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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Laurie Viera Rigler 9780525950400 Books

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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Laurie Viera Rigler 9780525950400 Books

If you're a Jane Austen fan (or a fan of Regencies, in general), this might be a fun read.

However, if you're looking for a traditional Regency, or something wholly "clean," this may not be a good match for your interests.

In this book, a modern-day woman wakes up in the world of Jane Austen's novels. Over a period of time, she seems to lose herself in her new identity, but not entirely. She remembers things from the past of the woman whose body she's now in. She also recalls her own recent (modern) past, and has an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong with her relationships in that world.

As she becomes more enmeshed in the world of Austen, her attitudes and values change, with occasional jolts from her 21st century standards and lifestyle. The transition is interesting, and -- until the end of the book -- I was never sure whether she'd get back to her modern world... or not.

For me, this was a compelling read, most of the time. However, I felt that the ending was rushed and not entirely satisfactory. (I need to read the sequel.)

For Austen enthusiasts -- not necessarily purists -- this is a fun book. I'm not sure that I'll read it over and over again, but I'm glad I read it once. (I also recommend the mini-series, Lost in Austen, which I enjoyed more.)


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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Laurie Viera Rigler 9780525950400 Books Reviews

I am a Jane Austen addict. But do I hang my head in shame? Nay! I stand and shout this out in pride without prejudice!

I read her novels--only SIX in all!--for the first time somewhere in my teen years. Since then, I confess to having revisited Jane's world many, many times in the past, oh, thirty-five-plus years. I read Jane when I need a pick-me-up, when life gets rocky or choppy or dull, when I need a friend--Jane's world beckons me.

I've often fantasized about getting zapped into Regency-era England, like nurse Claire in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Yup, time-travel fantasy all the way, baby! Although, I prefer the languid, Empire-waisted silhouettes of Jane's world over the corseted, bosom-busting attire of Diana's. Girl's gotta breathe, ya know?

Rigler's book delivers this fantasy on a silver platter. And what an array of goodies you're offered! Courtney, a Los Angelean, is transported from present day to an English country manor in 1813. And there's body-swapping involved Courtney goes being from brunette, buxom, and petite to fair-haired, svelte, and tall. But she also finds out what life's really like for women in 1813 all the social restrictions and proprieties that must be observed, the lack of modern day conveniences (like a loo and a shower), the dearth of career options open to women (basically marriage, teaching, or the streets), et cetera.

The plot is very Austen, with parallels to P&P, Mansfield Park, Emma, et al. The writing style is 21st-Century-Los-Angelean-meets-1813-British-upper-class. The pace is fast you'll definitely rip through this in one weekend.

Bottom line? Reading this is like eating a chocolate truffle Pure. Decadent. Fun.
Brava, Ms. Rigler, you totally rock!

So go buy the book now, and read it next weekend.
This is the best JAFF book I have read, period, and the only one that has enough merit on its own to get five stars. Rewriting Pride & Prejudice is a tricky business since the book was so perfect in the first place. It cannot possibly be improved.

However, if you are a modern reader and you still love Mr. Darcy, and the elegance, simplicity and grace the Regency era had to offer, you might yearn for something that can give you a glimpse of how your modern life, and your modern man, could actually be up to par with literature's greatest romantic hero. This book achieves this. It is a novel in its own right, and a satisfying one at that.

Only two things made this book feel slightly jarring or unfinished.
-The continual back and forth between modern La and Regency England was jarring so it was not possible to fully immerse in the Regency time. I kept cringing for the out of place words she said. However, the book needed this continual interplay to reach its conclusion. It DOES resolve very nicely in the end. Full Regency immersion would have been beside the point and detrimental. So, despite being jarring, I admit that it was crucial for the book to reach its conclusion.
-The rant toward the end about the horrors of women's lot in the Regency time is somewhat abrupt and does not get adequately addressed in the end. If you think about it carefully, the fact that women had no birth control, antibiotics or epidurals available made being "protected" a good thing, given what was available. Staying out of premarital affairs and avoiding libertines was a good thing also, to avoid limiting one's choices AND syphilis. And I don't think all men viewed their wives, or women in general, as breeding stock. In the end (mild spoiler alert here) when she embraces everything, she doesn't step back to examine how anachronistic those views were (like she does on many other occasions). On the one hand, she comes to realize that her modern life would be better if she made some decisions based on more Regency-like values. On the other hand, she never quite acknowledges the full transition she has undergone. It's okay. I still got it. It's a nitpicky point. I'm still giving it 5 stars.

Highly worth a read!
If you're a Jane Austen fan (or a fan of Regencies, in general), this might be a fun read.

However, if you're looking for a traditional Regency, or something wholly "clean," this may not be a good match for your interests.

In this book, a modern-day woman wakes up in the world of Jane Austen's novels. Over a period of time, she seems to lose herself in her new identity, but not entirely. She remembers things from the past of the woman whose body she's now in. She also recalls her own recent (modern) past, and has an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong with her relationships in that world.

As she becomes more enmeshed in the world of Austen, her attitudes and values change, with occasional jolts from her 21st century standards and lifestyle. The transition is interesting, and -- until the end of the book -- I was never sure whether she'd get back to her modern world... or not.

For me, this was a compelling read, most of the time. However, I felt that the ending was rushed and not entirely satisfactory. (I need to read the sequel.)

For Austen enthusiasts -- not necessarily purists -- this is a fun book. I'm not sure that I'll read it over and over again, but I'm glad I read it once. (I also recommend the mini-series, Lost in Austen, which I enjoyed more.)