REVIEWS

Selected reviews of RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, and the web series inspired by the novels, SEX AND THE AUSTEN GIRL. 

 

CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT won a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award and was nominated for a Regency World Award for Best New Fiction.

RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Mainstream Fiction.
Peeking Between the Pages named RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT one of its 10 Favorite Books of 2009 AND the author as one of its five favorite authors.

Historical-Fiction.com named RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT as the "MOST ENTERTAINING" book of 2009.
Austenprose named RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT its #1 Austenesque book of 2009.

Living Read Girl named RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT as one of the best books of 2009.

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Here are selected reviews of RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, and the web series inspired by the novels, SEX AND THE AUSTEN GIRL. (For more reviews, click on the title of the book on the menu bar above).

 

USA Today

Authors Write for the Love of Jane Austen by Deirdre Donohue, USA Today
(review of CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT)

After discovering that her fiancé betrayed her with the woman designing their wedding cake, a devastated Courtney Stone wakes up not in Los Angeles but in a four-poster bed in 1813 England. A devotee of all things Austen, she now discovers the reality of life in Regency England: rampant body odor, sexual and class repression and a style of medical care involving bloodletting. With a plot in two different centuries, Addict is a bit disjointed, but Rigler does a perceptive job in contrasting the different eras. Despite the smells, little in Courtney’s current lifestyle — including most of the men — can compete with the erotic charge of dancing in a candlelit ballroom.

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The Guardian

Review of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Francesca Segal, The Guardian

Colin Firth striding about the grounds of Pemberley in his wet shirt has a lot to answer for. That particular BBC adaptation marked the dawn of an era in which Austen-mania began to take a slightly painful literary form. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, though, is great fun. Courtney is a modern Los Angeles girl – smoking, drinking and generally self-medicating with takeaways and Austen novels since she broke up with her cheating fiance.

Then one day, she wakes up in the body of a girl called Jane Mansfield in 19th-century England and must navigate her new life, wondering all the while what to do with the unfinished business back in 21st-century LA. Rigler has done a lovely job, balancing the Regency fantasy with enough modern sass to avoid things cloying and also, crucially, making Courtney easy to relate to. Will it win the Booker? Absolutely not, but I’m not ashamed to say that I spent a blissful day with it.

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The Independent
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, By Laurie Viera Rigler, Bloomsbury 

Reviewed by Anita Sethi

The protagonist Courtney Stone wakes up in a dream, and “doomed to be an anachronism” since it is now 1813 England, rather than the present-day Los Angeles from which she hails. She revels in the reflection of the unfamiliar woman gazing back at her – a woman called Jane Mansfield. She also has to inhabit an entirely different body of thought and feeling, and over the course of the novel will struggle to fit into some rigid notions. Jane has just awoken from a riding accident and is confronting a world deciding how to treat her: is she best off in an asylum? Or having “the offensive humours in the blood” drained out of her? Or simply eating and sleeping well?

At the heart of this pacy story is a line from Pride and Prejudice: “Till this moment, I never knew myself.” Courtney must court not only a new lover but new versions of identity, which she tries on like a child playing with unfamiliar garments. Rigler adds her fun-filled share to Austen’s “bit of ivory”, showing her legacy to be alive and kicking in contemporary writing.

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College Candy

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

By Alex – Lakehead University

This week, along with the review, we will be having a giveaway! Three signed copies of “Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict” are up for grabs!

“Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict” is a companion to Laurie Viera Rigler’s first novel “Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.” In “Confessions,” Courtney Stone, a modern 21st century blonde, finds herself trapped in the body of Jane Mansfield, a brunette English rose from the 1800’s. She must navigate through and cope with all the differences between her modern society and Victorian society, including bizarre medical and courtship practices.

“Rude Awakenings” runs parallel to “Confessions,” beginning with Jane Mansfield waking up in Courtney’s body in the 21st Century. She is confused and puzzled by her new surroundings and simply shocked when she finds her reflection to be a curvy blonde as opposed to a willowy brunette. Jane must navigate through Courtney’s everyday life as well; dealing with Wes, her former best friend who was involved in the breakup of her engagement and handling employment even though it shocks her. Seeing the modern world through naive eyes is an interesting concept and Rigler executes it flawlessly.

