'Austenland' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Austenland by Shannon Hale
Ready by: Katherine Kellgren
Genre: Chick Lit

While strolling the shelves at the library, this audiobooks was sticking out a little and I remembered I had read they made this into a movie coming out this summer with Felicity, er, Keri Russell -- and that was all it took. Popped it into my bag.

Kinda wished I hadn't.

The idea is super. A women is so completely caught up in Mr. Darcy that no other man will ever stack up. So, her eccentric great-aunt bequeathes her a trip to the English countryside and a manor that recreates the Regency era, as a kind of therapy.

I'm a Darcy-lovin'-gal myself, so I can get into this. And the manor is crawling with actors roll-playing to help "guests" believe they are in "Pride and Prejudice" or "Emma." But poor, pathetic Jane Hayes, cast as Ms. Jane Erstwhile niece to the residents of the Park, has a hard time relaxing into her role. It's all too fake. And it all really is.

I didn't like how this story was told in first person -- all from Jane's limited point of view. All the fakery would be more fun if Hale had shared the story telling honors. Taking turns with the residents and the guests. The minor twist at the end isn't worth sitting through hours of Jane's psychosis. And every few chapters we're interrupted by an study of each of Jane's past, failed romances. And it's jarring and a lazy story telling gimmick.

Lastly, I get annoyed when Brits try to write American, and vise versa. There's these little cultural difference you can't nail. And in this book, I could have sworn the author was British, because of some of the phrasing. She's from Utah. So my annoyance must stem from the narrator who was British and did a crumby American accent. All fake.

I hope they handle the material in a much better way for the Austenland movie. And cut the far-too-drawn-out ending down to size. One can hope!

Grade: Yellow Light

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