Jane Austen's work has been around for years, inspiring authors to become writers, and sometimes, serving as a starting point for a spin-off. Some authors use similar themes and plot devices while others use the same characters with a new tale.
Do you love Jane Austen, and want more of your favorite stories? Then some of these books may be just the right choice for you!
Longbourn by Jo Baker: There is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a new footman arrives, the orderly world of the servants' hall threatens to be upended. Jo Baker takes the reader beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen's classic, Pride and Prejudice, and into the domain of the housekeeper and kitchen maid.
Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollop is a modern retelling of the Jane Austen classic of the same name. The reader follows Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret as they come to terms with their own lives without the status of their home or the comfort of an inheritance.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It begins with the arrival of Lydia Wickham at Pemberley which leads the residents to the discovery of her husband kneeling over a dead body. Then follows the investigation and trial. Who is the killer, and what was the motive?
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron: The first in a series, this story tells of Jane's visit to the home of her friend Isobel, Countess of Scargrave. Isobel and her husband host a ball after returning from their honeymoon. On the night of the ball, the earl dies of apparent poisoning. As rumors begin to circulate, Jane becomes a detective. Who is responsible for the earls death?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Green retells the story of Pride and Prejudice with the addition of zombies. A plague has fallen upon Meryton, and the dead are returning to life. Elizabeth Bennet is determined to stop the zombies, but she is soon distracted by the arrival of the arrogant Mr. Darcy.
The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo is inspired by Sense and Sensibility. This story follows two modern-day sisters, Ellen and Mimi Dodge, as they embark on a walking tour of Jane Austen's England along with a diary that belonged to Jane's sister Cassandra. This diary holds secrets, and someone doesn't want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they make their way through the tour, they learn how Jane and Cassandra inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood.
A sequel to Sense and Sensibility,
Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken tells the story of the illegitimate daughter of Colonel Brandon's sister as she is passed along from one relative to another and as she discovers her parentage and claims her birthright.
Want more? Try one of these movies inspired by Jane Austen's work:
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
Emma
Clueless
The Jane Austen Book Club
Becoming Jane
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