About the Book:
Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.
There, among the rich, promising world ofMansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily’s accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen’s characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.
About the Author:
Cindy Jones was born in Ohio and grew up in small midwestern towns, reading for escape. She is a winner of the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and she lives with her family in Dallas.
You can find Cindy at her blog, First Draft, and on Facebook.
I absolutely adored this charming novel! I still have yet to read an actual Jane Austen novel, but LOVE these books that include her like this along with her characters. Cindy Jones’ writing and creation of this unique novel is great and captivating. It was full of characters there were both likable and, of course, some that were not so likable. But, all together, this plot line was quirky and engaging!
Now, I’ll admit. The first chapter of Lily’s story, and her stalking her ex boyfriend, well, it was a little slow for me. But, it definitely picked up in chapter 2, as Lily had to start coming face to face with her troubles and accept them to over come them. Running away from your troubles is sometimes the best way to take them full on! The book flew by for me and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Mansfield Park, Lily, Fanny Price and all the other AMAZING characters the Cindy Jones wove into the story. I loved being able to travel to England with Lily and become a part of Mansfield Park for just a little while. I felt a true part of the story and love it when that happens! Lily’s aspiration to take the stage during Mansfield Park at LitFest was both addictive, and charming!
I know that if I had read Jane Austen’s actual novel, Mansfield Park, I would have known more about some of the characters that were portrayed in My Jane Austen Summer, but, honestly, I believe I would have enjoyed it no matter what. The feeling of England and tender characters, and facing your troubles no matter what they are, is just awesome!
Whether you’re a Jane Austen fan, new or old, or simply want a fun, fast, engaging read, then I highly recommend this book. Four stars and two thumbs up to an author who has amazing talent and allows her readers to travel with her characters and feel apart of Jane Austen’s era through this sweet, quirky, enjoyable read!
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*This book was provided for review by TLC Book Tours*
