Austenland by shannon haleTitle:
Author:
Release Date: 2008
Publishers: Bloomsbury
Check it out: Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Description: 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?

My Thoughts: Austenland got a mixed bag of reviews, some people loved it and some people hated it! So to be perfectly honest I really wasn’t expecting to much from it. But I love Pride and Prejudice (book, tv series and movie) and so I decided to give it a go. When I picked it up, I wanted something light and fun to read, and it fit the bill perfectly. Austenland is a wonderful, lighthearted romance about a real, likeable girl, with some quirks and lots of emotional baggage. If you want something light and charming then this is the book for you.

shannon hale author of austenlandAbout the Author: Shannon Hale is the of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack with husband Dean Hale. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah with their four small children, and their pet, a small, plastic pig.

 

Have you read this book? What did you think?