Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe: A Review by Raquel Sallaberry

When I read Vic's review of Willoughby's Return on this blog it stirred my curiosity to read the book. I already knew about Jane Odiwe's site and blogs, and thought to myself "She who can create those delicate drawings inspired by Jane Austen will certainly not write nasty things about my beloved characters." For Jane Austen's characters have become ours over time. When I received the book, I wrote not so much a review for my blog, but my impressions.

Three years after Marianne's marriage to the colonel, we find both the Brandon and Ferrars families living in a quiet way with their children, just as Jane Austen foreshadowed. The heroine of the moment is Margaret Dashwood, an exact mixture of her older sisters, sensible and yet extroverted. The would-be hero, Henry Lawrence, reminded me at times of another Henry: Mr. Tilney from Northanger Abbey.

Life continues quietly for our characters until the arrival of John Willoughby. Despite being a shameless gentleman - for I can not call him a scoundrel - he arrives to do the responsible thing and take care of his property, Combe Magna. The house is very close to Delaford, where Marianne lives. And from this point on the adventure begins.

I always thought that the marriage of Marianne and Colonel Brandon would not turn out to be exciting, though certainly happy. And I confess I've never stopped to think about Eliza's and Willoughby's child. Jane Austen mentioned Colonel Brandon's sense of duty to Eliza, which Jane Odiwe uses to drive the plot.

I will not tell more details to prevent spoiling the reading for you. Let me just say that it was a pleasure to read this book and return to Sense and Sensibility and its characters.

EDITION: Sourcebooks, 2009
REVIEW: previous post at Lendo Jane Austen: http://janeaustenemportugues.com/leituras/2010/05/o-retorno-de-willoughby/

Posted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen Em Portugese

Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe, A Review

Humans are complex creatures. We are all multidimensional, like the characters that Jane Austen created in her delightful novels. Take Willoughby, the handsome cad from Sense and Sensibility. At the end of Jane Austen’s tale, he expressed his love for Marianne to Elinor, even though he had become engaged to another woman . The reader, sensing his regret, almost feels sorry for him, for he had exchanged his dearest possession for empty coin.

Jane Odiwe’s novel, Willoughby’s Return, centers around Willoughby’s reappearance in Marianne life. But which man does she write about? The scoundrel or the romantic hero with the complicated emotions? Jane O. does not reveal this important bit of information until the very end of her tale. Marianne, although three years older, married, and the mother of a small son, is still as volatile as ever - sensitive, romantic, and impressionable. She has fallen deeply in love with her husband. Although their marriage is sensual and the Colonel spoils her, Marianne has become suspicious of her William. His obligations to his ward, Eliza and her daughter, call him away frequently. When Willoughby reenters her life, as handsome and attractive as ever, Marianne has become unsure of her husband's affections and is feeling vulnerable.

Adding richness to the plot of Willoughby Returns is the tale of Margaret, Marianne's and Elinor's youn sister. Now seventeen years old, she plays the other central role in this novel, in which the happily married Elinor takes a back seat and is barely glimpsed. Margaret experiences her own romance with dashing Henry Lawrence, William Brandon's nephew.

Like Jane Austen, Jane Odiwe is spare in her descriptions of the characters, but unlike Jane A., she is free with her depiction of an age long gone, of market days and vegetable stalls and flowers in a meadow. An artist as well as a writer, Jane O.'s details of scenery and village life are vivid. She has no need to imitate Jane A.'s writing style and in this, her second novel, is developing a keen style of her own. Favorite characters like Mrs. Jennings are revisited, and Lucy Steele (now Ferrars) and her sister Anne also make a reappearance. Jane O's plot has its twists and turns, the suspense coming from the characters' actions, which comes to a satisfying conclusion only after several misunderstandings are cleared up.

Readers who love Jane Austen sequels will find this charming book a more than satisfying read. I give it three out of three Regency fans.

• Read my interview with Jane here.
• Order Willoughby Returns at this link.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Willoughby's Return Slated to Be Released on November 1st

Source Books will release Willoughby's Return on November 1st, and holding a blog tour for author Jane Odiwe on these blogs. Not only will the book be reviewed, but Jane will chat with the bloggers. Jane Austen's World is slated to join in on the fun. The schedule is as follows:

• Smexy Books 10/26, Author Interview, Book Review
• Psychotic State blogspot 10/27, Author Interview
• Book Nerd Extraordinaire, 11/2
• Everything Victorian 11/3
• Savvy, Verse and Wit 11/4
• A Bibliophile's Bookshelf 11/5
• The Bookworm Blogspot 11/6
• Books Like Breathing 11/9
• Jane Austen's World 11/10
• Love, Romance, Passion, 11/11
• Fresh Fiction 11/12
• Love, Romance, Passion 11/13

Follow Jane Odiwe's adventure as an author on her blog, Jane Austen Sequels

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World