Jane Austen ruined my life by Beth Pattillo

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Genre - Fiction


I’m not a fan of the many Austen sequels, prequels & other novels cashing in on the popularity of one of my favourite authors. This novel is an exception as it uses Austen’s life & work in an intriguing way. Emma Grant is an American academic. Her life is falling apart. Her husband has been unfaithful & she’s lost her job due to an unfounded allegation of plagiarism. Emma has been contacted by Mrs Parrot, a mysterious woman who hints that she has access to over a thousand unpublished letters by Jane Austen. Emma sees publishing the letters as a way of regaining her academic reputation. So, she goes to England to meet Mrs Parrot. Emma is sent on a series of journeys to places associated with Jane – Bath, Lyme, Winchester - & must pass tests at each place to be allowed to read more of the letters & discover more about the secret at the heart of Austen’s life. Emma also meets up with Adam, an old friend who is also in London doing research. Is his interest in Emma altruistic or is he chasing the same prize? The plot has a few holes in it, but Emma is an engaging character & a tour of Jane Austen’s England is always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - the classic Regency romance now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

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Genre - Comedy

As the last line of the blurb suggests this novel “transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.”
Now, I am not a fan of Jane Austen and I have never read or intend to read the original, but who among us can resist the appeal of the Zombie in search of brains. There is not a large amount of Zombie mayhem, not as much as I was hoping for, however Elizabeth and her sisters do spend a lot of time practicing the "deadly arts".
This is an enjoyable read, the pictures are amusing, the story from what I can remember of the movie contains all the important bits and even though it has two authors the writing flows well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for some light hearted Zombie fun that is not to be taken seriously.

---- Reviewed by Megan, Guest Reviewer

Jane's fame by Claire Harman

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Genre - Non Fiction


This is a witty & informative account of Jane Austen’s reputation since her death in 1817. Although the recent TV & movie adaptations have made Austen one of the most famous authors in the world, her books were out of print for several years after her death. Her reputation was only revived with the publication of the first biography written by her nephew in the 1870s. That was when the cult of dear Aunt Jane, the refined, elegant spinster, began. Austen’s reputation in the 20th century was enhanced by the scholarly editions of the novels published by R W Chapman which was the beginning of the academic critics’ interest in her work. The explosion of popular interest which began with the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice in 1995 has led to hundreds of websites, blogs, movies, sequels & prequels of the novels. Harman explores everything from chick lit & the internet to serious academic works in this exploration of how Jane Austen conquered the world.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters