Jane Austen Manuscript

I've been reading a lot of Jane Austen lately, so when I saw her name in the headlines, I was intrigued.  Jane Austen is a literary legend and often used in Hollywood, but an author who's been dead for almost 200 years doesn't normally make the headlines of today's news.

Apparently one of Jane Austen's original manuscripts was just sold at auction for almost a million pounds!  It had been given an estimate value of only about £200,000, but in the end it sold for over £990,000.  (Click here for the BBC News story.)

The manuscript is in Jane Austen's handwriting and is apparently full of her notes. 

Wouldn't it be great to be able to have a leaf through these pages and see Austen's own handwriting and editing notes?  As a writer myself, I'd love to see Austen's writing process and how the novel evolved.  The manuscript is of "The Watsons", which Austen never finished.  To read "The Watsons" on-line, click here.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

I recently read some Austen fan fiction.  Reading the Austen inspired novels mostly just left me wanting to revisit the real thing.  I have a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and hadn't read it in a few years, so I decided to read it. 

If I'm honest, I'm a bit intimidated to write a post about "Pride and Prejudice".  It is, after all, an absolute classic.  Everyone is familiar with it, and it's difficult for me to find something new and interesting or useful to say in a blog post about it.  I'll just tell you a little about my experience reading "Pride and Prejudice".

Exactly eight days ago I had the most beautiful baby boy ever born (no, there's no point debating this point...he's gorgeous).  It was a planned c-section.  This means that I had plenty of time to wait at hospital appointments before he was born.  "Pride & Prejudice" became the book that I stuck in my hospital bag, and I literally read it sat waiting on a hospital bed on the morning he was born until they started preparing me for surgery.  So "Pride and Prejudice" is now linked, for me, to the memory of my son being born.

If you're used to modern novels, then it can take awhile to really get into novels from this period.  However, once you get a few chapters in, "Pride and Prejudice " is completely involving.  For me, I sometimes found it difficult to read without automatically picturing one of the "Pride and Prejudice" films.  I really enjoyed rereading it though, and noticed things that I hadn't before.

Overall, what can I say?  "Pride and Prejudice" deserves it's place as a classic.

"Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler

I recently read and reviewed "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler.  I was disappointed with that novel, but I went ahead and read Rigler's next book.

"Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" is the companion novel to "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict".  I say companion rather than sequel because they go together as a pair.  They're taking place at the same time, rather than following on from each other, and you could actually read them in reverse order or read just one of them.

Although I still wouldn't class "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" as great fiction, I did think it was better written and more enjoyable than "Confessions".  If you enjoy fantasy fiction (of the switching time/place variety), romantic comedies, and if you are a Jane Austen addict yourself, then it's an entertaining enough read.  It's not particularly memorable or involving, but it's a decent diversion for a sick day at home, reading on a commute, etc.

To find out more about "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler, click here.
To visit Rigler's official website for the "Jane Austen Addict" books, click here.

"Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler

Publishing company Bloomsbury recently ran a competition on Twitter to win copies of "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" and "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler.  Although I wasn't familiar with the books, I love Jane Austen.  I entered and was thrilled to win copies of the books (and about 500 bookmarks for them).

My first impression of "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" was good.  I love historical fiction and Jane Austen, and I enjoy fantasy fiction, so the basic concept of a modern woman being transported to Austen-ite England sounded entertaining to me.  Overall, though, the book was disappointing.  Although there were plenty of Austen references, they sometimes felt a bit contrived to me.  Also, the whole book was lacking in a bit of planning and clarity.  It was enjoyable for a bit of light reading, but utterly forgettable.  If you really love Jane Austen and Austen fan fiction, then you may enjoy this book as something to read during your commute to work or while lounging next to the pool on holiday.  Just don't expect too much from it.

For a longer review of "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict", click here.

Look forward to a review of the sequel, "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict".  I'll read and write about it soon.

You can follow Bloomsbury or me on Twitter: @ BloomsburyBooks and @KeriWithington .