Book Review: My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publish Date: March 29, 2011

Paperback, 352 pages 
Fiction
ISBN: 978-0399254123

My Review:
Why I read this: I love all things Jane Austen so this was a must.


My thoughts:  A really great book in the end, entertaining, witty, soul-searching and just a great read.

I have to admit I almost put this book down.  I was at around 100 pages and it just wasn't clicking for me.  Then suddenly it clicked and I could not put it down.  Lily is a great character, she is looking for herself and looking for a man who will understand her and join her in her love of books.  I love how she grows and learns in this book.  I also like watching how the people around her begin to shape her and change her and help her learn about herself along with her Jane Austen who she often sees around her.

The plot was interesting once I really understood what was going on.  The main driving force is Lily and her character development but there are also some other plots going on as well.  I loved the setting of the old manor house, it was perfect for the Jane Austen plot and the acting and re-enacting the theater group was doing.

Some of the secondary characters I liked and some I didn't, but that was the point.  Some redeemed themselves by the end and some were still unlikeable.  It was an interesting group of characters and I like how Ms. Jones made them all very different and somewhat alike at the same time.

If you enjoy Jane Austen literature or anything that refers to it, then this will be an enjoyable book for you.  If you like the slightly more grown-up chicklit (less references to brands and fashions) then this is a book for you.  I really enjoy books where characters grow and learn about themselves and also am a sucker for books set in England so this one had me on two counts.

Ms. Jones freshman offering is very enjoyable and I look forward to her next foray into fiction as well.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.

There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.



About the Author: 

Cindy Jones was born in Ohio and grew up in small midwestern towns, reading for escape. She is a winner of the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and she lives with her family in Dallas.


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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through TLC Book Tours for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.