The Man Who Loved Jane Austen [Paperback]

Sally Smith O'Rourke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2009

When New York artist Eliza Knight buys an old vanity table one lazy Sunday afternoon, she has no idea of its history. Tucked away behind the mirror are two letters. One is sealed; the other, dated May 1810, is addressed to 'Dearest Jane' from 'F. Darcy' - as in Fitzwilliam Darcy, the fictional hero of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Could one of literature's most compelling characters been a real person? More intriguing still, scientific research testing proves that the second, sealed letter was written by Jane herself. Caught between the routine of her present life and these incredible discoveries from the past, Eliza decides to look deeper and is drawn to a majestic, 200-year-old estate in Virginia's breathtaking Shenandoah Valley. There she meets the man who may hold the answer to this extraordinary puzzle. Now, as the real story of Fitzwilliam Darcy unfolds, Eliza finds her life has become a modern-day romance, one that perhaps only Jane herself could have written.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

New York artist Eliza Knight stumbles across an antique dressing table that includes the added bonus of secreted letters, apparently between Jane Austen and a real-life Mr. Darcy. Caught up in her romantic notions about Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the possibility that Darcy may have been more than Austen's invention, Eliza enlists the aid of an eccentric researcher as well as a handsome and mysterious Virginia horse breeder, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Three years earlier, on a horse-buying junket to England, Darcy had a life-altering experience that makes him now anxious to buy the one letter written by Austen before it goes to auction at Sotheby's. For Eliza, the letter represents a possible fortune; for Darcy, it represents possibly requited love. O'Rourke alternates between the past and the present in this fascinating novel that pays tribute to Jane Austen's enduring ideals of romantic love. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"O'Rourke's latest is mysterious yet romantic as she reveals secrets of Jane Austen's life." - Romantic Times"

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; Reprint edition (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758210388
• ISBN-13: 978-0758210388
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good attempt--Lighthearted, April 12, 2006

By 

M. Sellers "Bookworm500" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (Paperback)

I recently read The Man Who Loved Jane Austen by Sally Smith O'Rourke. (Do not confuse it with the novel of the same name by Ray Smith!) This is an interesting take on the imagined background of Pride and Prejudice.

The novel begins as the heroine, Eliza Knight, an artist, and her passionless accountant boyfriend, Jerry, peruse a used furniture store. Eliza finds an antique vanity table, falls in love with it, and purchases it (against the advice of the money-practical Jerry).

The next morning, while in conversation with her cat, Wickham, Eliza notices that the panel backing to the mirror is pulling away. When she investigates, two letters fall out. One is addressed to Jane Austen, and the other--an unopened one--is addressed to F. Darcy.

Shocked but wise enough not to open the unsealed letter and thereby ruin the value of the document, Eliza decides to research on the internet to see if Darcy was a real person. Of course, with over a million Austen cites on the net, she is daunted. She chooses one and posts a question, "Was Fitzwilliam Darcy real?"

Strangely enough, a man has been watching and waiting for such a question for the last three years, and he quickly replies. The kicker is that his name is Fitzwilliam Darcy, and he is a horse breeder at Pemberly Farms in Virgina. Eliza dismisses him as a lunatic and goes on with life.

The novel moves along--the letters are authenticated, she meets the current Mr. Darcy (who is just as Austen described him in the original book), and they mysteries of these letters and of Darcy's identity are revealed. Of course, in order to believe this mystery, you also have to believe in time travel, but anything is possible in fiction, right?

The novel was an entertaining read, by no means excellent. (Although the scene where she cleans the vanity table had me cringing--what would the Keano brothers of Antique Roadshow be saying! AHH!) There seemed to be some character confusion as the woman who wants to marry Darcy is described as a tall, beautiful blonde sometimes, and then she's described as looking like a vampire in her yellow dress. There isn't any major swearing that I recall. Alcohol is drunk, and some secondary characters do get drunk. There are no sex scenes, but Eliza's relationship with Jerry is clearly stated, and some other relations are mentioned in passing.

I liked the character of Darcy in this book, and Eliza was likeable as well. Some of the other characters seemed more like page filler than like full-blown characters. Even Jane Austen herself didn't strike me as amazing.

If you read this book expecting a lighthearted romance, then you won't be disappointed. If you expect high drama or Austen's characterization or writing style, you will be.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, Intelligent, Escapist Romance, April 28, 2006

By 

Anonymous Reader (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (Paperback)

I do not usually read historical romances, but this intelligent novel combining a modern-day investigation of Jane Austen's correspondence with a contemporary romance is a fine read.

Sally Smith O'Rourke's creation is premised on a New York artist's discovery of a 200-year-old letter from Jane Austen to her fictional hero Fitzwilliam Darcy. In attempting to verify the authenticity of the letter, the artist heroine meets a modern-day Mr. Darcy sequestered on an estate in rural Virginia. Could there be any connection between Austen's Darcy and his 21st-century namesake?

Sally Smith O'Rourke provides a diverting tale of modern romance and historical inquiry that Austen fans and others will enjoy mightily. I give O'Rourke high marks for good writing, expert plotting, and an imaginative take on Jane Austen's life and work. And, as befits the Jane Austen theme, the author manages romance without sappiness.

A well-deserved four stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for a romance novel, May 12, 2006

By 

Eliza Bennet (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (Paperback)

As far as romance novels go, this one is well worth the time and money. The time traveling set up may be a tad overused, but the twist in using Jane Austen as a character is interesting, especially to fans of Jane Austen. The end unfolds much like many romance novels, easily and neatly. If I were to judge this against authors who are continuing the stories of Austen or trying to write in her style, or even against just plain old 'fiction' (as this is labeled), I would have to give it three stars instead. It is cute, light, and has the added bonus of the historical Jane Austen.