by Shannon Hale
Jane Hayes is a 32 year old single woman living in New York. Notorious for her terrible luck with men, she has basically given up all hope of finding love, partly because no real person could ever measure up to her ideal man: Mr. Fitzpatrick Darc
y as played by Colin Firth in the BBC production of Jane Austen's Pride and Predjudice. Then, Jane receives an all expenses paid three week vacation to a place called Pembroke Park, a resort in England where everyone lives exactly (almost!) like they would have during one of Austen's novels, complete with ball gowns and corsets and of course, the rules of social etiquette. Jane vows to give up her Darcy obsession once and for all, including dvds, books, etc., after indulging all her romantic fantasies on this trip. After arriving at Pembroke Park, she is given a new name (Miss Jane Erstwhile), a new wardrobe of appropriate clothing, and a room at a cottage where she meets several eligible men. At first, Jane is uncomfortable and all the pretending feels silly to her. Then the line between fantasy and reality becomes a bit confusing as Jane tries to figure out who is acting and who is not.
y as played by Colin Firth in the BBC production of Jane Austen's Pride and Predjudice. Then, Jane receives an all expenses paid three week vacation to a place called Pembroke Park, a resort in England where everyone lives exactly (almost!) like they would have during one of Austen's novels, complete with ball gowns and corsets and of course, the rules of social etiquette. Jane vows to give up her Darcy obsession once and for all, including dvds, books, etc., after indulging all her romantic fantasies on this trip. After arriving at Pembroke Park, she is given a new name (Miss Jane Erstwhile), a new wardrobe of appropriate clothing, and a room at a cottage where she meets several eligible men. At first, Jane is uncomfortable and all the pretending feels silly to her. Then the line between fantasy and reality becomes a bit confusing as Jane tries to figure out who is acting and who is not. All in all, this was a very interesting book. I love Jane Austen, although I prefer the Mr. Darcy of the more recently released theatrical version of P & P (see Matthew MacFayden below), and I think any Austen fan would find the idea of Austenland appealing. I wish the actual novel had been as great as the idea, but this is still a really fun read. Recommended.
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