jlworley's review against another edition
3.0
A good story, especially for fans of Jane Austen. I would've liked to see more depth to the characters, especially in the modern side of the storyline.
chaari's review against another edition
4.0
"Ein gutes Buch ist wie ein guter Freund. Es wird dich für den Rest deines Lebens begleiten. Am Anfang wird es spannend und abenteuerlich sein, und Jahre später wird es zu etwas Tröstlichem, Vertrautem werden." S. 45
Ich bin ein großer Austenfan, vor allem natürlich ein Fan von Stolz und Vorurteil und da hat mich der Titel dieses Buches verständlicherweise sofort angesprungen.
Ich mochte "Jane Austens Geheimnis". Viele Aspekte daran fand ich sogar ganz wunderbar.
Zunächst einmal - im Klappentext wird es ja schon angesprochen, erzählt das Buch eine wunderschöne Geschichte über Sophies Liebe zu Büchern. Wir lernen ihren Onkel Bertram kennen, der Sophie mit Büchern vertraut macht und ihr die Wunder, die zwischen zwei Buchdeckeln stecken können, näher bringt. Ich hab mich hier sehr angesprochen gefühlt, denn nennen wir das Kind beim Namen - Ich bin eine Buchaholikerin.
Der zweite Aspekt, den ich mochte, war natürlich der Austen-Aspekt. Das Buch funktioniert auf zwei Erzählebenen, denn während wir in der einen Hälfte des Buches Sophie auf ihren Abentuern begleiten, dürfen wir in der anderen Hälfte Jane Austen kennenlernen, ein bisschen ihren Schreibprozess nachvollziehen und erfahren über ihre (fiktive) Freundschaft zu dem bedeutend älteren Reverend Mansfield. Das Buch ebenjenem Mansfield ist später in der Gegenwart von Sophie von großer Bedeutung.
Ich mag Geschichten, die in zwei verschiedenen Zeiten stattfinden, ich find es immer wieder spannend und schön, wie die zwei Erzählstränge zusammenfinden und das ist hier, wie ich finde sehr schön gelungen.
Ich bin nicht 100% zufrieden mit dem Buch muss ich sagen, leider fand ich Sophie größtenteils ziemlich unsympathisch. Sie hat eine seltsame Einstellung zu Männern ("Hey Winston, ich liebe dich zwar nicht und eigentlich glaube ich dass ich in Eric verliebt bin, aber du bist groß, stark und gut im Bett, deswegen darfst du noch ein bisschen bleiben"), trifft für mich nicht nachvollziehbare Entscheidungen ("Das Buch ist zu teuer, och, klauen wir es doch einfach mal kurz") und diese leicht snarky/überhebliche Einstellungen anderen Leuten gegenüber, die sie für weniger belesen hält gehen mir leicht auf die Nerven. Aber gut, die wenigsten Bücher sind perfekt und dieses war trotz Sophie ein schönes Buch das ich weiterempfehlen würde.
Ich bin ein großer Austenfan, vor allem natürlich ein Fan von Stolz und Vorurteil und da hat mich der Titel dieses Buches verständlicherweise sofort angesprungen.
Ich mochte "Jane Austens Geheimnis". Viele Aspekte daran fand ich sogar ganz wunderbar.
Zunächst einmal - im Klappentext wird es ja schon angesprochen, erzählt das Buch eine wunderschöne Geschichte über Sophies Liebe zu Büchern. Wir lernen ihren Onkel Bertram kennen, der Sophie mit Büchern vertraut macht und ihr die Wunder, die zwischen zwei Buchdeckeln stecken können, näher bringt. Ich hab mich hier sehr angesprochen gefühlt, denn nennen wir das Kind beim Namen - Ich bin eine Buchaholikerin.
Der zweite Aspekt, den ich mochte, war natürlich der Austen-Aspekt. Das Buch funktioniert auf zwei Erzählebenen, denn während wir in der einen Hälfte des Buches Sophie auf ihren Abentuern begleiten, dürfen wir in der anderen Hälfte Jane Austen kennenlernen, ein bisschen ihren Schreibprozess nachvollziehen und erfahren über ihre (fiktive) Freundschaft zu dem bedeutend älteren Reverend Mansfield. Das Buch ebenjenem Mansfield ist später in der Gegenwart von Sophie von großer Bedeutung.
Ich mag Geschichten, die in zwei verschiedenen Zeiten stattfinden, ich find es immer wieder spannend und schön, wie die zwei Erzählstränge zusammenfinden und das ist hier, wie ich finde sehr schön gelungen.
Ich bin nicht 100% zufrieden mit dem Buch muss ich sagen, leider fand ich Sophie größtenteils ziemlich unsympathisch. Sie hat eine seltsame Einstellung zu Männern ("Hey Winston, ich liebe dich zwar nicht und eigentlich glaube ich dass ich in Eric verliebt bin, aber du bist groß, stark und gut im Bett, deswegen darfst du noch ein bisschen bleiben"), trifft für mich nicht nachvollziehbare Entscheidungen ("Das Buch ist zu teuer, och, klauen wir es doch einfach mal kurz") und diese leicht snarky/überhebliche Einstellungen anderen Leuten gegenüber, die sie für weniger belesen hält gehen mir leicht auf die Nerven. Aber gut, die wenigsten Bücher sind perfekt und dieses war trotz Sophie ein schönes Buch das ich weiterempfehlen würde.
nlfrey's review against another edition
4.0
Charlie Lovett is fast becoming one of my favorite authors - both this book and "The Bookman's Tale" (which I read recently) are extremely well done and interesting.
