Austenland

A Novel

By: Shannon Hale

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Jane is a young New York woman who never seems to find the right man - perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

©2007 Shannon Hale (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"Endlessly charming." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A clever confection for fans of contemporary Austen knockoffs." ( Booklist)

Inspired more

Having not read many of the Jane Austin novels, I am now inspired to do so. This was a good, quick listen and I found it quite amusing. I enjoyed the narrator as well. A great mix of old and modern

Wonderful light listen

I think it is a super cute story and better than the movie of course. Much more internal thoughts explained.

Loved

Better than the movie and I love the movie. A must for any Jane Austin fan.

Wonderfully enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to Austenland the most enjoyable?

I read this book years ago and was an immediate fan. Listening to the book made the characters come alive.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Austenland?

I totally enjoyed the entire book.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Katherine Kellgren is a first class narrator. I have loved everything she has read.

Funny and Entertaining

If you could sum up Austenland in three words, what would they be?

Had to laugh

What was one of the most memorable moments of Austenland?

Her first regency bloomers

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I love the way she moves back and forth between wanting to fulfill her fantasy and realizing that this is not the reality she wants.

Any additional comments?

Well worth the listen

Good book but...

I watched the movie first, which is rare for me. I must say I loved the movie more, also rare. I didnt like some of the voices. It is a nice story though.

I Love this book

Where does Austenland rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think one reason I like the audiobook is because I know the book so well. I can see the words on the page and hear how I imagined the words as Kellgren speaks them. It's familiar, I don't know how I'd feel about it coming to it new.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She's a tad theatrical in her reading, where I'd prefer something more wry and conversational - and while she's speaking in an American accent, there's something very British about her pronunciation which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. She's a skilled narrator, just maybe not the one I'd pick for this book.

Any additional comments?

I love this book and enjoyed being able to carry it around in my ears for a while.

loved the movie and LOVED the book even more!!

this book was one of the most delightful surprises Ive had in a LONG time.

Not just another wannabe

I love all things Pride and Prejudice, and this is no exception. I went in with low expectations, because of the numerous attempts to recreate the wheel, but was surprised to find that these were not just Darcy and Elizabeth revisited. The characters were fleshed out to be not just the same retread territory, but with a spin. Definitely worth the book credit.

read the book, don't listen to it

This appears to be an entertaining book. The problem is that I cannot listen to the narrator. She adopts such exaggerated and annoying accents for her different characters that I have to stop listening for a time. The narrator's voice is not one that is condusive to an audio book, I believe. It really gets under my skin after listening for longer than 30 minutes. This book is also too much of the current time. There are too many modern phrases and expressions. It is almost as if the writer is trying too hard to make it sound current so that it will contrast with the Austen fantasy. I am sure reading the book will be less irritating to the ear, both figuratively and literally.