suggestions please.

[rezeille]

good day. i'm a self-professed Austenite. the truth is i'm a newbie and now craving for more of her romantic wit. would any of you kindly suggest other authors that have the same affinity for "purist" romance? sadly, i was quite disappointed with one of the new age sequels of miss austen -- mr. darcy takes a wife. it was not to my taste. like austen, i'm into the "social propriety" and the like. thanks.

an email suggestion is greatly appreciated: [email protected]

[Newcomer]

You probably will not be satisfied with any contemporary writers that use Austen as a theme. Our sensibilities have changed and it's no good trying to recapture stylistically the past. Quite apart from the lack of genius.
You might try Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer - "Pride and Prejudice" from the Hero's point of view "I am very pleased with the book. I enjoyed Darcy's Story because it is faithful to Jane Austen's plot and to her characters." by Jean Bowden, the Curator at Jane Austen's House, Chawton. The web has
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/estate/xda34/aboutbooks.html
where you can get an idea of the novel. However to get a deeper appreciation of Austen, I would recommend reading her predecessors and followers. Here is a short list:
Frances Burney – Cecilia and Camilla. - Austen was influenced by Burney's novels. Following Austen are Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, two very different books. And at the end of the Victorian period - George Eliot's Romola and Middlemarch.
That ought to keep you busy for a few evenings. If you wish to further dwell into women writers you could consult - British Women Fiction Writers of the 19th Century by Harold Bloom
Happy reading!

[littlelit]

The only person who can give you a taste of Austen's wit is Austen herself.
I tried a sequel "Pemberley" by someone and was very disappointed. The author, i forgot her name, failed in her effort to copy Austen's style miserably.
the first sentence of the novel was " It is a truth universally acknowledged that a married man in possession of a large fortune must be in the want of a son and an heir". U can picture the rest.

[cactus]

Hi there!

If you love the style, the humor and wit of Jane Austen's books, it is very hard to find anyone who could satisfy your taste in the same way. However, if you are not too picky about the style then I would recommend Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. It is truly a beautiful love story. I find it comparable to Pride and Prejudice, at least on the level of plot and characters.