Much like "The Bookman's Tale," "First Impressions" also includes interconnected stories from different time periods - chapters alternate between an account of Jane Austen's friendship with the fictional character Richard Mansfield, and current day Sophie Collingwood, a book lover and Austen enthusiast.
Also like "The Bookman's Tale," "First Impressions" includes a mystery, a romance, and enough old books and documents to make any bibliophile drool.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only complaints (and the reason it only earned 4 instead of 5 stars) are that the heroine was far too trusting of the bad guy. I knew he was the bad guy within a few chapters, and it was really frustrating the way she dismissed red flags and things that just weren't adding up with him and continued to trust him far more than anyone with her level of intelligence should have.
Also, while the alternating time periods for alternating chapters worked well for most of the book, near the end the present day chapters were all ending with cliffhangers while the 1790s chapters were peacefully wrapping up, and I think any reader understands how frustrating that can be. Books are enough of an emotional roller coaster as it is, adding in multiple cliffhangers followed by portions of a completely different story is nothing more than an unnecessary strain to the readers already fragile emotional state.
Aside from those two complaints, I loved everything else about this book and highly recommend it!
Much like "The Bookman's Tale," "First Impressions" also includes interconnected stories from different time periods - chapters alternate between an account of Jane Austen's friendship with the fictional character Richard Mansfield, and current day Sophie Collingwood, a book lover and Austen enthusiast.
Also like "The Bookman's Tale," "First Impressions" includes a mystery, a romance, and enough old books and documents to make any bibliophile drool.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only complaints (and the reason it only earned 4 instead of 5 stars) are that the heroine was far too trusting of the bad guy. I knew he was the bad guy within a few chapters, and it was really frustrating the way she dismissed red flags and things that just weren't adding up with him and continued to trust him far more than anyone with her level of intelligence should have.
Also, while the alternating time periods for alternating chapters worked well for most of the book, near the end the present day chapters were all ending with cliffhangers while the 1790s chapters were peacefully wrapping up, and I think any reader understands how frustrating that can be. Books are enough of an emotional roller coaster as it is, adding in multiple cliffhangers followed by portions of a completely different story is nothing more than an unnecessary strain to the readers already fragile emotional state.
Aside from those two complaints, I loved everything else about this book and highly recommend it!
josiejthames's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
robinwalter's review against another edition
The first book I rea by this author was The Lost Book of the Grail and I loved it. The premise of this book sounded interesting, so I was keen to give it a try. Sadly, I could not get into it. The main problem was the striking difference between "Grail" and this book. In t "Grail", the lead is constantly being challenged over his fixation on the physical medium of a book. His belief that a book has to be an object made of paper is queried and tested, and he grows, albeit reluctantly, in his perceptions. THIS book, on the other hand, is an active celebration of bibliomania, the fixation on the physical medium of paper books, which, by the time I gave up just past a third through, has been absolutely central. The lead worships the physical objects, and spends A LOT more time talking and thinking about them than she does talking about the CONTENT of the books, their words. Since I no longer read print books, this monomaniacal fixation was offputting, and in the end, it was too much to put up with.
froydis's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Edelweiss and Viking Adult for early access to this title.
I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and well written adventure through the world of rare books and Jane Austen. I enjoyed Lovett's earlier book "[b:The Bookman’s Tale|16158563|The Bookman’s Tale|Charlie Lovett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360573276s/16158563.jpg|21998979]" and this second one is just as good! It has all the elements that I LOVE - England, rare books, libraries, Jane Austen and (non-sappy) romance. Its also well written and the characters are very well done. The chapters are interspersed between the past and the present, and this stylistic choice is very well done. The chapters don't compete with each other, but are in a constant dialog which enhances both storylines. I would have liked to seen the Jane Austen parts a bit more detailed as to her real-life, particularly her supposed romances and engagement, but I understand why the author chose to focus on what he did. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read! Highly Recommended!
I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and well written adventure through the world of rare books and Jane Austen. I enjoyed Lovett's earlier book "[b:The Bookman’s Tale|16158563|The Bookman’s Tale|Charlie Lovett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360573276s/16158563.jpg|21998979]" and this second one is just as good! It has all the elements that I LOVE - England, rare books, libraries, Jane Austen and (non-sappy) romance. Its also well written and the characters are very well done. The chapters are interspersed between the past and the present, and this stylistic choice is very well done. The chapters don't compete with each other, but are in a constant dialog which enhances both storylines. I would have liked to seen the Jane Austen parts a bit more detailed as to her real-life, particularly her supposed romances and engagement, but I understand why the author chose to focus on what he did. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read! Highly Recommended!
geneticginger's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic book telling a fictional story of Jane Austen's life and how it impacts the life of Sophie a book lover. Filled with mystery, romance, and typical Jane Austen.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
A literary mystery that alternates the story of Jane Austen's fictional friendship with an aging cleric and the current day book lover Sophie's quest to find a much sought after manuscript that may call into question the provenance of Sense and Sensibility (while juggling a couple of competing suitors). There's intrigue and suitors with secrets and books and Jane Austen and crumbling piles with mysterious libraries, what more could you want?
kduty_92's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
summerbeecher's review against another edition
4.0
This was totally enjoyable! I loved the back and forth between the two storylines and the unknown history of Jane Austen (even though it was totally fabricated by the author, it made for fun reading!). I will admit I was bugged by the casual attitude toward sex in the modern story, but I don't remember it being too descriptive so I was glad for that - I just thought it was unnecessary and felt cheap.