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Feb 27, 2008

Lucy rated it:

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 n More...

12 comments like (86 people liked it)

May 22, 2008

Melinda rated it:

I crept quietly up the dark stairway, entered my room and tried my very best to shut the door silently behind me. It thudded despite my best efforts and I cringed, but Phil didn’t stir in his 3 o’clock-in-the-morning slumber. I sighed, relieved.
I felt so entirely sneaky. I felt as if I had cheated and there was a sting of guilt as I looked at the distorted red figures on the alarm clock through the empty glass on the night stand. “Please don’t wake up and look at what I see” I silent More...

13 comments like (44 people liked it)

Dec 09, 2007

Lorraine rated it:

I was so engrossed in this book I read it in an afternoon. If I were still a teenager, this would be the book I'd read over and over.

I hate this book.

SPOILER ALERT

Why? I mean, if it was so engrossing that I couldn't put it down, why do I hate it? Because Jane Hayes, the main character, is me except that she gets to live out my fantasy and gets the happy ending only found in Austen novels.

Jane is in her early 30s, in a job she likes but do More...

4 comments like (19 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Allie rated it:

I read this book all the way through only because I love Jane Austen, and because the concept of the book was quirky and irresisistible. It kind of felt like eating an entire bag of cotton candy.
I guess I just don't like chick lit, maybe. But the author of this book seems to have written mostly children's books before, and this struck me as a children's book ... but for women. And not even a well-written children's book. The dialogue in spots was read-out-loud bad and the main character w More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Eviltwinjen rated it:

Jane Hayes is a single thirty-something with a string of no-good boyfriends and an unhealthy obsession with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Didn't someone already write that book, you say? Banish thoughts of Bridget Jones from your mind, because Shannon Hale knows her Austen. A true knowledge and love of the novels that spawned the fantasy lifts Austenland above its chick-lit peers.

The fabulous conceit of the novel is that there's a Regency-era mansion in England that hosts an ex More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2008

Rachelle rated it:

I picked up this book at about 10:30 last night thinking that I would just read the prologue to get the basic idea and then start it tomorrow. Alas... it was not meant to be. After about a half hour I whispered an apology to Aaron and slipped out of bed to go read in the living room. After reading late into the night and a quick nap (okay 5 1/2 hours) I got up this morning and didn't stop until I finished it. This book is so entertaining. I read a lot and I have often had a book bring me to More...

0 comments like (13 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2008

Danielle rated it:

Let's be realistic here: almost every female goes through their Jane Austen obsession phase. This book explores the "what if" of that obsession, and takes it to a whole new, somewhat unhealthy level.

Jane is your typical thirty-year-old woman that harbors a secret Darcy/Colin Firth obsession, which slowly begins to take over her life. In an attempt to help Jane discover herself, her deceased Aunt sets aside a vacation for Jane in her will- to Austenland.

When we More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 23, 2007

Colleen rated it:

I've been reproached for my tendency to judge books by their cover, the cardinal GoodReads sin. But I do. This book was no exception. The cover design is whimsical and charming, especially the upside-down Pemberly on the back. However, I became cautious when I saw the author's picture in the back... she looks about 12, or at least 22, has buggy eyes, and her smile is just too smug.

However, I sincerely take all of that back after reading this (I believe her first) book. I can eve More...

7 comments like (8 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2008

Claire rated it:

Oh dear. I seem to be in a two- and three-star rut in the last few weeks, and I had really hoped that Austenland would break me out of it. I think Shannon Hale is a really gifted author, and her books for young adults and middle grade readers have been consistently excellent: smart, well-written, engaging, interesting, with strong female characters that I just plain liked. But Austenland felt like a flop, a vapid paean to "chick flicks" and men in tight breeches. Now, I'm not an Austen More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2007

Jodi rated it:

All in all a worthy and enjoyable guilty pleasure.

But afterwards, I had a few churning thoughts about this lively narritive about the 30-some lass who is treated to a vacation at Elizabeth Bennett Fantasy Camp, where she and the other ladies get to wear empire-waisted dresses and be wooed and romanticized.

As the witty heroine's female counterparts in need of escape twittered about, being the rich, aging losers they were, I couldn't help but think of an offensive bumper More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jun 28, 2008

danielle rated it:

This book was horrendous, certainly not worth anyone's time to read it. I loved her children's books, so I was excited to see that she wrote an adult book about Jane Austen (a serious departure from her usual subjects, which turned out to be a serious mistake). This book was basically Bridget Jones, minus any snarkiness, and with a huge dose of sincerity. Horrendous. (I loved Bridget Jones, but it was bearable/lovable BECAUSE of its snarkiness and level of self awareness). Worst of all, it' More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

May 25, 2011

Brandy rated it:

I can't believe I just gave one star to a Shannon Hale book. Never thought that would happen.

Review originally posted here.

I really like Shannon Hale's books. And I love Jane Austen. It has taken me this long to get around to reading Shannon Hale's Austenland because I had a suspicion I might be disappointed. The book is a light quick read perfect for summer reading. If you are fan of romantic comedy, either in chick lit or chick flick form, then you might enjoy it More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2011

Honour rated it:

I had hopes for this- truly I did.
By the cover and the cryptic jacket blurb I thought this was a paperback Lost in Austen. Hopefully better, because I couldn't stand that series and still can't believe BBC produced it.
So. Girl is obsessed with Colin Firth in his Darcy persona. Old benefactor lady discovers this and (because she is rich and apparently totally understands such obsessions) buys her a three week treat in Austenland- an English 'pretend' resort (disguised as an old manor More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2012

Valerie rated it:

I bought this at a used books shop 2 nights ago. At first I thought it was a goofy romance of a book, and while it did have that element to it, there was also a much deeper look at why certain men and women want the ideal, and how we've been trained to look for the ideal instead of the real.

