Midnight in Austenland

I loved "Austenland" but this is much less well-thought out story. And the narrator is very annoying (actually, Charlotte, the main character, is pretty annoying, too - or maybe it's because she strikes me as being absurdly dumb). Skip it.

I really enjoyed Austenland, so I thought this would be similar. It's very different. I don't remember the main character in the other book constantly having ridiculous conversations with herself, but this one sure did. It got just plain annoying. The story line could have been interesting, but it just played out in soap opera fashion. I also didn't really like her flashbacks to her "real" life. I wasted 8+ hours on this book!

Returning to Austenland in the second book, I got the playful escape I expected but not the same quality of plot and ambiance as the first book. The story begins well, but bogs down in the "mystery story" within the overall story, including the self-doubts and fears of the main character. The juxtaposition of modern and Regency life is not as strong as the first book, which I missed. If you seek lighthearted escape, you will enjoy it but if you are seeking transportation to Austenland, then perhaps not.

I really liked this book! It was similar to Austenland in that it was set in an Austenland estate, but the cast, characters, and circumstances were very different. This book made me laugh out loud in several points. I don't think I've read a Shannon Hale book that I have disliked and I'm glad that this one didn't disappoint! I recommend it highly!

I didnt think this book was as good as the first but I still enjoyed it. It was funny and also a great "who done it" book. I would recommend if you liked Austenland.

I enjoyed this return to Austenland, with some of the characters from the original but plenty of new ones to keep it interesting. I liked how this book was a mystery. It made for a fun sequel.

I LOVE Shannon Hale and I love the other five books I've read from her, but this one left me thinking, this is just frustratingly absurd. It wasn't a bad book, but it was weird for me. I didn't know what it was going into it, the whole murder mystery thing, and once I did know about it, I was really put off by how the murder was, or rather, wasn't handled. It's fiction, but supposed to be real, and I can't imagine people letting a murder go on for days and days without doing anything about it. It really frustrated me and the book lost a lot of credibility in how ridiculous it was. That said, I love the other 5 books of hers I've read! She does well when she's not writing about dark things I think.

near the middle

I've already read Austenland. I actually really enjoy that book and have read it several times. This book wasn't as interesting. The story was different, which was good, but the characters and plotlines just weren't as compelling.

If you loved Austenland, be prepared, this is not a sequel.

This book was a most enjoyable listen! :D The narration = AWESOME. The story line = highly entertaining! It took a little while to get into, but once it got started... it was amazing!
NOTE: this book is not really "family friendly". It swears once or twice (not very bad though)... but it discusses some harder topics that wouldn't be the best for children, or even early teens.

If audible.com had not skipped major parts of narration I would have liked the book better. SPOILER ALERT: The whole part where the heroine jumps in the pond and finds the corpse was completely missing. The only reason I know about it because the narrator alludes to it repeatedly. I looked for it by rewinding and discovered that the recording actually skipped from I believe somewhere in Chapter 9 to somewhere in Chapter 11. VERY DISAPPOINTING for a first audible.com purchase from amazon.com.

I loved her earlier book, Austenland which I listened to from an iTunes purchase. The book was much more clever and well written. The narrator seemed much better. Was it the same person? The quality of the audible book was much better from iTunes with no skipped chapters and the front book cover image was not blurry.

someone else

anxiety for it to be over already