This was left, unregistered, at my OBCZ at the Pour House.

From Amazon.com (Publisher's Weekly) -
Fowler's fifth novel (after PEN/Faulkner award finalist Sister Noon) features her trademark sly wit, quirky characters and digressive storytelling, but with a difference: this one is book club ready, complete with mock-serious "questions for discussion" posed by the characters themselves. The plot here is deceptively slim: five women and one enigmatic man meet on a monthly basis to discuss the novels of Jane Austen, one at a time. As they debate Marianne's marriage to Brandon and whether or not Charlotte Lucas is gay, they reveal nothing so much as their own "private Austen(s)": to Jocelyn, an unmarried "control freak," the author is the consummate matchmaker; to solitary Prudie, she's the supreme ironist; to the lesbian Allegra, she's the disingenuous defender of the social caste system, etc. The book club's conversation is variously astute, petty, obvious and funny, but no one stays with it: the characters nibble high-calorie desserts, sip margaritas and drift off into personal reveries. Like Austen, Fowler is a subversive wit and a wise observer of human interaction of all stripes ("All parents wanted an impossible life for their children happy beginning, happy middle, happy ending. No plot of any kind"). She's also an enthusiastic consumer of popular culture, offsetting the heady literary chat with references to Sex and the City, Linux and "a rug that many of us recognized from the Sundance catalog." Though the 21 pages of quotations from Austen's family, friends and critics seems excessive, the novelty of Fowler's package should attract significant numbers of book club members, not to mention the legions of Janeites craving good company and happy endings.

Hmmm, chick-lit for Janeites. I've never read Austen before, so I decided to pair this read with Pride and Prejudice. This book does have a summary in the back of all of Austen's novels. This book was a quicker read than P&P, so I'm still working on that one (although I've finished the first section). I think I will stick with that one, just so I can say I've read an Austen.

As far as TJABC goes, I enjoyed it although I'm not sure if a JA lover would enjoy this book more or less than I did. They might take issue with some of the Austenish discussions. But there could have been a bit more discussion of the novels in here. I think that was just a beginning for this story, which was centered around 6 different people in the club. It was amusing to read the questions at the end, which were posed by each of the characters.

This will be saved for my Bookish bookbox going out next month.

Released into my Bookish books bookbox. Enjoy!

Taking out of MaryZee's Bookish Bookbox. I had fun going through the box. I am taking out 6 and replacing them with 6 that I have. Thanks, MaryZee, for restarting this box. What a fun idea!

I enjoy Jane Austen, but didn't really enjoy this book. It was nice that the author included a quick overview of JA's books.

Enjoy! Trust whoever picks up the book journals so we can see where this book travels to next.