I seem to be on a Jane Austen retelling kick lately: first Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, and now Relative Strangers, which is a modern reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.
What’s Relative Strangers about?
Amelia Bae-Wood ((ahem, Marianne Dashwood) goes to live with her widowed sister Eleanor, her widowed mother, and her niece Margaret after her glamorous foodie-preneur lifestyle falls apart. Her family has been rendered near penniless because her late father had a secret love child who’s now laying claim to their family fortune, and the Bae-Wood women have to rely on the kindness of others for food and shelter.
While Amelia figures out her next steps, she grows closer to her sister, mother, and niece, though this brings new drama of its own that she needs to sort out before she can move forward in life and in love.
How closely does Relative Strangers follow Sense and Sensibility?
I’ve long been a fan of the Emma Thompson/ Hugh Grant/ Alan Rickman/ Kate Winslet movie version of Sense and Sensibility. No joke, there was one summer when I watched it every. single. morning. For, like, three months straight. (Sorry, Mom.) So, to say I know that movie by heart is an understatement.
Jane Austen’s novel, however, is another story. I’ve actually only read Sense and Sensibility once, but I absolutely loved it. It became my second favorite Austen novel.
A lot of Relative Strangers matches up to the major plot points of Sense and Sensibility: the Bae-Wood women are broke and have to live on charity from a generous benefactor. There’s various chances at romance for sisters Eleanor and Amelia, Amelia has a whirlwind affair with “Willoughby.” There are issues about class and wealth and family connections that threaten to ruin the Bae-Woods’ lives forever.
The Sense and Sensibility movie was a large inspiration for author A.H. Kim in writing Relative Strangers. So, if you’re more familiar with the movie than with the novel (like me!), you’ll be ready to roll with Kim’s modern retelling.
Some (spoiler-free) differences between Relative Strangers and Sense and Sensibility
Some of the changes Kim makes are necessary for a contemporary retelling of an Austen tale. For example, Amelia gets her own emotional and adventurous backstory that befits a modern, ambitious 21st century woman. And, both Eleanor and Amelia are closer to 40 years old than the much younger “marriagable age” of Austen’s time.
Interestingly, Kim chose to make Eleanor a widow; she’s already met, married, and unfortunately buried her Edward when Relative Strangers begins. Both Bae-Wood sisters are on the marriage market, but Eleanor’s hesitancy to put herself out there is much more understandable considering her romantic past.
It’s also fun figuring out who Eleanor’s new love interest is going to be in Kim’s retelling. While some Relative Strangers characters are obviously their counterparts from Sense and Sensibility (e.g., Brandon), there are numerous additions to Kim’s retelling who are a fun and intriguing blend of familiar “faces” from Austen’s novel.
Should you read Relative Strangers?
I think fans of Sense and Sensibility will appreciate this fun, honest, and heartwarming reinvention of Jane Austen’s classic. Relative Strangers pays homage to the Regency novel (and 1995 movie) we all know and love, with many contemporary changes to the original story that make sense given the setting and time period of the retelling.
Even if you’re not a Janeite, there’s lots to enjoy in Kim’s novel, particularly when it comes to themes of family drama, sibling stories, found family, foodie fiction, and love and romance.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for Relative Strangers?
Check out the book-inspired recipe for Relative Strangers novel: Morning Bun Muffins!
Although I received a complimentary advance copy of Relative Strangers from Kaye Publicity, all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
