A review by bethgiven
Austenland by Shannon Hale
4.0
Now, don’t get me wrong — I loved Pride and Prejudice. Really loved it.
Okay, fine — I loved it the last time I read it; the first time I was in high school and I hardly understood what was going on, what with all the deep descriptions, the decorated dialogue. When I read it again a few years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
But me, an Austen fan? I really couldn’t say I’m an Austen fan. No, not at all. I mean, it’s probably a requirement to actually, like, read her other books to be a “fan”.
Well, okay. I guess I did skim Sense and Sensibility in high school (so yeah, same story as Pride-and-Prejudice-take-one … I understood it well enough to squeak out a book review, but you all know I can write a review without talking about anything, right? :lol: ). And I picked up Mansfield Park once (and put it down not long after :roll: ). I truly think I might like them if I just disciplined myself to immerse myself in the language, the flow of it all … but it has yet to happen.
And the movies. I am probably the only person ever who likes “Pride and Prejudice: a Latter-day Comedy” much more than the Keira Knightley version. (Am I weird?) (Don’t answer that.)
So, when I picked up my latest hold from the library, I figured I was probably doing myself a disservice trying to read Austenland by Shannon Hale. Wasn’t that for the die-hard Austen-lovers?
Well, short answer? No. :-)
See, Austenland is a book that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I loved that. Sure, protagonist Jane Hayes loves all things Austen (well, mostly all things Darcy), but the fact that she’s a little embarrassed by this — that she realizes it may be unhealthy for her love life — was refreshing. When she enters a special resort that takes her into the world of Jane Austen, she decides to play out her hidden fairy tale so that she might quash it for good. Her character, Jane Erstwhile, falls in love with a Mr. Nobley — a real-life Darcy (I know; like we didn’t see that coming).
But is he for real? The play’s the thing, after all, and the lines between acting and reality are blurred. The whole concept was just meaty enough to keep this reader guessing the whole story through (all the time knowing that things would work out in the end … that’s no spoiler, is it?). In the meantime, I allowed myself to be thoroughly entertained with the beautiful Regency romance infused with Jane’s fresh, modern introspection.
It’s a short read, and Hale doesn’t waste words — she crafts them beautifully in this story. Well, minus the whole Carolyn/Caroline typos — guess they couldn’t decide on the great-aunt’s name; and guess I really should have been a type-editor, since it bugged me so much :-) . Besides that, it was wonderfully written, just the right mix of flowery and fun, and a quick read at just under 200 pages.
Okay, fine — I loved it the last time I read it; the first time I was in high school and I hardly understood what was going on, what with all the deep descriptions, the decorated dialogue. When I read it again a few years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
But me, an Austen fan? I really couldn’t say I’m an Austen fan. No, not at all. I mean, it’s probably a requirement to actually, like, read her other books to be a “fan”.
Well, okay. I guess I did skim Sense and Sensibility in high school (so yeah, same story as Pride-and-Prejudice-take-one … I understood it well enough to squeak out a book review, but you all know I can write a review without talking about anything, right? :lol: ). And I picked up Mansfield Park once (and put it down not long after :roll: ). I truly think I might like them if I just disciplined myself to immerse myself in the language, the flow of it all … but it has yet to happen.
And the movies. I am probably the only person ever who likes “Pride and Prejudice: a Latter-day Comedy” much more than the Keira Knightley version. (Am I weird?) (Don’t answer that.)
So, when I picked up my latest hold from the library, I figured I was probably doing myself a disservice trying to read Austenland by Shannon Hale. Wasn’t that for the die-hard Austen-lovers?
Well, short answer? No. :-)
See, Austenland is a book that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I loved that. Sure, protagonist Jane Hayes loves all things Austen (well, mostly all things Darcy), but the fact that she’s a little embarrassed by this — that she realizes it may be unhealthy for her love life — was refreshing. When she enters a special resort that takes her into the world of Jane Austen, she decides to play out her hidden fairy tale so that she might quash it for good. Her character, Jane Erstwhile, falls in love with a Mr. Nobley — a real-life Darcy (I know; like we didn’t see that coming).
But is he for real? The play’s the thing, after all, and the lines between acting and reality are blurred. The whole concept was just meaty enough to keep this reader guessing the whole story through (all the time knowing that things would work out in the end … that’s no spoiler, is it?). In the meantime, I allowed myself to be thoroughly entertained with the beautiful Regency romance infused with Jane’s fresh, modern introspection.
It’s a short read, and Hale doesn’t waste words — she crafts them beautifully in this story. Well, minus the whole Carolyn/Caroline typos — guess they couldn’t decide on the great-aunt’s name; and guess I really should have been a type-editor, since it bugged me so much :-) . Besides that, it was wonderfully written, just the right mix of flowery and fun, and a quick read at just under 200 pages.