Austenland by Shannon Hale

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

Ever wonder what it would be like to live like Jane Austen did? Well, if you're a major fan of Austen's novels, chances are you've dreamed of Mr. Darcy. In Austenland, Jane Hayes is a thirty-something magazine graphics designer in New York City who has an obsession with Pride and Prejudice, especially the BBC production starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It does not help that every relationship she has been in has ended in some awful way, making her desire the fictitious Mr. Darcy more and more. When she confides to her great-aunt about her obsession, her great-aunt bequeaths Jane the opportunity to spend three weeks in Pembrook Park, a pseudo-Austen world set in the Regency period for Jane Austen devotees. Jane decides to enter Pembrook Park to get rid of her obsession with Mr. Darcy, and men in general, once and for all. What she learns and discovers about herself may just surprise her.

As an adorer of Jane Austen, though not a truly proclaimed Janeite, I really wanted to read this book. I was not disappointed with Austenland . A very quick read, this is something to read while relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. Though the ending is predictable, I enjoyed the storyline and noted similarities between Hale's characters and Austen's characters. Readers who have not read any of Austen's novels may not understand the references to Austen's characters or to Austen's storylines that appear throughout this book.

I would recommend this book to any Jane Austen admirer. For anyone who has dreamed of a Mr. Darcy, read this book!

Reviewed by Jessica