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enya_keller's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
A non -fiction book I just could not put down. I think it actually makes for a very helpful guide in the 21'st century and Lauren draws great comparisons from Jane Austen's novels and writes in such a witty way. I loved it.
hazel_kopp's review
3.0
Funny book. Quiz in the back. Random impulse read from the library. Don't know if I'd buy the book.
omiai's review
4.0
To make this clear, this is not a book that tells you how to get a man, it's a book that tells you how to cope with dating and it's various aspects. It is also a guide to yourself and your man, as it gives you clear indications of how you should act, and things to avoid.
This is certainly not a book for someone looking for a quick fling, it's more for those girls who are wanting to find someone long term, or someone to settle down with.
The best thing about this book is that it focuses on British women. A nice change from the ridiculous number of American dating guides. The author herself even points out that the mistake many women make is to read american dating guides, and then wonder why they aren't getting the results. What to remember is that British and American cultures are not as similar as we think they are. This book is a good example of this, and it never insults either culture.
Each chapter is layed out well, she discusses relationships in terms of Jane Austen novels, but then gives modern day examples. This helps to show her points really clearly, and gives them a bit more depth or understanding.
The quiz at the end was good fun, and allows you to work out your personality type (based on Austen's characters) and also to work out your man's personality type, and then tells you if those two are compatible and why. Sounds like a regular old personality test from a cheesy mag, I hear you say! Well, it has that feel too it, but I have to say, it's results are actually pretty accurate. It got my personality down fine, and also the personality of the type of man I prefer, so that impressed me.
I'd say the thing I found most annoying about this book was the fact that there were so many examples! They are helpful, yes, but by the 4th chapter, I was getting quite fed up having to read through them all, eventually I skipped most of the chapters, and just read the summaries at the end, which were really concise.
Perhaps one more thing I think this book could have done with would be a way for women to meet men. This is a tricky thing for any author to do, so I'm not surprised she didn't, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been quite suitable for this book.
This would be a good book to keep on hand for quick reference when you do finally find a man. Although I cannot say her methods work, they are all very sensible and clear. She has done a great job of not looking out for your best interests, but saying, in the kindest possible way, that you should sometimes watch your behaviour, so as not to hurt the man you are with as well.
I recommend this to those girls who, like myself, are a bit more old fashioned in their views of things. I'm a romantic at heart, and this book really spoke to me in terms of what I should be looking for in men, and I think anyone who has similar thoughts would do well to read this.
All in all, and excellent book. Entertaining, although perhaps a little less examples, as it becomes too long winded after a while!
This is certainly not a book for someone looking for a quick fling, it's more for those girls who are wanting to find someone long term, or someone to settle down with.
The best thing about this book is that it focuses on British women. A nice change from the ridiculous number of American dating guides. The author herself even points out that the mistake many women make is to read american dating guides, and then wonder why they aren't getting the results. What to remember is that British and American cultures are not as similar as we think they are. This book is a good example of this, and it never insults either culture.
Each chapter is layed out well, she discusses relationships in terms of Jane Austen novels, but then gives modern day examples. This helps to show her points really clearly, and gives them a bit more depth or understanding.
The quiz at the end was good fun, and allows you to work out your personality type (based on Austen's characters) and also to work out your man's personality type, and then tells you if those two are compatible and why. Sounds like a regular old personality test from a cheesy mag, I hear you say! Well, it has that feel too it, but I have to say, it's results are actually pretty accurate. It got my personality down fine, and also the personality of the type of man I prefer, so that impressed me.
I'd say the thing I found most annoying about this book was the fact that there were so many examples! They are helpful, yes, but by the 4th chapter, I was getting quite fed up having to read through them all, eventually I skipped most of the chapters, and just read the summaries at the end, which were really concise.
Perhaps one more thing I think this book could have done with would be a way for women to meet men. This is a tricky thing for any author to do, so I'm not surprised she didn't, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been quite suitable for this book.
This would be a good book to keep on hand for quick reference when you do finally find a man. Although I cannot say her methods work, they are all very sensible and clear. She has done a great job of not looking out for your best interests, but saying, in the kindest possible way, that you should sometimes watch your behaviour, so as not to hurt the man you are with as well.
I recommend this to those girls who, like myself, are a bit more old fashioned in their views of things. I'm a romantic at heart, and this book really spoke to me in terms of what I should be looking for in men, and I think anyone who has similar thoughts would do well to read this.
All in all, and excellent book. Entertaining, although perhaps a little less examples, as it becomes too long winded after a while!
birdbrainbooks's review
4.0
This was such a fun read and surprisingly helpful! I'm not currently single but love Jane Austen and found this book full of really helpful examples to apply to any real relationship.
sarah42783's review
2.0
I was quite a bit aprehensive when I started reading this book because when I picked it up I didn't realize it was actually a dating guide... I know, I know, the book is named "Jane Austen's Guide to Dating" but I can't resist anything that has "Jane Austen" on it so I pick it up without giving it much thought...
Overall, this book was an ok read and I enjoyed the insight on Austen's characters, and the opportunity to look at them from a different angle. I'd never read a dating guide before and don't actually enjoy self-help-type books but I guess the advice given by the author here is pretty sensible and the information and chapters are very well-organized. I did skim through some of the dating advice passages, especially towards the end...
Overall, this book was an ok read and I enjoyed the insight on Austen's characters, and the opportunity to look at them from a different angle. I'd never read a dating guide before and don't actually enjoy self-help-type books but I guess the advice given by the author here is pretty sensible and the information and chapters are very well-organized. I did skim through some of the dating advice passages, especially towards the end...
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