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61st out of 175 books
—
45 voters
The Jane Austen Book Club
Six people - five women and a man - meet once a month in California's Central Valley to discuss Jane Austen's novels. They are ordinary people, neither happy nor unhappy, but each of them is wounded in different ways, they are all mixed up about their lives and relationships. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
June 1st 2006
by Penguin Books
(first published January 1st 2004)
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I’m convinced the first thing Jane Austen is going to do on the Day of Resurrection is hire a lawyer and sue the philistines who have commandeered her name and characters. However, this book is beneath her notice. A more clichéd combination of unfulfilled women could hardly be conceived: a middle-aged woman who’s just been left by her husband; her lesbian daughter who falls easily and unhappily in love; a spinster who breeds dogs; a dissatisfied French teacher in an unhappy marriage; and finally...more
71 likes · like · see review
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I really didn't get into the book. In fact, by about the middle of the book, I felt that the only reason "Jane Austen" shows up in the title--or the book--at all, was because the author knew people like Jane Austen, therefore will buy the book. The book really could've been about any author--Dickens, the Brontes, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald--with the same results. The ties to the Austen books, in my opinion, are tenuous at best. If the title and the book club were not tied to Jane Austen, the referen...more
29 likes · like · see review
I remember reading "The Club Dumas" by What's His Name (too lazy to look it up) and thinking, "What the hell is going on?" This is because I was too lazy to read the books referred to by the obvious titular intertext. Thankfully, with this one, I have read the obvious titular intertexts, so I wasn't at sea.
The book follows the six members of a book club as they read through the six novels by Jane Austen; juvenalia need not apply. Each section is more or less a character study of the person host...more
The book follows the six members of a book club as they read through the six novels by Jane Austen; juvenalia need not apply. Each section is more or less a character study of the person host...more
11 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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5 likes · like · see review
I was perusing movie trailers on my Mac last weekend and saw a cute title/trailer called The Jane Austen Book Club. The end of trailer announced, "Based on the best selling novel, The Jane Austen Book Club." I thought it would be fun to check out the book since I almost never see a movie until I can watch it via Netflix.
I had hoped it would be a kind of "fun" read, especially since I am a Jane-ite. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't much fun. I actually found it a little tedious and the jumping aro...more
I had hoped it would be a kind of "fun" read, especially since I am a Jane-ite. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't much fun. I actually found it a little tedious and the jumping aro...more
I can’t decide how successful this novel actually was, in storytelling. On the one hand, I genuinely liked all the characters. On the other hand, a good two-thirds of the book is spent in telling backstory. As a way to describe character and motivation, it’s an interesting technique, and kept my attention despite all the narration. On the other hand, there’s very little real-time interaction between the characters. Although what interaction there is, plays out beautifully and believably, it’s al...more
11 likes · like · see review
Jun 30, 2007
Amanda
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read_summer_07,
jane-austen
I just finished The Jane Austen Book Club. So good. I'm craving Jane Austen now. I just want to go through each novel in order. I just might. I can't decide. I am a quite reliable multi-tasker...
If you love Jane Austen, I think you will really appreciate the book. Even if you don't love Jane Austen, I think you will appreciate the book and maybe come to appreciate Jane Austen more.
It was really good. Four Hello Kittys.
My favorite Jane Austen book is Pride and Prejudice. I heart Lizzy Bennet and...more
If you love Jane Austen, I think you will really appreciate the book. Even if you don't love Jane Austen, I think you will appreciate the book and maybe come to appreciate Jane Austen more.
It was really good. Four Hello Kittys.
My favorite Jane Austen book is Pride and Prejudice. I heart Lizzy Bennet and...more
8 likes · like · see review
Aug 29, 2008
Dawn Michelle
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
No one, especially Jane Austen fans
Recommended to Dawn Michelle by:
Saw it in a bookstore and bought it for the husband
Shelves:
books-i-will-never-read-again
This book was really a disappointment to me. After all the hype I thought this would be a really great book. And its not. Its an ok book, but not a great book.
If you are looking for a great book about friends and book clubs, then you should read "Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons: A Novel (by Lorna Landvik). That is so funny and sad and poignant and touching. Everything this book was not.
My husband is reading this book as well(He is a TRUE Jane Austen fan) and he asked me last night if ALL women...more
If you are looking for a great book about friends and book clubs, then you should read "Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons: A Novel (by Lorna Landvik). That is so funny and sad and poignant and touching. Everything this book was not.
My husband is reading this book as well(He is a TRUE Jane Austen fan) and he asked me last night if ALL women...more
7 likes · like · see review
Well, I'm very disappointed with this book... I had known before I read it that this book wouldn't be all about Jane Austen, but rather of the lives of the members of Jane Austen book club. However, the thing that disappoints me so much is that this book seemed to only use the name "Jane Austen" to make her fans interested and want to read the book... Well, I kinda feel tricked into reading it actually =)
Well,at first i was quite satisfied with the beginning... because it argues about Jane Auste...more
Well,at first i was quite satisfied with the beginning... because it argues about Jane Auste...more
4 likes · like · see review
I rate everything four or five stars. Probably because if I don't like a book, it somehow never gets finished. I'm usually reading four or five things at once, switching back and forth as different moods strike me, unless of course I get drawn deeply into a story and don't want to leave.
Such was the case here. I adored this book. It seemed like such a pat premise, but then was full of such depth, such a surprising understanding and interpretation of Austen (and Heinlein, Le Guin, the Bronte sist...more
Such was the case here. I adored this book. It seemed like such a pat premise, but then was full of such depth, such a surprising understanding and interpretation of Austen (and Heinlein, Le Guin, the Bronte sist...more
Brace yourself, Trin: I actually did not hate this. I expected, especially given the terribly pastel cover, that reading this would induce a facial tic—however, there was just enough dry humour and nicely observed character interaction to win me over. There was even one point—about The Mysteries of Udolpho—which made me grin. Grigg's section of the book was perhaps my favourite—I liked Fowler's inversion of things so that his sisters were the heroes and he the heroine.
However ("Ha!", I can hea...more
However ("Ha!", I can hea...more
3 likes · like · see review
I've a notion someone told me this was a good book. They must have very different "good book" criteria from mine. I wasn't a bit impressed with it. It read to me like a chick-lit novel that was trying to be all Literary and Intellectual (and failing miserably).
I might have quite liked to have read an unashamed chick-lit novel about some or all of the characters. But this book kept interrupting the interesting bits-about-the-characters (which were, in any case, flashbacks) with random not-very-in...more
I might have quite liked to have read an unashamed chick-lit novel about some or all of the characters. But this book kept interrupting the interesting bits-about-the-characters (which were, in any case, flashbacks) with random not-very-in...more
2 likes · like · see review
I bought this in a train station with the deliberate aim of reading a puff book. I was not expecting a masterpiece, but this was absolute crap. I kept reading on the off chance that it might improve– it did not. The only redeeming quality of this book is that it is a really fast read (since it's fluff).
5 likes · like · see review
5 Frauen und ein Mann treffen sich regelmäßig, um über Bücher von Jane Austen zu diskutieren. Doch mehr noch als um die Bücher geht es um die persönlichen Geschichten der sechs Menschen selbst...
Wer ein Buch über Jane Austen Bücher erwartet, wird vermutlich enttäuscht sein. Wer ein recht flottes Lesestück sucht, dürfte zufrieden sein. Jedes Kapitel ist einem Monat, einem Buch, einer der sechs Hauptfiguren gewidmet. Die Handlungen der jeweiligen Romane von J.A. werden im eigentlich Buchklub nur a...more
Wer ein Buch über Jane Austen Bücher erwartet, wird vermutlich enttäuscht sein. Wer ein recht flottes Lesestück sucht, dürfte zufrieden sein. Jedes Kapitel ist einem Monat, einem Buch, einer der sechs Hauptfiguren gewidmet. Die Handlungen der jeweiligen Romane von J.A. werden im eigentlich Buchklub nur a...more
Oct 03, 2008
Emily
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jane Austen fans only
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
During a summer in California, six individuals form a book club with the goal to read all of Jane Austen's books. The five women and one man are bound either by friendship or blood, and sometimes both, and as they read and re-read these novels, discover how adaptable and timely Austen truly is.
