Midnight in Austenland

complicated, multi-layered and light fun all at the same time

My Review (spoiler-free):

This book was a complete delight to read. The writing is so smooth and fast-paced. The characters were believable. The troubles were real and varied. The romance was fun. The mystery was fun!

I was never concerned for anyone’s life, necessarily. (Not sure if that’s important to note or not). There was a scene that I felt I OUGHT to be very concerned for someone’s life, and yet, nope. Largely because the writing was humorous even then. (Every "then".)

Charlotte carried on conversations with her inner self that were hilarious even at the most frightful moments. To add to the enjoyment, her Inner Self was a different character than her Self-Self, the two disagreed and argued. I think that aspect is a unique treasure that I haven't run into in other books. How often (in reality) is my inner voice ultra-sarcastic and critical of me, you know? Well, you don’t know, but it is and it seemed as if Shannon Hale knew! Yikes!

The main character, Charlotte Kinder, is older-ish and divorced (with kids) and dealing with the unfaithfulness of her husband, which labels this book as “adult”. But I think Young Adults would enjoy this book just as much even if there are moments that make them wonder if their mothers ever thought of them like that. (Yes!) Most of the book is centered around the situation and mystery at the Jane Austen resort setting, including the beautiful dresses and dances and card games and food… everything fun and memorable about Jane Austen’s world. There is tension between what is real and what is pretend with hired actors.

As I read, I highlighted... in my e-reader (no, not in a hard copy – are you kidding?!) so, while I was reading, I quoted phrases… I hope you caught some? This book is delightfully quotable without giving away spoilers. :-D For example, a mini side theme was the house itself, how it felt alive and friendly or not as Charlotte reacted to other things going on. And always there were the Settees, which she enjoyed noticing, having never said "Settee" before. She commented on them frequently, "adjourning to the room with the abundant Settees", etc, etc. Hilarious. When I least expected it, those Settees would be there again, and I snorted every time.

Speaking of laughing, I thoroughly enjoyed trying to be quiet. If you can, read at night – through the night, if possible - and try to keep quiet and not laugh out loud and you, too, might be in (quiet) hysterics frequently. (Yea! It could happen!!)

This book is full of Jane Austen connections, especially with Northanger Abby, so no doubt I missed some depth I might have gotten otherwise (not having read that work of art.) Any thoughts, anyone? Have you read Northanger Abby?

Midnight in Austenland is definitely complicated, multi-layered and light fun all at the same time. I recommend it for everyone.

My Rating: 5 - Love it!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intriguing blend of mystery and romance

Charlotte Kinder’s marriage has gone kaput and she starts reading Jane Austen as a diversion. Her two children are spending their vacation with their father and his new wife so Charlotte decides to go on her own vacation. She ends up going to England and being part of a reenactment type of trip located at Pembrook Park, a stately home. Reborn as Charlotte Cordial, a widow, she embarks on her adventure. She is one of six guests and is matched with Mr. Mallery, a moody but hunky gentleman.
As part of the entertainment, the three couples are part of a mystery involving a long ago event at a local abbey, and parts of the story are doled out over several nights. Unfortunately for Charlotte, it suddenly becomes all too real for her and she is left wondering what is really happening at Pembrook Park. Who can she rely on for help?
I always have wanted to go on one of these Austen trips so the whole premise of this book intrigued me. Charlotte is an interesting character, not the typical dumpee. She has a successful business and seems to be a pretty intelligent woman who ignored the signs that her marriage was imploding. On her vacation she has the typical reactions one would being in a strange country, acting out another period of time, and finding oneself in the middle of something very unsettling. The mystery factor is ramped up in this book and the romance takes a back seat but still has a satisfying conclusion. Ms. Hale solves an obvious problem with a simple but effective plot twist so all can end well. I enjoyed the first book in the series and this one was just as good.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fabulous!! Shannon Hale does it again!

5 bright shiny, sparkly stars for Midnight in Austenland!! (none of those wimpy stars that are hard to see) I loved this book!!! I probably ought to start this review out with a confession- I am a huge Shannon Hale fangirl so if you're looking for an unbiased review this is not the review for you. Because I am a huge fan of Shannon's books I went into Midnight in Austenland with really high expectations. And in true Shannon Hale fashion my expectations were left in the dust. I loved being back in the world of Austenland. It was so fun to see old friends and meet new characters. I hadn't realized that I wanted to know more about certain characters until I met them again in this book. I really enjoyed getting to know a few of the familiar faces a bit more. As for the new cast of characters, I was a little worried I wouldn't connect with Charlotte as well as I did with Jane in Austenland. I am single and obsessed with Mr. Darcy so it was really easy for me to understand Jane. Charlotte is a successful business woman, a mother of two and divorced. She and I don't have a lot in common. But that is the beauty of Shannon's writing- she creates characters that. even though there is very little common ground, you can understand and love. Midnight in Austenland is classic Shannon Hale- it has a strong heroine, is laugh out loud funny, poignant, thought provoking, adventurous and has just the right amount of swoon. In addition to all of those wonderful qualities Shannon has thrown a mystery into the mix. I have to admit that this crime show junkie had a huge grin on her face when one of the characters makes a comment about being on CSI Pembrook Park. Trying to discern between fantasy and reality is already difficult at Pembrook Park, adding a puzzle to be solved made this trip to Austenland even better than the first

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun Escape...

