Austenland: A Novel
by Shannon Hale
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Book Summary Information
Author: Shannon HaleEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN: 1596912863
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Reviews of Austenland: A Novel
Book Review: "I can't do this!" "Yes I can!" "No, wait, I can't!"
Summary: 3 Stars
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.
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