“Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience – or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.” ― Jane Austen, Sense and SensibilityJust a few years after their father’s business scandal shatters their lives, Jane and Celia Woodward find themselves forced out of their San Francisco tea shop. The last thing Jane wants is to leave their beloved shop on Valencia Street, but when Celia … their beloved shop on Valencia Street, but when Celia insists on a move to Austin, Texas, the sisters pack up their kid sister Margot and Jane’s tea plants, determined to start over yet again.
But life in Austin isn’t all sweet tea and breakfast tacos. Their unusual living situation is challenging and unspoken words begin to fester between Jane and Celia. When Jane meets and falls for up-and-coming musician Sean Willis, the chasm grows deeper.
While Sean seems to charm everyone in his path, one person is immune – retired Marine Captain Callum Beckett. Callum never meant to leave the military, but the twin losses of his father and his left leg have returned him to the place he least expected—Texas.
In this modern spin on the Austen classic, Sense and Sensibility, the Woodward sisters must contend with new ingredients in unfamiliar kitchens, a dash of heartbreak, and the fragile hope that maybe home isn’t so far away.
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When I first saw the title of this book, I knew it was one I had to read. A modern-day Jane Austen novel, set in my very own hometown? Yup, totally gonna eat that up. And I did. From the opening chapter to the satisfying ending, I gobbled up Jane of Austin like it was a piece of my favorite chocolate flourless cake. It’s very rare to find a good Jane Austen fanfiction these days, and even rarer to find a modern-day adaptation that works and doesn’t feel cheesy, but Hillary Manton Lodge hit the nail on the head 100%. The plot follows the basic storyline of Sense and Sensibility, and Hillary perfectly scripted each character archetype and major plot element so smoothly in the present-day context, you would have thought that Jane Austen had been reincarnated as her.
As a native of Austin, I always thought that the names “Barton Park” and “Barton Cottage” in Sense and Sensibility reminded me of our local Barton Creek. So when her first parallel was to take those places and make them into a mansion with a guesthouse situated in the Barton Creek neighborhood, my excitement began to tingle. But it didn’t end there; she went on to name so many of my favorite locales, from Amy’s Ice Cream to Torchy’s Tacos, and even had her characters go on a date at the Driskill Hotel, where I’ve performed my harp for many weddings! I loved that she kept all the major plot elements intact, putting the appropriate modern spin, as it made it so much easier to track what was happening and predict what might come next. For example, she turned the London Season into the famed South by Southwest festival- a perfect analogy, since it’s when all our fashionable elite come to town by the thousands to participate in the spectacle.
And then there are the characters. The Dashwood sisters were renamed as the Woodwards: Elinor became Celia, a sweet and pragmatic accountant, Marianne is now Jane, a vivacious girl with a passion for tea and music, and Margaret simplified to Margot, a teen who loves ballet and social media. The story is told from two voices: Jane’s voice being one, the other being that of ex-Marine Callum Beckett, the modern-day counterpart to Colonel Brandon. I loved seeing the story take place from each of their unique viewpoints. It gives it a very refreshing change from the third-person narrative of Sense and Sensibility, and makes me love the characters even more. The other characters in the story also get slight name changes that make a play on their original names. John and Fanny Dashwood become Jonathan “Jon” and Phoebe, and Lucy Steele morphs into Lyndsay Stahl. The Palmers got to keep their last name, but their first names became Charlie and Pierce. John Willoughby becomes the man-candy Sean Willis, complete with rockstar status, jeans, pickup truck, and a cowboy hat. When he rescues the girls on the highway after their trailer hitch breaks, and turns out to be their new neighbor, it’s easy to see how Jane becomes smitten with him, much as Marianne had with her Willoughby. But Callum Beckett is my favorite character. If you thought Colonel Brandon was sexy, this is Colonel Brandon on steroids! He’s a war hero with PTSD and a ton of emotional baggage. He’s lost a leg even. But none of that does anything to detract from how awesome this guy is. He swims alone at night, one-legged, he saves Jane from drowning, carries her back, in the dark, for miles, with no flashlight, not caring about reinjuring his amputated leg- I mean, I can’t get over how hot this guy is!! No pictures needed, he’s the definition of hunky, heroic, and heart of gold all rolled into one.
The narrative that Hillary Manton Lodge spins for these characters is full of beautiful, poetic language, plenty of romantic moments, and, if that weren’t enough, she starts each chapter with a beautiful quote about tea or Texas and ends each with a recipe from the book. I would definitely recommend Jane of Austin to anyone who loves Sense and Sensibility, likes a good romance book, or hails from the great state of Texas.
I hope the author realizes the high praise I give when I say that she reminded me of Karen Witemeyer’s (one of my favorite author’s) excellent, humorous style!
It was not only funny but clean and sweet, swoon-worthy, with great characters and great world-building!
I loved the many nods to Jane Austen’s original Sense & Sensibility but that it wasn’t a one-for-one translation. The author picked out the best parts but kept enough Easter eggs for us JA fans.
