I finished this a couple of days ago, but with Thanksgiving this week I haven't been online much. It was enjoyable for the most part, and I like the author's breezy writing style. I don't know that I would want to vacation at Austenland myself, it seemed like the majority of the time spent there would have been incredibly boring.
Jane Hayes is an American who has had a succession of disappointing relationships. She secretly yearns for a Mr. Darcy, and no man she meets ever lives up to that ideal. When an elderly relative passes away, she leaves Jane a paid vacation at Austenland, an immersion experience where women live out their Austen fantasies. Jane isn't totally thrilled at the idea, but then decides that this may be the perfect opportunity to get her Darcy fixation out of her system and then find a "realistic" man.
Other guests at Austenland include Miss Charming, who cracked me up, the way she tried to talk like an Englishwoman, with her "what-whats" and such. The gentlemen seemed a little boring, though Mr. Nobley, the most Darcy-like, piques Jane's interest while annoying her at the same time. Then Jane meets Martin the gardener, a breath of fresh air, not to mention exciting as, being a servant, he is not supposed to speak to or interact with the guests. I think if I were Jane I'd have found myself drawn to him as well.
The ending was a little unexpected to me, and while the scene at the airport was amusing, I would have liked it to end a little differently...this is a little spoilery so stop here if you don't like that...
I would have liked to see Jane get on the plane and go home, leaving both Martin and Mr. Nobley behind, to start the rest of her life fresh with the possibility of meeting a new man who she can better appreciate now that she's gotten enough Austen and Darcy to last her awhile.
(I received this book through BookCrossing.)
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