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)

not quite what I hoped for...

I really WANTED to like this book, but found that it left a lot to be desired--the faked accents, some flubbed Austen references, and a plot device that could have been fun but was over-thought and over-wrought left me mostly entertained, but largely disappointed.

slow

I would not recommend this to anyone. this is so slow that i gave up. The main character is way to whiney for my taste.

Entertaining...sort of

I really enjoy time travel stories and thought I'd enjoy this one as much as I did, say, Octavia Butler's "Kindred". But I was disappointed. The heroine was just a bit too flip and much too foolish in her behavior. I also think it could have been about an hour shorter.

Aunt Jane It Ain't

How did this one ever get published? Sounds like an adolescent Austen-worshipper's best attempt. Fails to accurately emulate Austen's rhetoric and style. No attempt to fully describe historical tidbits--e.g., explaining exactly what pattens are. A weak and embarrassingly juvenile story, poorly written. Sorry, can't recommend it.

Disappointing

I adore Austen’s work and enjoy all manner of adaptation, even time travel ones such as this, but this was a very disappointing version. The main character is annoying, the story is uninteresting and ultimately I only finished it because I’d spent a credit on it. My advice, skip this one.