Okay, so Jane Austen really didn’t ruin my life. I didn’t come across her novels until I was a freshman in college. I never had to study her works during my British Literature class in AP, or had seen any of the film adaptations. My exposure to Austen had been a half an hour with a dog parading as Mr. Darcy when I was nine.
Does this image look familiar? If not, it’s from the PBS show, “Wishbone.” It was about a dog that reenacted famous literary works like “Don Quixote”or “Ivanhoe” and simplified the book for kids. (“What’s the story, Wishbone?”)
Ever since meeting a close Janeite (a Jane Austen junkie) friend my freshman year of college and seeing “Pride and Prejudice” starring Keira Knightley, I’ve been hooked on all things Austen. Who can resist the terror, drama and suspense of rooting for a heroine of a lower social ranking and a man of fortune becoming united in love while overcoming odds against them? (A bit of sarcasm there…)
While browsing through rows of books, I happened upon one called “Jane Austen Ruined my Life” by Beth Pattillo. That sounded like an interesting title and on the cover is a woman dressed in red, holding a letter and looking either utterly distressed or constipated. After reading the description on the back, I knew I had to read it.
This book follows the life of Emma Douglas. She was a professor of English literature with a specialty in all things Austen. She had her fairy tale happy ending with a world-famous John Milton expert and thought she had the life. Her fantasy life ended one day when she found her husband spread-eagled on her kitchen table with her teacher’s assistant. She arrived at Gatwick Airport with two bags fleeing the dissolve of her marriage and allegations of plagiarism on behalf of the other woman.
Emma thought she would find refuge in Hampshire, England where her cousin lived. Upon entering the house she found her ex-best male friend standing half-naked in the foyer and her cousin gone off to Paris for a tête-à-tête. Her life became a literal roller coaster as she takes up the offer of a mysterious widow called Mrs. Parrot. Mrs. Parrot offered Emma a chance to see original long-lost letters from Jane Austen that divulged information about the hermit author that few had seen before.
Emma took off across England to Austen’s England from her home in Steventon to Bath to Lyme Regis to find out Austen’s secrets and uncover a few of her own.
It’s very much like Austen’s own novel “Emma”, the namesake of the main character. It’s a fast chicklit read, but one that demands the attention of anyone in need of a light read or something comical involving the famous Jane Austen.
