Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil Brinton

Old Friends and New Fancies is the first Jane Austen fan fiction book to have ever been written, being originally published in 1913, so I was incredibly excited to read it.

In this book, the author creates a whole new story of romantic entanglements using a cast of characters from all of Austen’s major novels, with Kitty Bennet, Georgiana Darcy and Mary Crawford taking the lead roles in what can only be described as a mash up sequel.

I enjoyed how so many Austen characters from so many different novels were combined in one single book, how they interacted with each other, how their relationships were developed and all the while maintaining their original personalities. The author cleverly entangles minor and major characters’ lives with each other and that was the highlight of this book for me as I kept thinking who would show up next, whom would that character be connected with, how their personality would interfere with the narrative, etc. The only exception was Mary Crawford who becomes the love interest of Colonel Fitzwilliam and seemed a bit out of character, but once I overcame my displeasure over her original character, I started enjoying her new romance.

Although I loved the entire story line and the progress of the narrative from Bath to London and Pemberley, I did find the ending somewhat abrupt, especially Georgiana’s storyline, even though I could see the outcome coming for a long time, I would have enjoyed if that had been further developed.

Overall, I enjoyed spending time with so many Austen’s characters in a single book and I am extremely grateful for this author’s pioneering work way before Jane Austen fan fiction became popular. I believe that everyone who loves Jane Austen’s works will enjoy this book and I highly recommend it, if for nothing else, for it’s historical relevance.

You can find Old Friends and New Fancies at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

and Audible

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