejudice, Emma , Persuasion , Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey . The perfect way to discover Austen for the first time, this bright and bold collection features some of the most inspiring and famous heroines in English literature. For readers aged eight and up.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Ayisha Malik
15 books526 followersAyisha is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books. She read English Literature and went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing (though told most of her family it was an MA in English Literature – Creative Writing is not a subject, after all.) She has spent various spells teaching, photocopying, volunteering and being a publicist. Now, when she isn’t searching for a jar of Nutella in her cupboards, she divides her time between writing and being managing editor at Cornerstones Literary Consultancy.
Ayisha is one of WH Smith's Fresh Talent picks, Winter 2016.
'Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged' is her first novel and will be published by Bonnier in Jan 2016.
'Fun, Fresh and Funny' – MHAIRI MCFARLANE, bestselling author of 'You Had Me At Hello.'
'Malik achieves the perfect balance of romance and humour' – INDEPENDENT
'In creating a host of characters that are normal in their abnormality, relatable yet individual, Malik is undoubtedly making a difference.' – NEW STATESMAN
'Thoroughly engaging and laugh-out-loud funny from the off, this witty, unapologetic, honest, fun and feisty tale fully deserves the buzz it's getting' – HEAT MAGAZINE
'Feisty, funny and relatable it’s the feminist romantic comedy you’ve been waiting for' – ELLE MAGAZINE
'This fictional diary of the dating travails of one righteous romantic is snort-diet-Coke-out-of-your-nostrils funny and will resonate with any woman who’s looking for love' – RED MAGAZINE
'...an entertaining debut with laugh-out-loud moments – a contemporary love story you won't want to miss' – CANDIS MAGAZINE
'Refreshing and funny' – SUNDAY MIRROR
'Fun, feisty and addictive. It deserves to be read' – IRISH EXAMINER
'A courageous, revealing, fiendishly funny and important book. Genuinely ground-breaking” – VASEEM KHAN, bestselling author of 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Mr Chopra'
'...everything about this novel challenges expectations...a sharp, funny but ultimately very normal portrait of life as a British Muslim' THE NATIONAL
'Must-read... Liven up your daily commute or boost your bedtime routine with [this] page-turner' – MARIE CLAIRE
'Best of the New Books Hot List... For fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary' – GRAZIA
Part of 'a new wave of female-focussed fiction... Bridget Jones-esque' – STYLIST
Ayisha is one of WH Smith's Fresh Talent picks, Winter 2016.
'Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged' is her first novel and will be published by Bonnier in Jan 2016.
'Fun, Fresh and Funny' – MHAIRI MCFARLANE, bestselling author of 'You Had Me At Hello.'
'Malik achieves the perfect balance of romance and humour' – INDEPENDENT
'In creating a host of characters that are normal in their abnormality, relatable yet individual, Malik is undoubtedly making a difference.' – NEW STATESMAN
'Thoroughly engaging and laugh-out-loud funny from the off, this witty, unapologetic, honest, fun and feisty tale fully deserves the buzz it's getting' – HEAT MAGAZINE
'Feisty, funny and relatable it’s the feminist romantic comedy you’ve been waiting for' – ELLE MAGAZINE
'This fictional diary of the dating travails of one righteous romantic is snort-diet-Coke-out-of-your-nostrils funny and will resonate with any woman who’s looking for love' – RED MAGAZINE
'...an entertaining debut with laugh-out-loud moments – a contemporary love story you won't want to miss' – CANDIS MAGAZINE
'Refreshing and funny' – SUNDAY MIRROR
'Fun, feisty and addictive. It deserves to be read' – IRISH EXAMINER
'A courageous, revealing, fiendishly funny and important book. Genuinely ground-breaking” – VASEEM KHAN, bestselling author of 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Mr Chopra'
'...everything about this novel challenges expectations...a sharp, funny but ultimately very normal portrait of life as a British Muslim' THE NATIONAL
'Must-read... Liven up your daily commute or boost your bedtime routine with [this] page-turner' – MARIE CLAIRE
'Best of the New Books Hot List... For fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary' – GRAZIA
Part of 'a new wave of female-focussed fiction... Bridget Jones-esque' – STYLIST
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 31, 2020
I went into this book with reservations, Mansfield Park is my favourite Austen and I feared that it’s length and more complex storyline may not translate well into a child friendly retelling. However Ayisha Malik has done an incredible job of creating an approachable adaptation that maintains the feeling of the original. In explaining more Fanny’s thought processes I think she does an excellent job of making the reader sympathise with her and the lessons Mansfield Park strives to teach are clearly laid out to the reader. Overall I was really impressed and will definitely be reading the book again.
