Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

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I'll confess to being a Jane Austen fan -- I've read and reread her completed and incompleted works, her letters, read many of the Jane Austen pastiches (and will admit to really liking Stephanie Barron's & Carrie Bebris' Jane Austen mystery novels) and seen all the film realisations of her novels (but not "Becoming Jane Austen" -- one has to draw a line somewhere). I'll also confess to not having very high hopes about Laura Viera Rigler's "Confession of a Jane Austen Addict" -- after all this out-of-body/time travel plot motif is that has been utilised by quite a few Regency-era romance novelist before this, and might I add with better effect? But I did want to be proven wrong, and so checked the book out. And came to the conclusion that while "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" proved not to be as dire as I feared it would be, it was not quite the stellar read either.

Reeling from a broken engagement and the betrayal of her best friend, the last thing Courtney Stone expected was to wake up one morning and find herself in Regency England, trapped in another woman's (Miss Jane Mansfield) body. Shocked and concerned, Courtney desperately wants to return to her own life in L.A. but fate seems to have decreed that she remain in London for a while, leading Jane Mansfield's life. Can Courtney pull off this masquerade without anyone being the wiser? And what she should do about the real Jane's suitor, the dishy Mr. Edgeworth? Jane's masterful mother is determined that her daughter make a match of it with Mr. Edgeworth, but Jane seems to be strangely mistrustful of her very eligible and desirable suitor...

For me, the first part of the book unfolded quite smoothly and rather well. I thought that the author did quite a good job of portraying Courtney's love of Jane Austen's novels and of the pain she suffered when she realised how much both her fiance and her best friend had each betrayed her. Where things fell apart for me was when I realised that Courtney may have read and reread Miss Austen's novels a great many times but except for the storyline, very little else stuck in her consciousness. Courtney seemed to have very little understanding about the manners and habits of the Regency period -- she made the kind of mistakes that even the most casual of readers would have avoided. And I don't think I'm being unnecessarily harsh here.

The other thing I kept wondering about, instead of losing myself in this novel, was what was going on at the other end, in L.A, where presumably Jane was inhabiting Courtney's body and leading her life. I found myself really wanting to know at once what was going on. Especially since Wes, as a romantic lead seemed more interesting than Mr. Edgeworth. I also kept wondering why Jane was still unmarried at thirty, and if there was some kind of back story as to why her character seemed so sheltered and unformed. These questions were never fully answered and rather took over my enjoyment of the book, which was a bit of a shame.

I'd have rated "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" a 3 star read except for that fact that what was going on "off stage" proved more interesting than what was unfolding before my eyes. And for that reason, I'd rate this novel as a 2 1/2 star read, and suggest actually rereading the excellent Miss Austen if you feel a need for a Jane Austen fix.

It is a truth, universally acknowledged that if you use Jane Austen's name or one of her beloved titles into your own work you are guaranteed a bestseller (or, at the very least, a book deal). The gimmick has been done to death. How many romances and chick-lit books have a variation of Jane Austen in its story or title? Helen Fielding did it with Bridget Jones's Diary, and I've lost count of the many, many so-called sequels or retellings of Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion. And so, I picked up Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict with a certain level of skepticism. Here we go again, I thought. Another wannabe Jane Austen. However, I was drawn to this novel for two reasons. The most obvious is, of course, Jane Austen (it appears that the aforementioned gimmick does work). The other reason is that I love time travel stories -- well written and thoroughly researched time travel stories, that is. More on that later.

Courtney Stone is a thirty-year-old L.A. woman who has had it with men after she catches her fiancé cheating on her with the wedding cake baker. Add insult to injury, Wes, a man she thought she could trust, had been covering Frank. But that becomes the least of her problems when Courtney wakes up in 1813 England, inhabiting the body of a country bumpkin by the name of Jane Mansfield (yes, Jane as in Jane Austen and Mansfield as in Mansfield Park). Courtney, a Jane Austen fanatic, cannot believe she has been transported into a body, a setting and a story not unlike Austen's memorable novels. Not only does she have to become accustomed to corsets, shapeless high-waist gowns, uncomfortable transportation, body odor and scarce baths, but she has to make sense of everything that goes on around her. She also has no idea what to make out of Mr. Edgeworth, Jane's most dashing suitor. Is he as besotted with her and charming as he seems, or is he nothing but a two-timing loser in a cravat?

The most interesting part about this novel is that it begins with Courtney waking up in Jane Mansfield's body. There is no ceremonial- or paranormal-like transporting thing going on like in most time-travel novels. I found that very refreshing. Another interesting thing is that Laurie Viera Rigler seems to be a big Jane Austen connoisseur. She doesn't presume to interpret Austen's work in her way; she simply goes with the flow and creates storylines and situations that resonate with Austen's stories and characters -- social commentary included. I like the parallels between Austen's views and Courtney's modern-day musings, proving that Austen was indeed a woman before her time. In short, this novel is well-researched. The author brings up the differences in customs, wardrobe and expressions without overdoing it. You won't get a history lesson here, but the author does take her time bringing the time period to life. I would have liked to see more of Courtney's world though. It appears that a sequel is in the works, and I hope that Rigler plans to cover more of that. Some things are unclear, but I won't discuss them here, for they are spoilers, and I'd like to get some answers regarding those loose ends in a future installment. There is one scene that puzzles me and it's the one with Mr. Every. Why on earth would a "gentleman" lure a well-bred lady to a private place and seduce her? Is he stupid? Would any man of rank risk ruining someone that way and in turn end up with a marriage he would not want? What a strange scene! There is also a scene in which Jane/Courtney discusses Jane Austen with another woman. Women were demure in those times, and they did not engage in "intelligent" conversations in such an outspoken way, especially in the presence of men. I found that scene to be kind of unbelievable. Anyway, I do like the somewhat vague diary entry at the end though. It makes you wonder who really wrote it. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is a fun, entertaining, intelligent and at times thought provoking read. I couldn't put it down. I gotta say that using Jane Austen for this story was not a bad idea at all.

As a fan of Jane Austen who has, on occasion, been disappointed by Austen adaptations or re-imaginings, I approached this book with reservations. No-one can be more pleased than I am to say my skepticism proved undeserved. Here is a book that any lover of the books of Jane Austen is sure to relish and appreciate!

What would happen if a recently and multiply heart-broken modern-day woman, who has fallen asleep drinking vodka and reading Pride and Prejudice while mourning her broken engagement, were to wake up in Jane Austen's England? This is how the book begins. Courtney wakes up to find everyone calling her Jane Mansfield, doctors wishing to bleed ill humors out of her, and a marriage-obsessed mother threatening to put her into an asylum if she keeps insisting she is not, indeed, Jane. Courtney decides to play along convinced she'll soon wake up back in modern day Los Angeles, until she realizes perhaps it isn't a dream after all.

The reader gets to experience the early nineteenth-century English countryside, Bath, and London through eyes at once modern and Austenian. Throw in a bit of pride, a bit of prejudice, and a host of characters, plots, and subplots, and it all melds into a wonderful kaleidoscope of Austen.

The story is so deftly plotted, simultaneously familiar and new, the characters so likeable (and dislikeable), the prose so fluid and fresh, that the book goes by in a flash. Austen's words and world are ever-present, without weighing the story down. Laurie Viera Rigler has accomplished a marvel--a delicately-mastered fusion of the beloved and known with the sure-to-be-loved, not-yet-known.

I meant to read a few chapters before bed and ended up foregoing sleep, staying up all night, to read the book in one sitting. Whether you are a die-hard "Austen addict" or just discovering Austen's world, this book is sure to delight.

As a Jane Austen addict, I had great hopes for this novel, but what a mess. I don't need to outline the plot, since others have done a fine job of that.

First: Courtney/Jane is, supposedly, the Jane Austen addict of the title, and has read all the Austen books hundreds of times. But how can anyone who has read even one Jane Austen novel fail to grasp that they are as much about social class as romance? Her surprise at all of the rules and behaviors required of a woman of her status is absurd. Of COURSE a young woman doesn't march around Bath without a chaperone. Of COURSE the upper classes don't mingle with their servants.

Second, there's her endless, futile "How did I get here?/How can I get home?" angst. Page after page after page of this. She says she will just live in the moment, only to go back to this pointless speculation two pages later... Back and forth, again and again. I nearly threw the book in frustration after the fortune teller visit: she risks everything to go to a fortune teller to ask her how to get back to her real life. After pages of silly mumbo jumbo, the fortune teller ultimately tells her to stop thinking so much. Finally! The answer to her dilemma: just live the experience. But then a few pages later, she's back agonizing over the "hows" again, worrying that she's possessed. *What was the point?!?*

Third, and finally, the storyline of the entire London visit makes no sense, from the creepy aunt to the party to C/J's outrageous behavior. Every moment of the London party is an insult to the reader. But the most egregious incident has to be C/J's inexcusably idiotic conduct involving a woman she sees leaving a shop.

The only explanation I have for this rambling, tedious and ultimately pointless book is that Laurie Viera Rigler was trying to create C/J in the image of the funny, charming Austen addict Bridget Jones, but instead of reading the book, she must have seen the movie; this character had all the strident, moronic, self-absorbed qualities of the cinematic Bridget and none of the wit we loved so much in the book.

Such a waste. If the Jane Austen addict had immersed herself in Austen's world and shared sharp, amusing 21st century observations about society, living conditions and relationships in the early 19th century, it would have been a good read... a fun twist on a modern-day Austen novel.

I actually enjoyed this book, while still being puzzled and annoyed at certain aspects. The premise is a fun one. What would a Jane Austen fan do if they suddenly found themselves back in the day? Courtney, a modern L.A. woman, suddenly finds herself in a gorgeous body in a well-to-do household, single, almost on the shelf at 30, yet courted by a very eligible man. You'd think she'd be in heaven. But disappointingly, she's not! And it's not as if her life in L.A. was anything to pine over. She has been dumped by her cheating, uncaring fiance, betrayed by her friend, is in a dead-end job, has financial worries and her only solace is escaping into _Pride and Prejudice_.

One gathers that both Jane (whose body Courtney inhabits) and Courtney subconsciously or consciously WANTED to escape their lives. But Courtney worries ceaselessly why she doesn't wake up from her "dream." She believes she can "pass" for Jane since she's read so much Austen and yet she persists in acting like a 20th.C woman, wanting makeup and daily baths and modern toiletries and freedom to wander about as she pleases and act how she pleases. Now, most modern women would naturally chafe at the restrictions of Regency life, but wouldn't a woman so in love with Austen at least TRY to go with the flow a little more?

I liked the whole 'fish out of water' premise enough to easily read through the book. There was enough there to be curious about and I didn't totally dislike the main character, even though I was puzzled by her actions and motivations. The ending seemed horribly rushed and unresolved to me, but it seems as if there is a sequel planned that will explain more (which is also somewhat annoying, but not deadly). All in all, I wish this had been a lot better, but it wasn't; and what it was was readable and enjoyable enough, despite the flaws.

This book is a parasite in the body of Austen literature. The main character is hedonistic and narcissistic, and her reactions to others are so contrived and impulsive that it would be hard to find them realistic if they were in response to modern-day characters, let alone Regency ones. Her knowledge of Austen doesn't seem to go much further than a perusal of a "Great Quotations" book. Suspicious dialogue and lack of detail suggests that the author did not steep herself in Regency literature, either. It appears as if the book were quickly produced in order to ride the coattails of the current Austen-mania. A disappointment.

In Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Courtney Stone, a modern LA girl, wakes up to find herself in the body of Jane Mansfield, a thirty-year-old single woman living in Regency England. Courtney, who back in LA was nursing a bad breakup with alcohol and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, finds herself nearly appropriating Jane's life.

The one thing this book has going for it is humor. Courtney's reactions to certain situations in which she finds herself were told with a style that made me laugh out loud. It's a fast-paced novel that had me quickly turning pages. And there's no lack of plot here.

But I thought some of the characters were a little bit weak. We don't learn very much about Courtney's life back in LA until the halfway point of the book, when I thought that information could have been given earlier. Jane's relationship with Mr. Edgeworth seemed a little bit constrained (but maybe that was the nature of 19th-century romantic relationships). The names Rigler used for her characters seemed as though they had been borrowed from Jane Austen's novels.

That said, I loved Mrs. Mansfield, Jane's mother, who nearly stole the show, what with her practically forcing Jane and Edgeworth together. In all, this was a very cute novel about the differences between two time periods. It turns out, however, that Courtney and Jane's lives are not as different as they might appear to be on the surface. Recommended if you want something light.

I usually approach any Austen off shoot with much trepidation. It isn't Dear Jane (but then again, who is?) but I was absorbed enough by the storytelling to read the entire book in one sitting. Well done!

I loved this book. It's true that I'm just an average Jane Austen fan--I've only read P and P, S and S, and Emma four times, which is nothing to your true addict--but I'm picky about the historical fantasies I read. Most of them seem to fall into one of two categories: the heavily-researched, earnest kind that try hard to imitate the style of the period but are usually dull, and the frothy kind that are alleged by the jacket-copy to portray historical characters and events but are usually too mechanical and lacking in either caring or conviction to keep me reading beyond the first few chapters.

What kept me turning the pages all the way to the end in this case is that Laurie Viera-Rigler's fantasy is (a) well researched but devoid of the earnest solemnity of the first kind; and (b) unabashed froth that nevertheless communicates its author's passion for Austen's works, wisdom, and language. I especially loved Courtney, the transplanted (transported?) thirty-something L.A. chick who narrates the book--she's funny, wry, likable, and smart. In fact, taking a tour of 1813 through Courtney's somewhat jaundiced (and occasionally panicky) eyes made me feel closer to Jane Austen's time than a lot of scholarly books I read while majoring in 18th century Brit lit.

I did feel that a big scene (I won't say which, since it might spoil the suspense) was a little artificial and could have been left out. But for Jane Austen addicts who like a good romp--and have a sense of humor--I highly recommend CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT.

Actually, I had so much fun that now I'm waiting impatiently for the sequel. For it is a truth universally acknowledged (and please note that I'm the first reviewer on this page to use that cliché) that every early-19th century maiden who finds herself displaced by the spirit of a 21st-century L.A. chick must sooner or later find herself inhabiting said chick's body in return. I hope her dismay will be as entertaining as Courtney's.

It's been a while since I laughed out loud at a book, but this is one. When a 21st lady, Courtney Stone, finds herself in Jane Austen's world, her modern sensibilities run head long into the straight-laced society of early 19th Century. The passages regarding hygiene, or the lack thereof, are hysterical, especially when she is required to descend into a bathing pool at Bath or "eau de typhus" as she calls it. I have to admit that I wasn't all that interested in the problems of the modern Courtney Stone but loved to read about her getting her sea legs in Regency society.