Customer Reviews

Lady Vernon and Her Daughter: A Novel of Jane Austen's Lady Susan

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love love love Jane Austen. I love her stories, her language, her wit, her sentence construction, and, you know, pretty much everything else about her, too. I've read all the novels several times a piece. I consider it one of the world's greatest tragedies that she died without writing a dozen more books (okay, maybe that's being a bit dramatic...but only a tiny bit).

And I couldn't get through the first few chapters of the book. IT'S NOT THE SAME. The language in this book strives to be Austenesque, but falls flat. It feels stilted and silly, and lacks that Austen sparkle. If this were a "sequel" to one of the other books, maybe I'd try to suffer through it, but since it's Lady Susan, I'm just not that compelled to keep going. Maybe if you love Lady Susan, really just for the story and not for the writing, you'd like this. And maybe if you love the other Austen fan fic out there, you'd enjoy this. I've only read one or two that I actually enjoyed at all, but this had such good reviews I thought I'd give it a try. Not worth it.

Read Elizabeth Gaskell or the Bronte sisters if you're having a craving. Or re-read Pride & Prejudice again. Or Persuasion, which I appreciate more each time I read it. But don't bother with this book.

(PS - I'm sorry that it looks like people believe all negative reviews to be unhelpful. I hoped to be helpful to those who haven't enjoyed other Austen fan fic but wondered if the positive reviews on this book meant that it would be better. Those of you who are marking this review unhelpful, I'd love to hear more (leave a comment) about what else I could say to make a negative review more helpful.)

I completely agree with Chapati and disagree with Julia Rietmulder-Stone. This is the first Austen-esque novel I've read that came anywhere near the Jane Austen "voice" in terms of both language and wit. Both are modernized enough to flow smoothly for today's reader, without going over the top to what amounts to the near val-gal speak from so many Austen wannabes.

I especially liked the way the characters interacted, so much like Austen's amused dissection of society of her own day. Yes, some characters and plot threads were a bit overdrawn, but hey, it's a romantic novel, not heavy literature. An author--or two, in this case--can stretch things a bit without ruining the reader's enjoyment. All I can say is, I was _happy_ while reading this book. Thank you, Jane-tility!

Lady Vernon and Her Daughter is a full-length novel based on Jane Austen's early, unpublished work, Lady Susan. Austen's epistolary work portrays Lady Susan as conniving and amoral, determined to find well-to-do husbands for herself and her daughter. The mother-daughter author team of this novel turns Austen's on its head, portraying the two in a much more favorable light. I have never read Lady Susan, by Jane Austen, so I cannot say how plausible the Rubinos' spin on the tale is. I found their version of the story to be engaging and entertaining.

Lady Vernon is widowed suddenly by a husband whose will was not changed before his death. She and her daughter are left with very little money, as most goes to her husband's heir, his brother. Susan unwittingly becomes the desired object of a married man, and thus becomes the focus of unkind rumors that scurry about society in letters and exaggerated conversations. Her daughter, Frederica, also is not spared. The story explains how this happens, and how the mother and daughter deal with the backlash.

In terms of language and interaction, I found this novel true to Austen's sharp wit. The authors made an effort to convey the tone of Austen's writing, and I appreciated that. The main characters, too, were fleshed out and interesting, though there was a very large cast, and I found the connections confusing. The main quibble I had with the story was one misunderstanding on the part of gossip-mongers that persisted throughout the whole story, about which gentleman was courting which lady. That seemed to stretch past the belief point to me, and I didn't see why it was necessary for the rumor to last for nearly the entirety of the book, and for people to so staunchly believe it. Other than that and a few minor plot points (and a confusion as to how the main character went from Lady Susan in Austen's work to Lady Vernon in this one), I enjoyed this novel. I generally do not like Austen sequels or rewrites, but I think I enjoyed this one because I've never read Lady Susan and so did not automatically compare it with Austen's novel.

Also, I appreciated the efforts to show Lady Vernon and Frederica as sympathetic characters, the victims of gossip and exaggeration, as I think there were probably many ladies in the Regency era who were subject to unkind gossip that affected their reputations. Overall, I found this a fun and entertaining read, and recommend it to fans of Austen or the Regency era.

Being a fan of Jane Austen, anything that remotely smacks of her wit is on my list of "must reads". I found this novel to be true to Austen's wit and tone although it started somewhat slowly. If you aren't familiar with Jane Austen's Lady Susan, you might get a little confused on the who's who list of characters in Lady Vernon and Her Daughter. This novel is well worth reading,though, especially if you are an Austen fan who enjoys her compilation of characters. I liked the way Jane Rubino & Caitlen Rubino-Bradway used the letters from "Lady Susan" to flesh-out an interesting story. You will view Lady Susan Vernon in a whole new light. Instead of the selfish, self-centered individual laid out in the letters, she will become a poor, misunderstood young widow seeking a better life for her and her teenage daughter. To say anymore would give too much of this story away. Especially if you've read Jane Austen's novel. Please note that Amazon Kindle offers Jane Austen's Lady Susan as a FREE eBook. You might enjoy reading her story before you read this one, or after you've finished this book.

Having loved the original letter format of Jane Austen's Lady Susan, I was a little skeptical about the updated version in novel form, but I was pleasantly surprised! The authors have done a great job of not only filling in a lot of the blanks but capturing the subtle humoristic style of Jane Austen's wit. Well done!

I am usually very skeptical of any book that tries to copy or mimic an original author especially one as amazing as Jane Austen. But with Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, I was pleasantly surprised by how well these contemporary authors were able to recreate Austen's world. While Austen portrayed Lady Susan as conniving and mean spirited, the Rubinos have created a very lovely character who is able to rise above the small mindedness of her immediate surroundings.

Lady Susan, a reputed beauty in the local county, meets and marries Sir Frederick Vernon. Not all rejoice at the match as Sir Frederick's brother chooses to feel scorned, pretending hurt feelings and love deprived. But he never loved Lady Susan and was only interested in her because he was hoping to become part heir of the inheritance that he assumed her rich uncle would settle on her. From this incident, he holds Lady Susan and her daughter, Frederica, in contempt and when his brother dies in suspicious circumstances, he sees it as an excuse to exact revenge on them. As his brother's heir, he casts them aside into reduced circumstances. Much of what follows is typical Austen fare: financial and somewhat social demotion, malicious gossiping, sarcasm, wit and an end that has our favorite characters coming to a good end. I enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised. There were a few problems here and there like the fact that I sometimes could not remember who was related or connected to whom. This made it sometimes hard for me to realize the full import of certain circumstances. But all in all I did not regret picking up this book as the characters were well developed and multi-dimensional.

No one can replicate Austen but these ladies make a worthy try.

I am obliged to admit that I was thoroughly entertained by Lady Vernon and Her Daughter. There are some who might say that to rework a novella of letters by such an esteemed author far too an ambitious undertaking. And yet there are some who are so bewitched with the Austenesque style that to have too long a period go by without some sort of Austen inspired release to be too cruel a fortune to bear. Lady Vernon and Her Daughter boasts wit and pleasant diversion, and gives Austen's admires something fresh to consume. And I'd daresay that this novel's gentlemen are as dashing and noble as any that Austen herself has conceived. Though at times the effort on the part of the authors is plainly obvious, and Lady Vernon is inhumanely charming and clever whilst her enemies are inconceivably daft, I still have the pleasure of saying Lady Vernon and Her Daughter is the most delightful Austen novel since Pride and Prejudice and Vampires. It would be to the credit of Austen fans to read it.

It was with mixed feelings that I began this book. As a huge Austen fan, I have found that I am rarely satisfied with Austen spin-offs (Pemberly Shades being the exception) but, again as a die-hard Austen fan, I keep trying. Lady Vernon and Her Daughter began well, with the first paragraph engaging me and promising an Austen-esque style. But, sadly, that was the only bit that did. The first pages ramble on and cover two generations with barely a nod at each. Lady Susan (as she should be referred to, not as Lady Vernon) is never developed as a character, with emotions and reasons and thoughts. The other characters are equally unreal, and the plot just never becomes interesting.

While I did not expect Rubino and Rubino-Bradway to BE Austen, I did expect that these ladies would have spent enough time in studying her writings to capture the flavor of the language and descriptions. After all, the are calling this novel "A Jane Austen Novel". The prose feels very flat, lackluster and insipid, and what they meant to be witty Austen-isms simply were not. Even the author Pride, Prejudice and Zombies was able to capture the Austen feel, while going WAY off on a tangent, whereas these authors failed.

My advice is to go back to Austen, if you need an Austen fix, or, if you must read a "continuation" or spin-off, hunt down a copy of Pemberly Shades. (Frankly, I enjoyed Pride, Prejudice and Zombies immensely more than I did Lady Vernon and Her Daughter.) And, please, don't let this novel be your only acquaintance with Austen!

It isn't easy to write a book as if you were Jane Austen, but the authors have just about pulled it off. I once attempted to read Austen's novella, Lady Susan, but found it awkward and uninteresting. There really wasn't a story there, there weren't any characters I cared about, and I can't remember even finishing it.

Had this been Austen's Lady Susan, I would definitely remember it better. The authors have done a great job fleshing out the original and, I think, making some much-needed changes. The dialog and running commentary flows flawlessly in true Austen fashion. The sharp wit, the philosophical and pithy observations that make ordinary conversations so interesting in Austen's books are here throughout. The human misunderstandings and misperceptions that characterize Austen books are also here. The humor is less implied and more obvious than is usual in Austen, both in the character of James and in story line in general, but it fits in seamlessly.

The characters are firmly rooted in their time and place. Their behavior, their motivations, and the outcome of both are pure Austen. James, the hero, is a complex mix of qualities. He is deeper than he appears and is generally misunderstood by everyone but, as the pages turn, the true person emerges in true "Mr. Darcy" fashion. Of all the characters, he is my favorite.

While I find no fault at all with the author's changes to the original storyline and characters--quite the opposite--I do think that a change in the pacing of the book would have been beneficial.

I realize that the stage for Charles' villainy, etc, has to be set, but the first part (in which the reader is just waiting for poor Sir Frederick's inevitable death) feels longer and slower than it has to be. It is almost a relief to get him dead and buried so that the real story can begin. From there on, it is an absolute treat and I highly recommend it.

I found this to be a very enjoyable read. The authors have created a sort of retelling of Jane Austen's epistolary novella Lady Susan and if you are a Jane Austen enthusiast, I think you will enjoy this story.

First off, one correction to what is indicated in a few other reviews: Lady Susan was not an unfinished Jane Austen work. Whether or not she ever intended to go back and revise it is unknown, but it is definitely in a completed form as it exists today. I would recommend reading it before starting Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, if for no other reason than that I found that it increased my enjoyment of Lady Vernon.

The authors have expanded on Jane Austen's work and added in a few great twists of their own. There is a family tree at the start of the book that I found helpful in illustrating the various relationships of the characters as well.

While a few of the other reviewers have had some quibbles with the language, writing style, and some of the topics discussed by the characters, I didn't find any of that detracted from my overall enjoyment of this story in the least. While some diehard Jane Austen purists may take issue, if you don't fall into that category I would highly recommend this to anyone else seeking out an entertaining Austen-related read.