It’s Austenmania! Today we do a little homage to the queen of Historical Romance herself, the indomitable Jane Austen. With a twist – both books we are reviewing take Jane Austen in the modern era, either in spirit (literally), or in form…

Title: According to Jane

Author:Marilyn Brant

Genre: Contemporary, Literature, Chick Lit, Romance

Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: October 2009
Trade Paperback: 352 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

How did I get this book: ARC (from the Author)

Why did I read this book: When author Marilyn Brant offered us a copy of her new novel and cited favorites like The Jane Austen Book Club and Lost in Austen as inspirations, I simply could not refuse. Though it’s different from my usual fare, I was very excited for a change of pace.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. From nowhere comes a quiet ‘tsk’ of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s ghost has taken up residence in Ellie’s mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane’s wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go – sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane’s counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love – perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie’s head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

Review:

The time is the 1980s; the location, English class. While Ellie Barnett tries (and fails) to ignore the flirtatious teasings of the gorgeous and popular Sam Blaine – who has been the bane of her existence since kindergarten as a gift from the alphabetical seating gods – her teacher passes out the next assignment: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. And then, Ellie hears the voice.

Beware, Ellie…Sam Blaine is your Mr. Wickham.

Ellie has just gained a new mentor and dear friend – the ghostly voice of Jane Austen has taken up in Ellie’s mind. Over the years, Ellie searches fruitlessly for love, always with the memory of Sam Blaine in her mind, and with Jane’s advice to guide her (when she chooses to listen to it). After a string of bad relationships, of near happiness, successes and failures, Ellie struggles to make peace not only with Jane, but with her own future.

According to Jane is something of a mixed bag for me. There were elements of the story that I loved, and even with my reservations, I must admit that According to Jane is a bittersweet, entertaining book. So far as plotting is concerned (with the exception of the ending) According to Jane is a finely written piece. I loved the at times brutal, at times realistic look at the relationships that Ms. Brant casts Ellie in. I loved how the timeline would alternate from the present to memories as Ellie goes through life in the twenty or so years following her graduation. The high school storyline in particular, where Ellie’s relationships and expectations of love all begin, is the most compelling of these memories. Of the other storylines, I loved the charged, evolving relationship between Ellie and her sister Di as the both mature into people very different from their high school personalities. I also loved the voice and concept of Jane Austen herself, speaking in Ellie’s head. It’s quirky – not to mention risky, as who’s to say Ellie isn’t a complete crackpot psychopath? – but it works. Ms. Brant captures a lively, witty tone for Jane Austen’s invisible ghost, and pulls off this technique with aplomb.

Furthermore, I loved the juxtaposition of Miss Austen’s 19th century sensibilities in Ellie’s 20th/21st century world. At times (particularly in one scene involving a Victoria’s Secret bra in the locker room) Jane Austen’s ghost would provide some much needed levity, and I found myself delighted. Also, there’s Ellie herself – her inner narrative, reflective, open and honest is at times heartbreaking, and at other hilarious. I loved her “types of guys” list, in particular – every woman has dated or been attracted to at least one of the types on that list.

But then, there were aspects of the book I was not crazy about. I don’t often read Chick Lit; not because I have some stigma against the genre – I have read and loved some books under this umbrella. But there are many books and films that fall into this category that drive me completely insane. For example, I don’t like movies such as He’s Just Not That Into You or Bride Wars. The reason for this distaste is the same reason that I found myself infuriated and fed up with Ellie in this particular novel:

I abhor the stereotype where women are portrayed as marriage-crazed, baby-craving monsters.

I despise this with every fiber of my being. Do these women actually exist? And if they do, are they actually in the MAJORITY of the female population? This concept is bizarre and alien to me – perhaps I am of a different generation, with different ambitions and values. Perhaps I’m a weirdo and totally out of touch with my sex. But the point is, characters like Ellie make me want to tear out clumps of my hair and gouge out my eyeballs with my fingernails and scream myself bloody hoarse.