In Ausetenland, how do you tell what's real and what isn't?

Charlotte is newly divorced, and needs a break from reality. Destination Austenland. During a parlor game, she stumbles across a dead body, but is it a real mystery, or all just part of the show?
She gladly immerses herself in the mystery while she struggles to decide if she's ready for romance - real or otherwise.

I really enjoyed this book, and hated it to end. I loved the Austenesque language (smoothed over for our generation,) the mystery with just the right amount of creepiness, and Charlotte's own inner struggles.

Great read!

I would like to acknowledge NetGalley and the good people at Blo

I would like to acknowledge NetGalley and the good people at Bloomsbury Publishing for providing my review copy of "Midnight in Austenland".

Let me start by saying right up front that I LOVED Shannon Hale’s first foray to Austenland (titled, oh-so-appropriately, "Austenland") AND her follow-up novel, "The Actor and the Housewife". Why, you ask? Because she writes lovely stories, I reply. Stories that are full of realistic heroines who struggle and laugh and cry and work their way through drama (real, imaginary, and vastly over-blown). And they do it all with a sense of aplomb and style (often gracious, sometimes flat-footed, occasionally foot-in-mouth) that is just plain fun to read.

Which is why I’m oh-so-disappointed to write this review.

I was so excited about the promise of another trip to Austenland – which made me all the more disappointed after I spent some time there. The story began alright – a new heroine-in-waiting looking for something that is missing in her life after her husband leaves her. Solution – a trip to Austen’s England. Things looked promising – there were a couple of returning characters (including the delightfully clueless and gauche Miss Charming, hooray!), new mysteriously handsome gentlemen callers, and a tish of star-struck drama. But then everything went rather off-kilter, and it did it mighty quick.

In short, things got weird. Weird as in odd and random – not as in quirky or interesting. There’s a mystery in this one, and mayhem too, but not the good Jane-Austen-farcical kind. This one actually has violence and criminal behavior and a Svengali-like surprise character shift. It might have been a fine piece of chick lit if it were written by someone else – in Shannon Hale’s hands, this material felt forced and uncomfortable, like Jane Austen being asked to write horror. I don’t know if her publishers wanted her to branch out or if she was responding to weird fan mail, but it seemed like this was a book that she was told to write rather than a book she chose or felt drawn to write.

Revisiting Austenland was a fantastic idea. The place was ethereal and well-mannered and perfectly prim and proper – in the best possible way. Bringing back characters like Miss Charming, Mrs. Wattlesbrook, and even the creepy then-gentleman-now-husband guy was a great idea – it tied the stories together without making the latest iteration feel derivative. But the “mystery” and the plot got way too far-fetched way too fast and I found myself wanting the book to end way too soon – something I wouldn’t have imagined I’d ever say about a Shannon Hale novel. This one felt like a stretch for her – and not in a good way.

Still, she has written wonderfully lovely stories before. I’m confident she will do so again, so this isn’t a “goodbye” Shannon Hale, simply a “later”…

Charlotte is a self made business woman, still fairly new to bei

Charlotte is a self made business woman, still fairly new to being divorced. Her well meaning (but married) friends have begun setting her up on blind dates, with generally terrible outcomes. After reading the works of Jane Austen, Charlotte sends the kids to the ex and takes of for a two week Austen adventure in England. I like these stories where people are submerged in a different time and Hale pays attention to all the details. Interestingly, this takes a more gothic turn than your normal P&P storyline and the mysteries of the estate turn very dark indeed. Overall, a very fun read.

PASS

It had promise but didnt deliver.

A delightful Austenesque mystery

I have eagerly snatched up every single one of Shannon Hale's novels as they came out and enjoyed them all, but I think this one gave me the most laughs. The light, frivolous conversation no matter what the circumstances made me smile. The myriad of quirky and human characters were wonderful. I loved Charlotte and how she regains her confidence after the blow of her husband's infidelity. The other characters range from the sweet and silly Miss Charming to the mysterious and sophisticated Miss Gardensdale, the friendly and cheerful Edmund Grey to the darkly brooding Mr. Mallery.

