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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
In this Jane Austen-inspired comedy, love story, and exploration of identity and destiny, a modern L.A. girl wakes up as an Englishwoman in Austen's time. — After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bed...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780452289727
ISBN-10: 0452289726
Publication Date: 4/29/2008
Pages: 288
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 134

3.4 stars, based on 134 ratings
Publisher: Plume
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

crawford avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 59 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
This was a very fun book and a fast read. Unfortunately I'm not at all familiar with time travel books so I can't compare, but I thought this one was done well. The book starts immediately with a modern day woman in the body of Jane Mansfield (ha), and discovers she's in the time period where "Pride and Prejudice" was just released (and as an Austen fanatic, she can't get over holding a first edition in her hands!) From then on she must learn to deal with a time period of chaperones even when you're 30, leeches used for medicinal purposes and keeping up relationships with only bits of the real Jane's memory. It was a lot of fun to see the main character deal with such a strict society when in her own life she was fairly promiscuous and her surprise when she finds herself capable of things like stitching and dancing, which she could not do in her own body. This book will appeal to fans of Jane Austen (obviously), time travel romances with a dash of humor, and really anyone that is looking for a good read perfect for relaxation.
reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on
Helpful Score: 6
I found this book very disappointing. It begins and ends abruptly, there is not real plot to speak of, and the ending was rather vague and open to interpretation. It was interesting to hear the "other side" of Jane Austen England with the lack of indoor plumbing and the other realities of the living conditions of the day. However overall, I would not recommend this book.
reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I am a HUGE Jane Austen fan, but not a snobby one (i.e. I can enjoy the film adaptions without getting worked up about the historical inaccuracies. So I really looked forward to reading this book. Alas, it was a disappointment. Part of it is my own pet peeve with time travel books. I HATE when character that "find themselves" in another era insist on using modern jargon and engaging in modern behavior knowing full well that it makes them look crazy and/or disrupts the plot with contrived drama surrounding their cultural slip-ups. It doesn't strike me as spunky or witty or creative. It's just stupid. The main character in this book, Courtney Stone, insists on acting like a 21st Century Californian in Regency Era England to the detriment of the plot. For example, Courtney, who is living the life of a well to-do gentlewoman, agrees (indeed, insists) on meeting in Sydney Gardnes alone with a male servant from her household despite being told explicitly that it would lead to gossip about her behavior and cause problems for her, her family and her friends. . . and she does it anyway because it would be no big deal back home in good 'ol 21st Century L.A. Of course, all sorts of drama ensues. Yawn.

I could forgive all that if the characters were likable. . .but they aren't. Or if the plot was intriguing. . .but it isn't. Or if the writing was funny. . .but it isn't even close.
esh712 avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I really disliked this book so much that I did not finish it (and I am not one to not finish a book). I don't know if that disqualifies me to write a review on it, but I'm doing it anyway! I guess I had assumed that since this was Austen-related, that the writer would approach it in a fairly intelligent manner despite the somewhat silly plot. Nope. I really didn't like the protagonist, and I just couldn't waste my time. I jumped the gun and read some reviews on amazon, many of which indicated a poorly resolved plot intended to pave the way for the second book. Once I found out that there was a part 2 detailing what happened to the other end of the time-swap, I put it down immediately. I knew I was not going to be reading the second book that's coming out, so reading this one was a waste of time.

I think that if you do not have expectations before reading, this is a fine, light-hearted read. But I think it is difficult NOT to have expectations, as it is linked with Jane Austen.
historygal avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
The book ended, but the story seemed to be left unfinished. I ended up feeling irritated at the amount of time I had spent reading the book.
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reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 15 more book reviews
I found this to be a fun, lite summer read. It's not an amazing book, but it is entertaining and pulled me in. I enjoyed it enough to have a hard time putting it down. The plot's context (time travel to the time of Jane Austen) intrigued me and lured me in because I really like Jane's time period. Actually, I really like Jane Austen's books a great deal. This certainly wasn't in the echelons of one of Jane's books, but it still had a good bit of merit.
What I didn't like: the protagonist is a loose woman, which is so out of character for a Jane-type book, though she does seem to learn a lesson through the adventure about respecting herself more than she had previously. Also, it bothered me - wondering what on earth happened to the woman she switched places with (this would be the premise for book two in this series).
What I really did like: seeing the inner workings of the Jane A. period, which we never approach in Jane's books...like lack of baths, toothpaste, what on earth happens when you get your period back then, and being mortified by what everyone thinks of you (this one is oft hinted at in Jane's books, but not really addressed in the same manner this book uses).
I did like it enough to actually request book 2...so I guess that says something. In the end, I really wanted to know what happened to everyone in the book...which, to me, is a mark of a decent book.
Warning: this book DOES have some cursing (though not tons), and it does have some discussion of sex and sexual situations, including wanton, promiscuous behavior.
mommyseay avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 9 more book reviews
Loved it! It wasn't predictable, kept me guessing throughout the novel. Very interesting and thought-provoking -- couldn't put it down!
canadianeh avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 242 more book reviews
As an addict myself, I love this book. Who hasn't wished they could be carried off to the England of JA? just for a while, even. Chocolate for brekkie, long walks in the woods, a happy ending with Mr. Right... sigh. Better than many modern JA "sequels". Have now read it twice and gone on a great escape.
reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 193 more book reviews
A very cute story of a 21st century woman, Courtney, changing places with a 19th century woman, Jane. Except no one realizes a change has taken place since Courtney is in Jane's body. I thought it was a light, entertaining, time-travel book and I'm looking forward to the next one coming out to show us how it is from Jane's point of view being stuck in Courtney's body.
muskogee avatar reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 31 more book reviews
I couldn't get past the first two chapters so I skipped and read the last two. Not a book for me.
reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on + 65 more book reviews
I'm not sure if this is more of a comment about me or this book, but 2/3's of the way into it I realized I had already read the book, and remembered hardly any of it. Hmm. That said, it's an enjoyable book for a Jane Austen fan. It's well researched, but not annoyingly so. Too bad the authoress wasn't asked to consult on some of the more recent Austen adaptations.


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