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| Thomas Nelson; 306 pages; Amazon |
Why is it that Jane Austen's novels are supposed to be read by women? I'm a guy and I like reading her books. Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park are my favorites by the author. Anyway, there are many modern day versions of Austen's classic tales, and I've read a few of these over the years. Some are good and some are not that great. Nevertheless, I had signed up to review The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay a few months ago through the BookLook blogger program.
The novel centers on Mary Davies, an engineer who is more or less bored with her day-to-day life. I guess you can say that she needs some excitement and adventure; you know like the ones found in books. Out of the blue, Mary's estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer, offers her to stay at an English manor for two-weeks, and of course Mary take her up on the offer.
Mary had these wonderful ideas of what life is like at the manor, but sadly all these thoughts disappear as soon as she arrives. It seems her friend Isabel has lost her memory and for some reason she believes she lives in Jane Austen's Bath!
While Isabel takes a mental vacation into the world of Jane Austen, Mary has to role play in order to help her friend.
Final Thoughts
I thought The Austen Escape was a little comical, but at the same time a little emotional. The main character, Mary, is down to earth, so I easily connect with her. Isabel was a completely different story, as I thought the character was too wacky to be likeable. I do like the author's writing style; the descriptions throughout the novel are excellent and the dialogue is entertaining.Overall, I enjoyed reading The Austen Escape. I've been feeling a little bit down lately, so I needed an escape from my own life and reading this novel seemed to do the trick.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Katherine Reay has enjoyed a lifelong affair with the works of Jane Austen and her contemporaries. After earning degrees in history and marketing from Northwestern University, she worked in not-for-profit development before returning to school to pursue her MTS. Katherine lives with her husband and three children in Chicago, Illinois.
Learn more about her at: KatherineReay.com
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