Title: Jane Austen Ruined My Life
Author: Beth Patillo
Length: 288 pages
Genre: Fiction
Publisher/Date: Guideposts, 2009
Source: Library copy
I have read a fair number of Austen-related books in my time. Many of them are thinly veiled excuses to use the author’s favorite phrases from the original texts, although there have been some very well-done retellings and sequels over the years.
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo is neither of these. Instead, it is a contemporary novel that dances around the mysterious lost letters of Jane Austen herself while exploring the nature of romantic love.
The main character in this story is Emma Grant, an Austen scholar who has recently found out that her husband is cheating on her and has also been framed for plagiarism by him and his mistress. After losing both her marriage and her job, she flees to England to follow up on an intriguing correspondence with a woman claiming to have knowledge of Austen’s lost letters.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this story unfold as Emma performs a variety of tasks and chases clues around various parts of England to gain access to the long-lost letters. The addition of two potential suitors and her personal journey of discovery make this novel worth the read on many levels.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
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I love, love, love Jane Austin! I’ll have to check out the book.