Ellie’s life seems so wasted, because she’s consumed for twenty-plus years with this SOLE, self-defining desire to be a wife and mommy. It’s not so much that she’s looking for true love, but the fact that she NEEDS TO BE MARRIED NOW NOW NOW! EVERYONE ELSE IS MARRIED WHY AM I ALONE!?!!! She jumps from relationship to relationship looking for that one and only end game, even when the man is clearly wrong for her, even when she knows she does not love the person she is with. There is so much pain and heartache in this book, merely because Ellie is so warped in her preconceived notions of what a “happy ending” entails. And I’ll say it again, it seems like such a phenomenal waste of time – if Ellie focused her life on being comfortable with herself and not pegging her self worth on becoming a wife and popping out babies, she might have been a much happier woman. Ellie’s lack of common sense, her inability to define herself as a person outside of a relationship is, frankly, pathetic. To some extent this was Ms. Brant’s plan with the book (to show that Ellie was so set on marriage, she was becoming Charlotte Lucas)…but the way According to Jane ended negates this message completely (it negates any other contrary message the novel would have had to send about women being obsessed with marriage for all the wrong reasons).

Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad that Ellie finally gets her happy ending, as far-fetched as it may seem, and I did finish the book with a smile. To be fair, my misgivings with According to Jane are not so much to do with Ms. Brant’s writing or plotting skills, both of which are solid. My gripe has to do with the stereotype, and expectations of female behavior in general.

And…I can’t shake that sinking feeling that According to Jane is just another example of this Crazy Marriage/Mommy Lady stereotype being perpetuated. These modern heroines (not just Ellie, but the aforementioned crazy chicks – because they are ALWAYS portrayed as scary-crazy-obsessed – from marriage-obsessed chick flicks) are completely back-asswards. They go against everything Jane Austen stood for! They lack Lizzie Bennet’s good sense, just as they lack her ability to become a strong, confident woman without needing someone else (read: a man) to make them feel that way. They lack her ability to define herself OUTSIDE of the roles of matrimony and children.

Isn’t that what Jane Austen’s most beloved heroine was all about?

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Ms. Brant’s website:

I watched the taillights of Dominic’s Pontiac fade away into the distance, and I thought about our deteriorating relationship. Who I was. Who he was. Where we were going. Or not going. I’d almost broken up with him an hour before, but I’d held on. Why, why, why?

Perhaps it is because you feel lonely? Jane suggested.

Yeah.

And because you are about to embark on something unknown next month–your graduate studies at a new university–and you crave the familiar?

Yeah. That, too.

And, additionally, because you will be two-and-twenty next week and wish to celebrate it with someone dear to you?

I didn’t speak, but I nodded. I should’ve known Jane Austen would figure it out. She’d been my constant companion, my most secret friend for years. She spoke only in the silence of my mind, but she knew me as no one else could…or wanted to.

All will turn out right, Ellie, she said softly. Trust in yourself and in your instincts. You have a strong intuition about the honor and character of others. It is stronger, perhaps, than you realize, and it gains further strength with time and experience. Do not despair.

Thanks, Jane, I whispered, fighting back the despair that curled in my stomach nevertheless.

You can read the full excerpt online at Ms. Brant’s website HERE.

(And on the same rant as above – SEE!? Ellie is 22 years old. 22. And she’s already freaking out about marriage and babies at this point.)

Additional Thoughts:

While we’re in the Austen mood, I’d like to second Ana’s earlier recommendation of Lost in Austen (a BBC miniseries that is available in the USA now on DVD). It takes extreme liberty with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and yet…it completely and totally works! It’s hilarious, smart, and, of course, romantic in all the right ways.

Another highly recommended flick (and book) is The Jane Austen Book Club. I never would have given this movie a shot if it weren’t for the urgings of the boyfriend (SHH!!!), but it is truly fabulous. Heartstring-tugging, refreshingly romantic in a way that isn’t condescending, and realistic. I loved it and highly recommend it.

And here are the clips to prove it! First, a deleted scene from Lost in Austen – in which Miss Amanda Price sings:

And second, scifi geek Grigg and control freak Joscelyn’s first meeting from The Jane Austen Book Club:

Verdict: According to Jane has many strengths, and is a solid debut effort from Ms. Brant. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fully enjoy this book with reckless abandon because of my own personal reading and character prejudices – but I do recommend that everyone try this novel out for themselves. Fans of Austen, and of romantic writing of the chick lit persuasion (who perhaps don’t feel so passionately about the crazy marriage lady stereotype) will not be disappointed with this alternately whimsical and serious book about growing up and finding a happily ever after. It simply was not for me.

