Selected Book
Austenland: A Novel
- Paperback
- Edition: Reprint
- Author: Shannon Hale
- Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
- Release Date: May 2008
- ISBN-10: 1596912863
- ISBN-13: 9781596912861
- List Price: $12.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryA big success in hardcover, this novel by New York Times bestselling author of Princess Academy is sure to find a new and substantial audience in paperback. Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man—perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own? |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
"I can't do this!" "Yes I can!" "No, wait, I can't!"
Rating:
This book started out terribly; I exclaimed several times "this is horrible!" In the end, however, it did redeem itself somewhat, though it is still just an ok book. Much of the plot has to do with Jane vacillating back and forth between being able to fully participate in Austenland, and feeling stupid and NOT being able to do it. You think I'm kidding? A sampling:
page 31: "She was ready to plunge."
page 33: "Now that it came to it, she didn't know if she could role play with a straight face."
page 38: "You can do it, you can do it, she chanted silently" [to herself]
page 43: "She was completely ridiculous."
page 48: "She still felt dried up and brittle in this new pretend skin, and she really didn't think she could stomach false declarations..."
page 51: "I don't think I can do this."
page 53: "I can do this; I want to do this."
You get this idea; that's 20 pages with several swings, and I skipped some. There is a similar back and forth over whether or not she needs men in her life. So there's very little Austen wit here (though it is better than some of the other Austen-related attempts), mostly you're just thinking "this is bizarre" and "this is inane". Don't try applying logic to the premise, it will start to fall apart. There's not much chemistry between the characters and not much immersion in the time period (other than costumes). Jane doesn't really even feel very likable, she is so unsure of who she is and what she wants, too focused on someone else making her happy.
All of that being said, I did rather enjoy the ending, and was pleasantly surprised by how it wrapped up. It is a very quick read, so if you are looking for some light fluff that has bits of P&P association, give it a whirl.
Finally!
Rating:
I've recently started to read "Jane Austen sequels" and this is one of the books that kept popping up, along with Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. I read "Confessions..." first and was greatly disappointed. Then I picked up this one.
As I mentioned in my review of "Confessions", this isn't exactly a "Jane Austen sequel" but I'm going to lump it into that category. The main character in this book goes on a vacation to an estate that essentially mirrors one in Austen's time (thankfully with modern bathrooms though!). She's obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and with Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth from the movie version (Pride and Prejudice(A&E, 1996). Who can blame her really? But the problem is that she's compared all her relationships to the perfect gentleman, which she may never find.
I, like many of the other reviewers, am enchanted with the idea of an estate where everyone eacts like ladies and gentlemen in Austen's time. The problem the main character has is that she can't figure out what is real and what is not. Who is an actor/actress, and who is simply on vacation like she is?
I really enjoyed this book, especially after "Confessions...". This book started a bit slow, but once our heroine reaches "Austenland" (as she calls it), everything starts to pick up. I was sorry to see this story end, and though I don't expect it, I'd love to see a sequel with others visiting "Austenland".
Sweet Respite from Grim Reality
Rating:
I love Jane Austen books and the movies that are inspired by her novels ... and when I was younger, I would have loved to live in those days of genteel lives. I am too jaded now to appreciate the wonder of those times (really love my modern comforts these days!). However, this book is a respite from everything that is going on. It's perfect for that but it is just a novel and not a very well-written one at that. I have wondered throughout the entire book just where it was going since it's not your typical chick lit.
Jane was bequeathed by an aunt in her will to have three weeks at Pembrook Park, Kent, England, where time has stood still and women like Jane can retreat to a different time and place ... away from the real world. She wanted to get rid of her Darcy obsession once and for all so she is free to move on and marry the man of her dreams ... that is if he ever appears in front of her. Once there, she surrenders all outside contact with the world and stepped into an Edwardian time where manners reigned supreme. Just maybe her Mr. Darcy is there waiting for her. Then maybe not.
It is a very sweet and cute novel, but one that no one should take seriously. There is a lot of references to Austen's books and the time period in which she lived as well. It is very predictable and the ending does fall flat on its face but if you like Jane Austen or if you like romances, this novel will fit the bill. There are much better books out there so don't buy it, borrow it from the library or from a friend (like I did). If you're heading home on a long plane ride over the holidays, this book is fluffy enough to keep you entertained.
11/26/08
Angieville: AUSTENLAND
Rating:
This bittersweet, funny slim little novel is first and foremost a love letter to Jane Austen, despite its well-deserved (and hilarious) dedication to Colin Firth. For those of us who, like the novel's heroine Jane Hayes, have happily reread all of Austen's novels over the years (except, as Hale points out, Northanger Abbey (Vintage Classics), which only got that one read), this story is a pleasant romp in Austenland. I was pleased with the way Jane questioned what in the world she was doing at what amounts to a Regency period fun park, with the way she alternately resists giving in to the fantasy and longs to dive in with reckless abandon. And I enjoyed the romantic comedy finish line ending.
Hale is Brilliant as Ever
Rating:
Austenland is the story of Jane Hayes, "a thirty-something woman in possession of a satisfying career and a fabulous hairdo," who finds herself unmarried and harboring a dangerous obsession with the A&E production of Pride and Prejudice. Her aged great-aunt figures out Jane's little secret and leaves something special for Jane in her will: an all expense paid trip to Pembrook Park, Kent, England.
At Pembrook Park, Austen's world comes alive with everyone taking on a different "character" and every detail of Victorian life painstakingly reproduced (right down to the corsets!). It is quite funny to follow Jane's slow conversion to playing along with things, and read about her internal struggle between fantasy and reality. I laughed out loud several times, and found myself smiling through nearly the entire reading.
If this book hasn't been optioned as a film yet, it should be. PRONTO! That way I can eventually put the DVD right next to my own copy of the A&E masterpiece and have more outlets for my own Austen addiction!
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