The Man Who Loved Jane Austen

I picked up this novel because I was on a literary trip following Miss Jane Austen's steps in Bath and in Chawton.
Having read most of her books and wanting to keep the one I had left for after the journey, I chose "The man who loved Jane Austen" looking for a light entertainment and because I wanted to read something related to Austen as well.
I didn't expect a masterpiece and the book started quite well. I thought it to be a predictable story but a good romantic one, with some of Austen's touch. Well, I was entirely mistaken. The novel resulted to be a cheap sci-fi story, treating time travel as the commonest thing in the world.
And then...the assumption that Mr. Darcy (our dear Mr. Darcy, pure embodiment of the ever-after perfect show more English gentleman) was an American was too much for me, even with the author's foreword apologising for her daring imagination.
Jane Austen appears cheapened, shallow and uninteresting. A middle aged poor woman in search of an affair.
The Mr. Darcy of this story is a snob and a big headed guy who behaves like a puppet without will or determination like the Mr. Darcy that we know. He is not appealing at all, just a fake and unsatisfying replacement.
And Eliza, the heroine of the book, is conceited, uni dimensional and superfluous.
I was actually a bit ashamed to keep on reading because the book loses all the essence like in chapter 4.

So, I think I'll stick to Austen's books, they are far more rewarding and always a pleasure to read for any kind of public who appreciates a good novel. show less

This was weird going in. I found moments of this very interesting story to be stilted, and trying too hard. Self-parody is always great, but those moments were spotty, not thematic, so a little distracting. Eliza I grew to love, and honestly, was a very interesting person to meet. There were quite a few secondary characters we never really knew. But the three main characters were very well developed. The other characters had good potential to develop, and as secondary characters were very satisfying. Very sweet to read. Very good to get out of New York.

This would make a fabulous movie. I think it would be interesting to see the same actress portray Jane Austen and Eliza. There wouldn't have to be a crazy tale of how their destinies are show more entwined, or, since Fitz loved one he has to love the other. No, just a crazy coincidence. And the ancestor, Rose Eliot. The painting should be different. But same dark hair? Yanno, like, when they make a movie about a living person with a person that looks similar? That kind of similar. Not the same actress, because then we wonder about Fitz's intentions. Having the same actress portray Jane and Eliza would be very nice though because they are a little similar, and the sexual tension and love can span the centuries. How romantic! They've done that in other movies, they just need to give Austen period curls, and Eliza straight flowing hair. Subtle makeup changes. Like, none for Austen, and light flattering makeup for Eliza. Haha, I really got into this book once I turned it into a movie. show less

Do you ever wish that Jane Austen might have know love such as she chronicled, despite the historical documentation of her spinsterhood? Such a dream is the basis for O'Rourke's novel.

When Eliza Knight finds the perfect vanity table in a run-down antique market, little does she know she is changing the course of her future. Behind a warped mirror backing, Eliza discovers correspondence between a Miss Jane Austen and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy! An avid devotee of Miss Elizabeth Bennet's quest for love, the open letters leave Eliza thrilled, enchanted, and determined. With the help of the Austenticity.com web site, and her cat Wickham, Eliza traces clues which reveal the truth behind Jane's exchanges with a supposedly fictional character of show more her own creation. By delivering Jane's final letter to Darcy, Eliza discovers true love equal to that which Elizabeth Bennet enjoyed.

For another tale based around a hidden cache of Jane Austen letters, but without the time travel elements, check out Beth Pattillo's debut novel Jane Austen Ruined My Life. show less

This is a sweet little fantasy about a young woman who finds a set of letters belonging to Jane Austen in an old piece of furniture, and sets off to solve the mystery they present. Along the way she meets a modern Mr. Darcy with mysteries of his own. The premise is fun, but their stories aren't really fleshed out enough to make the book a convincing read. If you're looking for Jane Austen, this isn't it, but it's a pleasant enough romance with an interesting twist.

I enjoyed this. It was a fun story that had its moments of being a bit poorly written, but overall a good story.

This was one of those finds at a charity sale table and what a lucky little find it was. A very interesting idea of just who Mr. Darcy could have been and how with a little imagination he could have been Jane's great love. This cover I thought was somewhat deceiving in that it is not a steamy romance but a lovely soft story. Some good characters with a few surprises and an engaging look at Jane and her family. If you are a Mr. Darcy fan do not miss out on reading this book.

This was a fun read as long as you don’t look at the story line too closely. Mr. Darcy claims to Eliza that the sealed letter she found was indeed meant for him and I actually found his explanation for this crazy statement more believable than the fact that he and Eliza could fall crazy in love with each other in a matter of days. Seemed kind of strange. All the same Mr. Darcy’s story did catch my interest and the concept of the book was interesting. The author tried to mirror modern day Eliza and Mr. Darcy’s relationship to that of Lizzie and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Eliza has a suitor who is pretty much an idiot like Mr. Collins, when she visits Pemberley there is a woman, Faith Harrington, who believes she and Mr. show more Darcy are meant to be married and her brother, Harv Harrington, indulges in innocent flirting with Eliza similar to the lines of Lizzie from P&P and Mr. Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.

I love Pride & Prejudice and this was actually one of the better books I have enjoyed that stemmed off of Pride and Prejudice.

See other reviews here: http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/the-man-who-loved-jane-austen-by-sa.... show less