Book Review: Northanger Abbey (2014)

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, Grove Press, New York, 2014.

This book is a modern reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel of the same name.  This novel hangs on an assumption to make it even sound plausible—that Catherine Morland’s reading of vampire books would lead her to suspect the family she is staying with of being vampires.  I just couldn’t buy that premise and so this book didn’t quite work for me. 

It had the lure of a trip to Scotland for a book and drama festival; the social life of the North Country.  It also had the mystery surrounding Northanger Abbey, where the mother had passed away from cancer and they were all still dealing with this wound.  Northanger Abbey had been redecorated for the most part, so there was not the castle façade, but that of a modern home. 

And then there was a brother and sister who looked alluring, but in the end were not, and the love interest in Henry, the handsome dancer who works as a lawyer.  In the end, to profess his love, he must go against the wishes of his father.

Mormon Movie Review: ***Austenland

Austenland is a different kind of movie.  What would happen if we could go back to the era of the Jane Austen books, and there have interactions and love stories just like in those books, Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and sensibility.  This movie gives us a confusion between what is real and what is not; and then makes an effort at resolving that confusion.  This is a romantic comedy set today but in the past.  This is an enjoyable film.  There is some kissing and some innuendo, but nothing inappropriate.  Kerri Russel plays Jane Hayes.  This should be considered a Mormon movie as it is based on a book written by a Mormon (Shannon Hale), and script co-written by a Mormon (Jerusha Hess) and produced by Jared Hess.

Movie Review: ***^ Under the Greenwood Tree

This is a made-for-tv movie available through instant Netflix.  It is a 2005 BBC film presented on PBS Masterpiece Theater in 2006.  It is  based on the novel by Thomas Hardy.  There was a previous British Film 1918 by the same name, based on the same novel.
I found this film to be enjoyable.  It is based on the idea of three men pursuing the same woman.  Fancy Day (Keeley Hawes) has returned to the community after being away to school, with the prospects of capturing and man of substance.  One of her pursuers is wealthy, Mr Shiner.  Another is the local parson, Parson Maybold, who is pursuing Miss Day to play the new harmonicam and replace the choir.  The last is a member of the choir, Mr. Dick Dewey (James Murray) who works for his father's delivery business.  They also make apple cider.
This movie has some clever parts.  The choir (which includes instruments) does not want to be replaced.  The harmonicam is an organ.  There are several times when the choir confronts the parson.  Mr Shiner proposes marriage and he is the wealthiest man in the community.  Fancy is given time to think about the proposal before responding.  Fancy's father is favorable of this union, and makes Fancy promise not to pursue Mr. Dewey who is "below her station" as her dead mother's wish that her daughter marry well.  A bit of humor is presented when Miss Day is entertaining Mr. Shiner and Parson Maybold to tea and Mr Dewey shows up at the door wet and muddy.  She refuses him entrance and he goes away offended.  It appears she is going to marry for money, or for travel which is what the parson offers, or for love, she can't have all three.

TV Review: ****A Dinner of Herbs (2000)

It is British so I assume it is BBC, but I am not sure.  It is based on the novel of Catherine Cookson.  It tells the story of three young people.  Mary Ellen loves Roddy, Roddy loves himself and Hal loves Mary Ellen.  Roddy and Hal share a similar fate in that both their fathers are murdered by the same man.  Roddy was there, but was thrown off a cliff and has amnesia.

This movie shows three time periods, when they are boys of age twelve, later as young men, and then 25 years later.  It is a show about the effect of bitterness and revenge, and coming to terms with the past; which is sometimes hard to do.  This is a very nice story, and the characters are great.  Mary Ellen has a certain spunk, and the actress changes three time, but the spunk is evident with all three.  It is very well done in that regard.

I would recommend this movie to others if you have the chance to see it.  It is a miniseries with 6 almost one hour sections.

Movie Review: **^The Duchess

This is a movie from 2008 starring Keira Knightly (Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride and Prejudice) and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort from Harry Potter.)  It portrays the upper class in England and is reported to be a true story about the Duchess of Davenport.  The Duchess enters a hasty marriage relationship, and later discovers that the Duke is  philanderer.  He keeps the duchess to sire an heir.  Of course the first two babies are girls, intermingled with a couple stillborn boys.  She finally sires an heir, and then has her own fling and becomes pregnant.  Because of the Duke's influence, he arranges for her to be on vacation to cover up the pregnancy, while forcing her to leave her lover under threat of not seeing her children again.

The movie portrays the difference between laws surrounding men and women.  The Duke takes a live-in lover, and expects his wife to just deal with it.

The movie shows the impressive wealth of the few in England at this time.  It portrays several castles in which the Duke resided.

It also shows the love of a mother, and what a mother will sacrifice to keep her children.  I would mildly recommend this movie.