The Children of the Abbey The Children of the Abbey The Children of the Abbey is a novel by the Irish romantic novelist Regina Maria Roche. It first appeared in 1796, in London in 4 volumes, and related the tale of Amanda and Oscar Fitzalan, two young people in love who are robbed of their rightful inheritance by a forged will. Her third novel, it was a major commercial success, remaining in print for most of the 19th century, although its critical reception suffered from its original publication by the sensationalist Minerva Press. "The Children of the Abbey" was also mentioned in Jane Austen's popular
Northanger Abbey (2007 film) and it marked only the second filmed adaptation of the book; with the first being made and broadcast in 1986. Andrew Davies, the screenwriter who adapted "Pride and Prejudice" for the BBC, was commissioned to write the script for "Northanger Abbey". He had previously written an adaptation of the novel for Weekend Television in 1998. It was optioned by Harvey Weinstein for Miramax Films and drafts from other writers were added, before the project was abandoned. Davies told "The Daily Telegraph's" Hugh Davies that "Northanger Abbey" was much more straightforward to adapt than "Pride and Prejudice", which was "quite a