The book club's monthly meetings are peppered with backstories of the members, primarily focused on relationships, love, and heartbreak. Fowler's language, her turn of phrase, hooked me early on, but like...more
The book club's monthly meetings are peppered with backstories of the members, primarily focused on relationships, love, and heartbreak. Fowler's language, her turn of phrase, hooked me early on, but like...more
A well written novel that ends up flat. Fowler does a great job of taking the things she loves about Austen and putting them in her book. I have to say though if you haven't read Austen some of the subtleties may go unnotoiced. Her biggest problem was having characters that were linear in their development. If done well it isn't a problem, but her characters felt like they were playing a part in each chapter rather than growing throughout the book. I have to say I felt connected to Grigg because...more
Jun 12, 2008
Jen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jane Austen fans, especially those who are in or have been in a book club.
A celebration of Jane Mania! Nothing here to change the world, but I did enjoy this book--especially as I'm in the midst of watching the on-going Materpiece Theater series of productions of Jane Austen's books. Reading this book made me want to read the two Austen novels I've never read, Emma and Northanger Abbey. You don't have to have read all the Austen novels to enjoy Fowler's story (there are plot synopses w/spoilers of Austen's books at the back for reference) but I think you should have a...more
I had started this book a year or so ago, but it just didn't suit my mood. I had nothing else to read the other night and so I picked it back up, dubiously. But I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The idea of it is difficult to render in a few sentences--but here's my attempt: the story of a few women and 1 man who have a book club in which they read Jane Austen books and, through the reading of them all and the passage of some time, their lives change from somewhat problematic to happ...more
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I kept looking for fairly literal parallels in each chapter between the book under review and the character with which it was associated. Not a very rewarding approach, although I did find some. Instead, I took this book as an implicit homage to Austen. A gently satirical portrayal of a group of characters bound partly, but not entirely, by a love of Austen's novels. It's all about character; not plot. Not that much actually happens during the course of the book. Nevertheless, we learn a lot abo...more
I have picked up this book several times at the bookstore, but did not purchase it until I saw that the movie was out. I decided to read the book before I go see the movie. I love Jane Austen and I went to school at UC Davis so the setting of Sacramento was a new and different twist.
I have to say that the book didn't ever hook me, I'm actually surprised that I finished it. It felt like a long slog from the mid-point on. There were so many characters with what felt to me like staged or very deli...more
I have to say that the book didn't ever hook me, I'm actually surprised that I finished it. It felt like a long slog from the mid-point on. There were so many characters with what felt to me like staged or very deli...more
I don't think I'm able to look at the book objectively. Jane Austen is a thing holy and sacred to me, so I am somewhat inclined to over-indulge works that pay homage to her. Every time a criticism vaguely forms in my head about one of the characters, it is pushed aside so quickly by mental shouts of I LOVE JANE that I can't actually form it enough to write it down. So, while I have a feeling that there were some faults to this book (Grigg keeps coming to mind for some reason), I had a lovely tim...more
Oct 15, 2007
Kerry
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jane Austen fans, feminists, anyone who likes reading
Shelves:
romance
This book was so interesting, and unlike most of my other reading. It was extremely witty and fun and made a definite point to showcase the main characters' flaws. It was also interesting because you get to know these characters through backstory and flashbacks, an unusual way of doing things, but it made the characters seem like real people. I loved all the references to Austen's characters that were hidden (or not so hidden) in the text, especially the comparison of Prudie's character to the h...more
What a wonderful surprise. This was great, so much more than the light, fluffy lit it would seem to be. Fowler's story follows six protagonists as they read Austen's six novels, with each character linked to a specific novel; it's very cleverly, subtly done. There are some fantastic narrative tricks—none of which seems showoff-y: parts of the novel are written in the first person plural, the collective "we" of the book group; the book concludes with the characters' hilarious "discussion question...more
Oct 31, 2007
Dawn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of convergent storylines
Shelves:
modern-fiction,
owned
Of the current crop of Jane Austen revival lit, this was the only one I considered reading because it didn't involve any of the characters in Austen's novels. Being an Austen fan myself, I thought it would be enjoyable to read the views of a book club on her six works.
