Title: The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen
Author: Ada Bright and Cass Grafton
Publisher: Canelo
Publication Date: September 12, 2019
Genre: Women’s Fiction
When a time travelling Jane Austen gets stuck in modern-day Bath it’s up to avid Janeite Rose Wallace to save her… because she’s the only one who knows that Jane exists!
Rose Wallace’s world revolves around all things Austen, and with the annual festival in Bath – and the arrival of dishy archaeologist, Dr Aiden Trevellyan – just around the corner, all is well with the world…
But then a mysterious woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to the great author moves in upstairs, and things take a disastrous turn. Rose’s new neighbour is Jane Austen, whose time travel adventure has been sabotaged by a mischievous dog, trapping her in the twenty-first century.
Rose’s life is instantly changed – new home, new job, new friends – but she’s the only one who seems to have noticed! To right the world around her, she will have to do whatever it takes to help Jane get back home to write Rose’s beloved novels. Because a world without Mr Darcy? It’s not worth living in!
Why This Book
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen does indeed feature a time traveling Jane Austen. While it doesn’t really focus on her novels or the impact a changing timeline would have on her writing or not writing, in this case, her novels, it does feature a delightful blooming friendship between Jane Austen and Rose. There’s also a very cute and fun friendship between Rose and her California friend Morgan. While there is some romance (which was absolutely swoon worthy at the end, especially if one is a sucker for a particular Austen novel ending), the focus was definitely on the friendships a quiet, reserved, bookish British lady develops with a bubbly California girl and a surprisingly feisty and head strong Jane Austen. Honestly, my favorite friendship is that between Rose and Jane. At times it was a little annoying, but, over time, the women grew on each other and their friendship only improved, leading to some very fun events in the next book.
Reviews
My review: “Overall, though, this was a charming novel about relationships: the close friendship between Rose and Morgan, Rose’s longing for a romantic relationship with Aiden, and the friendship Rose and Jane forge”
Books, Life, and Everything said “Friendship and common interests are important in this story and although there are several budding romances, there is a greater mystery at the core of the novel”
Rachel’s Reflections gave this 5 stars, saying “If you’re looking for a story with unexpected twists and turns, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a fun, well-paced, fulfilling story of friendship with some romance thrown in for good measure”
Diary of an Eccentric said “Bright and Grafton give readers a little of everything: friendship, romance, time travel, and plenty of humor to keep the sense of despair from weighing down the story”
Emma-R.com said “The story isn’t a rip-roaring, rollercoaster read, nor does it need to be. It is gentle, witty, warm and has, as the title suggests, charm in spades. One of the most successful elements of the novel for me is the emphasis placed on female friendships; Rose and Morgan, Rose and Jane, Jane and her sister Cassandra”
Past Midnight Books Reviews & More gave this 3 stars, saying “It took awhile for me to get into this book, not sure why, maybe I was waiting for Jane Austen to show up right away but the story focused more on Rose”
everywhere & nowhere said “I have to say it’s hard not to read this book and fall back in love with all things Austen, especially with a character like Rose, her passion is definitely infectious. At first, I wasn’t too sure of her, I think because at times she seemed like she was written a lot older than her age but as she meets Jane and the real adventure begins she comes into her own”
Purchase Links
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