Welcome, everyone, to the Jane Austen Addict Forum!

To get things started, from where in the world are you joining us?

- Tom (a JaneAustenAddict.com admin)

Loved the book! Can't wait for the sequel to see how Jane Mansfield "enjoyed" the 21st century... and to see if Miss Rigler reveals if Jane and Courtney are one in the same person, just with lives that overlapped in some kind of buddhist reincarnation story OR if they really were two separate souls from different times that just somehow were transported. This inquiring mind is from Washington state.-Christina

Hi, Christina.

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the book. Welcome to the forum!

- Tom

I loved the book but the end( the diary) totally confused me.I've read it twice and I am still not sure what that meant.Debbie

Welcome to the forum, Christina and Gabby/Debbie.

Many readers have shared their impressions of the ending with me. I've discovered that there are nearly as many interpretations of the ending of this book as there are readers.

Some readers have asked me for clarification; others confidently tell me what the ending meant for them. I particularly like what a review from a blog called The Buddha Diaries had to say (see my reviews section for the complete text of this review and many others): "...the ending--long anticipated, because we're kept wondering how our Courtney is ever going to escape her predicament--is astutely satisfying: it serves at once to resolve and deepen the mystery of Courtney's time-warp, and leaves the reader empowered to speculate on its meaning."

I loved the book and have sent it off to my college-freshman daugther in Colorado. We're JA fans! When I finished it I found myself imagining Courtney/Jane explaining, with great hesitation, strange memories and experiences to their Mr.(s). The reactions of these devoted men could be very interesting!

Hi, Sandi, and welcome to the forum! So happy to hear that you loved the book and that you're sharing it with your daughter. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the ending--or beyond the ending. :)

I have just finished the book and thoroughly enjoyed every word! Yes, I found myself completely connecting to Courtney's reactions to everything Regency, and could buy into this alternate-time -universe existance. This was written to be filmed, and would definitly be something in my DVD library for all time!

And I can't wait for Jane's reactions to the 21st Century! This is going to be wonderful!

Thank you. Laura, for writing such a fun book!

Hi, Pointermom--welcome to the forum! Would have welcomed you sooner, but I've been on the road. So happy you enjoyed the book. Looking forward to delivering the second book into your hands ;-) In the meantime, I'm having a blast writing it.

Hello all. I'm joining you from our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. I love this novel and can't wait for the sequel. I learned so much about Regency England, like about how servants were treated, about bathing habits and about the usage of make-up. I also like all the links on your website, like the great article about how clean Jane Austen's world really was. Also, I just left you a fab Amazon review under the name DK. I was also pleasantly suprised that you actually replied to my email. Wow. Thank you so much for doing that. Take care, DK

Hi, DK from DC--welcome to the Austen Addict forum! So happy that you love the book and that you're enjoying my site. And thanks for making your enjoyment public on Amazon, too. For me, being an author in the age of the Internet allows me the great privilege of actually hearing from and having conversations with the people who read my books--how cool is that?

I read your Jane's Addiction and laughed out loud as I recognized myself in each point. I am not ashamed to admit that I am guilty of nine of your points. In addition to those that you have listed and that I have acknowledged, I frequently listen to one of the movie soundtracks OR a JA novels on CD while in the car; I have one of the Hollywood movies or Masterpiece/BBC films playing in my art studio while I work (I do not need to necessarily watch, I just like to hear it as I get my work done and am comforted by the dialogue;) I have taken up piano lessons after 25 years so that I can further my accomplishments; I read much on-line JAfanfiction as well as read ever JA sequel, prequel, adaptation published -- everyday, and am never without a book on hand while waiting for the kids in the carpool lane or at a sports practice; I have schooled my children, who are below the age of 8, on who Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth are, as well the differences between Matthew Macfdayen and Colin Firth; and I have taken to plaiting my hair before I go to bed because it really is a sensible thing! BTW-- loved seeing the picture of me and you posted here at your site (from the AGM!!)

My favorite sign of your Austen addiction is the fact that your young children could tell us a thing or two about who Darcy and Elizabeth are, and the pros and cons of Matthew MacFadyen and Colin Firth as Mr. D--now that would be a fun video to post on YouTube! Thanks for sharing. :)

Hello from Seattle. I'm new here obviously. I regret now that my screen name is "Geek Sewing." You may ignore that screen name and rather call me by my first name Diana. Sewing is what I do to occupy my mind if I'm not thinking about JA's books.

Today I re-read a book on modern heroism that my college professor gave to me several years ago. Having not read it for so long and having done a little bit of growing up since, I actually understood most of the book's long intro and even enjoyed reading it. The entirety of the book gets into too much detail about authors Lawrence, Empson and Tolkien. I'm not a heavy reader of English lit, and most of the stuff written by those authors work like sleeping pills for me. But what an interesting topic modern heroism can be when talking of Darcy & Elizabeth! Maybe I'll start a discussion later.

Hi, Diana, and welcome to the forum! Please do start that discussion thread on modern heroism in Austen's works. Would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

I'm a little bit in awe of those who can sew. In that respect I am like Courtney, who can't even hem a pair of pants. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Laurie, Congratulations on the fabulous review by Alice Marie White in the JASNA newsletter. She made excellent points and if it's not already posted at Amazon or other book storefronts, you should think about adding it. I really loved her connecting all of Courtney's thoughts and comments with JA's characters which often times, and to my dismay! many readers and book reviewers seem to miss. I myself on first read got very caught up in the relationships, "time travel" and the entire shock of regency reality living. Yet it wasn't until my second read, that I actually appreciated all the ironies and witticism. Now on my fourth read-- have simply moved on to being obsessed with my all-star casting for a movie, ha! Anyway, congrats!

Hello everyone,
I'm a new to this forum and I'm so happy to be here. I've been a fan of Jane for years and can't believe it's taken me this long to find a site like this.

I just heard of the book and can't wait to buy it! I truly love all things Austen whether it's Jane's books or adaptations, prequels or sequels.

The movies I love as well.

Anyway, I'm glad to be here and look forward to catching up on all things Austen.

xoxo,
Stephanie

Hello, my name is Alicia and I am an Austen addict.

Alicia, That is the first step to recovery. However, at this site I very much doubt anyone is going to help you "recover"-- as Courney/Jane herself freely admits, Jane Austen's work are the drug of choice.

Oh, hey Diana-- I've been meaning to suggest this to you... have you thought of getting any JA books on CD (also COAJAA!) to listen to while you work. I am an artist (ceramiacist actually) and I sell wholesale to the Made In WA stores, and find that listening to these novels on tape is quite comforting. I even put some of DVDs in and just listen to repeatedly since I know the stories so well, I don't need to actually view them and can keep working -- but the audio is very welcome.

Hello Alicia and Stephanie!!!!

Thanks for the warm welcome DK!!!

Christina, I agree. I'm an addict and I don't want to recover! LOL

mmmm, rupert...mmm, I love the part where he is reading the letter..." a look..." I heart him!

Steph

So happy to have you on the forum, Alicia and Stephanie! (I called you "Irene" on another thread--that's before I saw you'd revealed your real name.)

May we all never get over the Austen addiction.

Hi, DK and Christina!

Christina, thanks for telling me about the review in JASNA News. I haven't received my copy yet--did yours just arrive? Can't wait to read it! I will definitely post it on this site with my other reviews.

BTW, I'm intrigued by your description of how you use audio while you create. Fascinating. As I think I've already mentioned, I can't listen to music when I'm writing, not even instrumental.

Cheers, all!

Good grief, I can't type anything coherent while listening to anything-- so on writing a novel while listening to anything else, I'd probably look back on what I wrote, and it would look more like I was taking dictation for the movie or book. And I can't read (well) and listen to music either... But not the same with mud and glaze! Yes, my newsletter just arrived today. You actually got two write-ups on two different pages!! (One is part of longer article acknowledging several writers/members. The other is all about you!)

Thanks; I feel better. :) (About my inability to write and listen to music, and to walk and chew gum as well).

As for JASNA News--wow--can't wait to see it.

This forum looks FAB!!!

Am a total JA addict!! Have my dress, bonnett and accessories all ready for the 2008 festival in Bath, UK!!!

