The Jane Austen Book Club

I feel another Austen phase coming on, so couldn't resist this frothy little ode to my favourite author. The concept is cute - five women and a guy get together to discuss Jane Austen's six novels - but Karen Joy Fowler's witty writing makes this more than just a clever device. Yes, each character is tied into the text they choose to discuss - Jocelyn the control freak leads in with Emma, Sylvia finds parallels with her own love life in Persuasion, while her emotional daughter Allegra goes for Sense and Sensibility - but the narratives really come to life through revealing anecdotes and the distinct 'voices' of the women (and token guy, Grigg). I loved reading about them all, and the references to Austen's novels were a bonus (although show more poor Mr Knightley isn't well received!) When discussing Sense and Sensibility, Grigg cynically observes that women 'want the heel, not the soul', which is a very pithy summary of Marianne and Willoughby! If I didn't agree with some of the group dissections of the novels (primarily Emma), I also uncovered some hidden truths in Austen's work, like paying more attention to the characters who aren't successful in love, like Lydia, Maria and Eliza, rather than the fairytale lives of the heroines.

A lovely, light-hearted read that fellow fans of Austen will enjoy, and any uninitiated readers ('Grigg had never read Pride and Prejudice! We really didn't know what to say') will hopefully be tempted to test the water too. show less

'The Jane Austen Book Club' is one of those novels that might be dismissed as 'chick lit' but actually turns out to be a sharp, witty, intelligent and well-written book that, whilst certainly a light read, is also one to be deliciously savoured.

The premise is simple but original. A group of friends start a book club. Not just any book club, but, in light of their collective issues with modern life, an 'All-Jane-Austen-All-The-Time' book club. Six people, six books, with each of the group hosting the meeting for their chosen novel. The chapters are structured around these meetings, so the first chapter is 'MARCH, CHAPTER 1... in which we gather at Jocelyn's to discuss Emma', and so on. In each chapter the host's history and personality show more is more fully explored, the month's novel is discussed (but never so much that it bores or alienates the reader), and at the same time the other characters are lightly threaded through the background to keep the overall plot evolving.

As well as showcasing Austen's novels, this is very much a character piece. Each of the six book club members are entirely individual and it makes for much more interesting and amusing reading. Bernadette is a serial wife, rather eccentric and flamboyant, with a liking for yoga and Pride and Prejudice. Loyal Sylvia works at the library and has just had her life shattered by her husband Daniel's confession that he is leaving her for another woman. Her beautiful daughter Allegra is constantly doing daring things - not always without paying the price - and is getting over a devastating betrayal by her ex-girlfriend Corinne. Jocelyn is a dominant terminal singleton, afraid of being hurt and making up for it by matchmaking everyone else. Prudie is a rather artificial, self-conscious young French teacher who doesn't quite know how to interact with other people without coming across all wrong. And Grigg, poor Grigg, a sci-fi fan and Austen virgin brought into the group by Jocelyn as a distraction for Sylvia, entirely out of his depth and trying not to make an idiot of himself. The novel is narrated by a kind of all-seeing other, one who describes each character in the third person but frequently mentions 'us' and 'we'; part of the fun of the reading is trying to work out which of the six, if any, might be telling the story.

Thus characters are deepened, love blossoms and dies and blooms again, and the story goes on. Of course it ends with optimism, hope and a well-timed bit of Austen wisdom. To my surprise, at the end of the book Fowler has also added some little extras which add to the reading experience - some contemporary and modern literary criticism of Austen and her novels, a brief summary of each of the books (handy for those not familiar with all of the works, or those who might want a quick refresher on characters and plots), and at the VERY end, a funny set of 'Questions for Discussion' on Austen AND Fowler presented by each of the six book club members.

Clearly a liking for Jane Austen helps when reading this novel, but ultimately there is nothing in here that should put off a less knowledgeable reader, particularly given the handy summaries at the back (which I wish I'd noticed earlier, I must admit). It is a scrumptious book - funny, romantic, inspiring and positive - and definitely one I'll be keeping to read again.

I'd also highly recommend the recent movie of the book (starring Maria Bello, Maggie Grace and Hugh Dancy), which is surprisingly faithful to the book in spite of its challenging structure, and just as sparkling! show less

Mini-Me and The Book Accumulator recommended the film of this and I borrowed the book from Mini-Me - and really didn't know what to make of it. On the one hand, there are 5 women and a man of unknown provenance sitting around monthly in California discussing their beloved Miss Austen. On the other hand, we delve into the back stories of the characters and they are très dark. Daaaaaark dark. Sexual assault, emotional betrayal, divorce - these ladies really can't catch a break. Totally at odds with their fluffy discussion. Maybe that's the point - but it was too disconnected for me.

Six people meet monthly to discuss Jane Austen's novels. There's a fairly contented woman in her sixties, two long-standing friends in their 50s, a young French teacher, another young woman who is the daughter of one of the good friends, and a guy who really prefers science fiction.