Unfortunately, this book was a far cry from what the blurb led me to expect. I should have heeded the satisfactory rating this got on goodreads but I had to decide for myself. More fool me.
I enjoyed some of the characters and the...more
Unfortunately, this book was a far cry from what the blurb led me to expect. I should have heeded the satisfactory rating this got on goodreads but I had to decide for myself. More fool me.
I enjoyed some of the characters and the...more
Karen Joy Fowler tried to do a lot with this book. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. The concept is great, but the characters are lacking. Men are portrayed in a very bad light that eventually just becomes depressing. Many of the chapters, taken by themselves, however, are very good. I enjoyed Prudie's story, but wished there was more to it.
My biggest pet peeve: POV! It is third person omniscient, but uses "we" as if the narrator/ reader is part of the book club, but the narrator is never given a...more
My biggest pet peeve: POV! It is third person omniscient, but uses "we" as if the narrator/ reader is part of the book club, but the narrator is never given a...more
2 likes · like · see review
I love Jane Austen. I find this book very close to awful, yet not close enough to be interesting. Is this what women read? Is this chick lit? Women's fiction? All the women are unlikeable stereotypes - boring ones, at that. The men are sexless addenda to domestic life. They inhabit a white-people problems world that is so superficial as to be maudlin. It feels written through the veil of anti-depressants or between runs to Costco - or both. I don't think I'll be able to finish it. I'm not even s...more
Eeeeegaaaads....
I love Jane Austen, so it's hard to claim I'm not terribly... shall we say... "girlie"? Still, I've not been one to join the bandwagon about such chick flicks that are often described as tear jerkers. I tried this book. Really, I did.
I mean, there’s nothing really wrong with it, the writing is good enough, but I can’t seem to get excited about it in the least bit. It’s a whole 175 pages long, which means I should have gotten through it in a couple of sittings. Instead, I’m still...more
I love Jane Austen, so it's hard to claim I'm not terribly... shall we say... "girlie"? Still, I've not been one to join the bandwagon about such chick flicks that are often described as tear jerkers. I tried this book. Really, I did.
I mean, there’s nothing really wrong with it, the writing is good enough, but I can’t seem to get excited about it in the least bit. It’s a whole 175 pages long, which means I should have gotten through it in a couple of sittings. Instead, I’m still...more
The Jane Austen Book Club is one of the books i bought from Canada, and it's off course a New York Times bestseller...! The reason why I bought it without actually knowing what it really was about, was that the titel sounded interesting and I love Jane Austen.
Well, the book IS about a Jane Austen book club. You find out about 6 different peoples lifes while Austens six novels are discussed. I suppose there are some parallells between the lifestories and the novels, but I think they aren't clear...more
Well, the book IS about a Jane Austen book club. You find out about 6 different peoples lifes while Austens six novels are discussed. I suppose there are some parallells between the lifestories and the novels, but I think they aren't clear...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Talk @ WCDPL: July Discussion Book | 2 | 6 | Jul 16, 2012 05:08am | |
| book club name? | 1 | 15 | Oct 31, 2011 08:31am | |
| Book Clubs and Reading Groups - what is your opinion - are they good for literature? | 3 | 14 | Oct 11, 2011 10:15pm | |
| The Use of "We" | 13 | 87 | Nov 19, 2008 09:36am | |
| Movie Adaptation | 1 | 38 | Dec 14, 2007 09:23am |
I was born in Bloomington, Indiana. I was due on Valentine's Day but arrived a week early; my mother blamed this on a really exciting IU basketball game. My father was a psychologist at the University, but not that kind of psychologist. He studied animal behavior, and especially learning. He ran rats through mazes. My mother was a polio survivor, a schoolteacher, and a pioneer in the co-operative...more
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“I once broke up with a boy because he wrote me an awful poem.”
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“Arriving late was a way of saying that your own time was more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you.”
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