What do You think about Jane And The Prisoner Of Wool House (2001)?
Jane, her mother, her sister and their friend Martha Lloyd have removed to Southampton to live with her brother Frank's bride Mary. Frank is on shore too, hoping for the Royal Navy to grant him a fast ship. Frank's wish is about to come true - he will soon be granted command of the Stella Maris. Unfortunately, the promotion for Frank comes at the sacrifice of his friend, Captain Seagrave, who is under arrest for murder of the French captain whose ship the Stella Maris had overcome.Captain Seagrave has been accused by his Lieutenant, Eustace Chessyre, who should have stood by him. Frank knows his friend and knows that Tom Seagrave would never have violated the Articles of War by killing a surrendering captain. As the people of Portsmouth turn against Captain Seagrave, only Frank remains loyal. Jane, being possessed of a "fine naval fervour" also believes that Captain Seagrave is innocent. Jane, having the opportunity to employ herself as a nurse in the Wool House, where French prisoners of war are kept, decides to investigate the murder to find clues that will exonerate Captain Seagrave. Jane's investigation takes her from Captain Seagrave's home, to the Wool House, the docks and the slums of Portsmouth. Jane's search brings her in contact with a prisoner-of-war French surgeon who seems to have some answers, if only he will testify and only if she and Frank can keep him safe, for when Lieutenant Chessyre turns up dead, it becomes clear that someone wants the witnesses out of the way. This being my first Jane Austen mystery I did not know what to expect. The author writes in the style of Jane Austen, alluding to the fact that the novel is an edited version of a long lost manuscript written by Jane Austen. I really liked the way Barron copied Jane Austen's style of writing and I also loved that Barron obviously did a ton of research to write the novel. However, I think she included far too many historical details, some of which she felt the need to add a footnote to further clarify. Those who are familiar with Jane Austen's life and times probably will not need the footnotes. The story is very slow to start but once Jane began her investigation, the story captured my attention and I couldn't do anything until she had solved the mystery. There are many twists and turns in this book that I never suspected. Like Jane, I jumped to a lot of conclusions, having read too many "dreadful novels." The ending is really rushed and I felt like more explanation was needed. I highly doubt that Jane Austen herself would have been running all over Portsmouth (often by herself!) trying to solve a murder mystery but it's fun to think that she would have if she could. I would recommend this book to Janeites that don't take their favorite author too seriously and also fans of Georgette Heyer's mysteries and traditional Regency novels. On a scale of 1-5 I would give this a 4 or 4 1/4.
—QNPoohBear
Sesta indagine di Jane Austen.Sothampton, 1807. Jane si sta annoiando nella cittadina marittima, aspettando che la casa nuova sia pronta e la nascita di un nuovo nipotino, quando suo fratello Frank le confida sconvolto che un suo grande amico rischia di essere impiccato per un omicidio avvenuto in mare. Jane decide di aiutarlo, recandosi nella prigione di Wool House, dove i marinai francesi sono tenuti rinchiusi in attesa di essere scambiati. Tra loro c'è un uomo colto, il medico di bordo, che può chiarire il mistero, sempre che si possa credere a un prigioniero francese...Avvincente, anche se nei primi capitoli ci sono troppi termini navali, il carattere di Mr. Hill e Monsieur La Forge non sono pienamente analizzati e soprattutto...manca Lord Harold!!!E sono rimasta sconvolta dalle “navi delle spose”, che dal 1600 a 50 anni trasportavano giovani donne dall'Europa verso il resto del mondo, destinate a sposare uomini che non conoscevano pur di avere un destino migliore del restare in patria.* Con l'avanzare degli anni e con la costante diminuzione delle mie risorse finanziarie cominciavo ad avere la sensazione he i chiudessero su di me le pareti di tutte le stanze in cui avevo la ventura di dimorare, tutte molto simili tra loro. Come una candela chiusa in una bara, mi sentivo soffocare dai limiti che la penuria economica imponeva. Desideravo disperatamente condurre una vita diversa, eppure sapevo che ogni possibilità di cambiamento mi era negata.* “Dopotutto, che cosa sarebbe mai l'Inghilterra senza il suo mese di giugno?” “La Scozia”, ribatté subito Mary, per poi ridacchiare della sua stessa battuta.Rimproverarlo? Signore, e come potrei? È soltanto un uomo e deve comportarsi come farebbe qualunque uomo.* L'anziano ufficiale si allontanò senza una sola occhiata all'indietro, segno chiarissimo, secondo la mia esperienza, di una mentalità più rozza che semplice, perfettamente adatta a braccare il nemico e a imparare a memoria le regole dell'ingaggio, nonché ad applicarle alla lettera: una mentalità a cui la vita, con le sue offensive, le sue controffensive e le sue ritirate, doveva apparire abbastanza semplice; una mentalità incapace di cogliere tutte le infinite sfumature delle circostanze e della volontà, della determinazione e del ritegno nell'imminenza della battaglia non c'era la possibilità di riflettere troppo, ma guai al puro di cuore in terra.
—Hermioneginny
Title: Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Jane Austen Mystery #6)Author: Stephanie BarronRead by: Kate ReadingPublisher: Books on TapeLength: 10 hours and 9 minutesSource: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my DroidIn the winter of 1807, Jane Austen, her sister Cassandra, and her mother are living in Southampton with Jane’s brother Frank and his new bride Mary. Mary is expecting and so Frank has agreed to stay ashore, although he wants to be out fighting the French. Frank longs for his own ship, and he is about to get one, but at the peril of one of his friends. Tom Seagrave is accused of murdering a French captain after he had already surrendered his ship. It looks likely that Tom will be hanged for this crime and that Frank will become Captain of Tom’s ship. This is not how Frank would like to obtain a ship and he is sure his old friend is innocent.Jane volunteers as a nurse at the infamous Wool House, a place where sick French soldiers are housed. Once there, Jane hopes to uncover information that will help to free Tom Seagrave. What she finds is a plot that goes to the heart of Tom Seagrave and his family. Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen Mysteries are perfection. I love how she takes the real history of Jane Austen and her time period and blends it with an intriguing mystery to make a fascinating novel. I first discovered Barron’s novels about 11 years ago. I had just started working at Tetra Tech in downtown Milwaukee the year before. One of the best parts of my new job is that it was across the street from the Milwaukee Public Library. In the new book section, I picked up mystery #7, Jane and the Ghosts of Netley. I was hooked and picked up the previous novels when I could. Somehow I missed #6 along the way.Kate Reading did a marvelous job narrating this audiobook. I enjoyed listening to it immensely. Reading has the perfect voice and embodies what I think Jane Austen should sound like.Overall, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House is a must read for all Jane Austen fans and any fan of a good historical mystery. I have read the series as stand-alone novels and it has worked out fine for me.This review was first posted on my blog at: http://www.lauragerold.blogspot.com/2...
—Laura
