What do You think about Austenland (2007)?
Sometimes after sitting on a book, I forget the minor details that bothered me and like a novel more. So I'm changing my review...The story is cheesy and light-hearted about a girl, Jane, who inherits a vacation to a resort set in 19th century England and sets out to conquer her obsession with Mr. Darcy and embrace her inevitable spinster doom.What I liked about this book: it was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed a lot of the dialogue, especially the narrator's self-mocking tone. I enjoyed the story and related to the Jane's reserve about jumping into love. Since I too am a Pride & Prejudice fan, I enjoyed the references and correlation to Jane Austen and her style of writing. What I loved most about this book is I could see Shannon Hale in the protagonist. Of all her books, I believe this character with her light-hearted, funny spirit is most like her and I felt as if I were getting a glimpse at her.What I didn't like about this book: the ending. Sure the happy Austenesque ending was right in character and I wouldn't want anything less. But the scene at the airport was a little much. I found myself rolling my eyes at the cheese heavily slapped on and the length of time it took to sort it all out. It put a damper on the story for me, but I get that this is what girls want and sometimes I'm just going to have to swallow some cheese. Although it isn't her best work, I think this may be my favorite of hers because it was so light hearted, more modern, and more of an adult audience. So I'm upping my stars. Because I did really like. And if I passed this book again, I just may pick it up and read it again.
—Annalisa
I am a Pride and Prejudice snob. I only like the BBC version, with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett. While there are parts of the newer, shorter, harried, and nuance free Hollywood version I enjoy, like the supposed-to-be-prettiest-sister Jane, who is actually much prettier than the actress in the BBC version, every time I've watched it (which, I grant, is only twice), I feel angry afterwards. First, Kiera Knightly is NOT Elizabeth Bennett. Elizabeth Bennett does not smile a ridiculous smile showing her bottom teeth all the time. And she is not flat chested. I mean, come on....we're talking about the girl who woos Mr. Darcy. With those low-cut gowns in style, I'm guessing there was a little bit of oomph necessary to catch his eye. That and a pair of "fine eyes". Mostly, though, the entire movie is rushed. The actors spit out their lines in Gilmore Girls fashion, important scenes are entirely cut out, and then two minutes are devoted to watching Kiera Knightly spin on a swing. Frustrating.Anyways, my point is (and I do have one), that there is only one good movie adaptation...and it's six hours long and only strays (and not really even strays, just leaves out a few minor details) slightly from the book. So, when the main character in Austenland, Jane, loved this movie as much as me, I knew I could appreciate her.32 year-old Jane, single and relationship challenged, is obsessed with Mr. Darcy...the dreamy Colin Firth who walks across his magnificent grounds in a wet shirt after diving into a pond (you know the scene). The Colin Firth...I mean Mr. Darcy, who beams at Elizabeth while she's turning pages for his sister, Georgiana, at the piano (you know this scene too). After her rich great aunt comes to visit her, and subsequently finds her two-disc DVDs hidden behind a houseplant, Jane is surprised when she receives a call following her aunt's death from the probate attorney. Instead of money, her aunt leaves her an all expense paid for trip to an exclusive British resort, where Jane will spend three weeks living the Regency period lifestyle in an attempt to fulfill, and also hopefully expunge, her Darcy obsession.I found the beginning of this book to be annoying. Jane is too nervous and melodramatic and not all that likable. For starters, I have no idea why anyone would be ashamed of owning Pride and Prejudice. Houseplants? Please. I'm thinking of fashioning my set up with a chain and wearing it around my neck. See? I'm a true fan.However, the three weeks she spends at Pembrook Park, a Netherfield/Pemberly-esque manor with servants who can't speak to her, empire wasted gowns, gentleman that are actors (or are they?), turns about the room, walks on the grounds and a ball are simply fantastic. The situations are entertaining, the plot pleasantly twisty and the ending satisfying.Shannon Hale writes a light-hearted fantasy romance that is sure to please even the snobbiest Jane Austen fans. As a warning, do not expect a Jane Austen book. While Hale does a fair job mimicking some of the dialogue, the novel is thoroughly modern and much less subtle. It is a romance...therefore extremely unlikely to be true. Regardless, when I turned the last page, I had a smile on my face and said, out loud, "That was fun!"
—Lucy
Having seen the movie first, I felt I was at an advantage, as I knew where the story was going; more or less, anyway. And interestingly enough, I think I prefer the movie version to the book. That doesn't happen often. It doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - the four star rating attests to that - but I think some of the changes they put in the movie made the story flow more effectively.That was only a minor thing, of course. I enjoyed Shannon Hale's style and the breezy way she wrote the hapless Jane, with whose obsession for Colin Firth's Mr Darcy I can surely relate. I liked experiencing her struggles to ditch the fantasy and try and find a real man, although I'm not sure the details of previous boyfriends, which started every chapter, were really necessary. Apart from that, though, it was thoroughly entertaining.
—Lynne Stringer
