TBR: The Jane Austen Book Club
Inspired by Hornby, I’m going to write about whatever it is I’m actually reading, even if I don’t have anything earthshattering to say about it. And this week, what I read is The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler. I didn’t especially love it, although it was good enough that I read it in a few days (even with Hornby’s advice to stop reading books that you’re not enjoying ringing in my ears). I have to admit that 2/3 of the way through it, I was still flipping back to try to keep the characters straight in my head, which is never a good sign. But I know other people who liked it, and it got a truly glowing Washington Post review, so I guess it’s a matter about which rational people can reasonably disagree.*
One of Hornby’s running jokes in his Believer columns is that they won’t let him say anything nasty about the books he’s reviewing (although he seems to have won an exception to that policy for The Dirt.)**
I was reminded of the wisdom of such a policy last week when I discovered that not only had Jo Walton read my discussion of Farthing and alternative history, she linked to it from her blog. This isn’t the first time that a writer has read/commented on my post about a book she wrote — thanks to the wonders of Google, mentioning someone by full name is a semi-reliable way of getting their attention. I’m not going to only write about books I adored, but it’s a good reminder not to write anything that I would be ashamed to have the author read.
* I’ll offer a prize to anyone other than my husband who can identify the source that this is a reference to. I’ve got a stack of review copies that I’m willing to give away. (If no one gets it by next week, I’ll reveal the answer.)
** Oh, Genevieve deserves a prize too for explaining the title of Housekeeping versus the Dirt to me. Give me a way to contact you if you want something.
August 1st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I also read The Jane Austen Book Club and had a similar reaction upon completion. I was wondering if you were planning on seeing the film which is due out soon. After viewing the trailer on IMDB it seems to me that it the characters are easier to follow visually. Plus there are alot of great actresses and it would be nice to support a movie with strong female roles.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:55 pm
see, i’m one of the ones who absolutely adored “the jane austen book club”. not so much for the plot, but because i thought she did a smash-up job of adapting the drawing room comedy of manners observational style that austen pioneered to modern times – and the setting is not so different either, really. in the sensed of being the genteel bourgeoise of a rural agricultural provincial area.
but it’s okay to disagree on a book. 🙂