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"Austenland" by Shannon Hale
Aug. 20th, 2014 04:37 pm
"Austenland" is the funny story of Jane Hayes, a Jane Austen fan who has an opportunity to do something that the rest of us Janeites can only dream of: going on holiday at an English country manor where everyone dresses and speaks like it is still the Regency period! After enjoying the movie, which stars Keri Russell, Bret McKenzie, and JJ Feild, the latter of which happens to be one of my favorite British actors, I was interested in reading the book to find out more of the backstory and motivations for the main characters.
Jane is a thirty-something New Yorker who has never been able to find a man who measured up to her idea of Mr. Darcy, as portrayed by Colin Firth in the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice." In the book, an older relative discovers her secret passion and as part of her will bequeaths Jane an all-expenses-paid trip to the Austenland resort, a place called Pembrook Park. There with other female guests she is to be entertained by actors playing Regency characters, and have the chance to live out her fantasy of what life might have been like in early nineteenth century England.
Upon arrival at Pembrook Park, Jane is fitted up with a corset and empire waist gowns, and is asked to relinquish all modern devices for the duration of her stay. Jane manages to sneak in her cell phone but is otherwise on her own, given the name of Miss Jane Erstwhile, and asked to play the part of a less fortunate relative visiting her loving aunt Saffronia.
Although the men playing the Regency characters are handsome and interesting to interact with, Jane soon begins longing for something real. She understands that the gentlemen are actors who are actually paid to enjoy her company, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. Even though she has much witty banter with one Mr. Nobley, it's the attraction of someone who is truly himself which leads Jane into a clandestine relationship with Martin, Pembrook Park's gardener. When he breaks things off, Jane decides it's time to take charge of her own story and enjoy the rest of her time for what it is.
While sparks continue flying between Jane and Mr. Nobley, she can't be sure it's not because he's just a good actor. The characters go on to do very Austen-esque things, including putting on a theatrical and later dancing the night away at a ball on their final night. Before Jane goes home there is one final twist to shake up her perception of what is true and what is part of Austenland's manipulation of reality. Completely disillusioned, is there anything the man who has come to truly love her can do to convince her that he isn't playacting anymore?
In the end I have to say that, between the book and the movie, surprisingly I slightly preferred the movie version. The book did exactly what I hoped in fleshing out the characters and helping me understand them better, but the author had a somewhat scattered, forced writing style which remained unconvincing. If you really like the movie I'd say the book is worth looking into, while I'd recommend the movie for all Austen fans, especially ones who know how to enjoy life without taking themselves too seriously.
Jane is a thirty-something New Yorker who has never been able to find a man who measured up to her idea of Mr. Darcy, as portrayed by Colin Firth in the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice." In the book, an older relative discovers her secret passion and as part of her will bequeaths Jane an all-expenses-paid trip to the Austenland resort, a place called Pembrook Park. There with other female guests she is to be entertained by actors playing Regency characters, and have the chance to live out her fantasy of what life might have been like in early nineteenth century England.
Upon arrival at Pembrook Park, Jane is fitted up with a corset and empire waist gowns, and is asked to relinquish all modern devices for the duration of her stay. Jane manages to sneak in her cell phone but is otherwise on her own, given the name of Miss Jane Erstwhile, and asked to play the part of a less fortunate relative visiting her loving aunt Saffronia.
Although the men playing the Regency characters are handsome and interesting to interact with, Jane soon begins longing for something real. She understands that the gentlemen are actors who are actually paid to enjoy her company, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. Even though she has much witty banter with one Mr. Nobley, it's the attraction of someone who is truly himself which leads Jane into a clandestine relationship with Martin, Pembrook Park's gardener. When he breaks things off, Jane decides it's time to take charge of her own story and enjoy the rest of her time for what it is.
While sparks continue flying between Jane and Mr. Nobley, she can't be sure it's not because he's just a good actor. The characters go on to do very Austen-esque things, including putting on a theatrical and later dancing the night away at a ball on their final night. Before Jane goes home there is one final twist to shake up her perception of what is true and what is part of Austenland's manipulation of reality. Completely disillusioned, is there anything the man who has come to truly love her can do to convince her that he isn't playacting anymore?
In the end I have to say that, between the book and the movie, surprisingly I slightly preferred the movie version. The book did exactly what I hoped in fleshing out the characters and helping me understand them better, but the author had a somewhat scattered, forced writing style which remained unconvincing. If you really like the movie I'd say the book is worth looking into, while I'd recommend the movie for all Austen fans, especially ones who know how to enjoy life without taking themselves too seriously.
