First Impressions

A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen

By: Charlie Lovett

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlie Lovett first delighted listeners with his New York Times best-selling debut, The Bookman's Tale. Now, Lovett weaves another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature's most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice - and ultimately threaten Sophie's life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie's quest to uncover the truth - while choosing between two suitors - and a young Jane Austen's touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

©2014 Penguin Group (P)2014 Charlie Lovett

1st half drags, last half soars

I nearly stopped listening to this until I was about four hours in and the plot took off. The last half is very clever and well executed. The narrator was annoying in the way she played the characters. Like an excited chipmunk. If one were reading, that would be eliminated so I do recommend the story.

Rare Books

Don't disregard this one Jane fans and Mr. Lovett bravo to librarians! Impressive nuances life affirming, liked the love language and the history of printers.

A pleasant surprise, most enjoyable

First book I have read by Charlie Lovett, will look for more! Wonderful historical fiction.

Fun read

Enjoyable book with events of the current time interspersed with flashbacks with characters searching for an obscure book related to Jane Austen 's writings.

Wonderful & captivating!

Perfect narration! Fabulous story line! Mystery, romance, history & Jane Austen!

I think I will need to re-read all Jane Austen's works starting tomorrow!

Loved listening to this story!

I'm in L O V E

Do not hesitate to buy this book and listen to it over and over. It is darling and charming and I sincerely wish it were 20 hours long.

One story thread is much better than the other

I have mixed feelings about this book. I've enjoyed Charlie Lovett's books before, and his specialty is dual-narrative literary mysteries, so I figured another one would be a good bet.

The older narrative involves Jane Austen and imagines a story about her inspiration to write Pride & Prejudice––or, as it was originally titled, First Impressions. The contemporary story features a young woman named Sophie, a bibliophile with a particular interest in Jane Austen.

Sophie's love of books came about through her relationship with her favorite uncle, Bertram, who lives in London's Maida Vale in a flat filled with his book treasures, most hunted down in old book shops, but a precious shelf coming from an annual choice out of his family's ancestral home.

As a result of a series of shocking events, Sophie pursues an investigation into the history of Pride & Prejudice and its possible relationship with a book written by a clergyman–––a book that two mysterious men have commissioned her to find. In her investigation, she also hopes to involve mysteries involving Uncle Bertram and his library.

As in other Lovett novels, the contemporary story includes a romance element. Those familiar with Jane Austen will note certain resemblances between Sophie's love life and some Austen romances. This is not necessarily a positive for a mystery, since it makes it only too obvious how that plot will play out. Another problem with the contemporary plot thread is that Lovett has Sophie make some stunningly dumb decisions that needlessly put her in danger. I hate it when writers do that.

The Jane Austen plot is more appealing, though it's not very lively if that's what a reader is interested in.

Jayne Entwistle chooses a too-cute voice for the tone of the novel. I've heard her normal speaking voice, which would have been better. Instead, she goes up into a more soprano level and puts an overdone laughing tone into her reading. It isn't terrible, but it is a little bit grating.

Mediocre

I wanted to like this book. I am a Jane Austen fan, and I appreciated the historical detail and accuracy about Jane Austen's life. I felt that the book started out slowly. At some point in the middle, I had hope that it had turned a corner, but I was disappointed. I found it hard to believe that Sohpie couldn't tell that Winston was not an honest character. I did like the focus on printing and the book world. Sohpie's social life left me cold, though, and it was a lot of the focus of the book.

I've listened to other books that Jane Entwistle narrated, and I have always liked her. I agree that her narration didn't quite work in this book. She has an ability to express a "smile in her voice," and I found it off-putting in this book.

Charlie Lovett Strikes again

Having thoroughly enjoyed the Bookbinder's Tale I embarked upon the next Charlie Lovett tale. It couldn't be as good as the other, could it? Yes! First Impressions was another great romp through time with a beloved literary figure. Thanks Charlie!

A booklovers book

Translation of my title: if you love everything about reading about people who love books, physically and mentally, you will love this book. If you love Jane Austin you will not be able to put it down.