November 4, 2022
Un ottimo riadattamento di Mansfield Park per raccontare ai ragazzi il romanzo in modo semplice e completo, corredandolo con le belle illustrazioni di Églantine Ceulemans. L'ho trovato uno dei migliori della serie (Magnifica Jane Austen), quindi non capisco perché, assieme a Northanger Abbey debba sempre essere la solita Cenerentola... Battello a vapore, datevi da fare, perché Jane Austen non è solo Orgoglio e pregiudizio!
September 28, 2025
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
10 out of 10
I have started recently to watch a documentary with script co-written by Thomas Piketty, based on his immensely popular Capital in the Twenty First Century, in which Jane Austen and her characters are mentioned with the argument that the rich people of real life would have never married those from lower classes and thus much of the plot of Pride and Prejudice http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/p... and Mansfield Park would be inconceivable for the humans living in that period, in a manner, much like Mrs. Norris never warms up to her niece, Fanny Price, the heroine of the brilliant novel, same as her room is never brightened by a fire, until Sir Thomas Bertram would rather belatedly notice the insult and impose a remedy that has not been at hand for so many years, ever since the poor Fanny Price is sent from her parents, who have too many children and live within limited means, given that the mother had confronted her family, married beneath her condition and then gave birth to so many children that the future of the family is at risk.
The heroine is just ten when she arrives at Mansfield Park, where she will only have a special, strong connection with her cousin Edmund, the younger brother of Tom, indeed, she will fall in love with her relative, at a time when this was still permitted, though under the circumstances, considering the ‘inferior’ status of the tolerated girl, nobody seems to think that a matrimony could be envisaged, especially after Edmund will have become interested in and attracted by Mary Crawford, once she and her brother Henry will have moved at the nearby parsonage, albeit the young woman does not see with good will the idea that Edmund would become a clergyman, in possession of much less, if anything, than his elder brother, the one who would inherit Mansfield Park and the fortune that he may well squander, given his quite reckless ways.
Maria and Julia are the two daughters of Sir Thomas Bertram, and they will face the consequences of an education that on the one hand had the severe presence of their father, but on the other, they received nothing but praise and admiration, lavished on them by their aunt Norris, one of the villains of the story, given her cruelty towards Fanny, her insistence that the girl is stupid, at least when compared with the magnificent cousins she is so lucky to have as role models and benefactors, the vileness with which she keeps the girl without heat in her room, the permanent requests she makes, treating the niece as a servant or slave, imposing on Fanny the need to walk when Sir Thomas offers her the service of the carriage, torturing the decent, modest, insecure, withdrawn, polite, kind, grateful heroine psychologically and at times literally, by making her suffer from cold and work for a very harsh woman.
Tom insists on putting on a play at Mansfield Park, for which he engages in alterations that will displease his conservative father, indeed, Edmund objects to this project at the beginning, considering the objections, nay the fury that their parent might show if this objectionable endeavor would come to his attention – there was a period when actors were placed at the same level with what we have to call sex workers today and were named prostitutes in a different age, and it is puzzling for modern day readers to find that the play could cause such an uproar, but then there are other situations that have a very different approach from what is considered proper, allowed or encouraged in the present.
