Around the Year Reading Challenge Item #7: A Book About Books

I like Jane Austen and have read all but one of her novels ([book:Mansfield Park|45032] -- but I'll get to it!) Still, somehow there is something about me that seems to be fundamentally different from the scores of Austen's devotees, as seems to be evidenced by the women in books inspired  by love of her (this one and also [book:Austenland|248483]), which are always just sort of "meh" to me.

This book felt less like a novel and more like a collection of connected short stories and character studies. That was fine once I stopped expecting much to happen besides a chapter with a backstory for all the characters. My favorite character was definitely Grigg, probably because he reads science fiction AND Jane Austen, and also perhaps because a male Austenite seemed a little less affected than the typical female Austenite.

I did like that not all the characters in the book club were totally smitten with Jane, and I thought Allegra's commentary about class issues was crucial to injecting some deeper critical thought into the narrative.

Of course, what there is of the plot has parallels in Jane Austen's writing, but in some ways this feels mostly presumptuous. I think I would have preferred a straight-up retelling of one of Austen's novels over this bit that tries a bit too hard to be clever with its Austen allusions.

So, you may recall that my goal for May was to read 20 books. I knew going in that there was no way that I was going to achieve it, but I made the goal anyway with the intention of at least doing my very best to get as close as possible. And, considering how much stuff I had going on this month, I am VERY proud of myself for reaching the halfway point with reading 10 books! And, looking over my May reading list post, it turns out that 10 was actually my bare minimum goal. So, while I may not have reached my impossible goal of 20, I did at least reach the more realistic one. Yay me! 

Out of these books, I think that my favorite was probably Sense and Sensibility, with Hereafter coming close behind. My least favorite was most definitely Ashfall, since I didn't even finish that one. Overall, this was a pretty great book month - I read 10 books, only 2 of which earned less than 4 stars from me! 

What was your favorite book this month? Have you ever read any of the books that I read in May? 

A sublime comedy of contemporary manners, this is the novel Jane Austen might well have written had she lived in twenty-first-century California.

Nothing ever moves in a straight line in Karen Joy Fowler’s fiction, and in The Jane Austen Book Club, the complex dance of modern love has never been so devious or so much fun.

In California’s Central Valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen’s novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With an eye for the frailties of human behavior and an ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.

Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy. (source)

Overall, I really like this book so far. The characters are each different and I feel that they're developing nicely. I love reading what they have to say about each Jane Austen novel. Each character points out details that I have never picked up on and makes interpretations that make me reconsider my own interpretations of Austen's works. As an Austen fan, this is a really interesting book to read. Reading it makes me feel as though I have joined an Austen book club - I'm not able to contribute to the discussion, but I am benefiting from reading each characters' thoughts. 

That being said, I do think that the more Austen novels that you've read, the more you'll get out of this book, especially if you've read each book multiple times. I have yet to read all of Austen's works; I have yet to read Emma and Persuasion, though I plan to this summer, and I have never read any of her other works, such as Lady Susan and Sanditon. As a result, I'll be the first to admit, I am definitely missing out on parts of this book. It may seem like a no-brainer, but seriously, I want to emphasize: if you consider yourself a Jane Austen fan but have only ever finished Pride and Prejudice, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It will leave you confused, lost, and probably bored. There are many, many references to Austen plot details that you will not understand unless you have read the book. This is definitely a book that is designed with true Austen devotees in mind, and if you're anything less than that, there will be parts that will leave you scratching your head and quite possibly frustrated.