Rating: 6 – Good, Recommend With Reservations

Reading Next: Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

It’s Austenmania! Today we do a little homage to the queen of Historical Romance herself, the indomitable Jane Austen. With a twist – both books we are reviewing take Jane Austen in the modern era, either in spirit (literally), or in form…

Title: Austenland

Author: Shannon Hale

Genre: Chick Lit

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publishing Date: May 2007
Paperback: 208 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

How did I get the book: Bought

Why did I read the book: I was in the mood for a light romance Jane Austen-style

Summary: Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen—or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Review:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I am always in the lookout for a good book. Unfortunately Austenland was not one of them and the more I think about it, the less I like it.

Jane Hayes is a 32 year old, successful graphic designer living in New York who has a dirty secret: her obsession with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen in all its forms but most especially with the BBC adaptation that has Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. To Jane, no one can measure up to Mr Darcy, not one of her former 13 boyfriends did, no one never will and this is why she decided not to date anymore. Why bother, right?

Then one day her rich aunt dies and leaves her an all-inclusive, paid for, holiday to an exclusive place called Austenland (the place is so exclusive, it doesn’t even have a website and it doesn’t show up when you Google it). Catering to a special clientele (to wit: rich, unhappy women), Austenland is the place where obsessive fans of all things Regency and Jane Austen-y go to live their fantasies: for three weeks, they immerse themselves in 19th century without any technology living as an unmarried young miss would live back them. Even if you happen to be a 50 year old woman, Austenland allows you to pretend to be a 20 year old looking out for the dream of being wooed by a Mr or a Lord (all the male in Austenland are actors playing a role). All visitors must agree with the terms and conditions which include confidentiality and to behave as though you are a regency miss, following all the rules of engagement. Any breech of these rules and the person is subject to be sent away, without refund.

Jane decides to take on the offer as means to say goodbye to her obsession. She will go, enjoy the three weeks and then say goodbye forever to the dream of Mr Darcy. Once there though, she gets a bit sidetracked by Martin the gardener, and by Mr Nobley, the Mr Darcy in this farce.

I am fully aware that Austenland is supposed to be a light, romantic comedy, a beach read, mindless entertainment and perhaps not be taken too seriously. But I think that this is actually a pernicious, dismissive way of looking at a genre, any genre as it excuses any number of flaws in plotting and character development. I also think that being entertained is good obviously; but “mindless” is not the same thing as “brainless” nor does it excuse lack of coherency and bad writing.

And I do think that Austenland suffers of all the above which was a major surprise to me as I know that Shannon Hale is a damn good writer. But the writing here is choppy and inconsistent. The narrative is weird, with the narrator sometimes interrupting the narrative to say things like “but Jane doesn’t want to think about it, so let’s move on” . But the main problem to me here is how Jane is so inconsistently written as to almost come across as a schizophrenic imbecile.

I don’t even know where to start with her character. Maybe with the fact that she keeps her DVDs of Pride and Prejudice hidden away because she is ashamed of them. Why would a supposedly intelligent woman do that? It is a highly acclaimed production of a well-know novel by the BBC. In the words of HBO: it is not TV, it is the BBC! Come on.

Then there is the fact that Jane has put herself on the shelf because her relationships have not worked so far. But she counts all the men she has met, dated once or twice as “boyfriends” because she is incapable of taking things lightly and flirty. Every man she meets is a potential husband and one of the first questions that occurs to her is : does he like children. She is intense and overeager. I absolutely abhor female characters that define themselves by the number of boyfriends they had – and this is exactly what Jane does. She is never her own woman – she is always in relation to someone.

Once she arrives in Austenland, the story is a rollercoaster of ups and down inside Jane’s mind: she is repulsed and attracted to the idea of Austenland. She just wants to have fun. She wants to use it as therapy. She doesn’t fit it, so she has a fling with the gardener. But she can’t have “fling” but OH MY GOD , she so can. She is changed! But no, she is the same. She will enjoy this and immerse herself and ooooooooo Captain East is attractive! She HATES Mr Nobley but wait. If Mr Darcy was like this, he must have been really obnoxious. But wait, she loves Mr Nobley.

Kill.Me.Now.

The other characters are not fleshed out enough and the attempt of being as witty as the original was a major fail. Austenland, the place, although a cool idea to start with, comes across, the more you read, as a place non-different from a brothel given as how the actors have to romance each of the ladies because this is what they are paying for. The very idea is pathetic and desperate. And I can’t, I am afraid, take it lightly and just have fun with it.

I am not sure what Shannon Hale tried to accomplish here. At points I could see the start of a criticism about the whole pretence and the place but it never lasted. Jane tries to get rid of her obsession with finding a Mr Darcy but the ending of the novel only reaffirms it.

