I think I've mentioned this before, but my favorite fictional book is Pride & Prejudice. I love the characters and the story. I read it through at least once a year. And of course, the only movie version worth watching is the five hour BBC version with Colin Firth, because it actually has every single part of the book in it. Anything else has to cut so much out that it's only a shadow of the novel.
Because of my love for this book, I added some tributes to it in my most recent book, Always a Bridesmaid. The obvious one is that Isabelle's two dogs are named Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. The dogs personalities are reflections of those literary characters, but they're not exact. In the book, Bingley isn't skittish like Isabelle's dog, but he does rely heavily on Darcy's opinion and is more friendly and easygoing. I think Isabelle's dog, Mr. Darcy, is closer to Darcy from the book - he's proud, protective and quiet. It was fun trying to re-imagine these characters as animals and give them a little twist.
A more subtle tribute has also given me some criticism. I've had more than one person tell me that they couldn't stand Isabelle's mom. There's a reason for that. She's based on the character of Mrs. Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, although I think Isabelle's mom is more likable. They're both eager to see their daughters married off, prone to fits of weeping, and say things that really don't need to be said. Both women could be embarrassing for the main character, but I think that Mariana, Isabelle's mom, was more loving than Mrs. Bennett. Every time someone tells me how annoying Mariana was, I have to smile, because she was based on an extremely obnoxious character so it's not surprising that she wasn't the easiest to like.
It was fun to give this wonderful book a few tributes. I know that they are the faintest of shadows of Jane Austen's wonderful characters, but it was interesting to try my hand at something new. If you haven't read my recent book, you can find it by clicking on the link below. Happy Reading!
Always a Bridesmaid
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