1. Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston
2. The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
3. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
4. The Betrothed by Alexander Manzoni
5. Daisy Miller by Henry James (a novella, but you need to read it)
6. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
7. Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore
8. The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston
9. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
10. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (I know, I recommend this for everything, but it really fits here!)
As someone who's read all six of Austen's novels multiple times and a book of her letters (getting to the juvenilia, it's on my shelf), I often find myself in need of a substitute and for all those Austen remakes and riffs out there, it's hard to separate the gold from the dross. So, here you go!
*Edit*
I woke up this morning and realized I really wanted to add:
11. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
2. The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
3. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
4. The Betrothed by Alexander Manzoni
5. Daisy Miller by Henry James (a novella, but you need to read it)
6. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
7. Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore
8. The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston
9. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
10. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (I know, I recommend this for everything, but it really fits here!)
As someone who's read all six of Austen's novels multiple times and a book of her letters (getting to the juvenilia, it's on my shelf), I often find myself in need of a substitute and for all those Austen remakes and riffs out there, it's hard to separate the gold from the dross. So, here you go!
*Edit*
I woke up this morning and realized I really wanted to add:
11. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Comments
@Biblibio Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is absolutely a remarkable book-I like to describe it as Harry Potter for adults written by Jane Austen. It basically combines my love of fantasy with my love of nineteenth century British novels. So that's why it comes up so often!
@Tanya-If you liked tHe Marriage plot, I'd also recommend Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead.
@Milka Although I do have a couple of Austen sequels listed, I focused mostly on her contemporaries, some of whom are almost as good.