Although “Confessions” is humorous, I found “Rude Awakenings” to be absolutely hilarious. Jane’s confusion and enchantment with the modern world is both charming and laugh-inducing. From shocking Courtney’s friends by sporting the wedding gown that she intended to marry her ex-fiance in (Jane dubs it the only thing modest enough in Courtney’s closet), to insisting that her name is indeed Jane Mansfield although her friends maintain that Courtney has adopted the name of a long-dead sex symbol, the book is full of laughs. Courtney’s friends explain this odd behavior with a head injury Courtney sustained, making it more hilarious. Not only do her friends allow her to make a fool of herself, they accept it to help with her recovery.

The two stories are very well written and parallel each other in that the heroine of each are both on a quest for happiness. They both turn to Jane Austen in times of despair, are confused about love and, ultimately, unhappy with their lives. Through their time traveling, they both discover what they must do to achieve this happiness and the endings of both leave readers satisfied.

I recommend “Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict” to not only all you Jane Austen addicts out there, but everyone! It’s a great, feel-good read, with tons of laughs. With a couple super heartfelt novels that you can get lost in for an afternoon, I surely hope Laurie Viera Rigler comes back for more!

Do you want a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict? Just hop on your Twitter account (you know you have one!) and Tweet a link to this very review (and be sure to @CollegeCandy so we know you did it!) to all of your friends. Then have them RT it (with the @CollegeCandy so we know what’s goin’ on) to their friends. Whoever gets the most RTs by next Saturday, August 1st will get themselves a super special SIGNED COPY of this fantastic read. Happy Tweeting!

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Romantic Times

RT Rating: 4 ½

This sequel to last year’s Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict had the potential to be excessively cheesy. Instead, the humor, the compelling ridiculousness of modern life and the absolutely charming characters keep the reader intrigued and delighted.

Summary: One morning, Jane Mansfield wakes up in modern-day Los Angeles, instead of her simple Austen-era village. Worse yet, she’s inside another woman’s body, living that woman’s life. As Jane tries to navigate the world around her, she meets all of her “host body’s” friends, including gentle, sweet Wes. Making her way through traffic and computer screens, Jane must find out why she’s here, what she’s meant to do and who she is meant to be.

—Victoria Frerichs

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In Style

BOOKS
Laurie Viera Rigler’s Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (Bloomsbury, ₤7.99) sees a 19th-century Jane in present-day L.A. Expect plenty of modern Mr Darcys and romantic entanglements.”

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Bookreporter.com

RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT

Jane awakens to strange surroundings, not the bed of her manor but a small room with iron bars on the window and not a servant in sight. Her voice is unfamiliar and her reflection shapely but not her own. A young man enters from the adjoining room, and Jane finds that he has mistaken her for a woman named Courtney. She has never laid eyes on the stranger, Wes, before, and he tells her that she hit her head at the bottom of a swimming pool. Nursing a headache but certain that Wes is mistaken, Jane knows she is not this Courtney who has injured herself and forgotten her past, but is Miss Jane Mansfield. Her efforts to convince Wes concern him, so he calls her two closest friends, Anna and Paula, who of course Jane has never met.

Upon arriving, Anna and Paula quickly become as alarmed as Wes has been. All three insist on taking her to a doctor, and clothe her in garments that are shocking to Jane in their impropriety. They then push her inside the body of a strange carriage called a “car,” which begins the surreal, illuminating ride that Jane’s dream has been. She is seen by a physician who drugs her with some unpleasant pill, and when she awakes from an indistinct sleep, her situation is unchanged. Jane’s more practical side kicks in gear, and she calms herself enough to become determined to make the best of the situation, or at least try to keep Courtney’s friends from thinking she’s gone mad.

Jane herself is much like the heroines of her favorite Jane Austen novels: charming, humble, kind and, yes, very proper when it’s called for. She never, ever forgets what society expects of her. So it’s disturbing for her to learn that Courtney was about to be wed to a questionable man named Frank but had called off the wedding just before hitting her head, apparently because Frank is a cheat. On actually seeing Frank, however, Jane is surprised to find that he still has some kind of hold on her, or at least on Courtney’s body, because she can’t seem to keep her eyes off him. She wonders immediately if Courtney has been spoiled in her courtship with this man. Even more disconcerting and exciting, Jane discovers that Wes is more completely alluring than Frank is. Wes saves the day when Courtney is in a pickle financially and helps Jane learn the ropes of using a computer and a phone, even finding a new job for her. He’s handsome, kind, wealthy and an eligible bachelor.