This was definitely not the book for me. We (the book and I) did not click. To the point where I can hardly find anything positive to say and the only thing I can think of is how it was a waste of money and time. Jane Hayes is no Lizzie Bennet. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Austeland is what Pride and Prejudice would be like with Lydia as a protagonist.

Notable quotes/ Parts: I will just skip this part

Verdict: A chick lit that reinforces all the stereotypes of the genre. I would give this one a pass.

Rating: 1 – I want my money back!

Reading Next: Something good, please.

Title: Impulse and Initiative

Author: Abigail Reynolds

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: This is a variation of Pride of Prejudice by Jane Austen – I recommend you read that one first.

Summary: In Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Mr. Darcy gives up on winning the woman he loves after she refuses his proposal of marriage. What if, instead of disappearing from her life, he took the initiative and tried to change her mind? In Impulse & Initiative, Mr. Darcy pursues Elizabeth Bennet to her home in Hertfordshire, planning to prove to her he is a changed man and worthy of her love.

Why Did I Read The Book: I was offered a copy by the publisher, SourceBooks and I had to say yes – I do so love Pride and Prejudice.

Review:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is one of the best known books of all time (a BBC survey has placed it in second in the list of UK’s Best Loved Books) and loved by many romance readers including yours truly. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy certainly figure high up there with Romeo and Juliet and Heathcliff and Cathy in the classic love stories listings. There are plenty of movie and TV adaptations (like the 1995 BBC series – Colin Firth anyone?) and more recently, from what I can gather, a plethora of books with story variations.

Impulse and Initiative is one such book. In the original novel, after many sequences in which it appeared that Darcy and Elizabeth were in opposite sides, the seemly arrogant Mr Darcy proposes marriage to a bewildered Elizabeth Bennet who could not have expected the high-born, proud man to love her. Darcy completely mucks up the proposal by telling her that he loves her “against his own will” and despite her family. Elizabeth who has reasons to believe, incorrectly, that Mr Darcy is not honorable, refuses him and tells him that he is “the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry”. Darcy is mortified that she would say such things and the next day delivers a letter to her clarifying the points that would dispute his honor and disappears from the novel for some time until they come together again in later chapters.

Impulse and Initiative plays with a “What If” that starts right after that first proposal – what if Darcy, instead of retreating decided to go on the attack by trying to woo Miss Bennet’s affections properly? By showing her that he was indeed honorable, that his intentions were true and out of deep love and that he could find in himself the strength to review his actions, the ungentlemanly way he proposed, the arrogance of his treatment of others and become in the eyes of the reader (and of Elizabeth) the more open character that appears at the end of Pride and Prejudice.

Leaving all thought of emotional restraint aside, Darcy embarks on a rather persistent pursue of Elizabeth who is conflicted to begin with – does she like or dislike Darcy? Can she really enjoy the time she spends with him even if he is proud and overbearing and threatens the independences she loves? And what about those *gasp * kisses and what they do to her? Are they proper? Should she even like kissing a man that is not her husband? These and other questions are raised and answered as their relationship progresses based this time, not in pride and prejudice but as the title implies, on impulse, initiative – and seduction. Be it of the mind for truly, they share a similar wit, and one of the greatest points of this novel is the banter between Darcy and Elizabeth or the moments where they hurl literary quotes at each other or their common tendency to judge based on wrong assumptions. Or of the body, where a less than controlled Darcy can hardly keep his hands off her – which leads them to a pre-marital encounter that raises the question: is this truly how the original Darcy and Elizabeth would behave since both characters were so bound by their sense of propriety? In fact, one may argue that the Darcy and Elizabeth in Impulse and Initiative end up acting like the Villain (Wickham) and the Floozy (Lydia) of Pride of Prejudice.

If you are a Jane Austen purist or a literary traditionalist you should probably stay away from the book (or from any variation, as a matter of fact) as the Darcy and Elizabeth portrayed here are hardly like the original creation of Jane Austen.

But on the other hand, if you like me, think you would like a sweet, double sugar-coated (Darcy is so sweet here it made my teeth ache as he would profess his undying love at every chance he got which was VERY often – this, the only real problem with the book for me) conflict-free “what if” involving two beloved characters from literature – and follow an alternate story from wooing to bedding, from pre-marriage to wedding and birthing of their first child – who even though not quite like Austen’s creation are still interesting enough to warrant a few good hours of your time on a Saturday afternoon, then by all means do pick this up. You could do much worse than this – much, much worse.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: I like the moment where Elizabeth realises that Darcy is always taking care of people and is never taken care of.