The idea of Austenland is just pure fun. It is a place where reality is not allowed to intrude; where men are courteous and ladies are elevated on pedestals. Throw in a cozy mystery and a faux murder to keep everyone entertained...until Charlotte begins to suspect that a real murder has been committed. The story takes a turn from Austen into Bronte...unless Charlotte is turning into Catherine Morland, investigating imaginary murders.

The romance is delightful, the dialogue witty and the mystery utterly engrossing. I would recommend this book to lovers of Austen, Bronte and romantic comedy. It is not one to be missed.

Sweet and Salty!

Midnight in Austenland is an enticing read. It brings back some of the zanier cast from Austenland, and it's not the characters you're thinking about. The intrigue is very well written and adds extra spice to the story. I was so intrigued it was difficult to put the book down and Ms.Hale did an extremely wonderful job at making sure the plot wasn't easy to guess. If Austenland was everything sweet and nice, then Midnight in Austenland is sizzling and spicy. I find when reading sequels, authors find it difficult to balance their writing; either they make it identical to what they previously wrote, or it's a complete about face. Ms.Hale avoids all those pitfalls completely by keeping some things from the previous book but adding a twist to it so it seems like so much more. Well done Ms.Hale. It's what I've come to expect from her books and look forward to seeing more of in the future.

Very entertaining!

In Midnight in Austenland Shannon Hale revisits the world of Jane Austen vacations. I have no idea if these places actually exist, but I guess they must. Pembrook Park is a British country house where women can go to immerse themselves in Jane Austen's long lost era and experience the gentler, more chivalrous times Jane wrote about. Charlotte flees there to lick her wounds after her husband leaves her for another woman and she is left numb and cynical about romance. The funny clothes and overly authentic food take some getting used to, but soon Charlotte is distracted by the haunting suspicion that a murder has been committed. Is she falling into the same trap of an over-active imagination that Catherine Morland fell victim too, or is something fishy really going on?

Absolutely, hilariously, ridiculous story! Charlotte is a delightful combination of no-nonsense business woman and wounded romantic lacking in self-confidence. She attacks mysteries to distract herself from her growing attraction to Mr. Mallery only to wonder if she is exaggerating things. As she attempts to find the line between fantasy and reality she learns to open her heart and trust herself again.

This is a highly entertaining read! Realistic, no and also not in anyway an attempt to mimic Jane Austen. Midnight in Austenland is just a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon, get some good laughs, and meet some engaging new characters.

Somewhat pricey??

Why is the nook book so much more than the Kindle version?

Fun escape back into Austenland!

Northanger Abbey is one of my favorite Austen novels (yes, I know Catherine is silly and way too involved in her novels. She's supposed to be--she's only seventeen, and the closest she's come to adventures so far is in books...doesn't everyone get a little lost in a good book once in a while?), so I was really excited when Midnight in Austenland's prologue ("No one who knew Charlotte Kinder since her youth would suppose her born to be a heroine") clearly indicated that it was going to be based on NA. Finally! I've long felt that there needed to be a modern retelling, and at last someone listened. So, yes, I was pretty much predisposed to really like this book. Still, it could have disappointed me--fortunately, it didn't.

Although there is a world of difference between a modern thirtysomething divorced mother of two and a seventeen-year-old daughter of a clergyman in Regency England, Hale makes it work. Charlotte, still reeling from a betrayal she never saw coming, has a different kind of naivete than Catherine, but she nonetheless gets swept up in the world of books and more than a little carried away with her imagination. As a more worldly character, Charlotte often knows she's being a bit silly, but can't always stop herself. (Her conversations with her Inner Thoughts were just too funny.)

Ultimately, Charlotte is somewhat more justified in her suspicions than Catherine is, and that was the only part of the book that I really could find any fault with. The villian of the piece didn't quite ring true; his motivation seemed a bit silly, turning him from a fairly decent character into something more like cardboard cut-out of a bad guy. Still, though, the rest of the story more than made up for the awkwardness. You know it's a good book when I can embarrass my daughter in public by laughing out loud while reading.

Midnight in Austenland is not quite a sequel to Austenland; it's really more of just a second novel in the same universe. Mrs. Wattlesbrook is back, but unfortunately her business has fallen on hard times and she's down to just one property. The hero and heroine of the first novel are alluded to, briefly, toward the very end of the book. Other than that, it almost seems as more of a stand-alone novel rather than a true sequel, so reading Austenland isn't a prerequisite for book two. I really enjoyed this book and hope Ms. Hale will consider taking us back to Austenland again in the future.

Absolutely delightful

A many layered romance, mystery, and story about recovering from a marriage gone bad.
All in all a fun and great read.

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