Reader,
Good News! I have the idea for a few blog articles, and the time off to write them! Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere will resume it's regular twice weekly schedule!
Jane Austen Ruined My Life
by Beth Pattillo
Emma Grant had it all. She fell in love with her own Austen-esque hero, an esteemed professor who encouraged her to teach and be a scholar of Austen. She had it all, that is, until her happily ever after fell to shreds. In a campaign to expose Jane Austen for a fraud, Emma travels halfway around the world to uncover the lost Austen letters.
Why I started the book: Like many of the books I read, I'm sure I first heard of this novel in a blog. However the title in and of itself is an eye catcher. It engages the reader, and at once you want to know how? Why?
Why I finished the book: I have to be honest, I have yet to read any Jane Austen. I am pretty sure none of the high school or college classes I have taken ever covered her work, which is a bit of a shame. This novel is a bit like The Da Vinci Code for literary types. You marvel at the coincidences, and wonder what the end will be. Even when you're sure you know exactly how the novel will end, it still has the potential to surprise you. And it made me want to read not just one Jane Austen book, but all the ones mentioned.
Writer's Take: This novel is a fantastic example of poetic license. The author has taken Jane Austen's novels, letters, and the truths known about the literary legend, and played a game of 'What if?'. It's purely fiction, but it is imaginative fiction that ties all of Austen's works together to help tell the story of Austen's life.
The other thing this novel is a prime example of is the way in which new fiction can help spark interest in classics that should have been read, but may not of been. Everyone should have read at least one Jane Austen book, however I am one example of that not happening. This book made me want to start reading her work to see how they influenced Beth Patillo's novel.
Who I'd Recommend This To: Valkyrie because she's a insatiable reader and would love it, TC because I know she's read much more Austen than I have, and women everywhere who blame something else for their ruined lives.
Until next time,
Rose
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2 comments:
I'm glad to see you're writing here again. I have never managed to read much Austin, it never captured me long enough to perservere and find out what all the fuss was about.
This novel sparked an interest in it. The author wove a very interesting life story based on the novels and what is known about Austen from her letters and her family.
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