The Beresfords de Christina Dudley

Une adaptation moderne de Mansfield Park ça vous dit ?

Citation :

Raised with four older stepcousins in a conservative, churchgoing family, Frannie Price teeters on the brink of adolescence in the summer of 1985. Her timidity and awkwardness make her easy to overlook, yet she has one true friend in her cousin Jonathan. Jonathan, her childhood champion and the best person she knows. But when the Grant twins enter her life, Frannie’s world turns upside down. Not only does the sly and charming Eric Grant set her girl cousins against each other, but his flirtatious sister makes off with Jonathan’s heart.
Only Frannie sees the faults running beneath the family landscape—not that anyone’s asking her opinion. Not her strict Uncle Paul, not her beloved Jonathan, and certainly not the Grants, who, after having their way with the rest of the Beresfords, turn their sights on her. What’s a girl to do? And why does she feel, in this uncharted territory, like God left her at the border?
With sympathy, humor and more than a nod to Jane Austen’s MANSFIELD PARK, THE BERESFORDS chronicles Frannie’s coming of age, when all around her is coming apart.

J'ai lu plusieurs critiques très enthousiastes sur le net. Je vous poste celle du blog Austenesque. Je trouve qu'elle donne tout particulièrement envie de découvrir ce roman !

Citation :

Being fourteen is never easy – still in your awkward stage, feeling misunderstood, falling for your first crush, etc. And for Frannie Price it is an even more trying time because she is painfully shy, insecure, and harboring a secret and possibly inappropriate crush on her step-cousin, Jonathan. But what really makes the summer of her fourteenth year really unbearable is Caroline and Eric Grant. From the moment she met the quick-witted, charming, and vibrant siblings, Frannie knew they were trouble. She knew that they would enchant, distract, and negatively influence all the Beresford siblings, but what could she do about it? She was just a poor relation with a drug-addict mother, taken in by her aunt's wealthy husband and family...
Starting her tale during the summer of 1985, Frannie tells us the story of that fateful summer and continues to chronicle the lives of the Beresfords for the next several years. Through Frannie's impressions and insights readers are able to witness her true thoughts, hidden emotions, and silent pain. This establishes an intimate connection to the heroine and perhaps makes her seem less “priggish” and “insipid” as her Regency counterpart is sometimes described...
Oh. My. Word. This modern adaptation of Mansfield Park is just BRILLAINT! I can't imagine it being easy to plausibly and thoughtfully translate Jane Austen's most controversial novel and least loved heroine into a contemporary time period. But with Christina Dudley's clever updates, engaging characters, and creative modifications, she makes it seem like an effortless endeavor.
It may shock some people to hear this, but my favorite part of this novel is...Frannie Price. Now, I should probably preface that statement by admitting that I've always loved and felt great empathy towards Jane Austen's character – I am shy, sensitive, and introverted like Fanny (and Frannie) – and I am so grateful that Jane Austen created such a different type of heroine with her – we aren't all like Elizabeth, Emma, and Marianne (even thought we want to be!) I loved how Ms. Dudley portrayed Frannie – her internal monologues, her beliefs, her flaws – I couldn't help but find Frannie endearing and extremely likable.
Another aspect about this novel that I thought was just superb was the ending. Now, I adore Jane Austen, but I cannot help but feel more than a little dissatisfied with her ending for Mansfield Park. Readers don't get a declaration scene in Mansfield Park, they just get a summary! We don't know what Edmund said, what Fanny said, or the emotions that were involved – readers are left to imagine what took place by themselves. However...in The Beresfords, Christina Dudley does a magnificent job of creating the scene we've all been waiting for – there's a delicious build-up of tension and heat, tempers flaring, frustration, pain, and...pure joy. Needless to say, I was extremely satisfied!
Finally, a praiseworthy and captivating modern-adaptation of Mansfield Park! If you haven't already figured it out, I loved The Beresfords and I highly recommend this delightful and endearing coming-of-age novel to all Jane Austen fans – even those who don't care too much for Fanny Price or Mansfield Park!

**Word on the street is that Christina Beresford has entertained the idea of penning a modern adaptation of Northanger Abbey! Woot Woot! Wouldn't that be fantastic? Please help me persuade her to write more Austenesque novels!

Pourquoi pas? J'attends que quelqu'un le lise...

Ce n'est pas moi qui partirai en éclaireur cette fois. J'ai trop de livres en attente

Ca me tente aussi beaucoup ... J'ai énormément de livres en attente, mais je vais me le commander. Et on verra quand je le lirai