Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire Delights

MP&Mummies is a faithful, and loving, reinterpretation of the original by Austen that also happens to be funny. I'm a huge Austen fan, love her books, and have read and re-read them many times. Vera Nazarian's mash-up kept me laughing, and agreeing with her interpretations of the characters. They kept their original personalities, and followed the original plot--it's well-nigh seamless how Vera did it. It's a work of love for sure. Mash-ups like this are a tight-rope walk between satire of the original satire that Austen wrote, respect, and a balance between the original text and the new text. Vera Nazarian has walked that tight-rope successfully, in my opinion. I pick this up whenever I need a lift. I mean, come on, Aunt Norris as a werewolf-and that being an "open secret"? It's perfect. Other characters as vampires? (although not ever straight out announced as such) Perfect. It IS long-as long as the original Mansfield Park, whereas many take-offs would be shorter, but that's okay with me. That means there's more to enjoy. I did start trying to ignore the footnotes, though (those did get tiresome after the first hundred pages), but other than that-fun! Really!

Shy, timid Fanny Price finds herself up against a dreamy ancient mummy, a cold vampire rival, werewolves in the hedgerows, and all sorts of family hijinks in this lighthearted mashup of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and the supernatural. Having read the later entries in Vera Nazarian's Supernatural Austen series, I came back to the one that started it all for an entertaining time. As described, this is Jane Austen's Mansfield Park infused and enlivened by a monster mash of supernatural creatures. The author seemed to retain all of the original while plugging in the additional elements. The mummy side of matters happens when Lady Bertram innocently accepts the keeping of part of a British scholar's Egyptian collection he brought back from Egypt and requires a place to store it. Little did they know that there were powerful mystical artifacts in the collection and a pharaoh who has seen his beloved reincarnated in pretty Fanny Price. Meanwhile, Aunt Norris gets furry and beastly under the full moon and Miss Crawford has a cold vampiric heart though she has warmed to the idea of handsome Edmund Bertram being hers. Fanny has her hands full and can only watch in astonishment as events play out around her until she is called upon to show her own brand of courage when needed most. Like with the others in the series, I did find the pacing sometimes off and lagging and it sometimes felt as if the supernatural elements were crammed in rather than meshed. However, mostly, I had a rollicking good time with this lightweight monster romp set in Jane Austen's novel.

What can I say about Mansfield Park and Mummies? It wasn't what I was expecting, but also thankfully so. I laughed and laughed through Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, but was often taken aback by the graphic gore. You'll find none of that here, just a plain old Victorian Romance with supernatural elements thrown in. Besides the mummies, you'll find 2 werewolves and a vampirette--but none of them are particularly lethal. Although a fan of 19th Century literature, this tale of reincarnation and misguided unions, was a pleasure to read--in fact I can honestly say it was my one great book of the summer of 2010.

Please note: As always, if you are reading this review on a site that does not allow formatting, to see formatting, links, etc. please visit my blog, Now is Gone. Links can always be found in my profile, on every site I on which I'm a member. Book Info: Genre: Classic Literature parody Reading Level: Adult Recommended for: Fans of Jane Austen who enjoy a laugh, people who enjoy parodies, Vera Nazarian fans My Thoughts: This was the first of the supernatural Jane Austen parodies that Nazarian wrote. I can see that her abilities have increased with practice, as this one is not nearly as rib-splitting as the second, which is not nearly as hilarious as the third. Nonetheless, now I see from whence came both the Brighton Duck and the horrible afflictions found in the third book; it is all developed starting here. Therefore I shall say that while the books may indeed be read out of order, I recommend that you read them in publication date if you are able, just to see that development. The parody aspect of this book is good, but not as good as the two later books in this series. I imagine it's due to the source material, as Mansfield Park was just a snorefest to me. The book is very long, and there is much too much handwringing and "oh dear" and "what will the neighbors think" and general fluttering for me. And "poor little timid Fanny"--oh, I just wanted to wring her neck sometimes! I know Jane Austen in the original was probably as much making fun of society as anything, but there was just too much in this one to hold my attention or amuse me as much as the others. This absolutely will not stop me from pouncing on any new books that Vera Nazarian might decide to parody, of course, as her satires and parodies are top notch. You have to realize that this book probably suffered in comparison to its two excellent followups as well, because books 2 and 3 in the Supernatural Jane Austen series really tickled my funny bone, so I had very high expectations for this one. Probably if I'd read this one first, I would have enjoyed it more. I was quite amused by Lady Bertram and her vague fondnesses and her obsession with Egyptology, although I didn't much care for the unfaithful and vindictive Maria nor Julie, and Mrs. Norris was an obnoxious waste of resources. If you like Jane Austen, if you like classic literature parodies, if you liked Mansfield Park, then you might enjoy Mansfield Park and Mummies. Do not miss the other two books in this series, which in my opinion are much funnier than this one; that information is below. Series Information: The Supernatural Jane Austen series consists of parodies of all of Jane Austen's major books. They are all standalone and can be read in any order. The order listed is simply the order of publication. Book 1: Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and other Dire Delights Book 2: Northanger Abbey and Angels and Demons, review linked here Book 3: Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy's Dreadful Secret, review linked here Disclosure: I purchased this book for myself. No review has been requested. All opinions are my own. Synopsis: Spinsterhood or Mummification. Ancient Egypt infiltrates Regency England in this elegant, hilarious, witty, insane, and unexpectedly romantic monster parody of Jane Austen's classic novel. Our gentle yet indomitable heroine Fanny Price must hold steadfast not only against the seductive charms of Henry Crawford but also an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Meanwhile, the indubitably handsome and kind hero Edmund attempts Exorcisms... Miss Crawford vamps out... Aunt Norris channels her inner werewolf... The Mummy-mesmerized Lady Bertram collects Egyptian artifacts... There can be no doubt that Mansfield Park has become a battleground for the forces of Ancient Evil and Regency True Love.

Nice story line that keeps you entertained till the end.Only wish it had been longer. Yes,I am waiting for a 2000 page book.😉

This was an amusing read. Nazarian easily incorporates the paranormal into the original text. Some of the footnotes got repetitive, self-congratulatory, and annoying, but overall an easy read for someone who likes Austen.

A rather fun mashup well adapted by the Second Author. I think it's even better than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Original J Austen book supplemented cleverly,but a tame finish.