This book was a fantastic read for all Austen fans! The author has placed fictional scenerios and characters within Jane's life that act as inspiration for the famous Austen novels, vaguely reminding me of the movie "Neverland" (the movie about the author of Peter Pan). I literally could not put the book down!
The author also includes some extras and insights in the back of the book including famous quotes from Austen's novels. So little is actually known about Jane Austen's life - I choose to believe that Ms. James' account could very well have happened!
The author also includes some extras and insights in the back of the book including famous quotes from Austen's novels. So little is actually known about Jane Austen's life - I choose to believe that Ms. James' account could very well have happened!
Helpful Score: 4
Pretty good read. A little easier to follow than an Austen, while still filled with Austen flavor. But don't go into it thinking it will read even remotely like a memoir. It reads like a stand alone novel. And taken that way, it is enjoyable.
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic book! I felt like I was there while Jane Austen was living her life and writing her books. This author really gets inside the books and tells an extremely believable tale of what might have happened during a few months of Miss Austen's life that is undocumented. She weaves in facts, dates and places expertly, and "explains" a few mysteries and gaps in the family-driven biographies that were published.
If you love Jane Austen, you'll love this book.
If you love Jane Austen, you'll love this book.
I really enjoyed this book. This is the exact type of romance I would expect Jane to have. Smart, funny, reserved! It is fiction, but you are left with the hope that Jane really did have this kind of love in her life at one time. Lots of historical facts, and lost of characters from Jane's books scattered in the pages of this one. If you are a fan of Jane Austen I think you will enjoy this story.
I read this in one day. It's a quick read.
It's somewhat bittersweet at the end, but a charming "memoir" nonetheless. Read it if you're a Jane Austen fan. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. The author manages to capture the style and wit of Jane Austen. Certain lines that will later appear in Jane's books are said by the real life people in this memoir. Art imitates life. Of course this is a fictionalized account of Jane's life, but who knows where Jane really got the inspiration for the two-timing Mr. Willoughby, the ridiculous Mr. Collins, or other characters. This memoir provides possible answers.
It's somewhat bittersweet at the end, but a charming "memoir" nonetheless. Read it if you're a Jane Austen fan. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. The author manages to capture the style and wit of Jane Austen. Certain lines that will later appear in Jane's books are said by the real life people in this memoir. Art imitates life. Of course this is a fictionalized account of Jane's life, but who knows where Jane really got the inspiration for the two-timing Mr. Willoughby, the ridiculous Mr. Collins, or other characters. This memoir provides possible answers.
I LOVED IT, and I am NOT a fan of Jane's work.
Fans of historical fiction and Jane Austen will love this one - engrossing and heartbreaking.
A fun, entertaining read. If you enjoy Jane Austen, you'll like "Lost Memoirs."
I 'm annoyed that I wasted time reading this book instead of re-reading Pride and Prejudice or Jane Austen's own letters, both of which are much more amusing and better written. This one has modern slang creeping in frequently ("to die for"), irritating footnotes, and a pretense that just about everything in Jane Austen's novels was directly inspired by happenings and people in her life. Bah!
A delightful fictional account of Jane Austen's life told in her writing style. A romantic interlude explains the ten year lapse in Jane Austen's writing. This witty book is full of delightful characters and gives a vivid account of what life would have been like during that time. Since it is based on real places and events it rings true.
I'm an Austen purist, and to be honest, I was very skeptical of this book (as I am of any author writing "in the style of" another author). But I must say, Syrie James won me over! It's not perfect, but it is very, very well done. I laughed and cried in all the right places, and I'm looking forward to The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte. Thank you Syrie James! It truly is like a surprise gift from Austen.
Hidden in an old attic chest, the memoirs of Jane Austen are suddenly discovered! This secret diary reveals a life-changing love affair that Miss Austen once had, and which was the basis for much of her later writing. A very imaginative novel that tries to show the inspiration for Austen's romantic writings. Well-done, written in the style of Austen's works, and a very good story. Provocative; may either delight or anger Austen-lovers.
Excellent book! This is the first spinoff that I have finished. Most are poorly written, changing subject matter, style or both. Ms. James stayed as true to Jane Austen as Austen herself. A truly wonderful find and highly recommended for any Austen fan.
Great easy fun to read. Written in Austen style.
It's not 'real' Jane Austen and it's not a very interesting historical romance on its own. I found the faux scholarly introduction and footnote stuff to be just annoying. This isn't a terrible book, but it might best be enjoyed by someone who hasn't read Austen's novels. I expect many people, including the author, thought it very clever to work in so many bits that are reminiscent of scenes in genuine Austen novels, but it just made me tired.
