second growth books

Because Queer People Deserve Happily Ever After, Too.

For the Bennet sisters, life in quiet Hertfordshire County is about to change. Netherfield Hall has just been let to a single man of large fortune. But while it is true that such a man is generally considered to be in want of a wife, it is equally true that not all men desire female companionship, just as not every woman dreams of being married.

Like other variations on Jane Austen’s classic romance novel, Gay Pride & Prejudice poses a question: What if some among Austen’s characters preferred the company of their own sex? In this queer revision of the classic original, Kate Christie offers an alternate version of love, friendship, and marriage for Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and others among their circle of friends. But even as the path to love veers from the straight and narrow, the destination remains much the same.

If you have an open mind, dear reader, you may discover the book Jane Austen would likely never have approved, but which, nonetheless, affords a window onto gay and lesbian life in early nineteenth century England.

Kate Christie, a longtime Jane Austen fan, admits to being weary of the compulsive heteronormativity of the classics. After reading an article describing the literary mashup phenomenon surrounding Austen and others, Christie decided to try her hand at queering the canon, starting with Austen’s mother of all romance novels. The author of three previous traditionally published novels, Christie lives with her wife and daughter near Seattle. For excerpts and book trailers for all of her novels, or to find out more about her background in women’s history and English literature, visit www.katejchristie.com.