I think I would've enjoyed this more if I didn't love Mansfield Park so much. This is a fairly thorough retelling, nailing many of the details that even the film adaptations have ignored, but in making it more modern, much of what I loved about Fanny and her character has been significantly downplayed and even lost.

Fanny Price is a non-entity, a convenient nothing, a plain, easily ignored girl taken on charity. And she's aware of it all the time...aware of her duty to her family, to contribute to their happiness if she can. And yet, when the time comes for her to cave to their expectations, she cannot compromise her own ethics. Because Fanny Price is also a stubborn, moral stick-in-the-mud possessing more wisdom than anyone wants to admit, and she trusts herself even when no one will listen.

I love that Fanny Price. Socially oppressed, ignored except when convenient, she nonetheless finds something of value within herself and refuses to relinquish it. Finley Price, on the other hand, is glossy and beautiful with social cachet in spades if she chooses to use it. A history of abuse has left her timid and unwilling to trust herself, and so she looks outward for approval and submits to others' expectations and needs like some kind of martyr.

I understand why Watson wrote her this way. It's a lot more complicated to write about societal pressure and marginalization today than it was in Jane Austen's time. (Though not impossible.) And so why not flip the source of conflict from external pressure to internal instability? But I wanted to read a Mansfield Park retelling with Fanny Price in it, not Finley. I wanted her wise and stodgy and plain and fighting for herself.

Every scene where Finley huddles deeper into herself, lets others make her choices for her, refuses to assert her beliefs, even gently; every scene when someone comments on her beauty and her charm and how many dudes want to date her; every scene when she patches together the life she's always wanted from the shards of her broken past, when she "finds" herself and "heals"...every scene I spent with Finley, I was imagining how it could've been with Fanny instead. And I missed her. In her own retelling, I missed her. ( )

SO S O CUTE AND PAINFUL IN THAT REPEATED MISSED OPPORTUNITIES WAY ( )

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw this modern YA retelling of my favorite Jane Austen novel I knew I had to read it. I'm in the minority of Austenites with Mansfield Park as my favorite Jane Austen novel so I knew this one wouldn't quite live up to my hopes for a YA retelling but I kept an open mind. I actually really enjoyed this one. There were a few times when the main characters - Finley Price and Oliver Bertram - got on my nerves a little but that can be explained by my love for the original Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram. Juliette Bertram is just as maddening as the character she is based on (Maria Bertram) and I still find myself drawn towards Harlan (Henry) Crawford. I would definitely recommend this YA Jane Austen retelling to my fellow Austenites who also enjoy YA novels.
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Goodreads Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price has perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is her best friend, the Bertram's son Oliver. If she could just take Oliver's constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she'd finally chase her dream of joining the prestigious Mansfield Theater.

When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram's, they immediately set their sights on Oliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver's stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him. Problem is, the harder he seeks to win her, the harder he falls for her.

But Finley doesn't want to be won, and she doesn't want to see Oliver with anyone else. To claim Oliver's heart—and keep her own—she'll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.

My Review:
I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for a review.

First off, I really like the cover on this book. It's really bright and eye catching. The book begins with Fin(ley), a sixteen year old girl, filling out her Mansfield theatre application. She lives with her godparents and their son, Oliver, the other point of view in the story. Her father, a celebrity and actor passed away, and her horrible mother is in jail. She feels like she owes her new family her life for helping her get away from the abuse of her mother.

Fin is a huge movie buff and loves plays. She's easily abused by people and doesn't really stand up for herself, though she should. You really get to know her really well and the characters in the book seem like they could be real people. Although they live next to celebrities, Harlan and Emma, they face their problems like real people would. I really enjoyed reading this book and devoured it in one night.

Honestly this book is amazing. As soon as I started reading it I knew I'd like it and I couldn't put it down. It follows the characters as they live their lives and spread their wings. They really change throughout the book and I'm happy for them, even though they're not real. The story is a breathe of fresh air compared to the other books I've been reading lately and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. It takes turns I never expected and I definitely recommend it.

Here's a link to the authors twitter, and another link to amazon where you can purchase the book.

https://twitter.com/katewatsonya

https://www.amazon.ca/Seeking-Mansfield-Kate-Watson/dp/1635830028/ref=sr_1_1?ie=...

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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