Where do I sign up? I think a couple of weeks spent in Austenland would be wonderful, if it's anything like the Jane Austen era adventure promised to its clients in Shannon Hale's Midnight in Austenland (#204). (Without the sheep's eyeballs on the menu, thank you very much!)
Charlotte Kinder decides it's just the place for her to get away while her two children spend a month with their father and his new wife. How could she have missed all the signs that James was cheating on her? A friend has recently talked her into reading all of Jane Austen's novels, so why not escape to that world? She can easily afford it, since her web-based company took off. Once she arrives, receives some coaching on Regency etiquette and changes into her new wardrobe, complete with corsets, she's ready to enter the world of 1816 society at Pembrook Park. Everyone at Pembrook Park, both clients and staff, is acting, so is the body she finds real, or is it part of the game of Bloody Murder? And what about the romance scripted for her...?
I thought this book was hilarious, and it actually made me laugh out loud. The narrative cuts back and forth between Charlotte's past and the present goings-on at Pembrook Park. Charlotte's Inner Thoughts keep intruding, preventing her from fully entering the fantasy created by the cast at Pembrook, but that monologue is just what makes Charlotte such a sympathetic character and a true Everywoman. If you're a romantic at heart with a nice sense of humor, put Midnight in Austenland on your "Must Read" list!
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