The book has brief descriptions of the meetings, and a lot of flashbacks into the characters' pasts. I found it interesting, on the whole, but did not enjoy it as much as I had expected to. There really isn't much plot, and there isn't a whole lot of discussion of Austen either. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters who seemed flat - not even amusing like some of Austen's characters - and although I kept trying to like it, I think I must have show more missed the point.

Still, it made pleasant enough light reading.

There are brief details about Jane Austen's novels at the back of the book, and some fascinating glimpses into comments and quotations made by her family, friends and other readers.

Perhaps three and a half stars. show less

This is a bit of a catch-22 situation. You might like this book a lot if you have read all of the Jane Austen books because you get the inside jokes and the oblique references or you might hate this book a lot if you have read all of the Jane Austen books because you indeed get the references.

In my case I had not read any Austen books when I read this. I had seen a few adaptations of the books in various forms : historical (Pride and Prejudice 2005), modern (aka Clueless) so I had no bases to critique the interpretations of the books by the members of the Austen book club. I did like the characters. I was able to connect with some parts of each of them. It would have been more enjoyable if I had read the Austen books and been able to show more make parallels with the characters' lives but then maybe it would have colored my views too much. Like I said catch-22 situation. show less

Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors--maybe even my top favorite. I'm not sure how appealing this book would be to those who don't know her and like her writing. There's not only a lot of comments about her books, but a lot of allusions in the situations of the present day characters--ones not pointed out or obvious.

Austen wrote six mature novels and this book deals with a book club made up of six characters each with their own chapter--there's Bernadette the oldest at 67; Prudie the youngest in her twenties; Jocelyn and Sylvia, best friends in their fifties who have known each other since they were eleven; Sylvia's 30-year-old lesbian daughter Allegra and the token male Grigg who is in his forties. The first line is, "Each of us show more has a private Austen." Each section focuses on a member of the book club as they meet to discuss one of the books. For instance the first book is Emma and in between the discussion we learn the story of Jocelyn, a dog breeder who like Austen's heroine could be described as handsome, clever and rich. The second section and book is the turn of Sense and Sensibility and we focus on Allegra who, like Marianne, is convinced passion should be the focus of life and is something of a drama queen. At that point I was already wondering what role each would take on as the book proceeded. Would the token male be identified with Darcy, the most famous of Austen's male characters? Would Sylvie, going through a difficult divorce, the quiet caregiver, get a second chance at love like Anne Eliot?

I think poor Grigg was my favorite. I felt almost embarrassed for my gender at the way the others treated him in the novel. Bernadette thought he shouldn't have been included in the club, Allegra is rudely challenging to his first remarks and Jocelyn is condescending and dismissive about his love of science fiction. At the end, when he suggests they read Patrick O'Brien's nautical adventures next, the collective reaction is that you could go from O'Brien to Austen, but you can't stoop from Austen to O'Brien. I find that bit of book snobbishness a shame. Great literature should broaden, not narrow, and ironically O'Brien was himself a fan of Austen, and it shows in his style. There's also this odd use of first person plural--use of "we," "us" and "our" that didn't work for me. Yet at the end I did feel affection for all the characters, and I admit I got a geeky enjoyment in wallowing at all the Austen lore. (Including my silent, "You tell them, sister" at complaints of the Mansfield Park film adaptation.) So, not sure if this is for Austen lovers only, but as one that qualifies as a fan, yes, I did enjoy it. show less

I've read the (very) negative reviews of this (there are many) and I have to say, I think a lot of people just didn't get this book. They wanted it to be plot-driven and fun (as so many Austen take-offs are), but this book is much more character-driven and contemplative. I learned a lot about Jane Austen from it (especially from the back matter) and it was a great way to continue to explore her work. It's also so gratifying for me to read about people who live for and through literature. The characters all seemed real to me. I enjoyed their back stories, their foibles, the glimpses into their psyches. Though not the most enthralling novel, this contains many little everyday life stories that are memorable and full of meaning.

To explain show more my favorite part of the book, I'll have to go into spoiler territory. In the chapter where the club discusses [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298411870s/2156.jpg|2534720], Sylvia's husband writes her a great love letter. As you may know, the best thing about Persuasion is the love letter Wentworth sends to Anne in the end. Sigh. Is there anything better than a great love letter?

And, for fun, I decided who each character resembled in the world of Austen:

Prudie = Mrs. Bennet. You're not totally stupid, but you're super annoying and married to someone who's probably too good for you. Also, you are way too interested in young men.

Jocelyn = Elinor Dashwood. You're so together and sensible. But it seems like you're so worried about other people's happiness that you're going to let your own slip by the wayside.

Sylvia = Fanny Price. So annoying. You are not perfect! You try to be good and somehow end up making me really dislike you.

Allegra = Marianne Dashwood. Girl, you crazy. Even though you're the life of the party, you seem bound to end up with a dullsville mate.

Bernadette = Emma. I know Bernadette is old and Emma is young, but they both think they're the queen and we're the sorry people.

Grigg = Henry Tilney. So likable and clever with weird taste in women.

(You will notice only one of the characters from my favorite Austen novels, P&P and Persuasion, made it on the list. That's probably why the book got three stars instead of four.) show less