I am based in London!! Any other UK fanatics out there or is it just me!! lol

Hi there, Persuasionform, and welcome to the forum! There have been other UK fanatics on this forum, so you're definitely not alone. :)

And the Austen festival in Bath certainly says it all. How fun that you're going--I love that city. It is one of the only places on my travels where I instantly thought: I could live here. The festival is unfortunately at a time I can't travel, but I have the Jane Austen Society annual meeting here in North America as compensation.

Please report back on your experiences at the festival, or start a new thread. I'd love to hear all about it, and I'm sure a lot of my fellow addicts here across the pond would also enjoy it! Hope you have a lovely time.

I'm not sure where to post this, but I just wanted to share that iTunes has Jane Austen books on tape for free. Some do have a fee, but there are a ton that you can download for free into your iPod.

Wow! This is good to know. How exciting!

Kim

Yes, well, you see, as the newest member of JASNA, I feel it is my duty to share this information!! :-)

Thanks, DK--sounds like the perfect Christmas/Hanukah gift for us all! The iPhone application store has all the novels for $1.99 each, but what you're saying is news indeed! Will definitely check it out.

By the way, on Austenblog there was a whole piece on e-reader software, and how Stanza, a free software, works with many different types of ebooks, including those available for free download from a number of places...

Happy holidays to all!

Laurie

Not your typical Jane Austen fan coming aboard here!
I'm Jeffrey Ward, aged "3 and 60," living too close to Atlanta, native San Franciscan, Vietnam Vet, University of Washington alumnus, 42-year career airline professional, 37 year marriage to same wifey, 2 adult children, 6 grandchildren. Non-fiction geek, classical music-lover, and a mind full of useless trivia. I have no idea what, if anything, I can offer to this forum other than to tell the world that I'm now totally in love with this genre' that I used to refer derisively to as "chick-fiction."

Hi, Jeffrey (or would you rather be called finetooner), and welcome to the forum! I think you have a lot to offer. The more men who publicly embrace Austen the better, Too many people dismiss her as fluff or girly and that is just so off the mark.

Hi Laurie: I'm Jeff.....I'm on ch 17 or your wonderful novel. It is deliciously funny to have Courtney level 21st century blasts at some of the behavior she finds offensive! I'm waiting with great anticipation on what happens to poor Jane when she finds herself in the middle of LA!! Great fantasy, great reading, great potential for a movie with sequel. I hope it happens for you and all of us!

Happy you enjoyed the book, Jeff. Jane is really in for an adventure in L.A. And I'd love to see both books as movies, too!

I can't wait for your sequel Laurie. I'm running to the book shop on release date, knocking people out of my way if I have to.

Jeff, you sound like the coolest guy on the planet!

Aww, thanks, DK. But no injuries, please! :)

And yeah, isn't it great to have Jeff on the forum?

Thank you for your kind words.....HOWEVER, if you don't refrain, my head will begin to resemble a helium weather balloon in search of an ice pick. My singular uniqueness is failing to fit the average profile of a Jane Austen addict!

Hi Laurie,
What caught me about Austen the first time I read Pride and Prejudice was that it was decidedly not a "romance" novel, not an earlier version of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I read it under "distress"--I was on a long bus ride at age 14 and there was nothing else to read, so I reluctantly picked it up and found.... It was tongue-in-cheek, and highly understated criticisms, not stuffy or treacly or ham-bone dramatic, so Mrs. Bennett's "gentle murmers" are her shrieking at the top of her lungs. She, like Mark Twain (who couldn't stand her) is a social critic.

Every attempt to write sequels or follow-ons to Austen's work lose that spark and turn into purely puerile romances that are, well, dreadful. (Doesn't ANYONE realize that Pride and Prejudice is Austen re-telling Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" with Elizabeth and Darcy as Beatrice and Benedick?)

In fact, I just downloaded one to the Kindle by a lady named Lathan that, well, I missed the reviews on how bad it was for the ones on how good it was. It was a cheap romance novel with lots of breathlessness, unbuttoning waistcoats and torn bodices, with no grace or understanding of Austen--and it followed the Keira Knightley movie, not the P&P text. Oh--and it has the characters singing a rousing version of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" at Xmas 1816. I said to myself "Wait a minute--I thought that was from the 1820's" Yup. Beethoven's 9th wasn't performed until 1824--and the famous "Ode" theme is the heart of the 4th movement. Not 1816

So, on reading "Rude" I was astonished and delighted that you were not trying to re-write or add to Austen, but taking a totally different tack. (I read "Rude" and "Confessions" in reverse order). It was fascinating and provided a different social commentary on both eras, while creating totally new characters.

