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A review by cassandra67b07
The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker
5.0
I "read" this on Audible with a fantastic narrator, but had to switch to kindle 3/4 through because I HAD to know what happened.
This was a long-anticipated book for me since first being introduced to Freddie in Pretty Face and it really surpassed my expectations. Griff is the acerbic, but witty and quite accurate theater reviewer whom the actors live in fear of and when Freddie flubs her line during press night, she fears the worst. But they meet again under more equal circumstances when Freddie is cast as Lydia Bennett in a light reality tv show staging of a murder plot with Jane Austen's characters. I would actually like to see and vote in a production like that. It's very clever.
The show is set on Griff's family estate where his grandfather built a theater, especially for Freddie's grandmother while they were in the midst of a torrid affair. Freddie is torn by her family history of famous dramatic actors while her talents lie in light comedy and musical theater. Griff is torn by his family history and the need to keep the estate going. Once they start meeting on equal ground they discover they really have a lot in common--mostly the ability to really engage in witty banter and demonstrate a surprising physical attraction that appalls and intrigues them at the same time. And it gets pretty damn hot.
As much as I loved the main couple and I really did, what captivated me about the book is the sense that Parker has created an entire world here. Her characters all know each other in various ways and share a history together that never overwhelms the reader but feels organic because it's how you know people who work in your field and you collaborate with.
What really hit me in the feels though was Violet's story which was slowly revealed through the course of the book. How often have women's voices and stories been silenced by a kind of betrayal? The twist here is that the betrayal is not at the hands of the men in her life but of a more appalling kind. Her story broke my heart and made me think of Virginia Woolf's famous essay on women writers. Since she also wrote about Austen and how Austen had to hide her genius and her authorship behind the name-A Lady-, it all tied together beautifully.
The structure of this book was just brilliant--it's a country house mystery, a family feud, a romance, a Bildungsroman, and a gothic all in one book. Plus theater people in all their assorted craziness! I just adored it and can't wait for Sabrina and Nigel who had better be coming up next.
This was a long-anticipated book for me since first being introduced to Freddie in Pretty Face and it really surpassed my expectations. Griff is the acerbic, but witty and quite accurate theater reviewer whom the actors live in fear of and when Freddie flubs her line during press night, she fears the worst. But they meet again under more equal circumstances when Freddie is cast as Lydia Bennett in a light reality tv show staging of a murder plot with Jane Austen's characters. I would actually like to see and vote in a production like that. It's very clever.
The show is set on Griff's family estate where his grandfather built a theater, especially for Freddie's grandmother while they were in the midst of a torrid affair. Freddie is torn by her family history of famous dramatic actors while her talents lie in light comedy and musical theater. Griff is torn by his family history and the need to keep the estate going. Once they start meeting on equal ground they discover they really have a lot in common--mostly the ability to really engage in witty banter and demonstrate a surprising physical attraction that appalls and intrigues them at the same time. And it gets pretty damn hot.
As much as I loved the main couple and I really did, what captivated me about the book is the sense that Parker has created an entire world here. Her characters all know each other in various ways and share a history together that never overwhelms the reader but feels organic because it's how you know people who work in your field and you collaborate with.
What really hit me in the feels though was Violet's story which was slowly revealed through the course of the book. How often have women's voices and stories been silenced by a kind of betrayal? The twist here is that the betrayal is not at the hands of the men in her life but of a more appalling kind. Her story broke my heart and made me think of Virginia Woolf's famous essay on women writers. Since she also wrote about Austen and how Austen had to hide her genius and her authorship behind the name-A Lady-, it all tied together beautifully.
The structure of this book was just brilliant--it's a country house mystery, a family feud, a romance, a Bildungsroman, and a gothic all in one book. Plus theater people in all their assorted craziness! I just adored it and can't wait for Sabrina and Nigel who had better be coming up next.