Tag: Lost in Austen

Mini Reviews (23) – 20 Books of Summer Challenge 2016 Wrap Up

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The challenge ran June 1 – September 5, and was hosted by Cathy @ 746 Books. For my complete list, see my sign up post. For my other reviews, click here and here.

  1. Persuasion by Jane Austen
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    I’ve been looking forward to this re-read for a long time, and I was not disappointed. Anne and Captain Wentworth are mature leads, which I probably appreciate more now than in college.
  2. Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    Review – This was not on my original list, but when I found a copy for $0.50 I just had to read it immediately!
  3. Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    As she aged, Christie seemed to enjoy spoofing herself and Poirot. This makes for a fun, if outlandish, read.
  4. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
    A decent AC mystery. I enjoyed Jerry and Joanna, although I found the plethora of other village characters a tad confusing (some of them were so similar). I must admit that my favorite thing about this Miss Marple was the decided lack of Miss Marple (if it had been a Poirot, I would’ve complained no end!). This wasn’t on my original list, but I’ve been wanting to do a read-along with @maidensofmurder for awhile, so I took the opportunity in August.

Austen in August (1) – Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure

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WARNING! This review contains SPOILERS. Personally, I don’t think they’ll ruin a Janeite’s enjoyment of the book, but I feel compelled to warn you anyway.

Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A hilarious way to kick off Austen in August! In this grownup version of a choose your own adventure book, the reader is Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. If you choose to do everything Elizabeth did, you’ll end up married to Mr. Darcy, but if you’re a little more adventurous, all sorts of things can happen!

The story is told in 5 Stages, and includes forays into Austen’s other novels. In Stage 1, I was attacked by gypsies and horribly disfigured, which I found extremely diverting.

Stage 2 was exciting, and involved lots of backtracking. First, I eloped with Mr. Wickham and died in poverty. Then, I slipped on a patch of ice and broke my neck. Finally, I discovered a secret passage at Northanger Abbey, which concealed an insane Fanny Price, who kidnapped me! Eventually, I backtracked enough to move on to Stage 3.

I failed my mission so many times in Stage 3 that I lost track of everything that happened. The ending that stands out was a Shakespearean bloodbath, à la Hamlet.

In Stage 4, I narrowly avoided being murdered by Caroline Bingley (I peaked at the ending after having chosen the other option).

Finally, I reached Stage 5, where Mr. Darcy proposes (the 2nd time). This is where everything fell flat for me. I could choose to marry Mr. Darcy or stay single and become a writer (like Jane Austen!). This irked me. Why couldn’t I have the man I loved and personal fulfillment?

All in all, this is a fun romp for Janeites, full of good humored snark and unexpected twists.