This had such a fantastic premise. Time travel and a modern-day woman heading back into the time of Jane Austen. I just didn't like where Laurie Viera Rigler headed with the plot. Even at the end of the next novel, hardly anything was cleared up. I was really disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT

Plus just can't buy into the view that we're all one across time and space. I'm an individual and as such I just didn't buy into her philosophy. I hated that neither one of the women get back into their own bodies...I think it's all about learning from one another and how to be happy with ourselves in our own lives not in someone else's. Just my two cents worth. It was OK, but nothing I'll ever read again. ( )

The only reason why I finished this book was because I kept hoping it would get better. It never happened. Very disappointing. ( )

A modern woman awakens to find herself in another woman's body and life.....a life in 19th century England. A charming little fuff of a book with references to Jane Austen and her classic works. I found it to be a fun, amusing book to lighten a dismal weekend. ( )

did not finish ( )

At the beginning of Laurie Viera Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, modern-day L.A. lady Courtney Stone is nursing a serious heartbreak when she wakes up in Regency-era England as "Jane Mansfield," 30-year old un-married woman in "want of a husband".

Jane's life comes complete with scheming mother, a jealous cousin, and an attractive suitor who is quite possibly a libertine. After a small stint as Jane, Courtney is more than ready to leave Jane, and travel back to her own time - even if it means embracing the heartache she left behind. As the lines blur between Courtney's and Jane's memories, she begins to question her own version of reality and challenge her ideas about what is right and wrong.

Let me begin by giving you a little background on my relationship with this book. After reading Shannon Hale's Austenland, I basically stumbled upon this genre that I'm calling "Austen-esque," and I wanted to read more. I found Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict on Reading Trails, and quickly decided it would be my next "Austen-esque" book. While waiting for my library to fill my request, I read many, many negative reviews for Rigler's book. I almost decided not to read the book, based on those reviews. Had I not read it however, I would have missed out on a lot of fun.

After reading other reviews, I can only speculate that the reviewers missed the fanciful, frivolous fun contained in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. The novel really is brain-candy - and taking is more seriously than a "beach-read" type of book is just plain silly. The story is simply delightful, with compelling characters, and a fresh plot.

Easily read in one sitting, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict manages to capture the spirit of Austen's works without bogging the reader down in heavy details. Don't get me wrong, this is not - I repeat NOT - a Jane Austen novel, and cannot possibly be compared to Austen's classic works. There are many anachronistic moments along the way, as Courtney settles into Jane's life, but the engaging story more than makes up for any historical inaccuracies (this is a novel, and not a work of non-fiction after all.)

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict was an intriguing, well-written, entertaining read. It is light and frothy and lots of fun, and I would recommend it to anyone (with a sense of humor) who enjoys both Jane Austen and "Austen-esque" novels. ( )