116 of 121 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome to your fantasy, June 24, 2007
Shh, now. We really don't want to let this one get out, but there's a subculture afoot in the world. And I, alas, am hopelessly mired in its tentacles. Most of us are women, but there are a few men in our ranks, and we have a secret in common, tucked away on our bookshelves and video collections.
We are all hopelessly in love with Mr Darcy. Or rather, the most perfect manifestation of him in the form of Colin Firth.
This slim novel opens with Jane Hayes having a conversation with her elderly aunt, a very wealthy woman at the tag end of her life. Jane is more than a little nervous about this conversation, having been pushed into it by her bullying mother who's hoping for a piece of the old woman's estate. Jane is both fascinated and humiliated by the conversation, but a few months later gets a phone call from a lawyer who informs her that she's been left something by her aunt.
You're not rich, is the first thing that he says. But he does have a bit of a surprise for Jane -- an all-expenses paid holiday at a very private, very discreet resort in England for three weeks. Pembrook Park promises to fulfull the visitor's dreams of entering the world of genteel, simmering romance that the works of Jane Austen. After some qualms, and facing the fact that the trip is indeed, nonrefundable, Jane embarks on her trip. Perhaps now she can finally dispell her unrealistic fantasies of Mr Darcy and get on with her life; the solution is very simple, just immerse herself into the world of Austen until she is heartily sick of it, and disenchanted, and then she'll be free.
It's not that easy, and Jane's already nervous when she arrives at the inn where she's to shed her modern persona and turn into Miss Jane Erstwhile. At first, it's rather amusing, dressing in the clothing of the period, and learning to dance with a very tall, good-looking, but alas, only a servant by the name of Martin. Under the rather draconian eye of Mrs. Wattlesbrook , Jane finds out that a few modern conveniences have been allowed in -- such as modern plumbing and cosmetics -- but alas, no cell-phone, so by the time she arrives at the actual Pembrook Park, there's a distinct aura of authenticity to her.
And then there are the men -- three aristocratic men by the names of Colonel Andrews, Captain East and Mr. Nobley. Jane finds herself decidedly at the bottom of the leisured ladder, but still -- there's something about that Mr. Nobley that keeps them encountering each other, even though they throughly dislike each other. And despite knowing that it's all a game, Jane finds herself with two possible suitors -- and one of them is that gardener, Martin.
But there's a limit to this pretty bubble, and as the clock winds down, whatever is Jane to do when her time is up and she has to return to the dull reality of the 21st century?
I'll say it right off. It's a cute novel, and at times, just a bit too cute. But it worked for me, as I found myself chuckling over Jane's mishaps of trying to fit into a culture, but she can't quite keep her modern sensibilities at bay. Along the way there's some good pun, inside jokes for Jane Austen addicts, and a vivid writing style. One of the main reasons why I picked this one up is that it had a lot of appeal to me because I've been involved in historical re-enaction groups, and this one was no different. Hale's word-pictures of people trying to fit into a much more mannered time does get funny, as well as the synopsises of Jane's former boyfriends that introduce each chapter.
At the core of the novel lay the truth of any person -- that with some confidence and the knowledge that you know what you want, it's a good bet you'll get what you want out of life. The humor is gentle in this one, and while it is aimed at a specific market, it should have a wide appeal to most adult readers.
Hale is more familiar to readers of young adult fiction, but this one works. Her writing style is fluid and while the conversations get a bit stilted in places, and of course there's plenty of anachronisms in this, it still satisfies. My biggest complaint is that it could have easily been a longer novel, and I wish that Hale had taken the story a bit more in depth -- the novel is only about two hundred pages -- so it comes in overall at a tidy three and a half stars, rounded up to four.
Recommended.
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35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fatally Flawed, January 2, 2008
Austenland could almost work. This very readable offering from a hitherto trusted author explores vital issues that need resolution in more lives than the fictional Jane's. I anticipated real resolution. Instead, we got to watch Jane set herself up for yet another unreal relationship, only this time, with a man who's given evidence of profound capacity for real commitment. It is almost tragedy.
I'll try to explain without giving too much away. Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy gets the blame for Jane's lengthy history of failed relationships, but the little vignettes about them reveal the real problem -- Jane's overeagerness to fall in love and to idealize her beloved rather than come to really know him and relate to him as a living, breathing, fallible but lovable individual. Prime example is the boyfriend of 5 months that Jane "experiences" without "trading psychological profiles", only to drop him cold when she hears him snort while laughing. That's not a relationship, but a failed fantasy. And yes, she collects creeps, but how could she avoid doing so when she persistently throws herself into a romance without first solidifying a friendship? She doesn't give herself time to discern whether he's a creep or not, or to discover the mixture of quirks and strengths that form the basis for a real, loving relationship.
Austenland is supposed to be therapy for Jane's penchant for fantasy. And it almost is, with a few twists and turns through layers of self-deception. At last, the moment of truth comes, Jane discovers that she's been deceived yet again and walks away. (Good for her)! And reality -- or the potential of a genuine, committed relationship, follows her onto the plane.
She is astounded. She is disbelieving. She says "you don't know me." He says he thinks he does and he wants a chance at forever. He is seatbelted next to her for a transatlantic flight. A perfect opportunity for the best and lengthiest conversation of her life -- a conversation that could lay the foundation for forever. They don't have it. Instead, she pulls him close and kisses him... for the entire flight, only to continue romancing in her apartment once the plane touches down.
Reality has gone on a holiday. We're back in fantasyland, and dreading what's going to happen to this already wounded hero when Jane finally wakes up and discovers that he snorts, or does something else equally irritating.
A different ending could have made this a worthwhile read, although it might not overcome the improbabilities of finding a good man in a high-class-almost-brothel like Austenland.
I expected better of Hale.
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38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get a Life?, June 23, 2007
This is an absolutely wonderful book.
Our protagonist Jane is a contemporary young New York City "spinster." While she has a great career, she longs for the Regency era of olde England. She loves the BBC series with Colin Firth (and that woman who played Elizabeth, too).
Then something happens which thrusts Jane into a fictional resort in England, where visitors have to behave exactly like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. For three weeks, she has to become Elizabeth, pretty much.
The result is great fun and great learning, too. Just like with Jane Austen, it's a funny and insightful trip for all of us. The wit and pacing are quick, and the language carefully crafted for atmosphere.
I enjoyed it, but, regrettably, it made me wish that Austenland really existed. Last year my wife and I enjoyed visiting the hotel on the Vanderbilt estate outside of Asheville, NC, and can understand the escapist appeal offered by experiences of this kind...any private venture capital available??
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