Secret Schemes And Daring Dreams

What would happen if Jane Austen's EMMA was set in the twenty-first century? Emma Woodhouse is a caring, considerate sort of girl who is well aware of her own good fortune and talent for getting the best out of other people. Which is why, when she meets someone with untapped potential, she puts all her own interests to one side and sets out to change their lives for them. Whether they like it or not. When Emma's childhood friend, George Knightley, needs help at his family's country house hotel over the summer, she sees the perfect opportunity to improve the lot of her new friend, the shy and unfortunate Harriet Smith. But as one after another of Emma's secret schemes go horribly wrong, she finds that nothing (and no one) is ever as simple as it seems. The third book in 21st Century Jane Austen stories.

What would happen if Jane Austen's NORTHANGER ABBEY was set in the twenty-first century? Caitlin Morland has always craved excitement but knows she'll never find it with her boring family. When she wins an art scholarship to the famous Mulberry Court College, she is delighted to find herself adopted by the popular Izzy Thorpe and her mates, Summer and Bianca. Swept up in a flurry of parties and revelations on holiday with Summer's family, Caitlin finds out that even the best things in life can go pear-shaped . . .

What would happen if Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK was set in the twenty-first century? When Frankie Price goes to live with her wealthy cousins, she finds herself part of a social scene that she'd only read about in magazines. Shy and overwhelmed, she retreats into her own passion: writing - pouring out her feelings into her short stories. But when the entire family is rocked by scandal, and her mate Ned comes under the spell of the beautiful but manipulative Alice, Frankie realises that she has to fight for the life she wants.

Anna Eliot adored the gorgeous Felix Wentworth, but still called an end to their relationship. As time passes, Anna wonders if strict parents, interfering friends and misplaced loyalties had more to do with it than she wants to admit … Two years later, Felix, who’s been fighting in Afghanistan, is back. Anna longs to rekindle their relationship – but will he give her a second chance? Or will the echoes of the past prove too difficult to overcome? An evocative tale of the perils of listening to others, instead of your own heart.

What would happen if Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was set in the twenty-first century? When Mrs Bennet inherits enough money to move into the kind of village she has always dreamed of, her daughters find themselves swept up in a glamorous life of partying and country pursuits. But Lizzie and her sisters soon discover that beneath the very smart surface lurks a web of intrigue and rivalries . . .

Jane Austen's novels are classics. They have never been out of print, and have continuously been turned into countless movies and TV series, yet her works still remain largely misunderstood. On their surface, Austen's novels all involve characters from provincial communities in rural England, far removed geographically and thematically from greater social movements, war, industry, colonization, and imperialism. This impression could not be further from the truth. Jane Austen For Beginners explores the intentions behind Austen's work. Her examination of money and power, of the marriage market, of social class, and of the rending of the British social fabric of her day are among her many concerns. Jane Austen For Beginners will foster a deeper appreciation and understanding of Austen's greatest stories and most memorable characters.

Parents – Aaaaargh! Jemma’s are out of date. They still think she should wear the hand-knitted jumper with little bears on it to school – and they call her petal in public! Laura’s are divorced. Gone is the lovely big house. Now it is a grotty little one. And her mum was seen kissing Melvyn outside Tesco . . . Sumitha’s want her to keep their cultural traditions – which don’t include boys, make-up or a trendy hair cut . . . Jon’s keep bragging about his academic brilliance – but in reality it’s not stellar, nor is it where his heart is . . . Chelsea’s mum is a writer of ghastly features for the local paper, an agony aunt and a wearer of mini-skirts . . . The five teenagers’ paths (and those of their mortifyingly embarrassing parents) cross and part throughout this hilarious book set in Leehampton.

When Frankie Price goes to live with her wealthy cousins, she finds herself part of a social scene she'd only read about in magazines. Shy and overwhelmed, she retreats into her own passion - writing. But when the entire family is rocked by scandal, Frankie realises she has to fight for the life she wants.

What would happen if you transferred the traumas of teenage love from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to the twenty-first century? How would Ellie, Abby and Georgie fare without the restraints of nineteenth-century England? Will Ellie's ever-sensible attitude towards life prevent her from ever snogging the gorgeous, but somewhat reticent, Blake? Is Abby's devil-may-care outlook destined to land her in big trouble with Hunter, who majors in being up himself? And what about the baby of the family, Georgie? She's a tomboy, with more male friends than anyone, and so strong-willed she'll never take no for an answer!

Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart in the wake of the French Revolution to provide educational opportunities for girls. The manner of life was to be simple without the prescribed austerities of the older orders, which would be incompatible with the work of education.