Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

By: Laurie Viera Rigler

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom, or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman. And despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her love of Jane Austen has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of 19th-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condomless seducers, and marriages of convenience. Enter the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who fills Courtney's borrowed brain with confusing memories that are clearly not her own.

Try as she might to control her mind and find a way home, Courtney cannot deny that she is becoming this other woman - and being this other woman is not without its advantages, especially in a looking-glass Austen world. And especially with a suitor who may not turn out to be a familiar species of philanderer after all.

©2007 Laurie Viera Rigler (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“This frothy take on literary time travel will appeal most to readers well versed in the celebrated author's memorable characters and themes.” (Booklist)

"Confessions is a novel of manners, but with a nifty twist. Laurie Viera Rigler sets the sensibilities of a 21st century LA woman against the manners of Regency England to watch the sparks fly. By turns funny, thoughtful, romantic and suspenseful, this engaging story is as brisk and delightful as ‘taking a turn in the shrubbery’ in the company of a handsome gentleman. If you’ve ever fantasized about being a Jane Austen heroine, this is your book." (Judith Ryan Hendricks, author of Bread Alone)

“A devotee of all things Austen…discovers the reality of life in Regency England: rampant body odor, sexual and class repression and a style of medical care involving bloodletting.... Despite the smells, little in [her] current lifestyle - including most of the men - can compete with the erotic charge of dancing in a candlelit ballroom.” (USA Today)

Very entertaining but odd ending

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was a really fun listen. As a big fan of Jane Austen myself, it was really great to be able to relate to Courtney's character. The book was also really informative - the author's attention to detail and the fact that she was not afraid to describe all of those unpleasant and unhygenic aspects of Austen's time was unique and interesting.

Which character – as performed by Orlagh Cassidy – was your favorite?

Courtney Stone's character was well performed by Cassidy. I especially liked the modern slang and mannerisms spoken in that proper highbred english accent - extremely entertaining.

Any additional comments?

I thought the ending was a bit odd and felt sloppy and unfinished - it did not quite wrap up the otherwise lovely story. At first I though it would be explained in the second novel,

Absolutely loved it

This book was lovely, the reader made it even better as possible. I am obsessed with time travel, and I really like this one. Not only am I looking for more from this author, but I am going to be looking at books that are read by Orlagh Cassidy. Absolutely magnificent. Thank you.

This book is absolutely delightful!!!!!!!

This book is captivating, surprising, scrumptious, delicious, wickedly witty--a perfect delight!!! Ok true confession time: I was listening to Cormack McCarthy's "The Road" on Audible Air one hour at a time, and it segue'd into the beginning of this book mid-Road without the "This is Audible" announcement. What kind of book would make me drop The Road like a hot potato and suddenly find myself powerless to resist??! I'm sorry, Cormack!!! but this book is just like someone had dug up Miss Austen and propped her at a writing desk, plied her with hot tea, and promised her a title and the Crown Jewels to work her magic again! It's so fun spotting the parallels between what the heroine Courtney goes through and Austen's works, and then the best part is comparing how a modern, liberated woman would chafe under the rules of living back then. But wait! No! The best part is the scheming mother and the eye-rolling, secretly modern daughter. I can't say I'd share Courtney's love of the peacefulness of not being bothered by cell phones, email, etc. -- because hey, NO AUDIBLE back then ... anyway in case I haven't made it clear I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

Love it

If you're a fan of Jane Austen you've probably imagined what it would be like to live in the world of Lizzy Bennett and Mr Darcy. This book shows exactly that, body odor and all. I listen to audio books in the car and I find myself sitting in the driveway for sometime after getting home because I can't stop listening.

nice idea - almost a 4 star

I <i>wish</i> that I could enjoy contemporary "chick lit," but I can't. That doesn't stop me however, from acquiring any novel that references Austen. Most are just awful, but this one has a neat central idea and gets most of the Austen references straight. I would have enjoyed the book much more had the author stuck more to describing the protagonist's experience of the 19th centruy rather than repeating her 21st century's counterpart's whining (not to mention the details of characters tongue-kissing.) In some attempt at irony, the author has "Jane" lamneting at one point that she is trapped in a bad romance novel with pretentions to Jane Austen. That about sums it up, but the as those novels go, this is one of the best I think.

Lost at the end...

I really enjoyed the story, but somewhere near the end I got confused, and that led the book to not be as good as it could have been.

I was left wanting more.

A great book for the Austen lover! I need to read a sequel to know what happened to Courtney! The author did a great job taking me back into an Austen era England, but with a 21 century perspective. I highly recommend this novel for a fun getaway from reality.

magic story magical characters

lovely story. I've read it s3veral times...but like with Jane Austens books reading only once will never do.

Good Listen!

This is one of the better "Time Travel" books I've listened to over the years. The imagery is good, descriptions of the things you wonder about but are never told about just how things work were a nice surprise.

I would have liked to hear a bit more epilogue, and a bit more about the current time characters than was provided, but all in all, this one is worth listening to.

If you can start your life over...

This was surprisingly fun. I would have thought Jane, the woman from the regency era would be more of a push over but she isn't. She turns out to have more backbone than Courtney the present day "independant" woman. The romance was OK that wasn't the part I enjoyed the most. It was how Jane starts to take over Courtney's life and actually starts to make it better.

I liked this book better than the first book.