I found it fascinating that she focused on Marianne’s romance, naming her a very sensible-sounding Jane, who was definitely not the sensible one neither the one most like JA’s other famous Jane character, Jane Bennett in Pride & Prejudice. I loved how we got both Jane’s POV and Callum’s POV. (From early on, it was obvious that Callum was Colonel Brandon, another fascinating twist!)
I loved the actual recipes at the end of random chapters.
I love how there are also humorous references to the movies of P&P, as well as even a reference to The Princess Bride!
And there’s even a character with my name – exactly how I spell mine, which is unusual!
I will be adding this to my re-read stack. Now for a re-reading of S&S…
Favorite quotes:
“’Make it your own; we’re very glad you’re here. Your mother was a good woman.’ His eyes grew misty. ‘My favorite cousin, always kind, easy to talk to. And your father … ‘ He paused. ‘Your father had a dog I liked.’” (p. 47)
“’Every woman swoons over a man walking out of a lake in a white shirt. It’s a universal truth.’” (p. 225)
“’I don’t think it’s ever wrong,’ I decided, ‘to love what you have more than what you had.’ ‘That is very wise,’ Celia said. ‘It would sound wiser if you didn’t have paste on your nose.’” (Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge, p. 299)
(I received a copy for free in a giveaway. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own, as was the decision to write this review.)
Thanks to netgalley for an eARC. This is a very enjoyable read. Three sisters tragically lose their mother in a car accident and then their father embezzles money from his job leading to his being fired.. The father flees for the Caymans leaving the girls to fend for themselves. The girls open a tea salon in San Francisco. Things move along nicely for a few years, then the evil landlords raise the rent. The girls journey to Austin, hoping to start once again. Many a nod to “Sense and sensibility”, With a few references to Pride and prejudice as well. The characters are well developed and the story evolves in a believable way.
It’s not a preachy read, but I noticed no bad language, no drinking, and no sex, very unusual given one of the characters is in a rock band!
Finally, a romance where the most of the characters possess moral character, common sense, and wit. I loved this book and it will be a book I read and listen to again.
I enjoyed the recipes being included, even if I have a strong objection to cocoa powder and 3 cans of black beans being included in the recipe for chili. (There was a meal of Frito Pie served in one scene of the book. I’m a Native Texan and I’ve never eaten Frito Pie served with chili containing any kind of bean in it. Most of the Native Texans I know consider beans in chili to be sacrilege). Given that the book setting is Austin, TX, perhaps the author was just trying to keep it weird. But I’m sure the recipe she gave for meat soup with black beans that resembles chili would be tasty, nonetheless.
The narrator did a fair job with Texas accents. I don’t remember cringing and thinking that any of the Texans spoke in an over-the-top characterization which made them sound like hicks. The narrator did consistently mispronounce three words. I even googled the pronunciation to make sure I pronounce these words correctly. (I do). The three words are: 1) Maryland, which she actually pronounced as if it were two words, Mary Land; 2) been, which she always pronounced BEAN (this one was starting to get on my nerves by the end of the book); and 3) appreciation, which she pronounced “appreSEEation”. It should be appreSHEation.
I look forward to reading many more books by this author. It’s not often a book makes my re-read list, but this one will.
Jane Austen is my favorite author. I liked the play on Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.
A fun modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility. I fell in love with the Dashwood sisters all over again.
Fun and updated Sense and Sensibility. Fun to read.
Not what I expected
This is a delightful modern version of Jane austen’s Classic (sense & sensibility) with quite well developed characters and engaging plot. While missing the wit of Austen, it should prove satisfying to most Austen fans.
Yes, I liked it since I live in Texas and lived in Austin during College.
Jane Austen has some of the most loyal, dare I say, obsessive fans. I feel the need to disclose that I do not attain to such fandom. However, I have read and enjoyed most of her books, Sense and Sensibility among them. In my basic familiarity with the original I was able to make a few direct connections to Lodge’s work. For instance, I fully expected Sean Willis to be a cad and Jane to eventually turn her affections towards Callum. The author retains enough elements of Austen’s work to label her novel a re-telling while creating a totally modern, relatable, and witty story of her own. Though romance is not my go-to genre, I loved the “fall, heartbreak, and knight in shining armor” type rescue in this book.
I count Jane of Austin as my introduction to Hillary Manton Lodge and I’m impressed. Her dialogue drew me into each conversation as if I were standing in the room. She also does a beautiful job of assigning her characters distinct personalities. While I’ve met people who are as calm and collected as Celia, I identified more closely with Jane’s focused, loyal, sarcastic, occasionally irritable, and totally introverted ways. She made me laugh! Furthermore, the book is peppered with recipes I am eager to try. Read eager as we drove to three grocery stores searching for frozen cranberries—eager.
It’s interesting to note that in a book labeled contemporary Christian by its publisher, you won’t read about these sisters going to church, praying through a crisis, or surrendering their lives to Jesus. Instead, you’ll find a fairly chaste romance and a story that celebrates the bond of sisterhood. I think you may also grow to admire the gregarious family members in Austin who abound in love and hospitality. I found that despite the lack of elements I usually associate with Christian fiction, Jane of Austin is definitely a book I will read again.
Christian Shelf-Esteem received a book to facilitate this review. The views and opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guidelines, concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.