I have always love reading about the locations that were used in all Jane Austen's adaptations of her six beloved novels. In fact, I even purchase The Making of Pride and Prejudice book about the whole production process of transforming Jane Austen's most popular novel into BBC's successful and critically acclaimed 1995 mini-series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Thus I was delighted to find that there is such an informative guide available on the movies and television dramas based on her novels because there are very few books written on this subject.
Compiled by Marcia Kennedy-McLuckie, this 60-page paperback book is filled with short but precise descriptions on each of the places used in the most recent productions. It gives me a glimpse into some of Britain's most picturesque houses, towns and villages. Besides this, there are some wonderful pictures of the actual settings which is very useful because it helps me to recall the films that I had watch before but could not remember the details. The book is arranged chronologically in descending order beginning with the latest adaptations right through the first Jane Austen movie brought to life, the 1940 black-and-white film of Pride and Prejudice. Although it does not contain all of Austen adaptations that was shown on television and cinemas, I am satisfied and commend Ms Kennedy-McLuckie for inserting some trivia facts such as other productions that also made use of the same location.
This book is actually a second edition of the same book that was published some years ago prior to the screening of ITV's 'Jane Austen Season' in March 2007. This updated edition includes ITV's Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion that comprises the 'Jane Austen Season' and BBC's three part mini-series Sense and Sensibility. A 2007 film titled Becoming Jane on Jane Austen's youthful romance with Tom Lefroy, a young Irish lawyer, was also added to this selection. However I wished that the author would include three of the latest Jane Austen based dramas of Emma (Fall 2009) and Miss Austen Regrets (2008) offered on BBC and ITV's Lost in Austen, a 2008 time travel tale with a Pride and Prejudice twist. Here's hoping that there will be a third edition of this book published in a few years time that will include the choices that I have mentioned plus any latest offering and I will gladly buy it.
For your information, this entertaining book published in the UK can be purchased online at either The Jane Austen Centre's Giftshop or Trail Publishing. As I could not find the book in Amazon UK's website and do not know the ISBN, I could not order it from my workplace. I dearly wished all Austen fans learn about this book and recommend it to their friends and families so that in turn it could be more widely available.
This is my twelfth book review for The Book Buff's Jane Austen is My Homegirl Reading Challenge.
I just received this one for Christmas and can't wait to read it! Even more so now, since you prasied it so highly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. You should put this book on top of your TBR pile.
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