What your works reminded me most of was Tom Stoppard's "Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", his jump-off from Hamlet into existential ponderings by two minor characters who discover that chance has left their lives when they are summoned by the king. Every coin flipped comes up "heads" and that's just the start of the play.

I immediately passed "Rude" to my wife who also enjoyed it immensely and we had to get and read "Confessions". Honestly, both of us preferred "Rude" as it's more Jane grabbing Courtney's life and opening it up, as opposed to Courteney cleaning up the mess of Jane's life.

Still, they form a unique high-point in the history of novels inspired by Jane Austen, far beyond all the other attempts that are so weak.

Part of me wants to see where you will take it next, but the other part of me sees these two works as a cohesive and complete whole. Adding to them might only cheapen them. Frank Herbert could never improve on 'Dune". Even Mark Twain could never do anything better with the characters he created in "Tom Sawyer" and the towering "Huckleberry Finn".

Of course, there's always the screen plays for what will, if properly executed, be a delightful pair of movies that, to work, would have to be filmed simultaneously so the characters' flash-backs (or, in Courney's case, flash-forwards) always match up.

Thanks for a very enjoyable pair of books! We've since bought the Kindle versions to carry with us!

I think my favorite scene is Vladimir, in a falsetto and thick Russian accent, mimicking Courtney's favorite video "ardently admire...."

Carl, I'm delighted that you and your wife enjoyed the books and touched by your kind words. And thank you for reminding me that I must read "Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead."

By the way, some Austen scholars (Emily Auerbach in "Searching for Jane Austen" comes to mind) think that Twain really didn't dislike Austen and did, in fact, appreciate her. Why else would he have said that "every time" he reads her work he wants to dig her up and hit her over the head with her shin bone (I'm paraphrasing, but the "every time" is the giveaway).

Happy you like Vladimir. I'm quite fond of him myself.

Thanks for contributing to the forum, Carl. Hope to hear more from you!

Carl, I'm delighted that you and your wife enjoyed the books and touched by your kind words. And thank you for reminding me that I must read "Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead."

By the way, some Austen scholars (Emily Auerbach in "Searching for Jane Austen" comes to mind) think that Twain really didn't dislike Austen and did, in fact, appreciate her. Why else would he have said that "every time" he reads her work he wants to dig her up and hit her over the head with her shin bone (I'm paraphrasing, but the "every time" is the giveaway).

Happy you like Vladimir. I'm quite fond of him myself.

Thanks for contributing to the forum, Carl. Hope to hear more from you!

Hi Laurie,

The log-in is working from ANOTHER PC...go figure.

Thanks Laurie,

I'm not so sure about Twain. i think the interest he gave to Austen was iconoclastic on his part, being determined to show that she didn't deserve "Classic" status. To him, of course a "classic" was "something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." He was talking about "Paradise Lost" at the time. I have never read Milton and don't plan on it anytime soon unless I'm locked in a jail cell and Milton is the only thing to read!

I LIKE that your Addict books stand up to scrutiny!

Carl

I'm Dasha, and currently reside in New York City.

I loved both books, and have finished them this past Saturday. They were such a great read. I've expressed my opinion about Rude Awakening on another thread, so I won't bore you with that, but I shall touch upon my impressions of COJAA.

I enjoyed reading Courtney's perspective on all things Regency (referring to the physician as a vampire after being bled was rather classic), as well as her saucy remarks to Mrs. M. Her initial disregard to Regency norms was interesting to read as well, because any of us 21st-centry women would most likely react in a similar fashion if asked to not associate with someone due to his social standing (or lack thereof). Both works are well written and delightful.

Hi, Dasha. Happy that you enjoyed the books and really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this forum. I agree that most of us 21st-century women would react similarly.It's one thing to know a lot about Austen's world, but I really think it would be quite another to find oneself living there and faced with all of those restrictions and customs.