According To Jane [Paperback]

Marilyn Brant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet 'tsk' of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brant infuses her sweetly romantic and delightfully clever tale with just the right dash of Austen-esque wit."
--Chicago Tribune

"A charming book." --Family Circle Magazine's "Inner Circle"

"Fresh, original, and lots of fun." --Barnes & Noble Review, "The Long List"

"What an unexpected, uplifting, and urbane debut novel! ...Subtly powerful and amusingly acerbic, you will be gently reproved into agreeing in the power of love to transform us all."
--Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose

From the Author

~~~As a long-time and extremely devoted fan of the works of Jane Austen, I couldn't be happier that my contemporary debut novel featuring her as a character has been so well received. Many thanks to the readers, librarians and booksellers that have embraced this story and shared it with others!

ACCORDING TO JANE is the winner of: 

~~~Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award for Best Mainstream Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, 2007

~~~Single Titles Reviewers' Choice Award, 2009

~~~Booksellers' Best Award for Best Single Title/Mainstream Novel, 2009-2010

~~~Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Award 2010

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758234619
• ISBN-13: 978-0758234612
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marilyn Brant is the award-winning women's fiction author of ACCORDING TO JANE, the story of a modern woman who receives dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen (October 2009); FRIDAY MORNINGS AT NINE, a contemporary fairy tale about three suburban moms, their marriages and what happens a decade or two after the Happily Ever After (October 2010 -- a Doubleday Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club pick); and A SUMMER IN EUROPE, a novel about a woman's journey of self discovery as she travels through Europe with her adventurous aunt's Sudoku & Mahjongg Club (December 2011 -- a Literary Guild and BOMC2 featured alternate, and a Rhapsody Book Club bestseller in "Fiction & Literature"), all from Kensington Books. She's also a #1 Kindle bestseller and has written a series of fun and flirty contemporary romantic comedies, available exclusively as original ebooks. The first of these, ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE, was released in June 2011 and was a Top 100 "Bestseller in Humor" on Kindle. The second, DOUBLE DIPPING, came out in September 2011.

As a former teacher, library staff member, freelance magazine writer and national book reviewer for Romantic Times, Marilyn has spent much of her life lost in literature. She received her M.A. in educational psychology from Loyola University Chicago, dabbled in both fiction and art at Northwestern University, studied the works of Austen at Oxford University and is an active member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Her debut novel won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Award® in 2007 and a number of awards since -- including the Single Titles Reviewers' Choice (2009), the Booksellers' Best (2010) and the Aspen Gold (2010).

Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family, but she also hangs out online at her blog "Brant Flakes." When she isn't rereading Jane's books or enjoying the latest releases by her writer friends, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry.

Visit her website: http://www.marilynbrant.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you've never finished P&P, this is the book for you, September 23, 2009

By 

Pamela Cayne (Southwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: According To Jane (Kindle Edition)

I've had a pesonal battle with Pride and Prejudice for years, never making it beyond the first few pages. After watching first the Kiera Knightly version, then the BBC version with Mr. Firth playing Mr. Darcy (thankyouverymuch), I even managed to make it halfway through the Jane Austen classic, but finishing it was not meant to be. So it was a surprise to me how much I enjoyed Marilyn Brant's homage to this classic.

From about page 5 I was hooked. Ellie and Sam are charming, and I enjoyed watching them battle and banter their way along. (The 80s references were well enjoyed and appreciated as well!) Even as Marilyn brought Jane into the story, it was done with such a light touch that it was like adding sprikles to a sugar cookie--just perfect! However, I think the crowning moment for me was the first post high-school interaction between Sam and Ellie in the bar. I was expecting one thing, and totally got another, a lovely gift I wasn't expecting and just made me fall in love. I rushed through the book and finished it in less than 2 days. Now I can't wait for the paper version to come out so I can have that copy on my "keeper" shelf.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A P&P lover's take, October 15, 2009

By 

Michelle N. (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: According To Jane (Paperback)

As an avid reader whose favorite book is Pride & Prejudice, I've read a variety of Austen-related novels in my time. According to Jane is not for absolute purists, much in the same vein as ITV's delightful Lost in Austen series was not. That said, I found it to be a thoroughly engaging and highly entertaining read.

The story follows Ellie and her relationships from ages 15-34. Throughout the book, the author flits in and out of time recounting Ellie's experiences as they become relevant to the story. As someone who generally doesn't like it when an author jumps around in time, I have to say that this non-chronological progression feels natural and is not confusing or distracting. In a way, it gives the novel a more intimate feeling, as though one were listening to a friend reveal her story piece by piece.

As some have pointed out, Ellie is a flawed heroine. She is naive, she doubts herself, and she often chooses not to listen to that little voice inside her head (not just Jane's, but her own) telling her something is wrong. The combination leads to disaster enough times that one would forgive Ellie for throwing in the towel. Yet, she never seems to give up on believing true love is possible. Ellie continues to seek it out and to give of herself despite the very real potential for heartbreak. That hopefulness and willingness to try endeared Ellie to me; her flaws made her real.

Sam is everything I'd hoped he be. He is that perfect mix of charming, intelligent, sarcastic, intense, and yet sometimes vulnerable---attractive and infuriating at the same time.

I won't spoil any endings here, but suffice it to say that this is a tale worth finishing. I loved Marilyn Brant's wit and insights and will be definitely be seeking out more of her work.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, fun and completely unforgettable, October 1, 2009

By 

Reader with a shopping problem (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: According To Jane (Paperback)

While the premise sounds odd (Jane Austen in a role similar to an invisible friend or "A kind of literary twilight zone thing"), the witty banter, lovable characters and unforgettable story take me to my happy "I don't actually want this book to end but I just want the characters to find what they're looking for" place.

Brant manages to jump around time and place without making you lose a second of the story to confusion. She has the rare ability as an author to take you from reliving your awkward high school years along with Ellie (and the traumatic male/female interactions) to within the psyche of a single, searching, adult woman in the next paragraph. Ellie is a unique female protagonist that I find endearing in her failures and utterly relateable in her fears, while trying to find herself (though I wish she weren't already worried about marriage at the mere age of 26!).

It's no surprise to me that this book took home the coveted Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements in 2007. Brant has the humor of Sophie Kinsella with the best-friend-esque (made that up) intimacy of Jennifer Weiner. The sex scenes are humorous in an actual funny, relatable way as opposed to the over-done, awkward to read (unless that's just me) scenarios found in other novels featuring "strong romantic elements."