Just as in Pride and Prejudice, the notion that a girl might run away before the marriage with a man – never mind with a woman, for a same sex relationship, of God forbid, matrimony – was anathema and brought upon the family a disgrace that involved calamity, shame for life as opposed to what we now know to be better – though the respected, admired new thinker of the age, Jordan Peterson might see it differently, he argues in his openly available lectures on YouTube that the changes brought to divorce, making it so easy to get have been too precipitous and not so well thought and probably he argues that the Christian take on sex before marriage and sex in general is the precept to follow – and that would be relationships before commenting to lifelong or anyway long matrimony, without experience, knowing preferences, compatibility and the other needed elements to see if the big step is to be taken.
Edmund seems to have some blind sides and perhaps like Darcy, there are some flawed judgments he makes, infatuated – the word love does not appear appropriate to describe the misguided emotion he feels – as he is with Mary Crawford and blind to the charms of his cousin, the latter is treated with respect, consideration, even admiration at times, but the man does not see in her anything but a platonic friend, which is more than can be said about all the others, who dismiss the young woman, or even worse, show contempt for her – when she first came, both Mary and Julia were expressing a vile arrogance, showing incredulity for the ignorance that the poor relative had of geography and other subjects she had not been instructed in.
Meanwhile, Fanny suffers to see the man she loves – quite inappropriately for this century – submit to such a degree to the charms of a rival, to the point where after his initial condemnation of the play, which will have been intolerable for Sir Thomas, who is at the time on his way back from his plantation in Antigua, decides to join the project in which Mary Crawford and her brother, together with everyone else in the family and some personages from outside of it are so involved and immersed, a performance for which Fanny is forced to go against her will and better judgment and take a role in, forced by the same dictatorial and insufferable aunt Norris, pressed also by the others who felt her opposition inadequate – for much of the time they see and treat her as ‘inferior’, living with them, but not one of them, a second class relative that is not exactly one of the staff, but resides in between family and the help.
Sir Thomas comes back and he is as expected dissatisfied with the play, the changes brought by it, men involved in the scheme and all that it involves, cancelling the preparations and the upcoming performance, though he returns with a much more favorable opinion of Fanny, for whom he orders that fire must be lit and generally the treatment should be brought to the level of the other members of his family, until Henry Crawford comes to ask for her hand in marriage and the rich head of the household is aghast to hear that his niece would not have the man that is so well situated, actually much above her ‘status’, one he declares will have been accepted for any of his daughters, at a time when considerations such as feelings did not come into considerations about matrimony, though he will be surprised by how well Fanny had assessed the true character of this character, who would elope with one of the daughters of the enchanted uncle…this can be anticipated since few, if any reach this far into the note, it is not quite a spoiler alert and it divulges just one of the many pieces of the puzzle that fall into or out of place at the end of a fabulous Jane Austen novel.
10 out of 10
I have started recently to watch a documentary with script co-written by Thomas Piketty, based on his immensely popular Capital in the Twenty First Century, in which Jane Austen and her characters are mentioned with the argument that the rich people of real life would have never married those from lower classes and thus much of the plot of Pride and Prejudice http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/p... and Mansfield Park would be inconceivable for the humans living in that period, in a manner, much like Mrs. Norris never warms up to her niece, Fanny Price, the heroine of the brilliant novel, same as her room is never brightened by a fire, until Sir Thomas Bertram would rather belatedly notice the insult and impose a remedy that has not been at hand for so many years, ever since the poor Fanny Price is sent from her parents, who have too many children and live within limited means, given that the mother had confronted her family, married beneath her condition and then gave birth to so many children that the future of the family is at risk.
The heroine is just ten when she arrives at Mansfield Park, where she will only have a special, strong connection with her cousin Edmund, the younger brother of Tom, indeed, she will fall in love with her relative, at a time when this was still permitted, though under the circumstances, considering the ‘inferior’ status of the tolerated girl, nobody seems to think that a matrimony could be envisaged, especially after Edmund will have become interested in and attracted by Mary Crawford, once she and her brother Henry will have moved at the nearby parsonage, albeit the young woman does not see with good will the idea that Edmund would become a clergyman, in possession of much less, if anything, than his elder brother, the one who would inherit Mansfield Park and the fortune that he may well squander, given his quite reckless ways.
