Critically-acclaimed author Katherine Reay’s latest love letter to Jane Austen.Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuinely enjoys her job and her colleagues–particularly a certain adorable and intelligent consultant. But something is missing. When Mary’s estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer, offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor … two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.
But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen’s Bath. While Isabel rests and delights in the leisure of a Regency lady, attended by other costume-clad guests, Mary uncovers startling truths about their shared past, who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who now stands between them.
Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings arise, and dancing ensues as this company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation, work out their lives and hearts.
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For every Austen lover who has ever imagined themselves transported to Regency England, this book is a must. And a true delight. —Lisa Carter, author of Stranded for the Holidays
(Audio CD version) The audio narration was okay. Although I liked Mary’s character, I wasn’t fond of Mary’s Texas accent; especially when set against Isabelle’s European one. And there were a few places where I couldn’t tell which secondary character was speaking because some of the accents blended too much into other character accents. Isabelle is a cold, bitter character at first, but I grew more fond of Isabelle as Isabelle’s character grew in the story. There is plenty of Austen references and character traits to be found, some pleasant, some painful. However, all in all, as the characters played their Austen parts, most of the characters discover that the best person to be is themselves. Grant and Nathan are romantic heroes, but the romance in the story is cautious and more relational than the typical sweet, swept away kind of romance. This is not my favorite Katherine Reay book, but still an overall good story.
I found this book had a slower start. I was unsure if I would even finish it, but then I hit about chapter 12 and everything came to life. It took me about three weeks to read the first 12 chapters (due to putting it down several times), but it only took two days to read the rest. I was sad when the book ended. I will definitely read another book by this author.
Uber cute and super fun, this book was one of those that makes you laugh but also makes you cry. The first half of the book was a wee bit slow, but it picked right up around the time they got to England.
I so wanted to give this 5 stars! The last half of the book was amazing! So layered and intriguing, and I couldn’t put it down after that point!
But the first half was like two different stories. It began with the romance, as it should, but then from 12% to 49%, there was nothing about Nathan at all. It was all about Mary and Isabel, and that loaded relationship had so much water under the bridge that I never felt I quite caught up. I felt like an outsider without half the facts. But the romance was so new that I got caught up in the first chapter or two. That was the real story. But all the backstory just took too much to tell and show.
I loved all the allusions to Jane Austen, of course. I loved the 3D secondary characters! The blur between real and make-believe was fascinating, too. I also loved the layers, the depth of symbolism!
But there was a little too much description for me, especially about the outside of the house in England, etc., details that didn’t add anything to the story. Each scene was set up fantastically, but then there were be a chunk of irrelevant details plugging up the plot’s pipes.
The quality of writing – and editing – was top-notch! I really enjoyed it and will probably reread this, my litmus test for a good story.
Favorite quotes:
“’Safe isn’t always best, Mary,’ she called out – vague enough not to raise listening ears, pointed enough to hit its mark. I shot back. ‘But safe doesn’t get our heart ripped out twice in one day.’” (p. 13)
“Who held her when she cried herself to sleep? Who paid attention? No wonder real and make-believe got blurred.” (p. 17)
“’I play [piano] to remember.’ ‘And I stopped to forget.’” (p. 104)
“’…we’ll join the bowls game Mrs. Jennings plans to set up on the south lawn.’ I couldn’t stop my smile – how often did one get to say that sentence?” (p. 128)
“And if I wasn’t sure laughter would tip to tears, I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all – at every single aspect of my life.” (p. 133)
“’Sometimes it takes a lifetime to know someone. Other times, only a few minutes.’” (p. 138)
“In playing others, they find themselves. Austen was even astute enough to put that in a book…’” (p. 144)
“’…how people treat you is only 10 percent about you and 90 percent about them, so you need to be careful how you react and how you judge. You never know someone’s story.’” (p. 169)
“'[Pride and Prejudice is] a manual for life – setting right pride, prejudice, misconceptions, and self-illusions. Also some good fun.’” (p. 185)
“Something had been missing and its absence only felt with its return. Nature abhors a vacuum and will fill it – but you must create an opening. Music was that opening.” (p. 193)
“’Sometimes you can’t see something clearly until you step away from it.’” (p. 222)
“We’d only known each other a short time, but I didn’t want to let her go. Oddly, her story seemed to mirror, inform, interweave, or somehow run alongside mine. It was like music – I’d stepped away before, now I felt almost desperate not to. Some things, some people, I needed to carry with me.” (p. 247)
(I received a copy for free from the author. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own, as was the decision to write this review.)
I wanted a tale that mimicked another book with a similar premise–a jaunty trip to England to delve into all things Regency, with little side romances blooming up among the flowers. This story was entertaining and took some interesting turns, but wasn’t what I was expecting..and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Although the more I think about it, this book does have characters patterned slightly after beloved book characters.
Mary is walked all over by crazy Isabel and tied to her in inexplicable ways, yet she just can’t break free. Isabel is the victim of neglect and only wants to be loved and accepted for who she is, going to extreme lengths to feel even a glimpse of those desperately longed for feelings. Nathan is amazing, but too vague in his Texas interactions with these two best friends, leaving a messy situation to be dealt with. However, the events gave way to a charming story that definitely entertained.
This author has a unique way of drawing classics into her contemporary offerings, giving them a slight depth, with good lessons and messages, mingled with fun.
