Ever since Emma read Pride and Prejudice, she's been in love with Mr. Darcy and has regarded Jane Austen as the expert on all things romantic. So naturally when Emma falls for Blake Hampton and he invites her home to meet his parents, she is positive an engagement is in her future. After all, Blake is a single man in possession of a good fortune, and thus must be in want of a wife. But when it turns out that what Blake actually wants is more of a hook-up than a honeymoon, Emma is hurt, betrayed, and furious. She throws herself deeper into her work as CMO of Kinetics, the fastest growing gym franchise in the nation. She loves her work, and she's good at it, which is why she bristles when her boss brings in a consultant to help her spearhead the new facilities on the East Coast. Her frustration turns to shock when that consultant turns out to be Blake's younger brother, Lucas. Emma is determined not to fall for Lucas, but as she gets to know him, she realizes that Lucas is nothing like his brother. He is kind and attentive and spends his time and money caring for the less fortunate. What she can't understand is why Lucas continues to try to push her back into Blake's arms when he so clearly has fallen as hard for her as she has fallen for him. Woodland animals are a) unhelpful and b) carry salmonella. Realizing that her love life is as complicated as anything Jane Austen could have dreamed up, Emma must find a way to let Blake know that it's time for him to let her go and to let Lucas know it's time for him to love her back. Just look in the mirror. You'll see all the funny you need... I was initially interested in this book from the title alone. " Lies Jane Austen Told Me " is just so great. It's like those memes that say "Disney ruined my idea of romantic love" and "the casting department of the BBC gave me unrealistic expectations of men". Totally true. I'm still waiting for the helpful woodland animals to show up and clean my house for me...
Emma is NOT obsessed with Jane Austen. The most delightfully obsessed character in fiction is Jane Hayes from Austenland. THAT is obsession. Emma merely admires the author and enjoys her books and movies, and has bought into her own version of Austen's romantic ideas. Emma discovers in the end that Jane Austen's message is truly far different from what she thought anyway.Readers, you should know right now that Sissy is not in a jocular mood. I apologize for her funk and will do my best to be funny in spite of her!
Caught between two brothers, Blake and Lucas, Emma needs to pull her head out (did I really just say that? Undoubtedly I meant to say "Emma needs to take a clear look at what's really happening around her," which is much less offensive). This book would have been two pages long if Emma had just had a few authentic conversations with the brothers. It was completely obvious to me that Blake was wrong for her from the very beginning, but what do I know? And Lucas was an idiot, again, because he failed to ask some pertinent questions and had a seriously misplaced sense of loyalty towards Blake.Oh, and she's snarky too! Awesome. So our heroine Emma is a Jane Austen fanatic. She consults Austen's books for advice, turns to them for comfort in times of trouble and generally is a bit obsessed. No surprise that her love life hasn't turned out quite as she had imagined it would. But in true Austen fashion, life in Lies Jane Austen Told Me takes an unexpected turn and Mr. Right (Darcy?) pops up in the most unlikely place.
That's exactly how it would have happened if people would have stopped being so complicated and cooperated with my plans! And if Mr. Sissy hadn't been so totally annoying when I first met him...but that's a story for another day. In case you think I didn't like Lies Jane Austen Told Me, I really liked it. We don't review books on this website that we didn't both like. It was good and I love Julie Wright's writing. Some days would just be better with a few Coke Zeros, or legal marijuana, you know?Yeah, I've noticed that lots of people think that Austen wrote completely unrealistic stories about simpering women who took the first man they could get. These people need to actually READ a book by Jane Austen. She was all about dealing with the rules of the current society as well as possible whilst still being one's own woman. And once Emma figures that out, everything changes.
CHOCOLATE!! I agree with everything Bubby said above. Read the book-it is very much worth your time. I'd say more, but I'm going to go get in the car instead. CHOCOLATE!I know that you're all wondering now how Sissy's own true life romance played out, since she clearly knows all the things and how to do them all correctly. Let's just say that she saw Mr. Sissy, asked him if he was single, went on a date to gauge compatibility and promptly proposed. Cut and dried. No muss, no fuss. Right?
Not that we condone misuse of illegal drugs or anything...but I do know how to put Sissy in the car and find her a Coke Zero! Julie Wright has done a bang-up job of creating fantastic characters and a story that kept me interested all the way to the end. Lies Jane Austen Told Me is a great read - especially if you are having a not-so-wonderful day like Sissy. I'm going to go feed her that beverage and some chocolate now. Wish me luck!
