Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood
Author: Abby McDonald
Type of Austenesque Novel: Young Adult, Modern Adaptation
Release Date: April 23rd, 2013
Pages: 336
Available in: Hardcover and Ebook
Available at: Amazon and Barnes and Noble
from goodreads: Abby McDonald gives L.A. the Jane Austen treatment in this contemporary take on Sense and Sensibility.
Hallie and Grace Weston have never exactly seen life eye to eye. So when their father dies and leaves everything to his new wife, forcing the girls to pack up and leave San Francisco for a relative’s house in shiny Beverly Hills, the two sisters take to their changing lot in typically different styles. Shy, responsible Grace manages to make friends with an upbeat, enterprising girl named Palmer but still yearns for her old life — and the maybe-almost-crush she left behind. Meanwhile, drama queen Hallie is throwing herself headlong into life — and love — in L.A., spending every second with gorgeous musician Dakota and warding off the attention of brooding vet Brandon. But is Hallie blinded by the stars in her eyes? And is Grace doomed to forever hug the sidelines?
MY THOUGHTS:
- I love YA adaptations of Austen novels!
- I’ve read several modern-day retellings of Sense Sensibility, some I loved like Sass and Serendipity and The Dashwood Sisters Tell All, some I wasn’t very enamored with like The Three Weissmanns of Westport.
- Dakota is a musician? Nice! I love musicians! <3
- “Brooding Brandon…” – can’t wait to meet him! Love broody men!
- Given the title of this book, I wonder how much “hollywood” we will be seeing. Will there be movie sets and actors? Celebrities and glamour?
- This cover makes it look like a perfect beach or poolside read! 🙂
Previous Posts:
Austenesque Novel Finds #17 – Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match
Austenesque Novel Finds #16 – Austensibly Ordinary
Austenesque Novel Finds #15 – My Dear Sophy
Austenesque Novel Finds #14 – The Beresfords
Austenesque Novel Finds #13 – Falling for Mr. Darcy
I saw something about this book recently. It looks good! I am always a sucker for YA adaptations of Austen’s work! Hopefully I will have time to read it sooner than later! 😉
I’ve been very happy with some of the YA Austenesque adaptations I read such as Jenni James. I think this one sounds fun, I hope to read it soon too! 🙂
I think you need to read it for us and find out if it’s any good 🙂
I love YA adaptations too, and it is nice to see something based on S&S too rather than P&P or Persuasion for a change.
When they say Brandon is a vet I first interpreted it as animal doctor which I thought was a bit out of left field, then I realised it’s set in the US so vet means ex-soldier, d’oh! The clue is in the fact he is a Colonel in S&S I suppose!
I’d be happy to do that, Ceri! I just need to get myself a copy first! It always feels refreshing to read something that isn’t inspired or related to P&P – don’t get me wrong I love P&P, but I’m a big fan of the other novels too!
A friend on twitter pointed this book out to me not too long ago. It looks really good. I’d like to read it!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts if you do get to read it, Candy!
Hmm, this is a new one to me! I haven’t really read much YA Austenesque. Ceri, I assumed also that ‘vet’ was veterinarian, not veteran. lol The latter didn’t cross my mind til you brought it up.
Thank you, glad it’s not just me! Although if it’s something you would say on that side of the Atlantic too perhaps he is an animal-treating vet. Either style of vet is fine by me though, Colonel Brandon is lovely 🙂
I think it could be either type of vet – I once read a S&S retelling where Brandon was a doctor. I guess we will have to read it to solve the mystery! LOL! Yes, Ceri, Brandon IS lovely!
Meredith,
This looks interesting!
You know I love modern adaptations…so I’m definitely curious ;).
Oh me too! I never get tired of them! It’s always interesting to see how an author translates things and events to our modern world!
This does sound interesting. I’m always glad when you point this kind of book out.
I’m happy to be of any help! Maybe it might be one you can share with your grand daugher?
Mags tweeted about this earlier today (since an article referred to Jane Austen’s work at “Edwardian.”) That aside, I’m really interested in it. I read and enjoyed McDonald’s Sophomore Switch, I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a fun book.
Just took a closer look at the cover. I hope the obviously different ethnicity of the girls is a plot fact (different mothers, one adopted, something) rather than a ploy by the publisher to make the book appeal to a broader audience. I am all for not white-washing YA covers, but when the characters are supposed to be blood-related, it doesn’t really work for them to not look *somewhat* alike. Why not use two non-white girls for the picture?
But then, cover art is one of those things that bugs me…
I noticed it too, and was thinking it would be annoying if they are supposed to be sisters unless they are not genetically full sisters like you say.
I think it’s sloppy when the cover clearly doesn’t match the description of the characters.
Hi Meredith!
I wonder too if there’ll be movie sets and who “Edward Ferrars” will be. It’s a pity there’s no third sister “Margaret” but maybe the book has some unexpected surprises!. Teresa.
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