austenland, Book Review, shannon hale

Book Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Release Date: May 2007
Pages: 197
Series: Austenland #1
Source: library
4 Stars: I Really Liked It

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

My Thoughts:
This was my second time to read Austenland, and I liked it even better this time. Jane’s obsession with the romance in the BBC Pride and Prejudice movie made me want to watch it. I found some clips on the BBCWorldWide channel on You Tube if you’re interested.

Jane is someone you really want to root for. The poor girl (woman actually since she’s 32) has had a rough love life. Boyfriend after boyfriend turn out to be disappointments. Before the chapters there’s a story about each of Jane’s “boyfriends” from 4 years old to present. Some were hilarious, some embarrassing, and some just plain sad. I so wanted Jane to be able to find true love.

I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen’s books. I’ve read them all, some multiple times. I would love to go to an Austenland, but maybe one with married couples allowed. I just want to go dress up and learn the dances and go to a ball.

If you haven’t read this book you need. It’s plain fun, and a short read too. There’s a movie being made so get it read before it comes out. With Jennifer Coolage as Miss Charming it is bound to be HILARIOUS!! CLICK HERE to see some movie details on imdb. This is an all star cast! Stephenie Meyer is one of the producers even. The official website for the movie is coming soon, CLICK HERE.

Have you read Austenland? Did you like it? Will you go see the movie when it comes out?

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild/moderate ( hint of side characters’ infidelity, talk of cleavage and breasts, kissing, necking, making out not too detailed )
Language: mild ( d***-4, h***, jacka**-1 )
Violence: very mild ( girl kneed a man in the groin, short tussle between 2 guys )

Buy it!

review 1
Reviewed by Kathryn Cooper
Creator of Clean Adult Fiction

Published by Kathryn Cooper

YA Author📚 Mom of 4 Boys🏃 Brain Tumor Fighter🏆 Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints🌷

6 thoughts on “Book Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale”

  1. I knew the title was familiar, but I had not seen the book. I watched the BBC movie LOL It was great and probably in keeping with the general truism I am sure the book will be even better 🙂 Thanks for sharing today.

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  3. I'm so glad I found your blog! I love reading adult fiction but I'm always nervous to just blindly step into a novel without being warned about the content!

    I liked Austenland, too, and thought Midnight in Austenland was even better since it had a mystery interwoven throughout.

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