Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

It has been quite some time since I read (AND LOVED) Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. I've recommended it to many friends, but I see that I never got around to recommending it to you!

From the publisher, Shadow Mountain:

"Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance.

Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.  From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke."

Shadow Mountain got me really excited when they announced that this book is the first in their "G-rated Proper Romance Line". I've been watching for news of more titles that fit this description. No news yet, I'm afraid. Where are the follow-ups, Shadow Mountain? We want more!

I found this book to be a tremendously enjoyable read. It was hard to put down, and I highly recommend this CLEAN, wonderful romance, especially to those readers who enjoy Jane Austen-era reads. You'll find the setting, playful banter, and romance you love....although this is certainly a quicker read than Austen's novels.

Enjoy! Everyone in my book club loved this one.

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal


A Guest Review by LaChelle, the Sugar Duchess

Jane Ellsworth lives in an alternate Regency England, where accomplished young ladies not only sing and play and paint, but also manipulate folds of magic called "glamour." Jane and her sister Melody are polar opposites - Jane is particularly talented with glamour, but rather plain, and nearly a confirmed spinster; Melody is younger and more beautiful, but has little skill with glamour. Sparks fly as both sisters fall in love with the same man, and romantic mayhem ensues as new gentlemen arrive, past scandals are uncovered, attractions form, and secret engagements come to light.

The whole premise of Shades of Milk and Honey is "Jane Austen with magic." This book is a faster read and less convoluted than most of Jane Austen's works, but it has everything we love in a good Austen story: Great social action, sparkling prose, intelligent characters (and ridiculous characters), and most of all, that wonderful romantic tension! Mary Robinette Kowal also throws in a sprinkling of twists and surprises, which were pulled off really well. The magic system is intelligent and fascinating on its own, and is able to color the characters and events of the story without breaking Regency England. And the whole thing is completely clean!

Recommended for any age, and for anyone who loves intelligent light fantasy and Jane Austen.

Read any good, clean books lately? Send a review my way!

Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker by Emma Hox

Longbourn's Unexpected Matchmaker by Emma Hox

Book Review by Emily

This retelling of Pride and Prejudice was an enjoyable read. Imagine a Pride and Prejudice where nothing goes wrong. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are free to fall in love without all the distractions. Okay, there are a few complications in it, but they are quickly resolved and you can get back to the developing love story.

I consider this novel a supplement to the original Pride and Prejudice. It's fun to read more about what could have happened to the characters we love so well.

My copy has quite a few editing issues, but hopefully they'll get those straightened out.

Recommended for adult fans of Jane Austen.

Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo, author of Jane Austen Ruined My Life.
Review by Me, Emily.

Claire Prescott is anything but thrilled when she gets roped into going to a Jane Austen seminar in place of her sister. Unlike her sister, she doesn't see the appeal of the iconic Mr. Darcy. Claire has been dating a 'nice guy' and is content with him. Mostly.

While at the seminar, she is swept away by a handsome Darcy-like character. She also comes into possession of the long-lost first draft of Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen's own writing.

Will she be whisked away by the handsome man at her romantic getaway in Oxford? Or will the nice guy win her heart after all?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Austen spinoff. Although, I am not sure I agreed with the ending...you know...did she really end up with the right guy? I'm not sure.

Anyway, the book is 'good, clean fun'. It's quick and enjoyable.

(PS. A little shameless self-promotion...If you are ordering anything from Amazon this Christmas, I'd really appreciate it if you clicked through my site to get there. Thanks!)

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Review by Cindy Bohn of Digging Up Bohns

This was a fun teen romance that was a neat little twist on Jane Austen. Julie's friend Ashleigh is always having these phases, or 'enthusiasms.' Suddenly Ashleigh discovers Jane Austen, and decides to go all out. Julie finally persuades her not to wear long dresses to high school, but agrees to go along to a boys' school dance, where they can meet their Mr. Darcys.

Like I said, it was a fun book. Ashleigh reminds me of several people I know, but fortunately, not quite so obsessed. And just about every reader will spot where the story is going almost from the beginning. The fun is in seeing HOW we get there.

Julie is a good character, with a complicated family, complicated emotions, and I really wanted her to get what she deserved. Recommended for teens or adults.

The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan

Title: The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World

Author: Margaret C. Sullivan

Review by Jeanette at a Comfy Chair and a Good Book

Genre: Non-fiction, Jane Austen
Pages: 224
Date Finished: 29 Feb 2008
My Rating: A

This is a delightful, charming, humorous and informative book, packed with information on Regency England. As the publisher said, this book is "for all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:
How to Become an Accomplished Lady
How to Run a Great House
How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward
How to Throw a Dinner Party
How to Choose and Buy Clothing

Full of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living."
You'll also learn just how rich Darcy really was and how much he would be worth today. I thought Sullivan explained entail better than anything else I have ever read about the subject. I feel like I finally understand entail and the hows and whys of its use.
All of the little day to day things that made up the life of the landed gentry during Austen's life time are covered. The writing is light and easy, less scholarly and more fun but just as informative and accurate as a more scholarly book.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek references to the novels that are found throughout the book. I found this approach humorous and enjoyable and almost felt like I was sharing an inside joke between myself, Margaret Sullivan and Jane Austen. For example, when writing about child rearing, Sullivan wrote that "if all else fails, liberal slices of cake solve many child-rearing problems." Could she be referring to Mrs. Musgroves approach to her grandsons that is found in Persuasion? This is just one example of such humorous little tidbits found throughout the book.
The illustrations by Kathryn Rathke make the book even more delightful and the wonderful appendices complete the book. There you find a short bio of Jane Austen, a glossary of Regency terms, synopses of each novel, a listing of film adaptations, a bibliography and a list of web site and discussion groups.
I checked this wonderful book out from the library but will be adding it to my Jane Austen book collection soon.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

PERSUASION by Jane Austen

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....Persuasion by Jane Austen has to be--without a doubt--my favorite, favorite Austen novel. I've only read it twice, but each time was oh-so-magical. Though I will *admit* that it perhaps isn't a book that will "grab" you from page one. It might take some patience and effort, but give it a chapter or two (or three) and you might just find yourself swept up in the story of Anne Elliot.

Sir Walter Eliott, of Kellynch-hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Barnetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs, changed naturally into pity and contempt, as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century--and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed--this was the page at which the favorite volume always opened: Elliot of Kellynch-Hall.

See what I mean about NOT being an opening that will hook you? Long story short...or three reasons why you should read Persuasion despite its verbose, pompous opening....1) It is the story of Anne Elliot. A middle child, a daughter obviously, born into a pompous and atrocious family muddles through the best she can while waiting for her Prince to come. (Okay, she's not really waiting for her Prince to come and rescue her. She's all but given up on love since she's also, at age 27, an "old maid.")

2) Despite coming from a ghastly, horribly obnoxious family, Anne herself is not only intelligent and genuine but she's also thoroughly enjoyable and likable. She has a wit and cleverness about her. She actually sees the world around her. She isn't blind to reality like so many of the other characters.

3) Persuasion is all about second chances. Anne Elliot, a girl who truly deserves good things because her family is so rotten, lost her one chance for love and happiness eight years before our narrative opens. Her heart belonged--then and now--to a young man, a sailor, Frederick Wentworth. But her family and friends deemed him unworthy and unacceptable. And forced into choosing between her family and her love, she chose her family. A decision she regretted from the moment she broke her lover's heart.

When Persuasion opens the reader learns that hard times have come to the Elliot family--a family mostly known for its arrogance and pride. The family is *forced* into renting their out their estate to an Admiral Croft and his wife. The Elliot family--all but Anne--will reside in Bath year round. Anne, poor Anne, only Anne, will be parceled out as need be between Bath and her father and older sister, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Mary.

What can I say about Mary? Mary is interesting--and by interesting I mean obnoxious and annoying--in a completely different way than her father, Sir Walter, and her sister, Elizabeth. Mary is married to Charles. Charles Musgrove. Charles and Mary and their two children live on the estate--in a smaller house--as his parents and his sisters. They live in the "great house." Anne's time spent with her sister and her sister's in-laws is interesting to say the least. Mainly because someone has just arrived in the neighborhood. A Captain Wentworth. Captain Frederick Wentworth. Just the sight of him makes her heart skip a beat--or two or three--she loves him like she's always loved him. But he's out of reach. He's now courting--of all people--one of the Musgrove sisters.Love. Requited. Unrequited. Broken hearts. Regret. Jealousy. Disappointment. Frustration. It's all there with just a little more besides.I do not want to spoil this one for anyone. Really. I don't want to. So please, please, please stop reading if you haven't read the novel. I mean it.

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There are just a few scenes--one really big scene--that makes this novel oh-so-magical. That takes it from nice to really really great.I love, love, love the conversation between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville. Their discussion on which sex--which gender--loves most, loves deepest, loves truer is one of the best dialogues ever. Seriously. Mostly because of the heart-felt letter that is the result of Captain Wentworth overhearing that conversation. That letter? The best, most romantic love letter of ALL TIME. Who could not love this guy?

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.

The letter goes on, but I think you get the idea. Anyway, as much as I love Pride & Prejudice (and I do) I've just got to give the award to Anne and Captain Wentworth when it comes to love and romance. Okay, it only wins by a small margin--because Darcy is quite a letter-writer as well. And he is oh-so-dreamy in his own ways. But Anne, Anne is what makes this book so wonderful. She's a heroine that has nothing to recommend her but her self--her true self. A self that only a few recognize as a thing of beauty, a thing of great worth.

Becky's Book Reviews: http://blbooks.blogspot.com/
Becky's Christian Reviews: http://stand-firm-then.blogspot.com/
Young Readers: http://zero-to-eight.blogspot.com/
Reading With Becky: http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/

A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith

A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith
Review by Emily from Whimsy Books and Whimsy Daisy

A Walk with Jane Austen is a quiet ride through Jane Austen’s world. This book is not what I expected it to be. It is less about Jane Austen and more about author Lori Smith. It is a soft memoir. Smith’s talented writing weaves countless connections between the life of Jane Austen and her own.

Lori Smith finds herself growing older and unmarried, a position she never expected to find herself in. She tours England to visit the remaining sites of Austen’s world. During this trip, Smith discovers who she is, why we face challenges, and how faith can get us through.

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. In this engaging, deeply personal and well-researched travelogue, Smith (a PW contributor) journeys to England to soak in the places of Jane Austen's life and writings. The book is sure to ride the wave of Austen-philia that has recently swept through Hollywood and a new generation of Americans, but this is an unusual look at Jane Austen. Readers will learn plenty of biographical details-about Austen's small and intimate circle of family and friends, her candid letters to her sister, her possible loves and losses, her never-married status, her religious feelings, and her untimely death at the age of 41. But it is the author's passionate connection to Jane-the affinity she feels and her imaginings of Austen's inner life-that bring Austen to life in ways no conventional biographer could. Smith's voice swings authentically between the raw, aching vulnerability of a single Christian woman battling a debilitating and mysterious chronic illness and the surges of faith she finds in the grace of a loving God. And yes, she even meets a potential Darcy at the start of her journey. This deliciously uncertain romantic tension holds the book together as Smith weaves her own thoughts, historical research, and fitting references to Austen's novels into a satisfying whole.

Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Just Jane by Nancy Moser, September 2007.

Just Jane is a fictionalized novel of Jane Austen's life. Not her whole life, mind you. But most of her adult life and definitely focusing in on her writing years. The novel begins with her struggling to find the perfect opening line for First Impressions--the working title of Pride and Prejudice--and closes with her receiving her copy of the newly published Emma. In between, the book focuses on a lot of family drama. This book presents the Austen family in a very close, personal, intimate way. You'll see the friendship between Jane and Cassandra first hand. And you'll notice the tension and discomfort between Jane and two ofher sisters-in-laws especially. The book doesn't paint Jane as a saint. A woman without flaws. A sweet-tempered woman who hid herself away and wrote contentedly while the world passed her by. Jane is opinionated. She's smart. She's witty. She's content to let the world think what it wants about her. In the end, she comes to realize that you've just got to be true to yourself if you want to be happy.

The book opens when she is young, perhaps 22. And the novel does have her interested in the opposite sex. Interested in finding a suitor. Interested in marriage. But for whatever reasons, the right man never seems to come along. There'll be a brief flirtation here or there, but no man of substance pays her court. And the book addresses how Jane deals with this. At this time, in this society spinsterhood had a stigma. A definite stigma. To be single at 26 or 29 or 33 was in some respects 'beyond all hope' of a happy and contented life. To be a spinster meant you would be burdening someone your entire life--your parents, your sisters, a distant relation. And Jane's parents did want her--and her sister--to find eligible men and get married. They wanted their daughters to be taken care of. They wanted a good match. So in her youth, Jane, was a bit disappointed in her singleness. She was interested in a match--but a match on her own terms. She didn't want to throw herself at a man. She didn't want to be seen as desperate. She didn't want her parents--her aunt or uncle--her family to pursue and chase down a man for her to marry. She wanted to marry for love. She didn't want to marry for wealth. Or marry for convenience. She wanted love or nothing at all. As she matures, she comes to the realization that being single has been a gift. That being single has allowed her the time and energy to write and focus on what brings her pleasure. (After all, she has several brothers who have eleven kids a piece and she knows their wives must never have time for any peace and quiet!) Once she realizes that, she begins to embrace all of who she is.

It is a book about knowing yourself, loving yourself for who you are and not hating yourself for who you're not, a book about realizing your greatest hopes and dreams.

I really enjoyed that Moser included several pages explaining what was true and what was fiction in the back of the book. It also has a "what happened next" feature that provides closure to what happened to all of the Austen clan.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor

Becky's Book Reviews: http://blbooks.blogspot.com/

Becky's Christian Reviews: http://stand-firm-then.blogspot.com/

Reading With Becky: http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

I recently read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and I would list them among my favorite books. For my third Austen book, I settled on Emma. I did not care for Emma as much, but I am glad that I read it.

In some respects, Emma Woodhouse is not a likable heroine. She is self-centered and vain, and she uses others for her own entertainment and pleasure. Throughout the novel, however, Emma changes into a lady who genuinely cares for the feelings of others and learns that she cannot view the entire world through her own desires and perspective.

Although she was sometimes shallow, I liked Emma as a character, and I enjoyed following her transformation. Like the other Austen books I have read, Emma is filled with wit and humor. On the other hand, there were times when I felt the story was dragging. Sometimes, I just had to put the book down and come back to it at another time. Additionally, while I believe that Jane Austen has a gift for creating wonderful characters, there were so many people mentioned that I sometimes had difficulty keeping some of the lesser names straight in my mind.

Of the Austen books I have read, Emma was not my favorite, but I certainly recommend it. If you have never read Jane Austen, head to your nearest library now; you will not be disappointed. And, because Emma has been made into several movies, you can treat yourself to the movie as well (after reading the book, of course)!

Review by Lauren, regular contributor

Baseballs and Bows

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I recently pledged to broaden my reading horizons by reading a few classics. Last week, I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I admit that I forced myself to begin this book, and I trudged through the opening chapters. It wasn't long, however, before I was caught up in the tale.

This love story is funny, sarcastic, and witty. It is filled with sisterly devotion, disappointment, familial discord, indiscretions, deception, and, of course, pride and prejudice. After reading the book only once, I will not attempt to provide a literary discussion of this fine work, but I will recommend it heartily.

For those of you who shy away from classics, let me share something I learned about myself. As I read, I realized the reason I usually stick with more contemporary works of fiction; I prefer to read quickly. When reading a text in which words such as precipitance, thither, and insipidity are common, I must slow down and give greater attention to the language and its meaning. What I discovered with Pride and Prejudice is that some stories are worth my time and effort! I would encourage anyone who hesitates to read classics for a similar reason to give this novel a try.

This novel is quite quotable, but I will share one I noticed in the the opening chapters of the book.

"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

So true! Again, I enjoyed this novel, and I plan to read more by Jane Austen. I highly recommend that you do the same.

Review by Lauren, regular contributor

Baseballs and Bows

LAST CHANCE! Don't forget to comment on this or any other Clean Reads post for a chance to win a new signed copy of RULES by Cynthia Lord!

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I enjoyed Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen a good bit. The book jacket described it as "the most joyous of Jane Austen's novels," so I looked forward to a light and encouraging read. That is pretty much how I would describe it. I wanted to read something by Jane Austen, because I wasn't sure I ever had. I may have read Pride and Prejudice in school, and I know I've seen the movie, and the movie of Emma as well.

Jane Austen was able to draw me into her characters, even with a somewhat detached third-person sort of story-telling. She begins the story about Catherine, the unlikely heroine, and periodically inserts her narrator's voice in this way throughout the story. However, in spite of this, I found myself saying, almost out loud at times, "How dare you do that! Leave her alone! Stop lying!" or something along those lines. It also made me long for the genteel life of a young English woman, with nothing more to do than read and discuss novels, take strolls, and enjoy elaborate meals, in between dances and other social events.

I wanted to dip into the Jane Austen well. I did, and I will do so again soon.

Posted by Jennifer Donovan, regular contributor

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