Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery (Jane Austen Mysteries) by Stephanie Barron Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery (Jane Austen Mysteries)
Book Review: Especially great for Austen fans!
Summary: 5 Stars
Hungry for more Jane Austen novels? Unfortunately 6 is all we are left with, but Barron does a fabulous job of not only capturing the spirit of Jane Austen's times, but also bringing the people she loved to life and telling a fun and suspenseful story at the same time. I have read several books by other authors either writing sequels or modernizations, etc. of Jane's books and I have to say that so far Barron is my favorite author of this group. Despite several Jane Austen biographies, her family's justifiable desire to protect her privacy has kept Jane herself somewhat of a mystery to her fans. This series helps feed our desire to know more of Janes's ambitions, the time in which she lived, and her dearest family and friends. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to read the rest of the series!Book Review: not great fiction, but good, light-hearted reading
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this book with a little trepidation after reading some of the reviews. I read it straight after reading a very well-crafted work of non-fiction, so initially the style of writing irritated me slightly, and I had to try to ignore the odd thought such as, "Jane would not have said/written that"...That said, once you put out of your mind the Austen connection, and just enjoy it as a light, historical mystery, it stacks up pretty well. I enjoyed the book enough to now buy and read the others in the series.
Book Review: Authentic Austen--With a Twist!
Summary: 4 Stars
For true Austen fans, of course, nothing but the original will do, and it will always be possible to spot flaws in imitations or paeans (this book falls into the latter category). But that said, Barron does a really splendid job at recreating Austen's world--even providing footnotes to explain certain practices or terms that might escape any but an historian of the era. (The footnotes are quite fun, in fact).It's thrilling to see Jane come alive in these books, and while some of Austen's pickier and more prudish readers might take issue with Jane's aggressive and resourceful forays into mystery-solving, fans with a sense of humor and an appreciation for Barron's wonderful imagination will, I think, be able to wink at such anachronisms and genuinely enjoy the books as they deserve to be enjoyed. (Besides, we know comparatively little about the real Jane Austen, and I for one am quite unwilling to assert that Jane wouldn't have applied her capable intellect to criminal quandaries had the opportunity presented itself).
Besides, Barron's mysteries are themselves a cut above the average, and not at all predictable, mundane, or mediocre. For those who like Austen, Barron's books are all well-worth one's attention. Bravo--excellent job, Ms. Barron.
Book Review: Better than the attempts at sequels, but still lacking
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm trying to get through this first JA mystery, but it's so contrived that it's getting on my nerves. Just when the story gets interesting and Barron seems to be getting away from using so many stolen quotes from Jane's novels, including the very-overused famous line about a single man with a good fortune, she dives right back into them again and they come, one after another, to completely distract from her story line! Which is depressing, because I think she (Barron) has done a much better job of researching the time period and JA's life, and even using a fairly similar voice (although Barron's is obviously more contemporary) than the careless authors of "Presumption," but she relies way too much on the lines and descriptions from Jane's books instead of staying original, and what could be a serious story ends up looking like it's attempting humor and some sort of self-congratulations for being able to piece all these lines and descriptions into a new setting. Sort of a "Hey, see how much I know about Jane Austen? Can't you tell that I've read ALL her books, especially 'P&P'?"
So, once again, the desire for more of the true Jane Austen is left unfulfilled, which at least is some tribute to Jane's unique style and skill. I appreciate Stephanie Barron's dedication and obvious respect for Jane Austen, but wish that Ms. Barron could have handled her Jane-isms much more subtly, so I could respect her (Ms. Barron) as well!
Book Review: An enjoyable read
Summary: 4 Stars
Searching in the library for new books to read, I came across this series of Jane Austen mysteries and decided to give it a try. I found the first book somewhat slow going at first, but it became more enjoyable as I read further. Unlike some of the other reviewers I thought that the footnotes were helpful in clarifying details of 19th century life that many readers might not be familiar with. Overall, I would recommend this book, and I'm very much enjoying reading the other books in this series.