If you know me at all, you know that I am a fan of Jane Austen. I have been ever since I fell in love with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC/A&E adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.
Seeing it led me to re-read Jane Austen’s books and in turn, to set my novels in the Regency period. 
So it should come as little surprise that I would be interested in something called an Austen tour. Now, I admit, my first choice of a “Jane Austen tour” would be a physical tour of England to see the places she lived and wrote about. But that’s not in the budget this year (instead we are doing college visits–yikes!–and a family vacation).
So for now, I’m anticipating the next best kind of Austen tour: a tour of some of the fabulous sites out there in the blogosphere devoted to Jane Austen and her novels. If you love all-things-Jane as well, please mark your calendar and make plans to join me.
The tour “leaves” Monday, February 16 and goes through March 2nd with stops at twenty five popular book blogs specializing in historical and Austenesque fiction. There will be guest posts, interviews, reviews, excerpts from The Secret of Pembrooke Park, and prizes. For more details visit my web site.
I hope to see some of my IBL fellow-Austen lovers there! And who knows, maybe someday we’ll plan an Austen-themed trip to England itself—wouldn’t that be a blast? In the meantime, which is your favorite Austen novel (or movie based on one)?
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Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austen book.
Looking forward to reading your latest book Julie.
Thanks, Cheryl. Hope you enjoy it! And Pride and Prejudice is a “capital” choice. “Capital! Capital!” 🙂
Sounds like fun.
My favorite is the version of Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Though I also really enjoyed the 1995 version of Sense & Sensibility.
Good choices. I enjoyed them both very much. Thanks for stopping by!
I love all of the Jane Austin BBC movies. So this is hard to decide. But will probably have to go with Pride & Prejudice (I liked both the Colin Firth and the Matthew MacFadyen ones). I also really liked the Northanger Abbey movie with JJ Feild. 🙂
Thanks, Barb. I like Matthew MacFayden as an actor, but Colin will always be my first Austen-hero-love. 🙂 And yes, I thought JJ Feild was so good in Northanger Abbey, that I modeled my hero in The Secret of Pembrooke Park after him!
Yes, I can definitely see JJ Feild as William! Good choice!
Who could possibly choose?!
Pride and Prejudice (1995, OF course)
Death Comes to Pemberly
Mansfield Park (the newest one)
but…My ULTIMATE favorite is Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet version).
Yay–another Team Colin member! I have seen all of those on your list, and probably that version of Sense and Sensibility is my favorite as well, though I enjoyed the 2008 remake of S & S as well.
I am super excited for this tour. Have you seen the 2009 BBC version of Emma staring Romola Garai? I absolutely love it!!
Hi Sydney, Yes, I did see it, and enjoyed it a lot. I have admired Romola Garai in other roles and it was wonderful to see her as an Austen heroine. Thanks, Syndney–I’ll look for you on the tour!
Pride & Prejudice has been my favorite book since reading it in high school for an assignment. I loved it so much that I asked and received the rest of Jane Austen’s novels for Christmas that same year. Jane Austen has been my favorite author ever since. I love the 1995 adaption but also enjoy an earlier version from 1980. I haven’t read your latest book yet but I’m looking forward to it. I have enjoyed all your books!
Hi Becky, Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will enjoy The Secret of Pembrooke Park. You know, I saw the 1980 version of P & P fairly recently and was impressed with the casting of Elizabeth and Darcy. I really enjoyed it! Thanks again.
The original book and 1995 version of P & P are hands down my favorites. I absolutely loved Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy! He was exactly how I pictured Mr. Darcy–dark, brooding and with piercing eyes. The book and 1995 S & S movie were also very good.
Hi Lisa. Yep–those eyes! I still remember how he looked when he gazed across the room at Elizabeth while she stood at the pianoforte to “rescue” his sister. Ahhh… I also liked Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson in S & S. Thanks for your comment!
Julie, I absolutely adore your books and am really looking forward to your two new ones this year! Love that Jane Austen action figure in the picture.
My favorite Jane Austen book is probably Pride and Prejudice, but I love them all. Favorite film adaptation is the BBC/A&E 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice. Runners-up are the 1995 Persuasion (Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds) and the BBC 1983 Mansfield Park. This version of MP is very accurate, includes the whole novel, and has a wonderful cast, script, and costumes.
If you want a wonderful book to trace Jane Austen’s life and homes in England you should read In the Steps of Jane Austen: Walking Tours of Austen’s England. http://goo.gl/E1lifG The pictures are only black and white, but it’s a lovely, informative novel. When I read it I found some of the locations on Google maps street view. Found the country roads in Devonshire; went up and down the streets of Bath; viewed the location of Jane Austen’s Chawton Cottage and “walked” further down the road and saw the driveway for Edward’s estate there. Google maps street view is magnificent. One can go almost anywhere!