Plus, the whole scene in the airport was worth the entire book.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 04, 2008

Sara rated it:

I found this book disappointing. The premise was cute - a woman is obsessed with Jane Austen and, especially, Mr. Darcy, and she goes to a place that caters to women like her, where she gets to live out her Austen fantasies while surrounded by other women like her and many, many actors playing roles.

There was little bits I liked about the book. I liked that the women at the place were not all the same. Jane, the main character, has trouble playing her role there and longs for th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2008

Marisa rated it:

When I go to the library, I usually pick up pamphlets of different genres of books and browse them for ideas.

This one immediately caught my attention, as I am a HUGE Jane Austen fan! When I first started reading, I thought some of Hale's character dialouge cheesy, as no where in Jane Austen's literature would you find expressions such as "What, what!" and terms like "bloke".

But later on, her use of dialouge became more of what I am used to with Jane A More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 21, 2008

Karen rated it:

This is a silly, silly, silly, summer read. It is certainly not Shannon Hale's best work (her best being Goose Girl). It is her first adult fare, so far as I know. In the book, her main character travels to England to stay at a Pemberly-like house where guests are treated to a Jane Austen experience. The whole book seems to be a lark for the author and appears to have been written and edited in a hurry. For example, her Aunt Carolyn suddenly becomes Aunt Caroline toward the end of the book More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 14, 2007

Karen rated it:

This book has a cute premise, but the writing disappointed me.
Jane Hayes is a woman in her early 30s who is obsessed by Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice." None of her many past relationships have worked out, and she is starting to feel that her preoccupation with Firth/Darcy is making her unable to have a long-lasting romance with any "real" guy. Jane's wealthy great-aunt dies and leaves her a legacy; a three-week trip to a pr More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 26, 2011

Jennefer rated it:

This is the type of Austen fan book I have been searching for - she allowed me to release the guilt of my Colin Firth/ Darcy obsession with a funny and interesting story about her obsession with Colin Firth / Darcy. I literally LOL'd hysterically at a couple of parts - maybe that was just my mood at the time but darn it I haven't done that with too many books. I loved the set up romances and I wondered thru the entire thing who was real and who wasn't knowing that it was set up that way hoping More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2008

Lisa rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2010

Capri rated it:

First time I read it: This book was absolutely delicious from start to finish! I devoured it in one sitting! Granted, it is a rather short book. . . but still! I absolutely adored Jane! I loved how her self analizing,critical and realistic side was countered by her optimistic and fantasy self! I think every woman secretly craves the perfect romance like in Pride and Prejudice. I loved the way Jane changed and grew through the novel. And, as always, Hale delivers a witty and completely satisfyi More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 28, 2010

Kristin rated it:

This is exactly what I wanted out of various Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner and other authors's books. A wonderful, light hearted romance about a real, likeable girl, with a bit of emotional baggage. It triumphs over Kinsella and the like's novels, for Hale leaves out the swearing, the soft porn, and the absolutley ridiculous over use of the married friend. Or, in Kinsella's case, the ludicrous change of careers (a lawyer to housemaid? I mean really, Kinsella). And really, what girl doesn More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2008

Lauren rated it:

Reading this book felt like watching a fluffy romantic comedy based on a Jane Austen novel. Which I think is what Hale was going for. And I'd give myself over to the schmaltz ...

....if the premise of the main character's vacation spot wasn't so disturbing. Imagine a place where grown people who like to fantasize about other times and places can go to indulge themselves in an immersion experience. Sounds okay, till you learn that part of the experience includes actors hired to woo the g More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 18, 2008

Cassie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Aug 24, 2008

Julia rated it:

This book was okay. It had a few laugh out loud moments, but overall I expected more--both from the plot and from the author's standards which I know should be better. There was a little language and innuendo that brought the book down to a cheap level. I wanted to like it, I really did, but my opinion is that it came off as ordinary -- not a keeper.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2011

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it:

Jane Hayes has a secret. Hidden behind one of her dying houseplants is her very own copy of Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice. She drags it out and watches it as she eats her ice cream alone in her apartment. When she's in a relationship, she tends to compare the poor guy to Mr. Darcy. Yes, she's obsessed.

But her wealthy great-aunt sniffs out her secret and sends her on a three-week vacation to Austenland, a total-immersion experience where everyone dresses in Regency costume, More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 06, 2009

Stephanie rated it:

Some books you read for enlightenment. Some you read to answer a specific question. Some you read to expand your horizons. And some you read simply because they go really well with bonbons, a mug of hot chocolate and a cozy blanket.

Austenland by Shannon Hale resides solidly in that last category. It is the story of Jane Hayes, a New York City graphic artist who, at age 31, is still single and secretly obsessed with the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. You know the one: the one More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2008

Jessa rated it:

This was a cute book. Maybe a little predictable but I still found myself curious to see how it was going to end and wasn't quite sure how I wanted it to end. Very enjoyable.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 19, 2008

Merritt rated it:

Perfect fluff for Darcy addicts.

7 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Hillary rated it:

The concept of women paying to be romanced at an Austen resort just kind of skeeved me out. Am I the only one who wouldn't want to date a guy that role played with women for a living? For four years? What kind of man does that? Ew.

Granted, the heroine is bothered by the whole thing as well, and she learns her lesson from the experience. But she still plays along enough that it was hard for me to really like her. She seemed much too innocent and naive to be a 30 something New Yo More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

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