Austenland: A Novel by Shannon Hale Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Austenland: A Novel
Book Review: Cute little book
Summary: 4 Stars
It was just a plain nice read. Not heavy-handed or overly romantic. I'm a big fan of Shannon Hale's young adult literature and while this wasn't quite as magical, it was a good way to spend a long plane ride!Book Review: Cute, But Not Believable
Summary: 3 Stars
While I enjoyed the ending, I found most of the book to be unbelievable and incohesive. The main character spends most of her time in Austenland--and therefore much of the text--vacillating emotionally in ways that are not meaningful to the plot. There is very little text or emotion dedicated to the character with whom she eventually ends up.
There are several elements of the plot that are simply not believable, all of them related to Austenland and its rules and the tendencies of the other characters while in the book.
I found the end of the book to be very enjoyable (though somewhat lacking in the depth department), but I found the experience "odious" to force the middle of the book through my brain to get to it. From the time the Aunt dies (early on--not a huge spoiler) to the scene at the airport, I found myself enjoying little but the occasional (and short-lived) epiphanies Jane experienced.
Book Review: Delightful, easy read.
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved it! Absolutely a delightful, easy read. I needed something light, because the last three books I read were on the heavy side! So, I read this book in an evening.
The premise is fun: a thirty-something single woman with an obsession with Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. (Well, I'm a 40-something married woman who loves Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy!) Jane receives an vacation to an English estate modeled after Austen's world. The guests all take on personas similar to her characters and live their lives as if in 1816 England. It's a cute idea.
The author doesn't make any attempt to write like Jane Austen. Neither does she make pretenses for this being a sequel. I have yet to find any attempted Pride and Prejudice sequel that is worth my time.
Austenland is a delightful book, and definitely worth the couple of hours it took to read.
Book Review: Disapointed fan
Summary: 1 Stars
I just love her other books, Book of a Thousand Days, The princess academy, The Goose Girl and Enna burning. My friends warned me it wasn't the same and they didn't like it. When I read it I figured out why. It lacks all of the depth and imagination of her children's books. It is basically one makeout session after another, NOT my type of book at all. It was very disapointing and I really couldn't believe the unreal ending either. In the fairy tale type books the fairy tale type endings work and she does it masterfully and usually with a twist. This ending was just bizarre and it leaves you wondering if the main character will ever ever grow up.
Book Review: Dreamlike fantasy and comedy gold
Summary: 4 Stars
I listened to Austenland on audio on a long drive alone. It was absolutely perfect for the occasion. Austenland is the story of Jane Hayes, a single New Yorker, graphic designer and Jane Austen (especially the Colin Firth BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice) devotee. When her quirky aunt passes away, Jane learns she was left a peculiar thing in the will: a two-week holiday trip to an English estate where she will live in Austen's time. It's essentially an elaborate Jane Austen role-playing theme park, complete with period costumes, customs and lack of technology. The men are played by actors, and our heroine, despite acknowledging Darcy has ruined her real relationships by being too good, has a tough time letting go of her modern persona and relaxing.
Austenland is pure, brilliant fantasy and utterly dreamlike for Austen fans, but the comedy keeps the story from slipping into schmaltzy. Even those who feel dear Jane is teetering on overexposure would enjoy the satire. It's a quick, delightful tale, and Katherine Kellgren's reading was marvelous. Her voices were delightful and helped bring out the personalities of characters.