Ohhh! Thanks, Sylvia. I’ve marked the book for future purchase. Sounds grand. And like you, I loved Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root in Persuasion. (Persuasion is probably my favorite JA novel.) Thanks again!
Oops! That book I listed is not a novel! I know better, but was not thinking when I wrote that. It’s non-fiction about a lady’s personal path to literally follow in Jane’s footsteps.
I knew what you meant, Sylvia. It looks good! Thanks again.
I am so excited about this blog tour. My teen girls and I love all of the Jane Austen movies. I got them hooked on the BBC versions. We also own all of her novels as well. I believe they have been read multiple times. If I have to name a favorite, Pride and Prejudice. I believe our 1995 version on dvd is worn out. Many a sleepover if teens included a viewing of this movie.
One of my daughters is an avid reader of your books as well. The only one I have not read is your newest, The Secret at Pembrooke Park. They are all great! Looking forward to 2 book releases this year!
Thanks, Susan. You are making me want to pull out my DVD of P & P (1995) and re-watch it again as well. (Though I usually wait until my husband is not around to avoid the eye-rolling and his “Capital! Capital!” every time he walks past….) 🙂
My favorite Austen book is Persuasion. I love most all her books (Mansfield Park being the exception), but there’s just something about Persuasion that I fell in love with. Can’t even say why. I love the humor in Emma though (it’s even better via audiobook!). I’ve only seen the “new” movie versions, so don’t have much comparison on those.
I’m finally reading Pembrooke Park and loving it, as I do all your books! I’ve actually creeped myself out reading it right before bed. Lol
So glad to hear you are reading and enjoying the book, Karen. Hope you’re not too scared! 🙂 And I agree, there’s something about Persuasion–Anne is such a likable, selfless, long-suffering heroine and I love seeing her stand up for herself at last and get her second chance with Captain Wentworth! Thanks for commenting.
Ahhhh! Julie, I just read the synopsis for your December book on Amazon. WOW! What a predicament for your heroine to be placed in. I’m glad you have it placed in Devonshire. Such beautiful countryside. Do you ever have plans for a story set in Bath?
Thanks, Sylvia. A scene in The Painter’s Daughter and a few in Lady Maybe take place in Bath. Maybe someday I’ll set a whole story there, but no plans at present. Thanks for asking!
Oh, Julie, how fun! Thanks for sharing about this Jane Austen tour. I hadn’t heard about it yet.
My favorite Jane Austen-inspired movie is Persuasion (1995). I can’t make up my mind on which book is my favorite yet. I’ll need to reread them in order to decide.
Blessings!
Andrea
Hi Andrea. You’re welcome! And yes, I loved that version as well. Ciaran Hinds!
🙂 My thoughts exactly!
Pride and Prejudice was such a great movie, it inspired me to read the book. I think I became a Jane Austen fan the backwards way.
I just bought The Secret of Pembrooke Park today as a special gift for my daughter, Rebekah. Your books helped her fall in love with reading again. Thank you! It was such an exciting trip to the bookstore we took pics. 🙂
That’s so great to hear. Hey, I looked on FB and didn’t see the pic! Where is it?! Thanks, Mindy.
This sounds such fun!! 🙂 I think my favorite Jane Austen book is Persuasion or Northanger Abbey. Favorite movie though is probably Pride and Prejudice (BBC).
Hi Rachel,
Nice to see you here. I’ll have to read Northanger Abbey again, now that you mention it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I have enjoyed all of her books, even Mansfield Park. I have read all of them numerous times. My fave adaptation is Pride & Prejudice. I love the newest Sense & Sensibility and Emma as well.
Hi Lindsey,
Good for you. I haven’t read them all more than once. One of these days! I like the newer S & S and Emma, too. Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment!
I confess I haven’t read all of Jane Austin’s books, but I love the ones I have read or seen movies of. I love the irony of them most of all: In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzie says, “I can promise you never to dance with Mr. Darcy,” then goes and marries him by the end of the book. Or, in Northanger Abbey, the foolish actions of two slightly unimportant characters are the main things that bring the main characters together. I fell in love with both books when I read them, but I think I love Pride and Prejudice more.
I love all of Jane Austen’s books and the Regency Period in general. I would say Emma is my favorite book and my favorite adaptation, is of course, Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth – I mean, seriously how can you top that?
I can’t just pick one Jane Austen book! I love Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion. I will say that Emma is not my favorite, not really sure why, but it isn’t.
Love the 1995 Pride & Prejudice, the Emma Thompson Sense & Sensibility,
the Amanda Root Persuasion, the Romola Garai Emma and the Indian
Bride and Prejudice – really adore them
all!
I have read most of jane Austin ,pride ans prejucides is my favorite and emma thank you
I really like Pride and Prejudice. There have been some wonderful books written in the frame of Pride and Prejudice. Julie’s new book looks to be one of the best.