Book Reviews—Fun Fiction, Jane Austen with Faith Themes

By Brenda S. Cox

“Only a novel . . .only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.”–Northanger Abbey

Looking for something light and fun to read? I’d like to share a few of my recent favorite novels with you. I hope after Christmas you’ll have some reading time. (I hope I will, too!)

A Truth Occasionally Acknowledged

First, a brand new novella. A Truth Occasionally Acknowledged, by Kate Susong, is “a Jane Austen novella,” a series of ten vignettes making up one story. It puts many of Austen’s characters together in my own beloved Atlanta, modern day. Elizabeth and Darcy (married) are at a tailgate party for a Georgia Tech—University of Georgia game. Darcy has to negotiate small talk and people asking for money for their projects, while Elizabeth is off with Isabella Thorpe, a college friend.

The story goes on, with romances, of course (Tom Bertram and the world’s leading concert harpist, Mary Crawford? Actor Henry Crawford and divorcee/widow Isabella Thorpe?). We also get delightful interludes with George Wickham, Catherine DeBourgh, and more—even Anne Wentworth, persuading Meg Dashwood not to let anyone persuade her out of her love for . . . you’ll see!

The stories include some nice Christian themes, with Edmund Bertram preaching at a modern church where Mrs. Dashwood finds the music too loud and the drums inappropriate, but Marianne and Meg (Margaret) love it. Some characters find redemption and take new paths.

All in all, delightful, short, and great fun! A Truth Occasionally Acknowledged, by Kate Susong. The novel is currently available in print, and will be available on Kindle sometime in the coming weeks.

The Clergyman’s Wife

The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley is in Charlotte Lucas Collins’s own voice. It begins with their wedding, and Charlotte determining to get used to her new husband, “This is, after all, the life I chose.”

Three years later, the Collinses have a little girl, and Charlotte is looking for something interesting to write to Elizabeth. Lady Catherine has decided to plant a bed of roses beside the parsonage, to “add the necessary elegance to the house’s prospect from the lane.” Mrs. Collins becomes friends with the farmer who puts in the roses. He speaks to her as an equal and “sees” her as no one else does. She begins to visit him and his invalid father with baby Louisa. She learns more about plants and practices drawing them, an activity she loves. But . . . you will see what happens.

The backstory here, of Sir William Lucas’s elevation to the knighthood and the problems it caused for the family, and Charlotte’s lack of beauty and how that affects her, is believable and gives us more empathy for Charlotte.

I found the story intriguing and it drew me to continue reading. An interesting and enjoyable novel. The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

A Jane Austen Encounter

A Jane Austen Encounter (Elizabeth and Richard Literary Suspense Book 4) by Donna Fletcher Crow is a light mystery telling the story of a couple on a literary tour of Jane Austen sites. They uncover a theft (of part of the manuscript of The Watsons) and murder. Most of the book describes their travels, Jane Austen’s life and family, her books and letters, all intertwined with the mystery. Much about Austen’s spiritual life is included, as one of the characters is researching that topic.

The book itself is very well researched and places like Bath, Chawton, Canterbury, and Godmersham are obviously described based on the author’s visits. A fun book, with an emphasis more on Austen than on the mystery! All of Donna Fletcher Crow’s novels are excellent, especially if you enjoy seeing church history come to life. A Jane Austen Encounter, available on Kindle Unlimited.

*Engaging Miss Shaw*, by Rachel Knowles, is a delightful Regency romance, along with others by Knowles.

Engaging Miss Shaw and others by Rachel Knowles

While these are not directly Jane Austen, Rachel Knowles writes wonderful Regency novels with subtle themes of faith woven in. In A Single Obsession, a man and woman share a love of horses. But they have to learn the art of forgiveness before they can be truly united.

The Disappointed Daughter is Lady Dorothea (Thea), who believes it is “foolish to rely on” any man. “Far safer to trust God and rely on herself. Other people were notoriously unreliable,” including her father who is trying to force her into a marriage she does not want. She was engaged once before, but the engagement was broken. Can that love be revived? Or is it her former fiancé’s best friend, who writes poetry ridiculing Thea; will he catch her heart? “God had taught him to use his words to heal, not harm, but he had given in to bitterness.”

Engaging Miss Shaw is about a young lady who has had success managing her sister’s stepsons, and so volunteers to be governess for a single gentleman’s nephew. Can she succeed in winning the trust of both of them?

I have read many of Rachel Knowles’s novels and recommend them to you, if you enjoy light, clean Regency novels, well-written, with threads of faith. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

What fun, clean novels have you read recently? Preferably ones with encouraging themes. Please share them with us in the comments!

If you want fiction that’s a little deeper and more serious, check out Sarah Emsley’s new novel, The Austens, which tells the story of Jane and her sister-in-law Fanny Palmer Austen (Charles’s wife). Beautifully done; I reviewed it recently.

Happy reading! May you all have a lovely Christmas and enjoy many blessings in the coming New Year!