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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Austenland - Shannon Hale


Synopsis for Austenland

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen — or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Jenn: I have to say, this book is perfect for the hopeless romantic in all of us. I know that there have definitely been times when I've wished that some guy I was dating was more like the heros of the books I was reading, and the main character in this book is just like that. Her hero of choice? Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, although she's in love with Jane Austen in general. I liked how she goes back and forth from thinking her situation is silly to really getting into it, since I'm a lot like that. The ending definitely surprised me, but in a good way. I loved the "will they, won't they" tug of war between her and the Darcy-esque character. It was a great book, and I loved reading it!