Dancing with Mr. Darcy

September 1, 2010
Comprised of the three winners of the Chawton House Library short story competition as well as 17 runners up, this collection offers a wide variety of takes on Austen, her life, her literature, and her impactwith nary a zombie in sight. The winning entry, Victoria Owens Jane Austen over the Styx finds Jane on judgment day being called to task by five characters she skewered in her novels. Elsa A. Solenders Second Thoughts draws from Austens biography to explore her decision to accept the proposal of Harris Bigg-Withers, only to recant the next day. Kirsty Mitchells Jayne gets inside the head of a soft-core model who is both well read and eminently practical. Elizabeth Hopkinsons The Delaford Ladies Detective Agency sends up Alexander McCall Smiths series, casting the now married Elinor and Marianne Dashwood as sleuths in a light-hearted mystery. Clair Humphies details an Austen-themed bachelorette weekend that goes awry until a dashing Mr. Darcy type shows up in The Jane Austen Hen Weekend. A lively and diverse collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)