Little Willow ([info]slayground) wrote,
@ 2007-05-30 06:00:00
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Current mood: amused
Current music:I Always Was Your Girl by Jennifer Love Hewitt
Entry tags:books, readergirlz, reviews

Austenland by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale has found success with her novels for teens, which often retell folktales and fairy tales. She has a talent for giving would-be princesses interesting backstories and well-earned triumphs.

Her first novel for adults which is quite unlike her previous works - and every bit as enjoyable. Austenland is the story of Jane, a twenty-nine-year-old New Yorker whose day job is successful but rather unsatisfying. Jane is secretly obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice and has watched the BBC miniseries countless times.

Jane is snatched out of her humdrum life when a family tragedy leads her to visit a very special resort in England. There, everyone and everything is straight out of the Regency period. She must dress, speak, and act accordingly. The three-week trip could be the time of her life -- or her wake-up call to actually get a life.

Jane Austen fans will lap up Austenland like a happy kitten with a saucer of cream. Both the wit and pacing are quick, with no words or time wasted. This romantic comedy is sure to make readers laugh one page and smirk the next. Not only is it a fast read, but it's also a fairly clean read, allowing her teen fans to share that saucer and enjoy Jane's sauciness.

The audio edition is literally suits the story's tone. The characters sound as they should, with Jane's words and the narration delivered in an American accent while the English characters have their lovely lilts.

Have a moment? Please give this review a "yes" vote!

Check out the May 2008 issue of readergirlz, which featured Book of a Thousand Days, one of Shannon's novels for teens.


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[info]elfstar18
2007-05-30 01:18 pm UTC (link)
Is this out now?! Yay! I'm so excited! The bookseller who first thrust "The Goose Girl" into my hands ran accross the store to tell me about this when she first heard of it. We danced around a little (I love 'my' Borders!). I'm going to pick it up today!

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[info]slayground
2007-05-30 01:19 pm UTC (link)
That is so sweet. Enjoy!

(Get Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson + Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman too!)

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[info]tltrent
2007-05-30 01:27 pm UTC (link)
I still think of this novel as Ostensibly Jane, Shannon's original title. Shan and I are old grad school chums, and I remember this being her super-seekrit project all along. I'm so glad that it's finally seen the light of day. :)

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[info]slayground
2007-05-31 02:54 am UTC (link)
That's sweet. :)

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Serendiptous coincidence
[info]taras_wizard
2007-05-30 03:02 pm UTC (link)
Shannon Hale. So this last weekend I was at the WisCon http://www.wiscon.info SF and Fantasy convention. One of the panel discussions was "High Fantasy: Can this Genre be Saved?", one of the panelist was a David Lenander (sp?) a well knonwn SF and Tolkien fan from Mpls. area. One of his recommends for an author who writes with mythic scope and on mythic themes was Shannon Hale.


Allan Rosewarne - http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/buffy_fans_chicago

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Re: Serendiptous coincidence
[info]slayground
2007-05-31 02:48 am UTC (link)
The world is a small place.

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a yes vote!
[info]mandabach
2007-05-30 09:14 pm UTC (link)
no doubt.

And this book is going to my wife--she'll love it. She's borderline obsessed with that BBC miniseries too. I'd like to see the newer movie adaptation, but I don't think she wants her imagination polluted. lol. But truly, is there another film adaptation of any book that is as faithful at thant one? My daughter watch the Lord of the Rings and are constantly saying things like, "That's not how it happened. Gimli would never say that in the house of Elrond!"

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Re: a yes vote!
[info]slayground
2007-05-31 01:53 am UTC (link)
I have yet to see the newer film version of P&P myself. I liked the BBC adaptation.

I too correct films or TV shows based on books when they change things.

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[info]jennekirby
2007-05-31 01:50 am UTC (link)
Wow! That sounds like something I will want to read, and a very good review of it. *adds it to the long list of books to read*

By the way--this is totally random, but I found my way here via a comment where you used the word "yayfor" (all as one word). I've been tracking the usage of that word, for my own ridiculous purposes, and I was wondering where you picked it up if it's something you say on purpose, or whether it was random/a typo. :)

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[info]slayground
2007-05-31 01:51 am UTC (link)
Hi there! Nice to meet you.

It sounds like a typo. Have you a link to the original comment?

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[info]seaheidi
2007-05-31 04:23 am UTC (link)
Great review! Wonderful writing (yours) and the book sounds adorable. Seems like many ladies can't get enough of old Mr. Darcy.

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[info]slayground
2007-05-31 04:52 am UTC (link)
Thanks!

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