Oh my, pick this up and experience a thrill of emotion as here is the first known and one of the best ‘sequels’ to Jane Austen’s novels. First published in 1914, we are re-introduced to characters from all six of Austen’s completed works, however the main focus is Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. Although you don't need to have read all of Austen’s novels, it really does help if you have, as references and characters from them pop up everywhere. The unknown Sybil Brinton has created a fascinating and engaging after world, so suspend the reality of whether or not the characters would have come into contact with each other and just enjoy. Should this work...perhaps not, does this work...yes, quite simply because Austen’s characters are some of the best to ever walk from the page and Brinton keeps their essence intact and complete. ~ Liz Robinson
A 'Piece of Passion' from the publisher...
'I was so thrilled to discover Old Friends New Fancies, it felt a bit like discovering as a child that your new favourite author has written more than one book – and that the sequels all lie ahead of you waiting to be discovered… Like all Austen fans I was just itching to get my teeth sunk into more storylines and while away more hours with my favourite characters. I loved the idea of bringing together heroes and heroines from all of Austen’s books – thus making the scope for matchmaking even wider. It also made me smile that Brinton chose to go down the route of misinforming her readers, a technique in which Austen famously specialised. Old Friends New Fancies blends the general framework of Emma with the family politics of Pride and Prejudice and the familiar Bath social setting of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. I love it!' - Martha Pooley, managing editor of Hesperus Press
In writing Old Friends and New Fancies in 1914, Sybil Brinton trail-blazed the way with the very first Jane Austen sequel - a concept now much in vogue (culminating in the recent Austen Project and the P.D. James bestseller Death in Pemberley). It is clear that Austen's literary career left generations of readers wanting read more - Taking in all of Jane Austen's preferred locations and backdrops, the plot of Old Friends and New Fancies takes us from London to Bath and, of course, to Pemberley. Picking up where Pride and Prejudice leaves off, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are now happily married and the new bride has taken it upon herself to match-make for her single family and acquaintance - beginning with her new sister-in-law Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Kitty Bennet too remains in the market for a husband - now she has grown up and sobered up a little. Austen fans will be thrilled to see such a wide palette of characters making their appearances, with personalities from each of her six novels playing a role in clever combinations. The union between Tom Bertram (from Mansfield Park) and Isabella Thorpe (from Northanger Abbey) is a brilliant new romance to discover. Yet it is also lovely to encounter once again the familiar tender relationship between Emma and Mr Knightley. Written in a style truly reminiscent of Austen's and making free use of her characters, Brinton's work is a must read for Austen fans and one which they will devour with relish.
Sibyl G. Brinton (1874-- - 1928) was born in Worcester. Little else is known about her life but it is believe that she married and emigrated to Ontario in Canada with her husband.
