Thursday, January 28, 2010

Book Report

I've had Ms. Austen on the brain a bit lately, since PBS is showing a new adaptation of Emma. I watched the first part on Sunday night, and I like the switch back to a blonde Emma. I really liked Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal in the Hollywood version, but this one seems to take away some of the elegantness and make Emma more childish. It's easier for me to see her as 19 or 20, and her flaws (conceit, uppitiness) are much more evident. That's not a criticism, by the way - that's my favorite part of my favorite Austen novel. I love that Knightley loves ALL of her.

Anyway.

A long time ago I won this book from Carmen at Mom to the Screaming Masses, and she had one stipulation: I had to pass it on. Well, it's taken me awhile, but now I'm getting around to it. And I'm going to do another giveaway right here on the blogitty-blog!


It's Mr. Knightley's Diary, and apparently the author, Amanda Grange, did a whole series from the perspective of Jane Austen's heros. What a great idea! It was a fun read, and although I haven't looked into the other novels, I assume that they would be entertaining as well.
Here's how to enter: leave a comment telling me your favorite Jane Austen character. You don't even have to have read the book - I'll accept a movie. I'll leave the giveaway open until next Thursday at midnight. Hopefully I'll draw the lucky winner next Friday (unless, you know, I forget.) I would love it for the winner to pass it on when they are done.
Go to it!

5 comments:

Melissa said...

I do love Emma. I love her flaws - her frivolousness, especially. I think it's that I enjoy hanging out with people like her; they are generally a lot of fun!

Noel said...

Jane Eyre ... except she's an Charlotte Bronte character :-/ . Can I use that answer to register for the Apple iPad giveaway?

Noel said...

So by saying "George Knightly" because as wikipedia puts it, he "is a very kind and compassionate person. He represents good judgment, high moral character, and maturity in contrast to Emma's adolescent personality.", I have a 50-50 chance of scoring a book for my wife's birthday this week. There must be some truer Jane Austen fans with purer motives to enter this contest than I....

Kim said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kim said...

I like Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. I've reread the great scenes numerous times!