All the Things I Know – Audrey Ryan

August 1, 2018 • Reviews • 27 Comments

Millennials and Modern Jane Austen

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

In a debut release that translates Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to modern-day Seattle with millennial-aged characters, Audrey Ryan tells the story of two sisters that are reuniting to live together after college and law school, find gainful employment, and figure out their directions in life. It is an exciting/confusing/frustrating time. And with uncertainties about their chosen fields and the complications of new relationships, both Lizzie and Jane Venetidis have some difficult lessons to learn and discover about themselves…

One big reason I completely fell in love with this modernization of Pride and Prejudice is because it is modern and New Adult. Making Jane and Lizzie in their early twenties (instead of older) places them in the same time of life of Regency Jane and Elizabeth Bennet – their futures are unknown. On the brink of the next chapter and unsure which path will end up being the one they take. However, unlike Jane Austen’s characters, these modern-day counterparts have many more paths to choose from! In addition, I enjoyed how the relationships in this story represent real modern relationships – with casual hook-ups, the struggle to balance career, friends, and love, and what happens when people in a relationship aren’t on the same page/want the same things. It felt so wonderfully relevant, and it was so easy to understand and relate to each character’s experiences and feelings.

Another part of this story I enjoyed was how how Audrey Ryan found such clever ways to reinterpret and modernize elements from Pride and Prejudice. Each character has a new twist to them – Mr. and Mrs. Venetidis are divorced, Lydia is Jane’s and Lizzie’s cousin with overbearing parents, Charlotte is Lizzie’s co-worker from the coffee house, etc. All the twists and creative updates made the story feel more original and unpredictable. However, my favorite update was with Lizzie’s and Jane’s parents. It was interesting to see how the failed marriage effected both daughters, and I appreciated how both Mr. and Mrs. Veneditis shared some similarities with their Regency counterparts but were also very different. Super inventive and perceptive of Ms. Ryan to translate Jane Austen’s characters this way!

Speaking of the characters, I was quick to fall in love with Ms. Ryan’s portrayals of Darcy and Lizzie. I loved seeing Darcy fall hard for Lizzie and all the adorable little ways he reached out to her, and I just loved Lizzie, period – she is the type of character you want for a best friend. Similar to Pride and Prejudice there are several misunderstandings and mistaken assumptions between these two, but added to that is poor communication and hang-ups about relationships. It was an interesting combination and dynamic and refreshing change from a heavier focus on pride and prejudice. While I may have wanted a little something more during the “Hunsford Parsonage” confrontation, I really appreciate what happened following that event and the unique and satisfying direction Ms. Ryan steered the story.

With her authentic characterizations, innovative updates, and fresh voice Audrey Ryan delivers an intelligent and well-crafted homage to Pride and Prejudice. Readers who appreciate rewarding stories of finding oneself and discovering your own path will love this story, even if they have never read Jane Austen!

Note: I would recommend this novel for Mature Audiences. There are a few intimate scenes and some profanity.

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27 comments

  1. I’ve got this one on my shelf, and am now even more excited to read it after your review! 🙂 I’m going to have to devote a month to reading my own books I think, haha 😉

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  2. I read this a while ago Meredith and it’s now on my ‘re read list. I really really enjoyed it. I love besotted Darcy too and he deserves to get his girl.
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this lovely book.

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  7. I enjoyed your review, Meredith! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. They were similar to my own. 🙂

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  9. It is so great when the modern elements jive with the original story so well. I still have to read this one.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I’ve read so many modern-day P&Ps that ones like this one, that show something new/different it is really satisfying!

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  11. As everyone knows, I’m a lover of beta readers and editors and a stickler for errors in books, and one of the things that struck me as I read this one is no errors! That with an award-winning cover and a story that’s exactly as Meredith describes should sell this novel to anyone who hasn’t taken a chance on it yet, including those of us who tend to be Regency-centric snobs (I count myself in there.) Thanks, Meredith and congratulations to Audrey and her team!

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  12. Congrats to Audrey, on a great Austenesque/Meredith review. I love P&P moderns, must add this one 🙂

    Reply

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