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About This Blog
Michael Merschel: Michael Merschel edits books coverage for The Dallas Morning News. November 2010
Recent Posts
George W. Bush to sign Decision Points in Dallas Late-breaking author event: Lori Ann Stephens at SMU B&N Bookstore Brandon Sanderson visits Dallas on Thursday Want to write for a literary journal? "The First Line" wants you Going to the World Series with Dave Eggers Rick Riordan's lastest novels take on new myths Audio review: Ian Frazier's "Travels in Siberia" Jimmy Carter to visit Grapevine on Friday Next week in books: Noteworthy new releases Local writers in the news: From Maud Hart Lovelace to "extreme" space Categories
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« Paul Theroux, Ira Glass, Alma Guillermoprieto, more headed to Mayborn |
Main| Isn't it romantic? Well, kind of ... »
Travel editor Mary Ellen Botter weighs in on a pair of recent releases aimed at Austenites:
Disappointingly, the author crashes through expectations into improbability in The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett (Simon & Schuster, $26). Behavior ingrained (more likely required) in gentlefolk of the Regency era is set aside for more modern themes: feminism, homophobia and religious zealotry. Mr. Darcy is a loutish lover and a disappointment to Elizabeth. Mary, her younger sister, is a crusader for the downtrodden. A mad monk imprisons Mary in a cave, no less. So un-Jane-like and far-fetched are these themes that it seems that only the characters' names link McCullough's book to Austen's literary legacy. For Austenites, it's a snack, not a feast.
Was Jane speaking of her own life, or one she wished for -- or lost? Emma Grant, a discredited professor and Austen expert, hunts the answer as she chases purported lost letters by the famed novelist. Leading her in the chase is a mysterious group, The Formidables, said to have been created by Jane's beloved sister Cassandra to keep the writer's secrets of the heart, expressed in the 200-years-hidden missives. Faced with the revelation that would salvage her career yet possibly ruin Austen's reputation, Emma wrestles with her own shattered love. Although a quick read, Ruined isn't shallow. Austen fans will delight in descriptions of real Austen sites in England, honest emotions and the thought that actual discoveries may someday reveal more about the beloved novelist. |
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