First Impressions: Why All the Austen Haters Are Wrong
Welcome Jane Austen lovers and haters alike! Kristin and Maggie discuss how Austen's classic novels have influenced their lives and challenged them to be better people.
Season 4 of Bridgerton is out, and it is a delight! Friend of the pod Priya (and reader of the books) is here to explain it all to Kristin and Maggie. Join us as we review the ups and downs of this excellent season, including everyone's love for our favorite "downstairs" character Alfie.
Gentle listeners, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Joe Wright's film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which released in 2005 and stars Kiera Knightley and Matthew MacFayden. Join Kristin, Maggie and our dear friend Adrienne Garcia-Specht to discuss what we love and hate about this beloved, controversial, and wildly successful adaptation! As you probably guessed, Kristin still hates it. By…
In our latest episode, friend of the podcast Priya joins us again, this time to talk about Season 3 of Bridgerton! The third season of this runaway Netflix hit features our favorite couple yet, "Polin," made up of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Fingerington, I mean, Featherington! This episode, as you might have guessed, is not suitable for little ears, but we had a lot of fun recording it!! Bust…
Gentle listeners, for those of you who were entranced by Hallmark's Loveuary series this past February, we finally have an episode about it! Friend of the podcast and Hallmark-movie-enjoyer Priya has joined us for a breakdown of the charming Paging Mr. Darcy movie, and high praise of this entrancing version of Sense and Sensibility!
Gentle listeners, join us for our review of the delightful radio drama from BBC Radio 4, which features a star-studded cast including Felicity Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, James Callas and more! Adapted by Clara Glynn, this lovely radio play contains some surprising new takes on Austen's story and characters. We certainly see Fanny, Edmund, and Henry in a different light after…
Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie movie incorporated several seconds of the 1995 Firth/Ehle Pride and Prejudice miniseries, which officially makes this movie part of Austen's extended cinematic universe. In this podcast we discuss our takeaways from this thought-provoking movie, and ponder the parallels between the evolution of Barbie vs. Jane Austen's own heroines. Some see Austen's characters as…
Time for some hot and SPICY Austen takes fresh from friend of the podcast Lexi, also known as @fourwhitetrees on X (Twitter), Bluesky, and other social networks! Lexi's funky fresh and sometimes controversial takes cover the mysterious appeal of John Thorpe, Mr. Knightley's questionable tastes, the unworthiness of Wentworth as a partner for Anne, whether Darcy is really the most obviously autistic…
Gentle listeners, join us as we finally review this 1999 movie adaptation of Mansfield Park, written and directed by Patricia Rozema. We delve into the artistic choices made by the director and weigh in on their merits in a very calm and evenhanded manner until about halfway through when Kristin gets shouty. This movie is undoubtedly an important acheivement in Austen filmmaking. Rozema makes the…
Gentle listeners, we're so excited to have Maya and Christian of Manners and Madness join us again, this time for a movie review of Fire Island, one of the finest modern Austen adaptations of our time and an overall fantastic movie. We discuss the deep dive this movie takes into the characters of Noah (Lizzy), Howie (Jane), and Will (Darcy), and the way the modern story blends with the original.…
We are overjoyed to bring you a special holiday episode discussing A Christmas Carol, the novel by Charles Dickens, and A Muppet Christmas Carol, the finest adaptation of Dickens' work ever to grace the silver screen. The novel is an absolute delight, and extremely readable - it's a great time for a read (or re-read)! And a sing-along! With a glass raised to toast your health! (Glass raised to…