Review of Jane Austen in Scarsdale
Westchester.com reviews Paula Marantz Cohen’s new book, Jane Austen in Scarsdale, a modern retelling of Persuasion. Unsurprisingly the perspective is more from a Westchester-resident point of view than a Janeite one, but a few of the Austenish details sneak through.
The trials and tribulations of Anne’s life, coping with her own needs, those of her students and family members provides a counterpoint to the sterotypical Scarsdalians, who are not shown with any softer, more altruistic and less self-serving sides of their characters.
Other examples of Cohen’s fine characterizations are those of Anne’s grandmother, her wastrel father, self-absorbed sister. The impending sale of the ancestral Tudor home is quite realistic, from the language of the listing details to the suggestions of how to make the house more attractive so it will fetch a higher price.
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Thanks for quoting from my review of Paula Marantz Cohen’s newest book, Jane Austen in Scarsdale. You made my day!
Linda Lieberman, the reviewer for Westchester.com