Content: mild romance; vague talk of past neglect
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Totally liked this book, many layers and well crafted. But although published by Thomas Nelson, almost NO religious content or hint that the Lord Jesus Christ meant anything to the characters. He was a non-entity in their lives.
This is my fourth Katherine Reay novel. I loved Dear Mr. Knightley and I wanted to love this one, but I didn’t quite make it.
Don’t get me wrong: it’s a fun book. I just never really connect with Reay’s characters (maybe because they’re all runners and all Austen nuts, of which I’m neither). I also don’t necessarily follow their logic. In this story, Mary is crazy mature about her forgiveness toward Isabel, but then she makes unrealistic (and unprofessional) demands of Nathan. It does add extra layers of conflict to the story; it just felt inconsistent to me. And I wish there had been more closure regarding Isabel; that story line sort of disappeared.
Overall, a fun story. If you love Austen, you’ll probably love it.
A charming and witty rom-com with a lot of heart.
Wow! I absolutely loved this story. Using characters from Jane Austen, the author creates a warm story about relationships, both friendships and romantic. The characters are intriguing and relatable.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series, previously written, as well as any upcoming novels Ms. Reay releases.
I really like Katherine Reay’s novels. This a great book to read under a warm blanket on a rainy day, especially if ice cream is involved.
The main character, named Mary, is an engineer working in a cubicle in Texas leading a safe and predictable life. She has one of those friends we might have all had at some time in our lives. They might be considered a little toxic, but have been in your life for a long time. Her friend, Isabelle, had a rough childhood and spent a lot of time growing up with Mary and her family. I loved the strong relationship Mary has with her father.
Isabelle invites Mary to go with her on a trip to Bath, England to an all-inclusive Austen fan club resort (similar to in Shannon Hale’s book Austenland). Mary is hesitant to go since she feels herself pulling away from the effort of the friendship, but her Dad talks her into it. Once they get there that’s when everything changes. Deep secrets and feelings come out. Relationships are strengthened. Life is forever changed. How far are you willing to go to be a good friend?
There is a sweet, clean romance mixed in as well, but with the deeper topics I wouldn’t consider it a fluffy read.
I would recommend this book if you love Jane Austen and enjoy reading a book under a blanket with ice cream.
I received a copy of this book from the Fiction Guild. I was not required to give a favorable review. This was a great contemporary twist on a Jane Austin romance. Mary is a engineer working for a company in Austin, her best friend from the second grade Isabel is originally from England but has lived in the states since. She is working on her doctorate in Austin studies. When she has a chance to go to estate in Bath and spend 2 weeks in characters from the book. Isabel’s father is paying for the whole trip, but things have been off with Isabel, and Mary’s work has not been making her happy. But when they get to England, Isabel seems to loose herself again like when she was a young woman. And it doesn’t help her father decides to remarry while she is gone. But will friendship be enough to bring Isabel back from the state she is in. And will Mary find love with a man from work. I have another one of Katherine’s books and I found she draws you into the characters and makes you picture everything around you.
The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay gives you just that an escape. While reading this story the overwhelming feeling of why we read to escape our daily grind takes hold. To get away to a “far-away-land” just for a moment to forget and clear our heads. On Katherine’s website under Meet Katherine it says, “She writes character-driven stories and non-fiction that focuses upon examining the past and how it influences our present experiences” and I could not have written or said anything better about this story.
“Here the silence felt right. I wondered if I’d ever truly heard it before. The realization of how much noise filled my world only became apparent in its absence……”
Mary is an industrial engineer that lives a same old same old life without any of the risk of taking on life or love. But when her childhood best friend, Isabel offers her a two-week trip to the Austen’s Regency England she goes, but with great hesitation. Once there she learns to put everything aside and take in the experience as a whole…and then Isabel takes a mental escape. Mary gets more than she can imagine. Playing the role of a character, taking care of her sister/friend and the realization, you can’t ignore the past to move forward gives you one emotional story ride.
“I sat on a cushioned chair outside the Blue Room and let the stillness sink in.”
I find that words are hard to describe the emotions that pull on the heartstrings while reading this book. Sometimes in life we can drift and get so comfortable we don’t know how to break out, but then certain moments in life come along and shake everything up and you face a choice to jump in with two feet or stay put.
Katherine has done an amazing job of interweaving the past Austen books (which I want to go and read now) and putting those feelings/concerns/life lessons into today’s world. You can always find yourself when you examine the past and learn from it. As for Mary Davies in this story she needs to “escape” so that she can find herself.
The character connection was strong and the references to Jane Austen’s books, the interwoven story lines are so amazingly done. As I have never read any of Jane Austen’s books I feel that Katherine has done such an amazing job writing this story, and it makes me want to go and read them all. Some books can get wordy or overdone, especially when based on classics, but you do not get that with this story. It’s a well written novel and I can’t wait to read more by her. FIVE Escaping Stars to take you away.
I enjoyed this story. While it had some far-fetched elements, it was a clever intertwining of Austen classics with a modern sensibility. The underlying story was very diverse in its plot line….was it a romance, was it a story of female friendship, was it a self-discovery odyssey….I would say a little bit of all three with some whimsy for good measure. And yes, at times, it may have tipped over into convoluted, but in the end, it was a satisfying read, since I happen to be an Austen fan, quite a fun visit through her work. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC!