Customer Reviews

The Family Fortune

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having spent over 7 years in the Boston area, this book looked like a fun read, and I really enjoyed her inclusion of so many beautiful Boston destinations. Stand alone the book was great if you like the subtle romantic style of Jane Austin, but yet are not intent on comparing it to Persuasion the whole way through.

I gave this book 4 stars, but in my mind, it is the perfect example of 3 and 1/2 stars. The book is a quick read, and the story is light and funny. At times, however, the characters act too much like cariactures of themselves, the situations are too trite, the comments a bit too cliche. Nevertheless, I don't think the reader is supposed to take this book for more than what it is--an enjoyable, fun book with some stabs at social conventions which would bring a small grin to a contemporary Jane Austen.

At first, The Family Fortune seems a little stifled...a Brahmin family who's never worked, a 38-year-old protagonist who lives with her father, and an overwhelming atmosphere of ennui. By Chapter 3, though, conflict has set in: due to sloppy money management, the family fortune is dwindled, and Jane Fortune and her family are forced to live elsewhere, giving up their old-money Beacon Hill haunt for rent.

It took me a little while to warm to this novel...it seemed impossibly stuffy at first...and then it really sunk its teeth in. Jane Fortune is an endearing and considerate heroine, once you get to know her a bit; and there's a page-turning romance...will she or won't she get together with the guy she jilted years before? He's now a famous author and modelizer, young women are throwing themselves at him, and Jane is not getting any younger or trendier.

This book has a whiff of the Old World about it, a kind of European charm, that seems aloof at first but rapidly becomes warm and cozy. It's not quite like Austen...Austen's heroines were more often poor than rich...but it's an illuminating look at a way of life that many people have never experienced, and the romance is satisfying.

This novel is like a bowl of candy. I couldn't stop reading it! It is a fast, fun, delicious read. The Family Fortune is a Jane Austen tale set in a modern day Boston Brahmin family. The characters (the evil ones) are so nasty and self-involved they're entertaining and the protagonist is genuine- the kind of gal you root for and want to hang out with. I know the author professionally, and can't wait to read what she writes next.

This is an excellent adaptation of the Jane Austen "Persuasion" book. I would recommend it to any Jane Austen fan. It is entertaining, with well developed characters.

This is one of the best versions of Persuasion retold that I've read. Ms. Horowitz follows the original plot and dialogue with amazing loyalty, but the story never feels old or awkward. I finished in a day and it put me in the mood to go back to all my Austen books for a re-read.

Jane Fortune's voice stayed with me as I relished this story of the Fortune Family's impecunious circumstances. A page turner loosely using Jane Austen's Persuasion as a template, Horowitz has constructed a universe of deteriorated wealth, dysfunctional family relationships, literary achievements, relinquished and rediscovered love - all with generosity and humor.

Oh Jane Fortune! How do I love thee!!

Just so you know I did go into this retelling of Persuasion, my all time favorite Jane Austen novel, with a hefty does of wariness. I mean, nothing could come close to imitating the original on this one, right?

Truth be told, Laurie Horowitz did a fabulous job of updating my beloved Persuasion for the modern world in The Family Fortune. The Fortunes are decidedly Boston Old Money with connections and oodles of spare time to devote to their favorite pastime: themselves. Of course when financial disaster strikes, the family must retrench* and a whole new world is opened up for Jane. Morphing Anne Elliot into Jane Fortune, an almost-forty year old trustafarian who spends her days editing the Euphemia Review, was pure genius in my book. And once again my heart broke over and over for Jane as I watched the world pass her by. Truly I don't know how such a passive character could ever win me over, but she does. Perhaps it's her eventual determination to take control of her life little by little in order to carve out her own bit of happiness away from her rotten family.

My only complaint with The Family Fortune happens to be a somewhat large sticking point: Max Wellman (the reinvention of Cpt. Wentworth). Throughout most of the book, I ached with Jane as she silently pined for her lost love and then as she was 'reunited' with him only to watch him date other women. To say I was building up their eventual reunion would be a complete understatement -- I was expecting true fireworks people. Sadly, there was no grand moment of love rekindled. Not even an impassioned letter from Max! **cue extreme sobbing** Just simple, no nonsense decisions. Which does go along with Jane's character but I was just hoping for something a teeny bit more swoon-worthy. But honestly? I still love this book for Jane's transformation alone, even if her happily ever after wasn't as blissful as Anne Elliot's. I'm thinking any true lover of Persuasion will think so too.

