Marilyn Brant

"A Summer in Europe", by Marilyn Brant, is a beautifully written story of a young woman's self-renaissance. As Gwendolyn Reese turns thirty and contemplates her life experiences, she considers the orderly manner in which she goes through each day to be her safety net. Her mother's sudden death at age forty had left Gwen shaken and in need of the pedestrian reliability of a structured existence. With her mother's passing, Gwen assumed the responsibility of caring for her father and two show more younger brothers. Later, she finds some sense of satisfaction in her teaching career, and her love of music is a source of pleasure. Expecting her boyfriend, Richard, to propose, she is taken aback when he postpones making the commitment. Gwen's lively Aunt Bea, sister of Gwen's late mother, offers her a chance of a lifetime--to join her and the members of her S&M Club for a summer-long tour of Europe. "S&M" stands for sudoku and mahjongg, and Aunt Bea and her friends are die-hard devotees of the games. At first, Gwen feels awkward and out-of-place, intimidated by the timeless culture of her surroundings and the intellect and sophistication of some of the fellow travelers she meets along the way. However, as time passes, Gwen begins to absorb the sights and sounds and tastes and textures of each place that they visit. The more she takes in, the lighter she begins to feel, shedding the repression of her inhibitions. Her attention is captured and held by two charming and intelligent brothers, Emerson and Thoreau, whose main goal in life seems to be one-upping each other at every opportunity. It is Emerson to whom she is most drawn, and when he makes it clear that he returns her interest, her emotions take an unexpected turn. Still involved with Richard, she is not free to begin a relationship with Emerson, but her heart speaks a different language. When Richard unexpectedly joins her near the end of her grand tour, she must face her real feelings about life and love. Will she learn to let go and take a leap of faith, or will she return to the known comfort of the cocoon of her orderly world? The author's great love of Europe and her extensive travels there are evident in her delightful, irresistible descriptions of the beauty and bountiful offerings to be found throughout the European continent. The subtle, insightful way with which Marilyn Brant has crafted Gwen's story will make you feel as if you are experiencing everything right beside Gwen. You will breathe the air, inhale the intoxicating aromas, and be enchanted by the art and music and flow of languages. You will taste all the fantastic flavors of gelato, savor the linguine with meat sauce and the variety of quiches, and feel lust in your heart for the fabulous pastries and artisan chocolates. Perhaps the Sachertorte will be your undoing. A layered chocolate cake is filled with apricot jam, coated in chocolate ganache, and then finished with a chocolate glaze. The flavors are then immeasurably enhanced by the giving and receiving of forkfuls of said cake between two people caught up in the spell of the love of a lifetime. Like me, you may never see your travel dreams come to fruition, but thanks to Marilyn Brant, you will always have the pleasure of "A Summer in Europe".

Review Copy Gratis Kensington Books show less

This is a bit of an odd-ball premise - at age 15, Ellie gets the voice of Jane Austen talking to her in her head and giving her life and relationship advice. The story follows Ellie through high school, college, grad school, and beyond, and details her string of (completely unsuitable) boyfriends -- each of whom Jane has much to say about. Quirky, funny, and with some really fun characters, and an ending that made me smile. Brant got Jane Austen's "voice" down.

I've been on a huge Austen adaptation kick lately. I just want to read ALL THE ADAPTATIONS. Seriously. I have a shelf dedicated to the ones I own and another to the ones I've checked out at the library. I think I've only met one adaptation that I didn't love. I just love the feels that come along with a great Austen adaptation. I love experiencing the stories in a new way.

This one was no exception. I've given the whole online dating thing a shot and I totally understand the pressure that show more goes along with it. I've always tried to be completely honest in my profiles, but I've been caught unawares by those who aren't up front. For example, one of my great disasters was with a guy who said online that he was a senior software engineer. There are certain expectations that go along with a profession like that, so when he showed up and complained long and loud about my $3 salad, I knew something was up. I brought the topic around to work, and it turns out that he'd been out of work for over a year and had never even been a software engineer. Cut that one short. Yeah.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the book.

Both parties in this one are guilty of falsifying information, or at least, not telling the whole truth. The hijinks that ensue are a ton of fun and I found myself cringing at all the right moments. It was hilarious. I totally guessed how some things were going to turn out, but that didn't bother me at all. This wasn't supposed to be some deep, heavy, philosophical read. It was supposed to be a fun ride and it was.

I liked the characters, especially Jane, Beth Ann's best friend. She was just exactly what you'd want in a best friend - someone who is always there for you, lets you make mistakes and is there to help you pick up the pieces, helps you put your life back together, etc.

My favorite among the males was Bingley MacNamara, Darcy's cousin and meddler-in-chief. He cracked me up. He was a lot more astute than I originally suspected, so he was a very nice surprise. I'd have liked to see more of him.

Dr. Darcy is prickly, but not as much as he could have been. I'd have liked to see him stay a little truer to character, but it didn't bother me that much. He was still a cool guy, and his motives were awesome.

Beth Ann was also not as true to Elizabeth as she could have been, but I'm putting that up to artistic license. I wish she'd been a little stronger, but she was okay. Of all the characters, she was probably my least favorite, though I definitely didn't dislike her.

Reading Pride and Prejudice as an online dating story was pretty cool. It was definitely true to life and mirrored a lot of what I've seen and/or experienced myself. I like that Marilyn Brant took it this direction because it was so much fun. It was clean too. I'd recommend it with no reservations (i.e. 'there's this one part...') to anyone who loves Austen adaptations. I read it in a couple of hours and wanted to start over the minute I finished. I'm glad I bought a copy for my Kindle app!

It's a 3.5 Eiffel Tower book for me.



Content Advisory:
Language: Moderate
Sexuality: Mild
Violence: Mild show less

Where to start? It's a great book filled with unexpected wit and wisdom dispensed not only from the characters as created by this talented author, but from Jane Austen herself! That's right! Jane Austen lives on in this book...well in the mind of the lead character...as a ghost...adding a commentary to her daily activities, companionship for a quiet geekish girl, and pearls of wisdom on her potential suitors. To summarize, the journey of Ellie Barnett from simple girl to experienced woman show more with all the highs, lows, and laughs in-between. Follow her as she goes from high school geek to adult...well, okay, she's still a geek but that's okay...that's just one of her many endearing qualities that will have you in tears and stitches from one moment to the next while delivering a message about the importance of discovering the real you and what you want from life.

Recommended reading for older teens through adults...and for those looking to see Jane dispense a little of her timeless wisdom in a new and creative way....happy reading! show less