I picked up this book from a fellow Book Club member on our book exchange day, trading books for summer reading. I have to admit that part of the reason I chose this over many other books was the title and if you’re anyone who loved any of Jane Austen’s books, you are going to be attracted by it somehow.

The premise of the book is simple, a single girl in New York, albeit a rather boring and unexciting kind of girl with a career modeled after Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail, after getting hounded by her best friend to go to Mexico for a wild party trip decides on a whim to go to England on a Literature Tour of Jane Austen country. Even the description the bookstore receives makes it remarkably similar to the Shop Around The Corner. Coupled with all the borrowing from Pride and Prejudice, settings, characters, story and all, the remains that are original to Ms Potter and this book is sadly rather lacking.

About the only thing I enjoyed about this book is that I enjoyed reading it as a bit of light reading. When I put my head and thoughts to it, I found much to dislike – like Emily’s stubbornness and quick temper which seems to be in stark contrast with what a bookstore staff let alone a manager should be like. It made some of her reactions to things happening around her seem a tad contrived. Also rather unnatural is how she could not manage to look good in a black cashmere jumper when she could pull off a slinky shiny evening dress and these hip and fabulous Topshop looks… how is that possible?

The open-to-your-speculation bit about Miss Steane and the mysterious ‘Mr Darcy’ who seems to appear and reappear at the most convenient moments without any reason or rhyme is something people who like some room for imagining possibilities might like but being rather supernatural characters, I’d have liked just a little bit less mystery and a little bit more finality. For it left me wondering how this Miss Steane aka Jane Austen manages to steer an entire tour group, complete with tour bus and hotel bookings without anyone any the wiser?

The parts featuring Mr Darcy were well thought out and written though I didn’t like the portrayal she gave of him, spoils the image I had in mind when he was put in the correct century and where customs and manners were to his forte. Emily’s Spike is also described in such a manner that made me wonder why on earth could she have fallen for him since the initial slovenly, unattractive and rude description rather stuck in my mind AND how could he have been beer gutted, wear impossibly ugly clothes and cute at the same time?

All that said, as I mentioned earlier, I did enjoy the few hours reading it for the excerpts from Pride and Prejudice, the description of the places Austen set her stories or lived in is quite delightful. It is just a shame that without these references, the book would have been such an empty shell for the heroine is not quite enigmatic nor like-able enough to keep me reading otherwise.

Publishing Year: 2007
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton