Bonus: Austenland

Bloomsbury

Austenland
Shannon Hale
2007

The Summary
"Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man - perhaps because her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.  But when a wealthy relative bequeaths to her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she could ever have imagined.  Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?"

The Good
I like that the novel begins, like all novels involving Jane Austen and her famed Pride and Prejudice, with a familiar (if altered) refrain:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a thirty-something woman in possession of a satisfying career and fabulous hairdo must be in want of very little, and Jane Hayes, pretty enough and clever enough, was certainly thought to have little to distress her.  There was no husband, but those weren't necessary anymore.  There were boyfriends, and if they came and went in a regular stream of mutual dissatisfaction - well, that was the way of things, wasn't it?"

I also like that Jane - of course her name is Jane - is an average, relatable heroine.  She's smart, she's charming and quirky, she's dynamic, and she's self-sufficient, and she has a secret:  she loves Pride and Prejudice.  (She's also a ninja, but that's neither here nor there.)

Austenland is a fun novel, and Jane is an endearing heroine.  The characters are enjoyable, worth loving or hating alternately, and the story is captivating.  It's easy to become embroiled in Jane's story, wondering whether she's going to find the man of her dreams or discover something worth knowing about herself.

Oh, and then there's the dedication.  I laughed more than I probably should have.

The Bad
I hate to say it, but I actually enjoyed the movie better than the book.  (I know, I know - how dare you, blasphemer!)  I really liked the book, and I really like Shannon Hale as an author, but I just didn't enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed the movie.  The book has its own merits and the book is pretty great, and I would definitely recommend reading it; however, I cannot deny that I really, really enjoyed the movie.

The Ugly
Romance can be tricky - and, sometimes, it can get ugly.

Especially betrayals.