Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

What if Jane Austen left a journal of a secret love affair? In the movie Becoming Jane, Jane's encounter with Tom LeFroy is fictionalized into a love story. In Syrie James' novel, written in Jane's voice, Jane meets Mr. Frederick Ashford, a wealthy gentleman who matches Jane's personality and character very well. They fall in love during short accidental encounters. Ashford's constant attentions drive Jane to return to writing novels, something that she had neglected for several years. Using elements of her life, Jane begins to edit and rewrite her novel Sense and Sensibility.

Written in a memoir style with "editor's" footnotes explaining events, terms, and situations, James creates a fictional love story for Jane Austen. James uses a lot of circumstances and conversations Austen portrays in her novels Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice to try to connect Austen's real world with the world in Austen's novels. Readers of Austen's novels will see these connections throughout James' novel.

I found this novel to be a fun, and at times heartbreaking, read. Keeping in mind that not much is known about Jane Austen's life, any novel written about her just adds to her mystery. Readers who enjoy this novel may also want to try Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mysteries. Barron's mysteries are also written from Austen's perspective and have a touch of romance in the storyline.

Reviewed by Jessica