When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies. Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love? The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

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Charlotte Kinder's life seems to be fraying at the seams. First her marriage breaks up after her husband's infidelity, now her daughter is flirting with a questionable male of her own. When Charlotte tries to start up a conversation about the boy, her daughter gives her an "ugh, don't you remember what it was like to be young?!" moment. Spurred by the hurt of such a comment, Charlotte gets all nostalgic and starts digging through photos and old papers, where she finds a journal with an entry marked "Things To Do Before I'm 30"... a list that includes reading all of Austen's works and, at some point, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Charlotte admits to herself that Kilimanjaro might not be quite the thing to tackle at this particular moment of unrest in her life, but maybe the Austen idea is still doable.

While she doesn't delve into the Austen novels themselves, Charlotte does decide to take a vacation to the exclusive Austen-themed resort, Austenland. Maybe there, she can find the old Charlotte, the one that was a bit more than the bland, simple "nice" everyone seems to label her. She doesn't want to be just good ol' reliable Charlotte, she wants some edge! But, you know, old habits die hard. 

This Austenland 2 revisits Pembrook Park and brings back a few characters, mainly Mrs. Wattlesworth and Miss Charming, but also offers a whole new cast of characters as well. And this cast brings the edge Charlotte thinks she's missing... but maybe more than she bargained for! Also returning is resident lush Mr. Wattlesworth. 

"Attempted murder is becoming so mundane."  ~ Charlotte

Taking inspiration from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Midnight In Austenland toys with the same themes Austen did in her novel, namely our main character getting caught up in a possible murder mystery, leaving her not knowing who to trust. But is there an actual threat or is it Charlotte's runaway imagination? So as you might notice, the plot here is a bit darker in tone than its predecessor. Once again, author Shannon Hale has her characters struggling with the question of what is or isn't real in this recreated Regency world.

Instead of ex-boyfriend recaps at the start of each chapter (as seen in Austenland), Midnight in Austenland prefaces each chapter with flashbacks of moments from Charlotte's childhood or marriage, memories she thinks back on that might hold clues to how / where / why her life took a turn for the worse. 

I read Midnight In Austenland shortly after watching the film adaptation of Austenland starring Keri Russell. Though the film naturally pulls largely from the first book, after reading a few chapters into this second book, I suspected that some minor details were taken from this book as well and incorporated into the film (on which author Shannon Hale was an associate producer)... lines from the film like Mr Nobley uttering "you make me nervous" or him being related to Mrs. Wattlesworth... those details actually appear in this second book, not the first (although it is character Mr. Mallery who is related to the proprietor, not Nobley, as presented in the film). Also, there is a speech Charlotte makes near the end of this second book that incorporates details that make up part of the ending of the film. All that said, these two novels, though linked by the setting of Pembrook Park, can easily be read as stand-alone novels. 

Though much of the inspiration for this story comes from Austen's Northanger Abbey, a heads up to readers: there are a few spoilers here for Austen's Mansfield Park as well. 

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined. Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen―or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

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Jane Hayes is a graphic designer for a NYC lifestyle magazine. Obsessed with all things Jane Austen, and especially Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC miniseries adaptation, Hayes feels she's been ruined for any real chance at love with REAL men. A conversation one night with her great-aunt Carolyn, where Carolyn, in so many words, tries to convey the idea that living life to the fullest is the truest fantasy life, leaves Jane wondering if she is maybe missing out on something.

Not one to leave the girl wondering forever, when Carolyn passes away she leaves Jane something special in her will: an all expenses paid trip the uber-exclusive, eye-poppingly expensive Austenland, a theme park (of sorts) catering to those who wish to fully immerse themselves in Austen's era. 

Upon arrival, Jane is immediately greeted by the park's proprietor, Mrs. Wattlesbrook. There is a bit of a snubbing on Jane right off the bat. Since her trip was pre-paid for, Wattlesbrook underhandedly treats Jane a bit like the child attending an exclusive boarding school on scholarship. Wattlesbrook proves to be a stickler for historical accuracy and loathes deviations from her rules. Still, there are a few modern conveniences allowed in Pembrook Park, the estate that makes up much of the "theme park" {in all honesty, the characters never veer very far from the front door other than strolls around the gardens.... kind of a lame theme park IMO, but moving on... }: flame shaped bulbs in the lamps versus more historically accurate kerosene ... because modern people are clumsy and Regency folk never had to worry about liability insurance on businesses lol ... and indoor plumbing, for the sake of the housekeeping staff. 

On her first full day at Pembrook, Jane meets Martin, aka "Theodore" the estate's cute gardener, and at dinner, Mr. Nobley, who serves as the resident quietly salty Mr. Darcy. Jane develops what she thinks is a taboo friendship with Martin, as he provides elements of the 21st century right when she needs it the most. Nobley tries to warn Jane that there might be a side to Martin she should be wary of, but she laughs off his words as just a speech he makes in character. As the story progresses, both men become important to Jane in different ways and she finds herself struggling to make out what is real and what is scripted... leaving her to wonder if this cookie tin lid kind of world is really what she wants after all. 

Pembrook Park had done its job -- it allowed her to live through her romantic purgatory. She believed now in earnest that fantasy is not practice for what is real --- fantasy is the opiate of women. 

Each chapter in Austenland starts with a profile of one of Jane's "exes" as she thinks of them, though the reader will note that most of these men would hardly qualify as any sort of meaningful relationship in most peoples' book. Even so, the men are presented in chronological order from Jane's earliest experiences in childhood on through, noting what went wrong in each situation that possibly left a little chink in her self-esteem to the point of obsessing over seemingly perfect, chivalrous, Regency era men. 

There is quite good humor in this novel, a lighthearted wit which only gets more pronounced as the story progresses. The ending might strike some as a little syrupy sweet, but in this instance, with these particular characters, there was something about it that was just... kinda perfect. 

If you've ever seen the reality series Regency House Party, this story very much reminded me of that setup, especially the whole "what is real, what isn't" experience cast members went through on that show. So if you were / are a fan of that program, this is one I would recommend for you.

Jane is obsessed with P&P.  Okay, she's really into Colin Firth as Mr Darcy.  When her aunt dies, she is gifted with an all expenses paid trip to England to stay at Pembrook Park. Pembrook Park is a place where one can go and pretend to live in regency England.  PP employs actors, so who knows when something is real or genuine.  

So, interesting premise, but fell flat for me.  But I will say I liked the movie better (I know, sacrilege!)  I didn't like Jane.  She was flat, pathetic, and I really (really!) wanted to slap her. She did get better as the book progresses, but not enough for me.  I didn't like how she hid her P&P DVDs.  Luckily, they are on the shelf by the end of the book.  I own them too!

Sweet ending.

I hated this quote:  "You know, that book did Austen herself no good- died a spinster."  Yep, cause there is nothing worse than a woman who is SINGLE!  It doesn't matter how accomplished you are, etc, the "S" word is what is important.  Whatever.  

#rippedbodicebingo - Austen retelling

Jane is hopelessly obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, going so far as to allow it to color all her attempts at romance.  A deceased relative bequeaths her a 3-week stay at an all-inclusive, fully immersive, Regency England country house, complete with Austenesque characters and romances and Jane goes with the intention of putting the fantasy behind her, once and for all.

I've seen this one recommended time and again, but i've never been that into romance or Mr. Darcy (as much as I love P&P) so I never made an effort to read the book.  A few months ago, I ran across a copy at the book outlet and thought, why not?

I was immediately taken with the writing - the tone felt so very Austen!  But it took a lot longer for me to warm to Jane; her constant berating of herself grew thin fast and at one point, I wondered if I'd finish.  Luckily, that was just when Jane started finding her spine and things started getting interesting.  Honestly, Pembrook Park was almost Machiavellian; Hale too, because she totally, totally fooled me.  This was a 3.5 star read until that final couple of scenes.  By the end of the book I not only liked Jane, but I respected her.

A fun read that ultimately surprised me.