On an outing with Frank and Wes, Jane runs into an old acquaintance of Courtney’s, an Indian barmaid named Deepa. Jane instantly trusts Deepa and dares tell her who she really is within the impostor, nervously asking Deepa if she believes in reincarnation. Deepa is quiet yet seems convinced and leads Jane down the hall in the bar to the door of a psychic, an oddly familiar woman who resembles a fortuneteller Jane recently met at a fair in England. This strange lady warns her of the danger in judging others, particularly Courtney and her life. Her words are prophetic:

“Most of us walk through our daily lives as if we were asleep. We regard not what is before our eyes. We see not how we construct fantasies of our own and others’ intentions without having the smallest knowledge of what we, or they, are truly about. We are all imaginists, storytellers if you will, and the pity is that none of us recognizes his sorry state.”

The fortuneteller asks Jane to return only when she understands the meaning of those words and hints that understanding will come only by seeing in the present through Courtney’s eyes.

So, as you might have guessed, there are revelations to behold and implications to consider in RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT. These revelations are Jane Mansfield’s awakenings, and fittingly, they echo frequent themes of Jane Austen’s literature: that imagination often takes the form of prejudice, that graciousness and respect come with their own rewards. But Laurie Viera Rigler’s stories aren’t meant to be taken all that seriously, and they are definitely not meant to be reproductions of Austen’s novels (although they are always respectful of them.) CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT and RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT are clever parodies of the customs of 19th-century English socialites and modern-day Americans, and both books are absolutely uproariously funny. I laughed from the first page to the last, and I can imagine a great many other die-hard Jane Austen fans will do the same.

— Reviewed by Melanie Smith

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Historial Novels Review

TIMESLIP
RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT

Regency romance intertwines with modern chick lit in this highly anticipated sequel to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. Previously, modern-day free spirit Courtney Stone awoke into the social confines of the Jane Austen era. Now, Rude Awakenings continues the story, but with Jane Mansfield, an English country lass from 1813, who inexplicably awakens in 2009 Los Angeles. Jane has no opportunity to ponder how this transfer could have occurred, as she must quickly learn to interact with the people of this technological world. Strange noises, fewer clothes, and living on her own are just a few things Jane must strive to understand. The one thing she finds in common with Courtney is their mutual passion for Jane Austen, and Jane is thrilled to discover that she can watch tiny figures act out the scenes of her favorite stories inside a small container in her new living quarters.

As Jane begins to relish the privacy and independence, she remains bewildered by memories that are not her own. Even more confusing are the attentions of a friend named Wes. Jane wonders if she can ever truly fit in and begins to miss home, where at least the rules were clear.

Flung into the future, Jane learns the importance of living in the present. Blending humor, love, and exploration of identity and destiny, Rude Awakenings is a colorful look at this genre. The ultimate question is answered: can a 19th-century girl survive in a morally confused world? This bubbly take on literary time travel will appeal to Jane Austen and chick lit fans alike. It will be interesting to see what Rigler comes up with next.

–Rebecca Roberts

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Library Journal

The Reader’s Shelf: Lessons Learned: Strong Women Make the Story
(includes review of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict)
Edited by Neal Wyatt, Library Journal

Life lessons are valuable, but they rarely come without unpleasant side effects such as self-doubt, regret, worry, and the potential for huge amounts of embarrassment. Wouldn’t it be nice to learn the lesson while avoiding the pitfalls? The heroines of these six novels each navigate particularly thorny problems, ranging from the wacky to the tragic, and as they make their way, they offer readers the chance for a variety of vicarious tutorials.

In Confessions of a Jane Austen ­Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (Plume: Penguin Group [USA]. 2008. ISBN 9780452289727. pap. $15), Courtney Stone lives a fairly typical life for a 30-year-old single woman in L.A. But after breaking off an engagement, Courtney decides to drown her sorrow in a seemingly innocent evening of pizza and reading Pride and Prejudice. But something goes wrong, and she finds herself in Regency England, surrounded by strangers calling her Jane Mansfield. Attempting to figure out how she took up residence in Jane’s person quickly becomes the least of Courtney’s worries, however. Two men vie for her attention, and she must choose wisely in order to create her own happy ending in this new time. Janites will adore the underlying P&P story and romantic comedy tropes, while all readers will enjoy the honest, nitty-gritty details of early 19th-century life.

In Sophie Kinsella’s funny and smart ­Twenties Girl (Dial: Random. 2010. ISBN 9780385342032. pap. $15), Londoner Lara Lington’s world is turned upside down when she suddenly begins seeing and hearing her recently deceased great-aunt Sadie. Why is Lara the only one who can see Sadie—now in the ghostly form of a young flapper? And why is Lara going on a date with a guy Sadie finds dashing? Navigating life in the company of a ghost with an agenda has its issues but quite a few benefits as well, as Lara begins to find bravery, daring, and love along the way.

The final (for now) book in Lisa Lutz’s Spellman series, The Spellmans Strike Again (S. & S. 2011. ISBN 9781416593416. pap. $15), is more of a beginning for Isabel “Izzy” Spellman. Izzy may be 32, but her acceptance of adulthood is haphazard at best. Now that she’s agreed to take over the family’s Spellman Investigations, Izzy is finding it even harder to balance her impulsive nature against her duty to do the right thing—and current cases aren’t making it any easier. With her family up to their usual unusual behavior, and Izzy’s dating issues taking on a life of their own—all seems in free fall. Luckily, the Spellmans are great at what they do—as is Lutz, in this sharp, endearing, and hilariously zany tale of ­detection.

Stephanie Gayle’s character-rich debut, MY Summer of Southern Discomfort (HarperCollins. 2008. ISBN 9780061236310. pap. $13.95), insightfully explores the hard fact that when love leads you astray, there’s only so much a girl can do to set things to rights. Natalie Goldberg is dazzled by the attentions of a partner at her law firm until he makes an error and pins the blame on her. Leaving Boston, she heads for a fresh start down South. The town of Macon, GA, might not be the obvious choice for an East Coast Jewish girl who leans hard to the left and liberal side of life, but unlikely friends, a job in the D.A.’s office, and the chance at an honest relationship all wait to be discovered in the heat and humidity of a Georgia summer.

When Jill Murray’s husband, Seth, leaves her and their three-year-old daughter to join the Peace Corps, Jill eventually adjusts and creates a new life for herself and now ten-year-old Anastasia in Claire Cook’s tender, humorous, and comforting novel of female strength, Seven Year Switch (Voice: Hyperion. 2011. ISBN 9781401341640. pap. $13.99). When Seth unexpectedly reappears, his presence deeply unsettles Jill. How does his return impact the life she has built and her relationship with the easygoing Billy? In classic Cook style, Jill must reinvent herself anew, navigating choices where no clear, or easy, answer awaits.

Holly Maguire is certain love has finally come her way—complete with an adorable child she longs to mother in Melissa Senate’s The Love Goddess’ Cooking School (Gallery: S. & S. 2010. ISBN 9781439107232. pap. $15). Unfortunately, it seems an odd prophecy told to her by her grandmother Camilla has once again come true, and love passes her by. Bereft, Holly returns to her grandmother’s home on Blue Crab Island, hoping for solace. What peace she finds is short-lived, however, as her grandmother soon dies, leaving Holly with a cooking school known for its magic—a magic Holly knows she did not inherit. But something is afoot as Holly slowly constructs a life for herself, helps friends new and old, and finds the possibility of a love that can overcome Camilla’s prediction. Rich in detail and atmosphere, Senate’s novel offers readers a lovely mix of light magical realism, recipes, and abiding friendship.

This column was contributed by Stacey Hayman, a librarian who enjoys suggesting books for readers of all ages and tastes at the Rocky River Public Library, OH

Author Information
Neal Wyatt compiles LJ’s online feature Wyatt’s World and is the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Nonfiction (ALA Editions, 2007). She is a collection development and readers’ advisory librarian from Virginia. Those interested in contributing to The Reader’s Shelf should contact her directly at Readers_Shelf@comcast.net

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