“A smile curved her lips as she considered the hubris it would require to take on the responsibility of taking care of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Continuing to stroke his hair, she let her eyes trace the lines of his face, wondering at her sanity in allowing herself to love this complex and often difficult man -as if she had allowed herself to love him; the truth was closer to what she had said of him at Hunsford, that she loved him against her will, against her reason , and even against her character. It was certainly poetic justice. “

And oh dear lord how I laughed at the scene where Darcy and Bingley were talking about – ahem – pre-marital encounters and how Bingley was thoroughly jealous of Darcy as up to that point all he was allowed to get from Jane was a chaste peek at the cheek. And how Jane was completely horrified when she learns from Elizabeth that –ahem- the marital bed? Not as bad as their mother told them.* wink wink nudge nudge *

Additional Thoughts: On the subject of Pride and Prejudice variations, I recently watched ITV’s Lost in Austen and it was a complete riot – so much fun. I wrote about it here.

But I ask – how do you feel about variations of literary works? Do you think the originals are “untouchable”?

Verdict: Sweet (sometimes too sweet), funny with witty banter and good writing. If you think you can get past a Darcy that professes his love at every other paragraph, this is the book for you. It certainly helps if you picture Darcy’s smoldering dark looks in a Colin Firth package.

Rating: 6 good.

Reading Next : The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Title: Lost in Austen

Produced by: UK’s ITV, 4 episodes, aired between 3rd and 24th September 2008

Main Cast and characters: Jemima Rooper as Amanda Price, Alex Kingston as Mrs Bennet,Hugh Bonneville as Mr Bennet, Elliot Cowan as Fitzwilliam Darcy , Gemma Arterton as Elizabeth Bennet,Tom Mison as Mr Bingley.

I will start by saying that I’m in love with this miniseries and watching it for the past 4 weeks was the most fun I had in ages!

Lost in Austen was a Miniseries with 4 episodes of one hour each that aired in September here in the UK. I saw a couple of commercials before it aired and being a fan of all things Price and Predudice-y they made me curious enough to watch at least the first episode and I was hooked from the get go. I was completely surprised by the quality of the show since it was produced by ITV, a channel that is not exactly known as showcasing top quality TV: ITV BBC is not.

The premise is simple: what would happen if someone somehow, got sucked in into his or her favorite book? What would happen then?

Amanda Price lives in present-day London, working at a bank, dating a guy who is far from being Prince Charming. Amanda’s boring life is only made bearable by escaping into her favorite book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She reads it pretty much every day, she knows all the lines, all the plot developments and she LOVES the love story between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett.

One day, an unsuspecting Amanda walks into her bathroom and finds…..Elizabeth Bennett! It turns out, there is a door that leads from Amanda’s bathroom into the Bennett’s house. A curious Elizabeth is dying to know more about this freakish world whereas Amanda is of course, dying to finally be able to see for herself the world she has always loved. Yes, she thinks she is going crazy but she can’t fight the excitement of seeing the things she dreams about, first hand!

They decide to swap places and Amanda walks into the past whilst Elizabeth remains in London. Amanda is immediately welcomed in the Bennett’s household and she introduces herself as Elizabeth’s friend, Miss Price from Hammersmith and explains that Elizabeth will be spending sometime at her house so that she can write a book.

Ok, so it requires a lot of suspension of belief: not only they accept this strange woman with her strange clothes, weird hair and even weirder use of language with open arms but they also show little concern about Elizabeth’s whereabouts. HOWEVER, if you can buy that there is a DOOR between a London flat and a fictional attic out of a book, I would say, believing in all the rest comes easy enough because the acting is good and the situation is so funny and you can’t help but to be intrigued and excited about how things will unfold.

Amanda soon enough realises she walked into the story just when Mr Bingley is about to make his first appearance. As any Pride and Prejudice fan will know, this is when Mr Bingley and Jane first meet and start to develop feelings for each other. And this is where we first get a taste of what to expect from Lost in Austen because Mr Bingley hardly notices Jane and falls for….Amanda!

Amanda freaks out, and decides to set things straight by trying to make Bingley become interested in Jane, but she fails (at least at first) and she starts to seriously muck things up and the worst happens when Elizabeth is not there to meet Mr. Darcy at that ball where they first dance and who ends up dancing and exchanging barbs with the man is Amanda herself.