It is a truth universally acknowledged that, ninety percent of the time, under favorable circumstances, and in moderately believable situations, an attempt at modernizing a Jane Austen plot cannot fail. Although I would not go so far as to say that "Jane Austen In Boca" is my most favorite Austen rehashing, I will appropriately praise the work as worthy of investment and encourage toward it the attention of any Janeite (particularly those [how shall I put it?] of the more mature set. *cricket chirp* --- Aaight, fine, those Austen devotees whom have passed their first five copies of Pride & Prejudice onto their children, grandchildren, and (in extreme cases) great-grandchildren will probably enjoy it more than said younger generations.)"Jane Austen In Boca" applies Jane's infallible plot schematic of 'two or three families in a village' to a unique setting. The 'two or three families' involved are in actuality the matriarchs and patriarchs of several dozen Jewish families, and the 'village' in question is actually the noted retirement villa haven of Boca (hence the title.) The Austen plot applied is that of arguably her most famous work "Pride & Prejudice", which has been --- to begrudgingly borrow a phrase from the infamous Lydia Bennet --- "picked to pieces" and altered into a witty, humorous, and delightful narrative appropriate for a cast of characters whose chief concerns lie beyond the possibility of becoming a bluestocking after another uneventful Season. In other words, it's Hertfordshire gone geriatric, and it couldn't be more charming!I was enchanted by the very beginning of the story, in which a highly comical situation is presented where a well-meaning-yet-overly-enthusiastic daughter-in-law is insistent upon the re-entrance into society of her widowed mother-in-law. To reiterate in Austen-ese: the daughter-in-law is Mrs. Bennet and the mother-in-law is Jane Bennet! How adorable is that! Of course, there is a Charles Bingley (a slightly more Jewish Charles Bingley, but Charles nonetheless) and with no little effort from the highly energetic daughter-in-law, romance inevitably ensues. As can be expected, more Hertfordshire residents are presented as their retired counter-parts, most importantly being Flo Kliman (Lizzy Bennet meets Sophia Petrillo) and Stan Jacobs (Mr. Darcy himself, yet charmingly more sensitive and docile.) Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins are depicted to heightened exaggeration by their golden changelings, she even more desperate, and he even more ridiculous. It's quite diverting! In a delightful, unexpected twist, a character whom I presume to be the senior version of Miss King takes a more involved role. And, honestly, the story wouldn't be nearly as amusingly messy without the entrance of a wickham, ready, willing, and able to mess everything up for Lizzy and Darcy --- I mean, Flo and Stan. Lastly, to my infinite delight, to the best of my knowledge, Caroline Bingley must have retired to another part of Boca. Thank God!I am always hesitant to include comments such as these in reviews of books of this sort, because I am terrified of accidentally wording them in such a way as to be open for offensive misinterpretation. The truth is that I was not only attracted to 'Jane Austen In Boca' because of the obvious: I was attracted to the book because Judaism absolutely fascinates me! Although technically a lackluster, semi-indifferent Catholic, I consider myself to be a student of all religions. More than that, the characters portrayed in works of fiction written by proud, Jewish writers --- Jennifer Weiner and Lauren Weisberger are my favorites because I am young and love the chick lit --- are some of my most favorite characters ever written! These characters, this story, this author, is no exception. Read it: I know you'll love it.
Having read two of Cohen's other books (Austen in Scarsdale, Much Ado About Jessie Kaplan), I knew what to expect in terms of literary weight (or lack thereof)...and because of that, I almost didn't read this one. As expected, this book was a (comparatively) light, quick read. The parallels to certain characters and plot points within Pride & Prejudice are highly recognizable, but not particularly heavy-handed. What does come to feel a bit heavy-handed are the stereotypes. Not being Jewish, I had to stop from time to time and look up the Yiddish terms that the author throws around, and while not a obstacle, I cannot say that the terms really added anything to the novel; it is already more than clear that all the main characters are thoroughly Jewish in culture, if not in religion. I'm not sure that the author missed a single Jewish stereotype, unfortunately revisiting and hammering on some repeatedly. It is almost as if she were making the point that this could ONLY happen in a Jewish retirement community, the critical point being the Jewishness of all the characters. I think it could have been more entertaining without quite so many stereotypes. After all, Jewish senior citizens do not have exclusive rights to attitudes of pride and prejudice.After investing the time to read the whole book (256 pages), I felt irritated by the slow build of the storylines and then the sudden close. Realizing there were not many pages left, I wondered when things were going to be tied up, and then immediately, on the next page, they were (or weren't, as the case may be)...and not in an overly believable fashion. Even the barely-over-a-page Epilogue disappointed, as it devotes more ink to May's daughter-in-law (who opened the book, but whose actions in the Epilogue have almost nothing to do with the storylines in the book) and grandson (who never got any dialogue...all his thoughts and feelings are related third person). Overall, it is not a bad book; I just cannot summon the conviction to call it a *good* book. While I was pleased to be spared any descriptions of sex (save for a brief incident with Viagra) and do not recall many instances of objectionable language, it takes more than that to earn my recommendation. This would suffice for a beach read if you want to choose something that can be read amidst distractions and that doesn't require mental exertion. Otherwise, I do not absolutely regret reading it; there were spells where I enjoyed it. But taken as a whole, I am not going to pass it on to my friends, either.
What do You think about Jane Austen In Boca (2003)?
It took a while for me to get the Austen link with this book. It started out more like "Emma" than "P & P." However, as the story went along, I began to see more similarities. The author pursued the interesting twist of setting the story among senior citizens in a returement community in Florida. There was a bit too much information on the peculiarities of Jewish retirees for my taste. A documentary film crew was brought in late in the book, which didn't really add to the story. A bit uneven, but I enjoyed it.
—Sharon
Before I start---I am a huge Jane Austen fan and I try to read everything that "borrows" from Jane. This book is AWFUL. I only stuck with it to see how Jane Austen inspired it--and because I was stuck on a 2 hour commute with nothing to read. 1. The writing is bad, BAD....the author forces details into the book that do not need to be there. One second you are reading about the characters eating dinner---and then she starts in on details of grandchildren that are not involved in the story...2. Every other paragraph she makes a point to mention that the characters are Jewish. I found it to be insulting and close to racist. Maybe the author thought this made the book funny---but honestly. Expect your readers to be intelligent---mention it once....and then STOP generalizing, stereotyping....making fun of one type of people. Some may find this funny, but I found it very insulting. 3. Sex. According to this book women don't enjoy sex----especially old women.....Right.
—Meg
More "chick lit" should be like this. Perhaps it's weak to model your book on Pride and Prejudice, because the formula is just so flawless, and you don't have to come up with it on your own. But when your readers are just looking for some entertainment, this strategy is also a sure bet. As soon as all the characters were on the scene, I knew what was going to happen. But I enjoyed Cohen's wry and affectionate commentary on Jewish-Florida-retiree life. Never has a truer story been told about the experience of shopping at Loehmann's. But when one of the characters dies, Cohen proves that she also has a handle on conveying the more melancholy side of coastal Florida.
—Kate