Maria and Julia are the two daughters of Sir Thomas Bertram, and they will face the consequences of an education that on the one hand had the severe presence of their father, but on the other, they received nothing but praise and admiration, lavished on them by their aunt Norris, one of the villains of the story, given her cruelty towards Fanny, her insistence that the girl is stupid, at least when compared with the magnificent cousins she is so lucky to have as role models and benefactors, the vileness with which she keeps the girl without heat in her room, the permanent requests she makes, treating the niece as a servant or slave, imposing on Fanny the need to walk when Sir Thomas offers her the service of the carriage, torturing the decent, modest, insecure, withdrawn, polite, kind, grateful heroine psychologically and at times literally, by making her suffer from cold and work for a very harsh woman.
Tom insists on putting on a play at Mansfield Park, for which he engages in alterations that will displease his conservative father, indeed, Edmund objects to this project at the beginning, considering the objections, nay the fury that their parent might show if this objectionable endeavor would come to his attention – there was a period when actors were placed at the same level with what we have to call sex workers today and were named prostitutes in a different age, and it is puzzling for modern day readers to find that the play could cause such an uproar, but then there are other situations that have a very different approach from what is considered proper, allowed or encouraged in the present.
Just as in Pride and Prejudice, the notion that a girl might run away before the marriage with a man – never mind with a woman, for a same sex relationship, of God forbid, matrimony – was anathema and brought upon the family a disgrace that involved calamity, shame for life as opposed to what we now know to be better – though the respected, admired new thinker of the age, Jordan Peterson might see it differently, he argues in his openly available lectures on YouTube that the changes brought to divorce, making it so easy to get have been too precipitous and not so well thought and probably he argues that the Christian take on sex before marriage and sex in general is the precept to follow – and that would be relationships before commenting to lifelong or anyway long matrimony, without experience, knowing preferences, compatibility and the other needed elements to see if the big step is to be taken.
Edmund seems to have some blind sides and perhaps like Darcy, there are some flawed judgments he makes, infatuated – the word love does not appear appropriate to describe the misguided emotion he feels – as he is with Mary Crawford and blind to the charms of his cousin, the latter is treated with respect, consideration, even admiration at times, but the man does not see in her anything but a platonic friend, which is more than can be said about all the others, who dismiss the young woman, or even worse, show contempt for her – when she first came, both Mary and Julia were expressing a vile arrogance, showing incredulity for the ignorance that the poor relative had of geography and other subjects she had not been instructed in.
Meanwhile, Fanny suffers to see the man she loves – quite inappropriately for this century – submit to such a degree to the charms of a rival, to the point where after his initial condemnation of the play, which will have been intolerable for Sir Thomas, who is at the time on his way back from his plantation in Antigua, decides to join the project in which Mary Crawford and her brother, together with everyone else in the family and some personages from outside of it are so involved and immersed, a performance for which Fanny is forced to go against her will and better judgment and take a role in, forced by the same dictatorial and insufferable aunt Norris, pressed also by the others who felt her opposition inadequate – for much of the time they see and treat her as ‘inferior’, living with them, but not one of them, a second class relative that is not exactly one of the staff, but resides in between family and the help.
Sir Thomas comes back and he is as expected dissatisfied with the play, the changes brought by it, men involved in the scheme and all that it involves, cancelling the preparations and the upcoming performance, though he returns with a much more favorable opinion of Fanny, for whom he orders that fire must be lit and generally the treatment should be brought to the level of the other members of his family, until Henry Crawford comes to ask for her hand in marriage and the rich head of the household is aghast to hear that his niece would not have the man that is so well situated, actually much above her ‘status’, one he declares will have been accepted for any of his daughters, at a time when considerations such as feelings did not come into considerations about matrimony, though he will be surprised by how well Fanny had assessed the true character of this character, who would elope with one of the daughters of the enchanted uncle…this can be anticipated since few, if any reach this far into the note, it is not quite a spoiler alert and it divulges just one of the many pieces of the puzzle that fall into or out of place at the end of a fabulous Jane Austen novel.
