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Jane Austen Ruined My Life
by Beth Pattillo

Published: 2009-02-03
Paperback : 288 pages
3 members reading this now
3 clubs reading this now
3 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 5 of 5 members
English professor Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job at a good college, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author Jane Austen might say, until the day ...
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Introduction

English professor Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job at a good college, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author Jane Austen might say, until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions a la Austen are exposed for the foolish dreams they are.

Denied tenure in the wake of the scandal and left penniless by the ensuing divorce, Emma packs up what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England on a quest to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. Locating the elusive letters, however, isn't as straightforward as Emma hoped. The owner of the letters proves coy about her prize possessions, sending Emma on a series of Austen-related tasks that bring her closer and closer to the truth, but the sudden reappearance of Emma's first love makes everything more complicated.

In the end, Emma learns that doing the right thing has very little to do with other people's expectations and everything to do with her own beliefs. Laced with fictional excerpts from the missing letters, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is the story of a woman betrayed who uncovers the deeper meaning of loyalty.

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Overall rating:
 
 
  "Read In One Day!"by Stephanie K. (see profile) 03/19/11

I truly enjoyed this book (as if that isn't obvious considering I read it in less than a day). It left me with many questions and the reminder that not all happy endings are as they seem. It was a beautiful... (read more)

 
  "Easy but entertaining read."by Farrah W. (see profile) 02/15/11

Being an Austen fan myself, this story made me want to travel to England and visit some of the same locations. It is an easy, romantic read, but it was entertaining.

 
  "Most of all, though, I was tired of Jane Austen ruining my life."by Michelle M. (see profile) 02/14/11

Emma Douglas has just found her husband cheating on her, and she blames Jane Austen’s novels (as well as her parents’ own happy marriage) for leading her to believe that there are always... (read more)

 
  "Fast Fun"by Jennifer K. (see profile) 07/25/10

Since we had more than one Jane Austen fan in our group, it made reading this book more fun. It is a fanciful tale with a fairly shallow and transparent characters and plot, but manages to be enjoyable... (read more)

 
  "I want this book to be true..."by Amanda R. (see profile) 05/25/10

I think any Jane Austen fan would. I would make some different choices, but I so loved following this character through my favorite parts of England that I didn't care that the story was a little obvious.... (read more)

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