The actual author of this entertaining novel has written several ‘Mr. Darcy’ spin-offs, which I suspect provided fodder for all the negativity towards Jane Austen that she convincingly spews—especially from the protagonist, Georgina. Of course most of it came from ignorance, as Georgina eventually discovers, though her obstinate resistance to all-things-Austen disappears so suddenly that I wonder if the editor sliced out the transition. For Georgina to go to such lengths to avoid Jane Austen and then to hardly remark on her shift to Austen-worshipper left me bewildered. Where was the chagrin? Where was the surprise? I liked the spin at the end, which salvaged a situation I couldn’t see being concluded satisfactorily, though I would have liked for it to be foreshadowed a bit more, perhaps.
Having read Jane Austen’s novels long ago, I appreciated learning about the Jane Austen tours in Bath and a few details about her life. Sometimes, I’m afraid, unexpected characters seemed to randomly know far more than expected about Jane Austen, as if everyone were an authority on Jane Austen but Georgina. I could see where it fit in the conversation, but they seemed the wrong ones to tell it. However, despite my issues with this novel, the characters were colorful, and it was a fun, light-hearted read—while still managing to teach me a bit about the incomparable Jane Austen. Ms. Aston’s love for Jane Austen shines through, and that, along with the book’s charm, makes me willing to file her book right next to my Jane Austen collection on the bookshelf—which I suppose is exactly what the author intended with a pen name like Aston.
[Oh goodness, I just looked her up online to verify that it was actually a pen name, and it seems Elizabeth Edmonson (AKA Elizabeth Aston) passed away in 2016, only six years after the publication in 2010 of this delightful read for Jane Austen fans. RIP, Elizabeth.]
No comments:
Post a Comment