Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > The Jane Austen Society

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid”

That is my favorite Jane Austen quote. I love her books. I loved her memorable characters. Elizabeth Bennet is always gonna be one of my favorite literature characters. And thanks to Colin Firth made me re-watch a million times of his version of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy ( When I saw him playing Mr. Darcy at Bridget Jones I just scream cried a lot!)

So of course I got volunteered to read anything about Jane Austen as a tribute of her achievements and amazing works. And I have to admit I enjoyed most part of the books. There are lots of characters (I think they are 12 and it makes you lose your concentration a little bit. Some parts bored me a little bit because of slowing pace and too many unnecessary details about characters’ daily lives) but I think I loved Jane Austen novels’ role and impressions at those characters’ lives more than the characters’ back stories and I loved their discussions about Austen books which were remarkable journey to her books and her unforgettable, well-rounded, splendid characters.

And yes, a movie star got threatened and sexually abused by Harvey Weinstein. (All right, I just want to check, you really read my review! I heard you! Of course Harvey wasn’t born yet andunfortunately there was no #metoomovement at this time) So she bought Jane Austen’s family mention from the auction and as soon as she reached the town, she forms a special literary group to honor this incredible author’s memory. A doctor, a teacher, a farmer and people from different background come together for their love of books and good literature, discussing about the stories, characters and how mush those books shaped their lives and meant for them.

The idea about special Jane Austen club (first rule of the club is only talk about JA books and second rule is the same!) and some of the characters were good. Interestingly when I read Dr. Gray’s part I imagined as Patrick Dempsey in my head. ( Yes, Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd and those stylish amazing hair popped into my head. I wish my husband had them, too. And this is my cue to stop drinking.) I didn’t find it his and Adeline’s slow burn romance offensive or disturbing. Both of them lost their loved ones and their passion to the books helped them connect easily. They helped each other to ease their pains and fight against their grief. And yes, from the beginning, Dr.Gray saw the engagement ring at Adeline’s finger, it was so obvious that he didn’t like her relationship status.

Overall: Writing is good. At some parts, I lost my interest and wanted to skip some chapters but the parts about Austen books rekindled my love to her writing. The conclusion of characters’ stories are also satisfying. So this book is above the average and I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 and smiling with the memories of those wonderful books.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for sending me this heart felting, beautiful book’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. I truly and mostly enjoyed it.

blog
instagram
facebook
twitter