August 11, 2023
If you look at my review of Austen’s Mansfield Park you will notice that it’s very low. This is because the novel is one of my least favorites of hers and is (in my opinion) a lot longer than it needs to be.
I feel Ayisha Malik’s adaptation does a really good job being concise and showing what the novel is all about. I’m just curious how kids in the age it’s directed to would react to it compared to Pride and Prejudice in this series.
I feel Ayisha Malik’s adaptation does a really good job being concise and showing what the novel is all about. I’m just curious how kids in the age it’s directed to would react to it compared to Pride and Prejudice in this series.
December 2, 2020
From September 2019 to October 2020, we were treated to a series of splendid illustrated books, drawn by Églantine Ceulemans, collectively entitled “Awesomely Austen – Illustrated and Retold.” The series features all of Austen’s completed novels, repackaged as enjoyable children’s books, seeking to introduce the delights of Jane Austen to a younger generation while also entertaining long-time fans.
Since these books are aimed primarily at children and young adults, Jane Austen’s most memorable quotes are understandably absent. Written in Regency-era “British” English, Austen’s original prose may be difficult for younger readers to fully appreciate.
As such, long-time fans should not expect to read such iconic and deliciously witty statements as Pride and Prejudice's “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" or Emma's “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.”
In their place are wonderful retellings done in a language more accessible to their target audience, accompanied by Ms. Ceuleman’s charmingly quirky illustrations.
These children’s books retain the spirit of Austen’s wicked wit, insightful social commentary, and ahead-of-its-time focus on strong female protagonists.
In this way, the “Awesomely Austen” series provides a wonderful venue for a new generation readers to discover the delights of Jane Austen, ensuring that her legacy will live on for generations to come.
Since these books are aimed primarily at children and young adults, Jane Austen’s most memorable quotes are understandably absent. Written in Regency-era “British” English, Austen’s original prose may be difficult for younger readers to fully appreciate.
As such, long-time fans should not expect to read such iconic and deliciously witty statements as Pride and Prejudice's “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" or Emma's “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.”
In their place are wonderful retellings done in a language more accessible to their target audience, accompanied by Ms. Ceuleman’s charmingly quirky illustrations.
These children’s books retain the spirit of Austen’s wicked wit, insightful social commentary, and ahead-of-its-time focus on strong female protagonists.
In this way, the “Awesomely Austen” series provides a wonderful venue for a new generation readers to discover the delights of Jane Austen, ensuring that her legacy will live on for generations to come.
March 3, 2021
Mansfield Park is one of my least favorite Jane Austen books, so i was never going to rate this a 5 star read but i still really enjoyed the interpretation.
January 26, 2025
Poor Mansfield Park, being labeled as the least favorite of Jane Austen's books. I was about to put a 4 star instead of a 5 star, for several reasons: I'm sleepy and I keep going back and forth who is Henry or Edmund or Susan or Maria or Mary, I keep mixing them up. And the unlikeable characters, gosh Fanny is SO boring, and so is Edmund! Why are they too prudish? Usually Jane's protagonists are witty and bold and not afraid to say what's on her mind, Fanny is just too mousy. And Edmund omg, he seems to be the self-righteous kind of person. If they both look down on Mary for thinking too much about money, all the characters of Austen THINK about money! The beloved Bennets, Emma, the Dashwoods, and Anne Eliot, who literally rejected her love interest because he had low prospects!
Anyway, I was persuaded to change my mind because the story is quite complex, and I am still amazed by Austen dropping gems here and there. It's still a great book, and I love all Awesomely Austens, I wish there is a similar one for every classic out there.
***
"There are probably very few women who would not rather put up with being loved by a clever, charming man, than having him driven away by her dysfunctional family."
Anyway, I was persuaded to change my mind because the story is quite complex, and I am still amazed by Austen dropping gems here and there. It's still a great book, and I love all Awesomely Austens, I wish there is a similar one for every classic out there.
***
"There are probably very few women who would not rather put up with being loved by a clever, charming man, than having him driven away by her dysfunctional family."
