The Men of Austen

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted regularly. I'm very behind on on reviews already and my goal for 2010 was to keep up better this year. I'll see what I can do. I'm probably only 5 or 6 books behind (if you don't count last year's books) so I can definitely catch up if I just take the time to do it.

In the mean time I wanted to share this fun poll that I found on the Masterpiece Classics website. It's called "The Men of Austen" and you choose your favorite man from Jane Austen's books. There is a small picture of each character from the movies but the really fun part is the factoids about each one. Some of them come directly from the books, for example, Mr. Darcy's "turn-ons" include "fine eyes, good manners, women versed in music, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages." Other factoids come from the movies. Under "Games and Exercise" for Edward Ferrars is listed "horseback riding and splitting logs" (I like that scene in the movie when Edward is cutting wood in the rain). But the best part of the whole thing is how their income is compared to today's money. It really puts their situations into perspective. Mr. Darcy's 10,000 pounds a year is compared to $6 million dollars in today's money. Edward Ferrars' 100 pounds a year is roughly $60,000 today--definitely enough to live on but would be considered inadequate by others of the upper class
If you love Jane Austen like I do you'll have to check it out.

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds

Genre: Romance, Austen fan-fiction

Published: Jan. 2010, 288 pgs

Source: ARC from Sourcebooks

Review: 4/5 stars

Description on Goodreads:

In this sexy Jane Austen sequel, Elizabeth Bennet accepts Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, answering the "What if...?" question fans everywhere have pondered
" I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."
Famous last words indeed! Elizabeth Bennet's furious response to Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal has resonated for generations of readers. But what if she had never said it? Would she have learned to recognize Mr. Darcy's admirable qualities on her own? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy follows Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find their way through the maze of their prejudices after Elizabeth, against her better judgment, agrees to marry Darcy instead of refusing his proposal.

I should have paid attention to the "sexy" adjective used to describe this Pride and Prejudice sequel before I read it. That is a very apt description for the detailed sex scenes towards the end of this book. Having said that... I really liked this book. I am embarrassed at how quickly I devoured it soon after receiving it in the mail from Sourcebooks a couple of months ago. By the time I got to the objectionable scenes, there was no way that I could set this book aside (they are in the last quarter of the book). While I don't think Reynolds always captured Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's true characters, her story of their marriage and struggles to find happiness with each other is compelling and quite a page-turner. Reading this book reminded me again of what a hopeless romantic I am. I am ashamed but I've decided to just be open and honest about it. :)

Rating: 5.1.1 Two detailed sex scenes; it is within a married relationship but it is detailed.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Rating: 2.1.2

Recommended audience: 16+

Category: Romance

This book is pure chick-lit, nothing very substantial or thought provoking...but I really liked it. The story is about an early 30's single woman named Jane who has had many failed relationships and blames it partly on her obsession with Mr. Darcy (as played by Colin Firth). She ends up at Austenland, a vacation spot where attendees immerse themselves in the world of Jane Austen complete with the empire waist dresses, corsets, and high tea while actors pretend to be Austenian type characters. Jane's goal is to overcome her obsession with Mr. Darcy so she can finally succeed in a real relationship. This is funny, cute and pure escape fiction but if you like Jane Austen I think you'll like this book. If you love Jane Austen and can seriously critique everything relating to her books, this book might not cut it for you. I don't think you have to have read Austen's books to enjoy this but it is helpful.