Title: Jane of Austin: A Novel of Sweet Tea and SensibilityAuthor: Hillary Manton Lodge
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A modern take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, the Woodward sisters lose their home and tea shop in San Francisco and are taken in by relatives in Austin, Texas. Charismatic Sean Willis, who the sisters meet along the way, seems to charm everyone, but retired Marine, Callum Beckett is unimpressed. Celia, Jane, and Margot try to figure out life in a new city, to rebuild their tea shop and hope to figure out love along the way.
My Thoughts
Anyone who knows me knows that I love Jane Austen. They also know that I love tea. My love for Jane Austen always makes me dubious of anyone who is claiming to modernize or use her novels to inspire their own. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? I shuddered at the suggestion.) Despite my usual reservations, I saw that this novel was bringing my love of tea and Austen together, so I decided to give it a shot.
Lodge did an amazing job modernizing and adapting the storyline of Sense and Sensibility to make sense in the present day. It doesn't make sense for women in 2016 to be kicked out of their husband/father's home and only be able to live on their almost unlivable inheritance, most women now have jobs. Lodge took the parents out of the equation, had the kindly landlord pass away leaving the Woodward sisters to his heirs who were looking for much more money in a popular San Francisco neighborhood.
From there I was hooked. I just had to know how each major event from the story would be so beautifully adapted. Each time I saw a glimpse of Austen's storyline it was almost nostalgic and kept me so interested that even knowing what would happen didn't bother me. Seeing how this book would get there was such a fun adventure.
I particularly loved the thoughtful little touches the author added to make the novel her own. The chapters written from Jane's point of view began with a quote about tea. When written from Callum's point of view, the quotes were about Texas. Anytime there was a discussion about a particular dish, the recipe for that dish was given. I cannot wait to try some of them out!
I am so glad that I gave this book a chance, it was a delightful summer read.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves Jane Austen, tea, Texas, a good love story, or happy endings.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Hillary Manton Lodge, visit her website linked above.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love Jane Austen. They also know that I love tea. My love for Jane Austen always makes me dubious of anyone who is claiming to modernize or use her novels to inspire their own. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? I shuddered at the suggestion.) Despite my usual reservations, I saw that this novel was bringing my love of tea and Austen together, so I decided to give it a shot.
Lodge did an amazing job modernizing and adapting the storyline of Sense and Sensibility to make sense in the present day. It doesn't make sense for women in 2016 to be kicked out of their husband/father's home and only be able to live on their almost unlivable inheritance, most women now have jobs. Lodge took the parents out of the equation, had the kindly landlord pass away leaving the Woodward sisters to his heirs who were looking for much more money in a popular San Francisco neighborhood.
From there I was hooked. I just had to know how each major event from the story would be so beautifully adapted. Each time I saw a glimpse of Austen's storyline it was almost nostalgic and kept me so interested that even knowing what would happen didn't bother me. Seeing how this book would get there was such a fun adventure.
I particularly loved the thoughtful little touches the author added to make the novel her own. The chapters written from Jane's point of view began with a quote about tea. When written from Callum's point of view, the quotes were about Texas. Anytime there was a discussion about a particular dish, the recipe for that dish was given. I cannot wait to try some of them out!
I am so glad that I gave this book a chance, it was a delightful summer read.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves Jane Austen, tea, Texas, a good love story, or happy endings.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from Hillary Manton Lodge, visit her website linked above.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
Pass it to me
ReplyDeleteOkay! I will, you will like it!
ReplyDelete