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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
3.5
I honestly thought she was going to choose Henry. I understand Edie was in love with Sebastian from their childhood but Henry was the front runner for the entire book. So disappointed. ☹️
I honestly thought she was going to choose Henry. I understand Edie was in love with Sebastian from their childhood but Henry was the front runner for the entire book. So disappointed. ☹️
Okay...I did enjoy this book. The writing was clever and I love a smart heroine, but I did NOT predict how the love triangle would work out which really surprised me. I usually have a sixth sense for that sort of thing and I was astounded to be proved wrong. I don't know what that says about the book...I felt like one character deserved her/fit better with her.
I've read quite a few Jane Austen retellings, but never one for Mansfield Park (which is probably my least favorite, although I adore the Johnny Lee Miller movie). This version maintains the spirit of the original and I loved it. Edie (Fanny) Price is less moralizing, Henry Crawford is (if possible) even more charming, and I really enjoyed their relationship - so much so that I was almost rooting for a departure from the original ending.
This book took me a little bit to get into - felt a bit too formal with unrealistically stiff dialogue. I read it for 20 minutes, put it down, and didn’t read anything else for 2 weeks due to quarantine fog brain. However, when I did picked it back up, the characters really grew on me and I finished in a single evening - I was really intrigued to see how it would end! The character of Henry is my far my favourite, Sebastian... well, he’s a bit flat for my liking, but there are some very redeeming scenes. Claire is stereotypical and obvious, and Maria’s development is much more interesting than Julia, for me anyway. Finally, there’s Edie, our main character, who takes us through a really interesting thought journey. The romance scenes were written very realistically, and I wasn’t able to predict the ending, yet it still felt earned / satisfying (although personally, i was disappointed, but can’t divulge why without spoilers) A great read for those who love Jane Austen but wish for something much lighter.
The only reason this isn’t a five star is a spoiler thing.
She for sure ended up with the wrong one. Henry forever
She for sure ended up with the wrong one. Henry forever
I really wanted to like this. I was looking for a cute contemporary after reading a ton of fantasy and I'm just super disappointed how this book turned out. I'm a big fan of cheesy romcoms, but I feel as though this book tried too hard to be the Jane Austen novel it was echoing. It was cliche after cliche followed by an incredible amount of problematic situations.
Slightly Spoiler section:
The theme of cheating throughout the book was an immediate turn off. And the fact that it was a continuing factor throughout the plot without any real repercussions made matters so much worse.
So many of the characters were problematic but Edie annoyed me the most. Apparently Edie wanted to focus on school rather than boys (as stated in the tagline of the book) but from the start Edie's boy troubles consume the pages. It would have been better if Edie at least tried to focus on school and then was sucked back into the drama but there was never really that back and forth.
I also thought there were too many 'quirks'. The book went back and forth between quoting outdated books, song lyrics, man walks into a bar jokes (this one I actually liked), and a repetition of 'the age of whatever' to describe where Edie was at in the story. It felt like the author was putting too many lines out hoping one would catch.
The I only things I really liked about the story were Henry (despite being problematic him trying to win over Edie was super sweet and showed character growth even though by the end he reverted back) and the lexicon entries which was basically the only thing I found unique about the book.
Slightly Spoiler section:
The theme of cheating throughout the book was an immediate turn off. And the fact that it was a continuing factor throughout the plot without any real repercussions made matters so much worse.
So many of the characters were problematic but Edie annoyed me the most. Apparently Edie wanted to focus on school rather than boys (as stated in the tagline of the book) but from the start Edie's boy troubles consume the pages. It would have been better if Edie at least tried to focus on school and then was sucked back into the drama but there was never really that back and forth.
I also thought there were too many 'quirks'. The book went back and forth between quoting outdated books, song lyrics, man walks into a bar jokes (this one I actually liked), and a repetition of 'the age of whatever' to describe where Edie was at in the story. It felt like the author was putting too many lines out hoping one would catch.
The I only things I really liked about the story were Henry (despite being problematic him trying to win over Edie was super sweet and showed character growth even though by the end he reverted back) and the lexicon entries which was basically the only thing I found unique about the book.
I’ve read a few “modern re-tellings,” and they all vary in quality. I think this book is an excellent example of how to be successful at this genre- it doesn’t take itself too seriously, follows the plot of the original book without forcing anything, and allows it’s characters to be messy, flawed, fun, and very Austen.
Jacqueline Firkins is a great writer, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming from her next!
Jacqueline Firkins is a great writer, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming from her next!