Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
This book follows Hale's book Austenland, but you don't need to read the first to get this one. At all. Because I've almost completely forgotten what the first one was about. This one still made sense. Although I'm thinking of re-reading Austenland.
I mostly liked Midnight in Austenland. It's got a lot of adult angst in it though (like teen aged angst but less attractive). Fortunately Hale found a way of making so it didn't get tedious until the end.
Austenland is a vacation resort in England. You stay for 2 weeks and play Regency England recreation. Each woman is guaranteed a love interest. Charlotte's is Mr Mallory, a Darcy like man who smolders very well. There are 3 women during this session.
The story is told by the day in a sense. Each "chapter" is a day or part of a day. They are separated by vignettes of Charlotte's life before she goes to Austenland.
One of the entertainments in this book is a game called Bloody Murder. It's sort of like tag/hide and seek in a big house with no lights on. While Charlotte is hiding shes tumbles across a hidden room and thinks she's found a dead body.
So this novel is a sort of Austen homage murder mystery. It mostly works. I suspect it was supposed to be funnier than I found it and someone with a better sense of humor than I have would laugh out loud at some of the predicaments Charlotte gets into. (I generally don't notice funny things in books, unless they hit me over the head.)
I definitely enjoyed this book. I don't think it was as good as Austneland but I'd have to look at that review or even re-read the book to remember.
One thing I really liked was how Hale kept to a mostly Regency sensibility regarding sex and how she combined it with 21st century feelings about it.
Charlotte was a very believable character for me. She was conflicted lots which you knew because her Inner Thoughts were narrated. Charlotte's dealing with those Inner Thoughts was one of the funniest parts, I thought. Until the end when it got a little old.
Anyway, if you like the Regency/Austen books, this is a good one.
I mostly liked Midnight in Austenland. It's got a lot of adult angst in it though (like teen aged angst but less attractive). Fortunately Hale found a way of making so it didn't get tedious until the end.
Austenland is a vacation resort in England. You stay for 2 weeks and play Regency England recreation. Each woman is guaranteed a love interest. Charlotte's is Mr Mallory, a Darcy like man who smolders very well. There are 3 women during this session.
The story is told by the day in a sense. Each "chapter" is a day or part of a day. They are separated by vignettes of Charlotte's life before she goes to Austenland.
One of the entertainments in this book is a game called Bloody Murder. It's sort of like tag/hide and seek in a big house with no lights on. While Charlotte is hiding shes tumbles across a hidden room and thinks she's found a dead body.
So this novel is a sort of Austen homage murder mystery. It mostly works. I suspect it was supposed to be funnier than I found it and someone with a better sense of humor than I have would laugh out loud at some of the predicaments Charlotte gets into. (I generally don't notice funny things in books, unless they hit me over the head.)
I definitely enjoyed this book. I don't think it was as good as Austneland but I'd have to look at that review or even re-read the book to remember.
One thing I really liked was how Hale kept to a mostly Regency sensibility regarding sex and how she combined it with 21st century feelings about it.
Charlotte was a very believable character for me. She was conflicted lots which you knew because her Inner Thoughts were narrated. Charlotte's dealing with those Inner Thoughts was one of the funniest parts, I thought. Until the end when it got a little old.
Anyway, if you like the Regency/Austen books, this is a good one.