*I always thought the 'reduced circumstances' bit in Persuasion was hilarious because yes, the Elliots have to retrench, but they still are gentry and have means -- albeit reduced. I mean, they are spending the winter in BATH (a resort town) for goodness sakes! Anyways, Horowitz does a nice job of calling Ms. Austen on this in The Family Fortune.

"From what I hear, he is really crazy about you, Jane."

"That's ridiculous. Does he know about our 'reduced circumstances'?" I asked.

"Honey, the Fortunes in reduced circumstances live better than ninety-nine percent of the population -- but that's not it. He has money. He's not interested in your money."

HA! My thoughts exactly.

Persuasion is by far my favorite of Austen's novel (I know I get could get kicked out of the club for saying things like that but it is.) I've read a lot of different versions of P&P continuations and retellings so I was so pleased to find a retelling of Persuasion. I REALLY enjoyed this book. I liked the updated characters and situations. My only grievance would be that both Max and Jane are unlikable once in a while as the characterization goes too far. However, by the end, you so wanted to be there at the dinner party to see the looks on the family's faces for real. I liked the way JR and Isabelle were worked into the story and Pris was just as frustrating as in the original. I did love her cougar tendencies! Highly recommend this one - it's a fast read and a nice change of pace.

You'll often find Jane Fortune - a member of one of Boston's most prestigious long-standing moneyed families at home on a Saturday night, curled up with a book. Although her vain father Teddy and pretentious sister Miranda are happiest attending parties and being seen among society's elite, Jane is perfectly content to stay out of the limelight. She's of the literary variety and works hard to run the family's foundation and publish the Euphemia Review, which has launched the career of several authors.

After reading only a few entries of this year's granting round, Jane's found "the one", the winner who seems more promising than most. But writer Jack Reilly is nowhere to be found. While this apparently homeless writer is a surprise, Jane is unsurprised when the family lawyer delivers the news that their fortune is dwindling, forcing the Fortunes to vacate and rent out their historic home. Compounding Jane's situation further is the news that Max Wellman, the first recipient of the foundation and Jane's first love is back in Boston. Now a successful bestselling novelist and ladies man, Jane is sure she will wilt in Max's presence. But perhaps he's all she needed to see her self-worth as a single, thirty-something woman and regain her luster for life.

Reading this Austen retelling of Persuasion was an experiment for me. I've read books inspired by Austen but not anything approaching a sequel, prequel, or retelling. Call me a coward but each of Austen's novels are on a pedestal of which I thought nothing, continuation or retelling, could measure up. Jane Eyre also belongs on that shelf and my recent read of Jane, April Linder's brilliant retelling gave me hope that there are some out there which stand up to their origins as both a successful retelling and an entirely new story.

Fortunately (no pun intended) The Family Fortune is successful on some fronts. It is a commentary on manners and there is wit in many of the dialogues. For the most part the secondary characters translate well. Teddy and Miranda are just as superficial and conceited as you could hope for. Jane's hypochondriac sister Winnie and her husband Charles are spot on. I loved their scenes with Jane which reminded me, just for a moment, of reading Persuasion for the first time. I also liked Jane, the perfect modern interpretation of quiet, helpful, and practical Anne. Her literary bent was fitting and I loved viewing her as both a reader and a promoter of struggling writers. I missed the degree of introspection and description present in Persuasion but still connected with her. Priscilla (Lady Russell) and Guy (Mr. Elliot) were the least generously characterized and are a lot more worldly in the modern sense but I still didn't mind their very amoral standards.

Unfortunately when it came to Max (Captain Wentworth) I didn't feel that way. The first half I read with anticipation for his and Jane's upcoming encounters and the last half with slight let-down when I read the actual exchanges themselves. Maybe Max was underdeveloped but either way I never really understood Jane's undying love for him. It may have had something to do with his womanizing reputation, but I know it also had something to do with the lack of subtlety in their short, spaced interactions. Instead of having any grand, epic moment of declaration or realization their feelings for one another were expressed little by little - more gradually and earlier than I expected. As a result their romance felt anti-climatic and the book overall felt like it was missing some spark. Perhaps it's because Persuasion is not only my favorite Austen novel, but if hard-pressed the answer to the all-time favorite book question as well so I'm a hard fan to please. Although there was an urgency to see how it all ended up compared to the original I ultimately wished that I had just read Persuasion instead. The Family Fortune may have not worked for me but I'd still recommend it to fans of Austen retellings and fans of the original as I appear to be one of the few truly disappointed readers out there.