Christian Jane Austen Variations 9: Debra White Smith

Review by Brenda S. Cox of First Impressions and Reason & Romance

“Anna longed to go back to the simple days before Willis . . . to the days when she loved her Lord with untainted abandonment. Anna urged her spirit forward to the bright image that oozed an everlasting love into every corridor of her soul.” –Reason & Romance, Anna Woods, hovering between life and death

Are you looking for Austen’s classics in a modern garb? Debra White Smith has written “contemporary retellings” of all of Austen’s novels in “The Jane Austen Series.”

I have read and enjoyed two of them: First Impressions, based on Pride and Prejudice, and Reason & Romance, based on Sense and Sensibility.  They stay fairly close to the original plots, with, of course, some modern twists.

The books are from a Christian publisher, Bethany House, and Christian faith is an important part of many of the characters’s lives.

First Impressions

Smith’s modern Pride and Prejudice is set in London, Texas (an actual small town in Texas; the name kept confusing me until I realized where we were). Eddi Boswick (Elizabeth) is a lawyer, daughter of a former oil magnate who has chosen a slower lifestyle. She of course has sisters: sweet Jenny, who lives near Houston; and wild Linda, who is constantly overspending and in trouble.

On the male side, the ladies meet Dave Davidson (Darcy), a wealthy ranch owner living incognito, with secrets; Calvin Barclay (Bingley), a well-off veterinarian; and the charming but unprincipled Rick Wallace (Wickham), a Houston policeman.

Early on, Eddi overhears Dave make denigrating comments about her to Calvin, just before a tornado almost kills them all. (Spoiler alert: the story does not end with a tornado wiping them out. In case you were wondering.)

Mrs. DeBloom (Lady Catherine with a good side, but still imperious) is organizing a play based on Pride and Prejudice in the little town of London. Of course you can guess which characters are cast in which parts.

Eddi even has an annoying rich cousin (an oilman, not a clergyman) who chases her before getting snapped up by a more mercenary friend.

The most interesting part to me was the plot line between Linda (Lydia) and Rick (Wickham). Their story follows some interesting twists, outside of the basic P&P plot, and ends with potential for redemption for both of them. I especially enjoyed Rick convincing Eddi that he had been called to the ministry, but Dave scotched his plans.

Thanks to the play, the novel is replete with the best quotes from Austen’s original novel. And the final proposal happens in a unique setting.

Reason & Romance

In this contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility, Elaina Woods (Elinor) is a college professor at a Christian university in Oklahoma. Her younger sister Anna (Marianne) is, of course, romantic and passionate.    

Their beloved father dies in the first scene, having been forced to leave his house and most of his fortune to his son from his first marriage, and that son’s unpleasant wife, Faye. His second wife and their daughters are not left in quite the tight financial situation of Elinor and Marianne and their mother, but they are making a transition to a less luxurious lifestyle.

Elaina has a student, Ted Farris (Edward F.), who turns out to be Faye’s brother. Ted’s family is trying to force him, a gifted musician, into high levels of society, while he prefers to be a music minister. Elaina and Ted are deeply attracted to each other, but . . . he has a prior commitment.

Anna meanwhile falls for the gorgeous, poetic Willis (Willoughby), a TV model. He wants her to give up her Christian values for him. But the steady doctor, Bryan Brixby (Brandon), is waiting in the wings.

A surprise snowstorm changes everything for Anna. And Ted proactively deals with his difficult situation.

For both of these novels, since they’re close to Austen’s plots, you pretty much know how they will turn out. But the characters are interesting and well-written. The author does a good job of transforming situations from Austen’s times into believable situations from modern times. And she does include some surprises that keep you guessing.

These modern variations don’t have the depth of Austen’s originals, but few books do! If you enjoy contemporary Christian romance, you’re likely to enjoy these fun Austen variations.

In Austen’s novels, her characters’ faith, or lack thereof, is implied more than stated, while contemporary novels tend to be more explicit. Each method is probably more appropriate for the times they were written in. How much do you think modern novels should talk directly about characters’ faith, and why?

Other Books in the Jane Austen Series by Debra White Smith

Central Park: A Contemporary Retelling of Mansfield Park 

Possibilities: A Contemporary Retelling of Persuasion 

Northpointe Chalet: A Contemporary Retelling of Northanger Abbey 

Amanda: A Contemporary Retelling of Emma 

These are all currently available on Kindle Unlimited. Your local library may also have copies.

Earlier Posts on Jane Austen Variations

Christian Jane Austen Variations 1: Maria Grace, Robin Helm

Christian Jane Austen Variations 2: Jeanna Ellsworth, Kelsey Bryant, Janine Mendenhall

Christian Jane Austen Variations 3: Pamela Aidan

Christian Jane Austen Variations 4: Laura Hile

Christian Jane Austen Variations 5: Robin Helm, and A Very Austen Valentine

Christian Jane Austen Variations 6: Barbara Cornthwaite and Lara S. Ormiston

Christian Jane Austen Variations 7: Happy Endings for Charlotte Lucas by Laura Hile and Amanda Kai

Christian Jane Austen Variations 8: Laraba Kendig and Skylar Burris

Soniah Kamal’s Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan

Austen Variations with Science 1: Collins Hemingway, Robin Helm, Georgette Heyer

Austen Variations with Science 2: Abigail Reynolds, and A Very Austen Christmas

Science Variations 3: Novels with Regency and Victorian Science (Linda Banche, Cindy Anstey, Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, Nicole Clarkston)