December 14, 2023
I believe Mansfield Park is considered jane Austen's most 'difficult' novel in many ways. I doubt many adults would find a great to love about it and a child would certainly be uninterested. So Ayisha Malik does a creditable job here of presenting the story for young readers and, one hopes, leading them eventually to the original. I do wonder, though, whether a child would not find the story as presented here rather...boring. Ineviteably, the relationships between the characters are toned down and all Austen's nuances are lost - certainly no jokes about vice and rear admirals. Even the letter in which the true unpleasantness of Mary Crawford's character is revealed, which made me gasp on first reading of the original, is skated over here and could be easily missed.
The illustrations, as in all the books in this series, are dreadful.
The illustrations, as in all the books in this series, are dreadful.
May 12, 2024
This is the second in the Awesomely Austen series that I’ve read, and I loved it so much that I ordered the other four before I’d even finished. The writing is witty and clever, and the illustrations are adorable. I’ve seen probably every Austen screen adaptation there is, but I’ve not read all the novels, and as an introduction, this is perfect for inspiring me to read the whole book. Sometimes I find classic books overwhelming in terms of endless character lists and trickier language, and this is a great way to approach the unabridged book, even as an adult. Like a classic with training wheels.
And of course it’s also great for younger readers, especially those eyeing up Bridgerton but too young for the spice.
And of course it’s also great for younger readers, especially those eyeing up Bridgerton but too young for the spice.
February 9, 2022
I know this book is not one of the most popular of Jane Austens but I loved this book.
Fanny is sent to live with her relatives. Never quite feeling like part of the family but overtime she gains the family trust and affection. She becomes particularly close to the youngest son, Edmund. Sadly Edmund only has eyes for another woman. With the usual ulterior motives and secret agenda this book does really stand the test of time
Fanny is sent to live with her relatives. Never quite feeling like part of the family but overtime she gains the family trust and affection. She becomes particularly close to the youngest son, Edmund. Sadly Edmund only has eyes for another woman. With the usual ulterior motives and secret agenda this book does really stand the test of time
October 5, 2025
I didn't find the characters in this story as repugnant as some characters from other Jane Austen novels. (Although, that could be the effect of reading this particular adaptation.) I also didn't find the love story plot as gripping. As an introduction to Austen for my girls, it's in the contentions.
November 5, 2023
For some reason this book didnt feel like Austen at all. Many many characters with different thought processes. The protagonist was surely very matured beyond her age in my opinion. For detailed review
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June 23, 2023
It has lots of marriages and romance.
October 21, 2023
This series is perfect for my middle grade classroom. I love it!
November 30, 2025
This was fun - easy for a younger reader to understand while capturing the characters and storyline
October 21, 2024
Fanny Price is one of nine children, and her family lives in poverty. When a distant relative offers to take her in and give her a chance to live a life of wealth and comfort, her parents eagerly agree. However, money doesn't solve everything, and Fanny finds it difficult to adjust to her new home, where the family is distant and unkind. The only person who treats her with kindness is Edmund, who becomes her closest friend and tries to make her feel at ease. As Fanny grows older, she realizes that Edmund is the most important person in her life. But the question remains—will he ever see her as more than the shy girl who entered his home so many years ago?
I love how Fanny and Edmund are such a strong couple in Austen’s works. Fanny’s unwavering love for Edmund, even when he thinks he knows what’s best, is admirable. She never lets the negativity from those around her affect her or change who she is, staying true to herself and her own convictions. Her bond with her brother is also really sweet, and their mutual care for one another adds so much warmth to the story. I really enjoyed this retelling, the author's writing was fantastic, and the illustrations complemented the story perfectly. This series has quickly become one of my favorites!
I love how Fanny and Edmund are such a strong couple in Austen’s works. Fanny’s unwavering love for Edmund, even when he thinks he knows what’s best, is admirable. She never lets the negativity from those around her affect her or change who she is, staying true to herself and her own convictions. Her bond with her brother is also really sweet, and their mutual care for one another adds so much warmth to the story. I really enjoyed this retelling, the author's writing was fantastic, and the illustrations complemented the story perfectly. This series has quickly become one of my favorites!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews