thriftygeek's review
5.0
This was a good book one of my favorite off beat Austen related books. Never would have imagines Jane as a vampire. It has to "bite" seeing all the royalties you could get for your work and things inspired by it and can't.
catpingu's review
2.0
Honestly, if I'd read this while I was still in my elementary school years, I would have liked it better. Now, as an adult and having read real soul-consuming literature, I can only see this as a light-hearted comedic "what-if" scenario. Jane Austen's a vampire, ...
I like how it makes fun of contemporary icons like Stephen King ("a wordy man"), The Lovely Bones, Gwyneth Paltrow ("a celebrity who named their child Apple"), etc. So we can't take it too seriously, but I had been expecting a lot more because it took me so long to read it sooooo that's where my bias is playing in this rating. I don't intend on finishing the trilogy.
Spoiler
Lord Byron, and Charlotte BrontëI like how it makes fun of contemporary icons like Stephen King ("a wordy man"), The Lovely Bones, Gwyneth Paltrow ("a celebrity who named their child Apple"), etc. So we can't take it too seriously, but I had been expecting a lot more because it took me so long to read it sooooo that's where my bias is playing in this rating. I don't intend on finishing the trilogy.
mnemosyne5's review
4.0
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I first read the summary, I had a great many doubts, but I won a first reads copy and found it witty, fun, and an overall entertaining read. Jane Austen, we learn, is a vampire living in upstate New York and trying unsuccessfully to get her last novel published. Throw into the mix the seemingly endless number of Austen knockoffs that fill bookstore shelves, along with some other famous literary figures of the past, and an Austen-esque love triangle, and there are a great many laughs to be had.
bookish_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
margaretkearney's review
5.0
A brilliant read.Full of wit,laugh out loud moments and loads of refences to other similar genre books.Highly recommend.Shall definitley pick up the sequel.
bibliophilelinda's review
3.0
This book was a goodreads giveaway gift.
Review: The book has a cute and, at times, witty chick lit story but is certainly not the best or brightest book on the shelf. Jane Austen is alive today, but as a vampire named Jane Fairfax, and running a small bookstore in a backwoods town somewhere in New York State. She's written a wonderful new book, but has received 116 rejection notices from various publishing firms, despite the fact that the Austen craze is still going strong. Anyway, one publisher finally accepts the manuscript and Jane must deal with her newly growing fame. Simultaneously, a local contractor in her town is trying to court her, despite her protestations (she's afraid her "condition" might scare him off). Meanwhile, the vampire who turned her, the charismatic Brian George, who actually turns out to be Lord Bryon, comes back to reclaim her love. This all inevitably leads up to Jane having to reveal her "condition" to her assistant bookstore keeper and her love interest, while trying to promote her book and fend off the increasing persistence of Lord Bryon's declarations of love. Also, the story throws a little of the Bronte vs Austen drama in the mix. I enjoyed the guest appearances of famous authors, but this book felt crafted from the same mold as the rest of what I call "Wal-Mart" stories: quickly written stories published at precisely the height of a particular subject craze (the subject in this instance being the Austen-turned-into-horror-stories fad) and lacking that special uniqueness characteristic of great novels. In addition, the ending was so obviously left open for a sequel, which is also promoted at the end of the book, as to be ridiculous. I mean, really, why does this story need to be made into a series? In my opinion, another way to milk money out of a fad.
Review: The book has a cute and, at times, witty chick lit story but is certainly not the best or brightest book on the shelf. Jane Austen is alive today, but as a vampire named Jane Fairfax, and running a small bookstore in a backwoods town somewhere in New York State. She's written a wonderful new book, but has received 116 rejection notices from various publishing firms, despite the fact that the Austen craze is still going strong. Anyway, one publisher finally accepts the manuscript and Jane must deal with her newly growing fame. Simultaneously, a local contractor in her town is trying to court her, despite her protestations (she's afraid her "condition" might scare him off). Meanwhile, the vampire who turned her, the charismatic Brian George, who actually turns out to be Lord Bryon, comes back to reclaim her love. This all inevitably leads up to Jane having to reveal her "condition" to her assistant bookstore keeper and her love interest, while trying to promote her book and fend off the increasing persistence of Lord Bryon's declarations of love. Also, the story throws a little of the Bronte vs Austen drama in the mix. I enjoyed the guest appearances of famous authors, but this book felt crafted from the same mold as the rest of what I call "Wal-Mart" stories: quickly written stories published at precisely the height of a particular subject craze (the subject in this instance being the Austen-turned-into-horror-stories fad) and lacking that special uniqueness characteristic of great novels. In addition, the ending was so obviously left open for a sequel, which is also promoted at the end of the book, as to be ridiculous. I mean, really, why does this story need to be made into a series? In my opinion, another way to milk money out of a fad.
liralen's review
4.0
Loved it.
I'm going through a "Pride and Prejudice" sequel phase, and when I found this at the library... well, I couldn't resist. Jane Austen is alive and well (if by "alive" you mean "dead and with fangs"), running a bookstore in upstate New York and bemoaning the liberties that have been taken with her books.
The narrative has fantastic wit, especially compared to other Austen "sequels" or spin-offs - and, better yet, Jane isn't a wilting heroine who has sworn off humans. I can hardly wait for Ford's next book.
I'm going through a "Pride and Prejudice" sequel phase, and when I found this at the library... well, I couldn't resist. Jane Austen is alive and well (if by "alive" you mean "dead and with fangs"), running a bookstore in upstate New York and bemoaning the liberties that have been taken with her books.
The narrative has fantastic wit, especially compared to other Austen "sequels" or spin-offs - and, better yet, Jane isn't a wilting heroine who has sworn off humans. I can hardly wait for Ford's next book.
schottjm's review
5.0
Admittedly, when I first saw this book years ago, I thought "Oh, please...could we get OVER this whole vampire craze?" And then a couple of months ago, I stumbled on a copy for cheap, and thought "Well, I've enjoyed Michael Thomas Ford's other work, so why not?" Am I ever glad I picked it up.
This book is a light read, and very entertaining. The premise of Jane Austen having faked her death because she is a vampire is quite clever. I got wrapped up in the story very early on--I had finished half the book before I even realized--and it definitely kept me guessing the whole way through. I highly recommend this, especially if you want something fun but with substance.
This book is a light read, and very entertaining. The premise of Jane Austen having faked her death because she is a vampire is quite clever. I got wrapped up in the story very early on--I had finished half the book before I even realized--and it definitely kept me guessing the whole way through. I highly recommend this, especially if you want something fun but with substance.