Scan barcode
bookishtrina's review against another edition
4.0
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Ada Bright and Cass Grafton was a great look at time travel with a twist. The main characters had great chemistry and the plot and sequencing were perfect.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
fairynanook's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I honestly really enjoyed it. I loved bringing some time travel into the world of Jane Austen. I loved that the book didn't completely linger on the time travel portion of the book, but allowed for a before an after that felt appropriate. I loved that the authors still had Jane speaking in a more old fashioned version of English. I loved the mystery and the romance. All that said, I can't wait to dive into the second book.
portybelle's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that I can't resist a book inspired by or related to Jane Austen. When I heard about this one, it sounded like it was going to be great fun and it really was. Jane Austen is a time traveller - yes, really! Rose Wallace is a true Janeite, the name given to devotees of Jane Austen's work. Much of her life revolves around her love of Austen's work so you can imagine that when she comes across a rather familiar looking woman during Bath's festival dedicated to Jane, it seems like a dream come true. Okay, quite an unlikely thing to happen but amazing nonetheless.
Well, it turns out that this is not so much a dream as a nightmare, certainly for any Jane Austen fan. Jane has come to the present time by means of a portal but the way back has gone and now she is stuck. However, because the year she came from was 1803, before any of her books were published, nobody knows who she is and nobody has heard of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mr Knightley, Marianne or any of the beloved characters.
It was fun reading about how things had changed in a world with no Jane Austen novels. When something hasn't happened in the past, the future is changed too. Rose's world is very different as much of her life has been inspired by Jane Austen. She has a different job, different friends, different skills and even lives in a different place. Bath itself has changed. With no Jane Austen, there are no attractions related to the lady or her work, no tourism industry built around her. Some actors' careers are not so stellar. Take Colin Firth for example, would he have been so successful without that famous wet shirt scene as Mr Darcy? Many books and films inspired by Jane Austen have never seen the light of day - no Bridget Jones! Even the cat in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has a different name as she was named after a character in Mansfield Park.
A lot of this book is rather amusing as Jane tries to navigate modern life. She is less than impressed with convenience stores, finding them most inconvenient, but she is very taken with Post-It notes. I laughed out loud at the thought of Jane reading Fifty Shades of Grey on a bookseller's recommendation and anticipating an interesting study of character...
I was interested to read in the authors' notes at the back that lots of the historical details related to Jane's life were actually true even if they seemed unlikely. These were woven very well into the plot. I thought that the authors captured Jane's singular way of speaking rather well and enjoyed the warm friendship that sprung up between Rose and Jane, despite their very different ways of life. As Jane herself said of the different eras, "Some things were simpler, some are not so much.... there has been progress in many ways, but... human nature remains the same."
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen was a very entertaining, enjoyable read. I am pleased to see that there is already another book in the series and I'll look forward to reading that too.
Well, it turns out that this is not so much a dream as a nightmare, certainly for any Jane Austen fan. Jane has come to the present time by means of a portal but the way back has gone and now she is stuck. However, because the year she came from was 1803, before any of her books were published, nobody knows who she is and nobody has heard of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mr Knightley, Marianne or any of the beloved characters.
It was fun reading about how things had changed in a world with no Jane Austen novels. When something hasn't happened in the past, the future is changed too. Rose's world is very different as much of her life has been inspired by Jane Austen. She has a different job, different friends, different skills and even lives in a different place. Bath itself has changed. With no Jane Austen, there are no attractions related to the lady or her work, no tourism industry built around her. Some actors' careers are not so stellar. Take Colin Firth for example, would he have been so successful without that famous wet shirt scene as Mr Darcy? Many books and films inspired by Jane Austen have never seen the light of day - no Bridget Jones! Even the cat in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has a different name as she was named after a character in Mansfield Park.
A lot of this book is rather amusing as Jane tries to navigate modern life. She is less than impressed with convenience stores, finding them most inconvenient, but she is very taken with Post-It notes. I laughed out loud at the thought of Jane reading Fifty Shades of Grey on a bookseller's recommendation and anticipating an interesting study of character...
I was interested to read in the authors' notes at the back that lots of the historical details related to Jane's life were actually true even if they seemed unlikely. These were woven very well into the plot. I thought that the authors captured Jane's singular way of speaking rather well and enjoyed the warm friendship that sprung up between Rose and Jane, despite their very different ways of life. As Jane herself said of the different eras, "Some things were simpler, some are not so much.... there has been progress in many ways, but... human nature remains the same."
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen was a very entertaining, enjoyable read. I am pleased to see that there is already another book in the series and I'll look forward to reading that too.
pj_'s review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
petitefrog's review against another edition
3.0
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen is a cute book for fans of Jane Austen but I felt this lacked a little in excitement, everything was quite predictable. It was nice to retrace the steps of Jane in Bath in modern times, overall a nice cozy read.
vanessa_issa's review against another edition
3.0
Mais um livro que entra pra minha lista de “comecei a ler sem saber que era o primeiro de uma série”. Mas, tudo bem!
Essa história chamou a minha atenção por envolver viagem no tempo e Jane Austen. Imaginem um mundo onde ela pudesse viajar no tempo, perdesse o colar que a permitia fazer isso e corresse o risco de nunca ter seus livros publicados. Socorro, né?
Tem alguns momentos bem engraçados, mas eu tive um pouco de dificuldade em me apegar a personagem principal. Ela enrola bastante pra lidar com coisas que podiam ser bem mais simples, sabe?
Vale a leitura, mas não me surpreendeu tanto quanto eu esperava.
Essa história chamou a minha atenção por envolver viagem no tempo e Jane Austen. Imaginem um mundo onde ela pudesse viajar no tempo, perdesse o colar que a permitia fazer isso e corresse o risco de nunca ter seus livros publicados. Socorro, né?
Tem alguns momentos bem engraçados, mas eu tive um pouco de dificuldade em me apegar a personagem principal. Ela enrola bastante pra lidar com coisas que podiam ser bem mais simples, sabe?
Vale a leitura, mas não me surpreendeu tanto quanto eu esperava.
shergee's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lovely duology! Just the right feel-good read for a cozy afternoon.
blackcatlouise's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm generally willing to read anything Austen inspired and have read a few JA time-travel romances but this was one of the weaker ones. I didn't hate it, and there were some funny moments( special mention of JA leaving post-it notes on things ) but things were unknotted with astounding ease and the only character which seemed at all credible was Rose, our narrator. The love interest characters were forgettable and even JA herself had very little in the way of personality.
Lots of reviews have loved this a lot but not for me I'm afraid.
Lots of reviews have loved this a lot but not for me I'm afraid.
kayo32's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
isabellm's review against another edition
3.0
I love Jane Austen. The premise of her time travelling and being stuck in the future and the change to the world that would result intrigued me. It took a while to get into but overall it was a very enjoyable read. I loved the friendship between Morgan and Rose and then Rose and Jane. The writing flowed very well and you could not tell it was two authors telling the story. I would have liked more of the Rose and Aidan story though. The ending was a cliffhanger of sorts and I hope there are more adventures to come.