This week, I was reading Lisa’s review of These Violent Delights (coming out in November), a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai. (She gave it an exuberant DIK.) The book sounds superb and it got me thinking about literary adaptations which… I love.
I recently read and so enjoyed Naomi Novik’s Rumplestiltskin-inspired Spinning Silver. I reread Nancy Werlin’s Impossible, a wonderful YA novel inspired by the classic folk ballad Scarborough Fair, as well as Edith Patou’s East, a mesmerizing remaking of Beauty and the Beast. (I have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast retellings.) I’m looking forward to rereading Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl–the whole series of the Books of Bayern was a recent Steal and Deal!
Whether it’s Austen inspired, based on a fairy tale, or reimagining Romeo and Juliet, AAR has loved (and loathed) many an adapted romance. How about you? What are your favorite adaptations in romance?
Judith Ivory. I liked The Proposition which is the Pygmalion story and the Beast which is beauty and the beast however, I liked the story but I didn’t really like either of the leads.
Favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice that too few fans of the original have ever heard of: Pamela Aidan’s trilogy from Darcy’s point of view. All of the scenes from the original novel are basically intact. Aidan fills in the rest, including a hilarious valet, who offsets Darcy’s dourness.
The first book is called An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
Thanks for this recommendation. I was able to get all three books from my local library. I did skim much of the 2nd book as it was very gothic and set in the time Darcy and Elizabeth are apart. This trilogy really reinforced the vast social gulf between Elizabeth and Darcy and made me realize how much of a Cinderella romance P&P is. Until this book, I never thought about how Darcy really changes from the beginning to the end of the novel, but it all occurs off the page, and I enjoyed seeing her try to explain one way it could have happened.
I am not a fan.
It’s a movie, not a book, but I liked “Ever After”, a retelling of the Cinderella story. I think one of the appeals was that Leonardo da Vinci was the fairy godmother. There is an error in the film that I didn’t notice until my sister, the art conservator, pointed it out. Nonetheless, I found the movie charming.
I love Ever After. It is, by far, my favorite Cinderella retelling. The king and queen are hilarious, Anjelica Houston has never been better, and Drew Barrymore is exactly the right blend of saving herself while still allowing herself to be loved.
I really enjoyed Ever After. I only wish Prince Henry hadn’t been so horrible when Danielle is found out. And she might have mentioned Angelica is her stepmother. I found it harder to forgive him than she did.
Yes–he could have been more aware. But I still love it. It’s like a fun movie for smart people!
I’ve seen it more times than I can count. It’s delightful and Anjelica Houston couldn’t be more perfect. I don’t mind the Prince being the damsel in distress, it’s a cute twist. If he had a bit more character it would be 100% perfect. Drew Barrymore brings a genuineness to the role and she had said she faced a few of her own demons while playing the part.
I also really love “The Slipper And The Rose” which is a musical version of Cinderella (not to be confused with the Rogers And Hammerstein one) written by the Sherman Brothers of Mary Poppins fame. It has a quirky fairy godmother and it takes place in a very “real” 18th century European setting where politics play a realistic and cynical part. It’s absolutely gorgeous in setting and costume design and the songs are wonderful. And it has my all time favorite pair of glass slippers ever.
I can’t think of any adaptations that I’ve loved, but I do remember being terribly disappointed by Mary Balogh’s Slightly Dangerous. I didn’t have home internet access back then so I couldn’t access reviews like I do today. I had so looked forward to Wulfric’s story that I even bought the hardcover (what was I thinking?) but partway through I realised it was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, which felt like a real cop-out on the author’s part. Wulfric deserved a story that was original and surprising. I never re-read it and donated that eye-wateringly expensive book years ago.
Mention of Austen adaptations (which I rarely read) reminded me of a book released a few years ago: Heartstone by Elle Katharine White. This is both a well-done adventurous fantasy and a P&P homage.
I also really liked Heartstone. It follows P&P pretty closely but I loved the fantasy elements.