The fun of reading a sequel pastiche - and no doubt the fun in writing one - are spotting those sentences you are certain Austen would never have written. So Odiwe pushes the boundaries in an entertaining but respectful way. And it was enjoyable seeing how the younger sisters behave, given a little more freedom, while the men as usual are rushing off to take care of their ‘responsibilities’.

Some entertaining scenes, especially those that included the suitably ghastly & delusional Anne Steele. ( )

Willoughby has returned and he is bumping into Marianne Brandon at every turn. These unexpected meetings force Marianne to relive all of their painful, yet exquisite memories of the past. While she has been happily married to Colonel Brandon for three years, she has continually been in doubt of the attentions being paid to his ward Eliza and her daughter, Willoughby's child. Insecure in Colonel Brandon's affections and love, Marianne is forced to consider if she made the right decision in marrying him. The contemplation of her marital happiness is especially difficult now that Willoughby is back....and is pursuing Marianne attention and stoking the fires of their long lost love.

Willoughby's Return is a fanciful novel of what would happen if Willoughby came dashing back into Marianne's life, while proclaiming his undying love and desire. I enjoyed reading a "sequel" of Sense and Sensibility from a unique viewpoint. It really does make you think about how Marianne and Colonel Brandon's life would have turned out...especially if Willoughby came cavorting about again. ( )

I am a sucker for Austen fan fiction, but this one was underwhelming. I was impressed by the author's ability to capture Austen's tone, at least in terms of grammar, structure and diction, though there were a few instances where contemporary usage crept in, and that was a little jarring. There was also something a little off with the storytelling, though that might simply have been my own dislike of how she chose to further develop these beloved characters. I know fan fiction is all about interpretation, and I guess I didn't care for some of hers. Most of the scenes between Willoughby and Marianne, for instance, seemed tortured rather than infused with a passion that had previously been denied. I understand that the author was expanding on the "he will always regret you, Marianne" theme, but the scale of his passion, bordering sometimes on stalkerish, was not quite believable. I can't tell if this was a fault of the writing or if the basic premise was flawed. Either way, it was a bit tougher to get through this than some other Austen fan fiction I've read. ( )

Hello, Jane Austen, my old friend. Or, rather, Jane Austen as continued by Jane Odiwe. I'm not gonna beat around the bush here - I loved this book. Austen sequels are a dime a dozen and some of them are truly awful. But then, once in a blue moon, you come across an author who not only obviously adores Austen (to the point of distraction, and I'll get to that later), but one who respects the original work enough to emulate it and then proceed in the same vein.

Willoughby's Return (2009), subtitled "A tale of almost irresistible temptation" is neither dry nor tawdry. This is no lifeless pile of words built upon Austen's frame, nor is it overly sexual; it remains comfortably in the appropriate time period. The story catches up with the Dashwood girls about three years after the events of Sense and Sensibility. Elinor and Edward have two young ones, Marianne and Brandon have a young son, and Margaret - never a diffident girl to begin with - has grown up and is ready to make her mark upon society.

John Willoughby was of course the foul rogue and spoiler of women whose abandonment of Marianne's love in favor of wealth almost killed the poor girl. You would think these parties would never stand to be in one another's presence ever again. But when Willoughby is involved in some business with Brandon's nephew, fate seems to have a different plan. While Brandon runs off to Lyme to care for his ward and her sick daughter (that being Willoughby's daughter), Marianne finds herself confronted over and over again by Willoughby and his unabated passion. Meanwhile, Margaret confesses that she herself was once in love with Willoughby, falls in love with someone else, is seemingly rejected by someone else, and ends up resembling the Marianne Dashwood of old in every way.

The story is well-constructed and the characters just as alive (if not more) as before. However (and here comes the point of distraction I was talking about) a large portion of the plot is drowning in pastiche. All of Austen's novels are represented, as if this book were the Austen Olympics. I wish that she had focused less on cramming in so many recognizable instances that had no place in the world of Sense and Sensibility.

At the same time, the novel is deeply engaging, it's funny, the characters are passionate and honest renderings of their originals, and the new characters (while some of them caricatures of other Austenfolk - i.e. Brandon's sister is so very obviously molded from the same clay as Mrs. Ferrars) are none too numerous that one cannot keep track of them, nor so flat as to be forgotten. Odiwe's insight into both her original characters and the classic characters is truly admirable. Now I need to go add her other books to my wishlist...

Lauren Cartelli
www.theliterarygothamite.com ( )

I am in two minds about this sequel to 'Sense and Sensibility', my favourite Austen novel. On one hand, Jane Odiwe is a fair writer, certainly not Berdoll-bad, and she has an obvious respect for her source material, but 'Willoughby's Return' adds nothing to the original. In fact, I was disappointed by how blatantly the plot mirrors the events of Austen's story, and how little the central characters have developed.

Three years after the hurried conclusion of 'Sense and Sensibility', Elinor Ferrars is happily married with two children, but only ranks a cameo appearance. Marianne is also now a wife and mother, mistress of Delaford and chaperone to the last remaining eligible Dashwood girl, Margaret - but in temperament and behaviour, she is still the same, if not worse. Petulant and needy, Marianne really annoys me in the sequel, whereas her forthright attitude and youthful exuberance in the original novel made her my favourite of the two sisters. She still carries a flame for Willoughby, invested with the author's charitable opinion of Austen's bad boy, no doubt; regrets Allenham when she has Delaford; transplants her own weaknesses onto others (why should the Colonel fall in love with the girl he raised as his daughter, for heaven's sake?); and above all behaves like a spoiled child. Marianne Dashwood didn't deserve Colonel Brandon's constancy and devotion the first time around, in my opinion, and nor is she making much of an effort as his wife. If anyone in the Brandon household should doubt that they are loved, it is surely the Colonel himself (or possibly their son, James, who is abandoned for weeks on end), and yet Marianne's selfish fits of jealousy make her sound almost paranoid. If the Colonel - named William here - is not there to shower her with gifts, make her the centre of attention, or carry her upstairs to demonstrate his love, she indulges in cruel suspicions and doubts ('Surely Brandon cannot look upon Eliza Williams without seeing her mother and the idea that they are moving towards an understanding of another kind looms with intensity'.)

When the prodigal Willoughby returns to play with Marianne's affections, he is resisted or received depending on how 'secure' she feels in her husband's love. The leopard of Allenham hasn't changed his spots, however much Odiwe takes pity on him and expects the same from the reader ('he had once tried to explain his past actions to Elinor, for which he had seemed truly sorry'). Yet apart from upsetting the marital apple cart, causing a stir, and playing cupid, the story isn't really about Willoughby. Or the fickle Marianne.

Margaret is now eighteen, ready for her first season - and the marriage market, this being Austen. Big sister Marianne, after resisting all matchmaking attempts by Sir John Middleton and Mrs Jennings herself five years before, has plans for her. Brandon's nephew Henry Lawrence (son of the sister in Avignon and owner of Whitwell) is in town, and Marianne means to pair them off. After resisting with a less than subtle statement about women having no say in their futures (Austen was much better at sly social commentary), Margaret spots the dashing Henry across a crowded ballroom and promptly loses her heart a la Marianne.

This is my main problem with Margaret's story - the development of the central plot is an exact replica of Marianne and Willoughby's hasty romance from 'Sense and Sensibility'. He's romantic and poetic, cares little for propriety, risks her reputation by taking her for unchaperoned drives - and then seemingly turns cold, transferring his affections elsewhere. Even Anne Steele, though far too old to still be interested in 'beaux' (in almost exactly the same words), is drafted in, and Mrs Jennings plays much the same role as before. What with Willoughby pursuing Marianne, even though both of them are married, and Margaret falling for a wrong 'un, I thought I was reading a Young Adult version of the original novel!

For all the repetition and uneven dialogue (I don't think Austen would have used phrases like 'bump into' and 'butt in'), I did find Odiwe's sequel readable, mainly because of my love for the Colonel. He is by far one of Austen's best 'matches', trumping even Darcy and his ten thousand a year, yet even she didn't truly do him justice. Like every reader who recognises his modest qualities over Willoughby's flash appeal, I wondered about his marriage to Marianne after finishing the book. In that respect, Odiwe doesn't disappoint - when the Colonel is in his wife's good books, and not being written out again to care for a sickly Eliza III (Willoughby's daughter), the pair are delightfully romantic and affectionate. I love those passages the most, when he can convey the love he feels in a mere glance and still cannot believe his good fortune - as he views his marriage, bless him - in finally winning Marianne. And she does love him in return, even if memories of her first love and Willoughby's skilled flattery are enough to tempt her. The devices that bring the two erstwhile lovers together are obvious and unconvincing - especially the replay of their first meeting - but her emotional vulnerability is understandable, if unneccessary. Marianne remains more on Willoughby's level than Brandon's, but a marriage built on mutual regard and love not lust is still satisfying to read about. I only hope that Marianne finally grows up and can appreciate all that she has!

Recommended for other admirers of wicked Willoughby, certainly, but any readers of 'Sense and Sensibility' who prefer Colonel Brandon should opt for 'Colonel Brandons Diary' by Amanda Grange. ( )