Jane in Love

Jane Austen, jilted by a would-be suitor at the age of 28 and in search of true love, time-travels with the help of a mysterious witch from 1803 to 2020, where she meets up with Sophia, a movie star who’s approaching the end of her shelf life as a beauty (I think she is 37), losing her husband to a younger actress while playing Mrs. Allen to the younger actress’s Catherine in an adaptation of Northanger Abbey being shot, naturally, in Bath. Sophia has a brother who’s working as an extra on the set, and when we learn his name is Frederick Wentworth, it’s pretty clear where this might be going. But when Jane and Fred start to fall in love, Austen’s books begin to crumble into dust, to disappear from not only libraries and bookshelves, but from the memory of librarians and booksellers. The only people immune to this loss, apparently, are those who have met Jane Austen in person in 2020: Sophia, Fred, and a certain helpful librarian. The books are vanishing because a Jane Austen who lived happily in the 21st century obviously never wrote them.

What worked best for me here was the wonder and terror Jane Austen felt at finding herself in 2020 Bath, as well as some of the fun we have along the way. For example, how to overcome the hurdle of making people in 2020 believe you are truly from 1803 and not a lunatic, how to find safety in this strange world? Givney cleverly has Sophia, who’s at a dangerous and vulnerable moment in her career, believe she is being tricked for some kind of reality show, that this “Jane Austen” has been sent to make her look foolish and everything is secretly being filmed. She resolves to thwart the people behind this scheme by acting as if everything is perfectly normal. Thus she spends enough time in the company of Jane Austen that by the time she realizes what’s actually happening, she is prepared to believe it (though not, obviously, without difficulty).

Jane Austen, as we might expect, is quick-witted and fascinated by the world she finds herself in. Watching her learn about electricity, self-inking pens, supermarkets, the shockingly low prices of sugar, gay marriage and much more is one of the chief pleasures of this amusing book. Although my favorite moment may be when she finds herself reading her own work. “Pride and Prejudice” she recognizes, of course, but “Mansfield Park” is completely new to her.

This was a very interesting read for me because it uses the improbable device of time travel to raise many of the same questions I asked myself in the writing of my own novel The Jane Austen Project, questions somehow connected to Austen’s immortality as a writer. What is it about her work that endures, when her world and ours are so different in many profound ways? Why do we feel such a kinship with this long-dead woman, why do we want to claim her?

It’s also written in a witty style that channels Austen’s own, though the ultimate question it seems to pose is very different from those in her novels. It seems to be asking, is it better to be a great artist or to be personally happy? But this offended me, because it seems to me a false dilemma and moreover one would never be asked about a male writer. Maybe because the answer is so obvious for a man, that fame trumps domestic happiness? As its title hints, this novel is a nod to that great film of 25 years back, “Shakespeare in Love.” In it, Shakespeare loses the love of his life but gains in return the inspiration to write his genius plays. As I recall, the possibility that this was the worse path is never seriously explored. Sure, it’s sad, but, Shakespeare. Disappointment in love was just part of the journey to becoming Shakespeare, the real story being his genius.

I think the real story with Austen is also her genius; the fact that she was always writing about love throws people off the trail of this crucial fact. Jane in Love is a very entertaining example of this misdirection, however.

This was a surprisingly lovely book. Jane Austen (yes, that Austen) is whisked 200 years into the future to find love and meets siblings Sophie and Fred. The book takes a little bit of time to get going (15% before the time travel), but once you meet Sophie, it speeds up.
My biggest qualm with this books is that Jane had to travel two hundred years for Fred, he isn’t that special. He’s perfectly nice… but… two centuries… for him? Sophie seemed a better fit as an exceptional once in a lifetime type (I initially hoped they would end up together but the author tries very hard to amp up the romance between Jane and Fred and avoid Sophie for a good portion).
Jane was well written and the plight of staying in the future before she wrote her stories is made very clear. The ending is bittersweet (which is kind of a foregone conclusion, so no surprise there).
Overall, decent. If you are an avid Austen fan, I cannot advise you on whether the writing/voice feels true. It felt authentic, for the most part (but I’m no expert).
Overall, a decent and fun read.

What if Jane Austen came to the 21st century??? What would she say and do if she could see how famous and influential she had become? I think that all Austen enthusiasts have often asked themselves that. What would she think if she knew? Making that journey with her was fabulous. Note here that I am not an Austen purist but also not just a casual fan. I have actually struggled to love Austen as much as some do. I have made progress over the last year or so as I branched away from
just Pride and Prejudice and Emma. There are some fantastic little side story lines in this book that comment on modern day life. I love that Jane sees everyday 21st technology as magic. When you stop and think about it, it really is! We have machines that clean stuff for us. When we want answers to questions, they are at the tips of our fingers. And yet we take that all for granted. There is also a comment that while we have created all of these inventions to save time, we run around so much faster and more harassed than at any time in history. Her trip to Sainsburys is absolutely brilliant as she queried about where the cows were that provided the milk and why did no one guard the sugar? She also comments that no one much go hungry with such bounty. Yes. No one should go hungry with such bounty. So why do they? And there are the observations about computers and phones. How she first thought that they were slaves of humans but how really we are slaves to them. Such a fantastic observation! I have never considered how someone from the past would view our apparent symbiosis with our little steel box. In the end, this book both made me giggle and broke my heart. It was beautiful in such a fun way. I also love that her lesser works played more of a role in this than just P&P. Now. Off to read Northanger Abbey as this book has given me a hankering.

For Jane Austen enthusiasts, a delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, their personalities leapt off the page. Time travel is a fantastic way to marry the past and present. I am waiting with hopeful patience for more.

I loved the idea of Jane in love. That she went back to writing was an interesting choice. I wish Fred could have gone back with her. The supporting actress was the best.

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