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A Summer in Europe, by Marilyn Brant – A Review

26 January 2012 by shelleydewees

Summer in Europe, by Marylin Brant (2011)Guest review by Shelley DeWees – The Uprising

“A chorus of Happy Birthday roused her into greater awareness of the rest of the group.  Her aunt, who’d managed to light candles on a big, chocolate, sprinkle-covered birthday cake, came forward in song and demanded Gwen’s attention.  She thought about her wish: to be happy, secure, loved by someone and not so very afraid her life would end before she got to experience this.  She took a breath and blew.

Every candle went out.  All except one.”

So begins the 30th year of the life of Gwen, a beige-slipper-wearing, commitment-obsessive, scrupulously diligent Iowa girl.  She loves Andrew Lloyd Weber, meticulous flossing and fruit kebabs, and she knows in her heart that all she wants is to be engaged…to an insurance agent with the company motto on the back of his car.

If you think it sounds dull, you’re right!  Gwen is lost in a life of muted and measured structure, swimming in bowls of bran cereal and floral peach skirts, Barbara Streisand, pearl earrings, and crippling juvenile embarrassment about her own sexuality.  She’s the dreariest 30-year-old you’ll ever meet, but you’ll hope for the best as Gwen’s feisty Aunt Bea surprises her with a trip to Europe.  Think of the possibilities!  She can walk among the ruins of Rome!  She can eat Sachertorte in Vienna and meander the watery streets of Venice!  She can live for once!  That is, if she’s ready to be alive at all, to breathe in and out, to take it all in.

I had my doubts, actually.  Gwen is chronically detached from everything around her, constantly moping and pouting as she participates in the classic American-in-Western-Europe experience: Italy, Austria, Hungary, France and England with a tour guide and a group of octogenarians.  As she wanders around, uninspired and lifeless, she begins to slowly understand how much she’s missing as a result of her fear and mistrust of the unknown.  Where was her path leading?  What the hell was she doing, traipsing around like a lost puppy?  Where’s the life in her life?  Gradually, she begins to figure things out with the help of a gregarious English man and his spontaneous younger brother, her aunt, and the other tour mates whose sparkling personalities utterly dwarf her own.

Having read Marilyn Brant’s work before, I was unsurprised when the prose and phrasing of the book rolled through my mind like honey, beautifully structured and carefully executed with the clarity of a practiced writer.  A Summer in Europe reads a lot like a travel guide, with snippets of history and accounts of heavily-visited landmarks and restaurants, hotels and gelato stands, coffeehouses and boutiques, an undertaking that must’ve been challenging and complicated.  Again Ms. Brant’s commitment to quality sings true, as seen in her previous works like Friday Mornings at Nine.

But just like Friday Mornings at Nine, my scruples with the book came with the depiction of characters, both main and supporting.  I rolled my eyes at Gwen’s lack of strength, passions, or pursuits and her inability to order her own meals, but I let out an audible “UGH!” at her girlish blushing in front of David in Florence.   I found myself saying, “REALLY?!” when Gwen bounced back and forth between two men, entertaining the idea of being with both of them but never considering what would happen if she were to simply be alone, to wander off the beaten track by herself and think things through.  Gwen is on a non-adventure adventure, and her determination to be a woman of the world seems disingenuous and totally insincere by the end.  A Summer in Europe’s secondary roles are filled by wholly predictable creatures, complete with bad jokes, gender stereotypes, and rounded off with an absurd encounter with “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” that I’ll leave open to your imagination.

With all the talent that seems to be pouring out of Marilyn Brant’s fingers, I still greatly look forward to another contribution.  A Summer in Europe may absolutely be worth your time if you appreciate the simple beauty of seamless prose, or if you’re thinking about visiting Europe for the first time, but you may also find that you’re better off waiting for her next book.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Summer in Europe, by Marilyn Brant
Kensington Publishing (2011)
Trade paperback (352) pages
ISBN: 978-0758261519
Nook: ISBN: 978-0758274212
Kindle: ASIN: B005G023VI

© 2007 – 2012 Shelley DeWees, Austenprose

Posted in Book Reviews, Randomly Not Jane Austen Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael – A Review

25 January 2012 by Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)

Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael (2011)In honor of Edith Wharton’s 150th birthday yesterday, Kimberly Denny-Ryder has generously shared her review of this new novel inspired by Wharton’s The House of Mirth.

The Gilded Age of America is one of my favorite time periods to read about.  This is probably due to the fact that I grew up near NYC and also made frequent trips to the mansions in Newport, RI owned by the billionaires of that era.  The amount of wealth that was thrown around in those days is truly astounding.  To see the ostentatious nature of some of the landmarks of that era are mesmerizing: houses with elaborate ballrooms, private tea gardens, marble EVERYTHING, etc. etc. – you get the idea.  When Lev Raphael approached me about reviewing Rosedale in Love, a historical fiction novel taking place in the Gilded Age, you can imagine my immediate acceptance!

The time is 1905, and America is booming.  Considered the first real decade of consumerism and materialism, Americans were spending their hard-earned money in droves.  At the center of this madness in New York City is Simon Rosedale, a Jewish financial wizard who has big plans to break into the elite upper-class society that controls everything there is to control in the city.  However, not having any beneficial family ties, and feeling slightly outcast due to his faith, Rosedale sets his aim on marriage as his way in to this exclusive club.  Enter Lily Bart, a down-on-her-luck member of this aristocratic society who has recently been fodder for the tabloids.  Rosedale sees a way in via Ms. Bart.  She’s hurt enough socially that she just might take the plunge with Rosedale.  But would she really marry someone like Rosedale?  Would this make the gossip go away, or would it intensify even further?  Add into this mix Florence , Simon’s cousin who is secretly head over heels in love with Simon and you have one hell of a love triangle.

The biggest compliment I can give this novel is that Raphael’s writing style makes you feel as though you’re reading a classic literature novel.  Raphael’s cast of characters are crisply written with exquisite vocabulary that made me enthralled with the world and people he had created.  Not all of his characters are original creations though!  If the name Lily Bart sounds familiar to you, it’s because she is the main character from Edith Wharton’s novel The House of Mirth.  Rosedale in Love is a fantastic companion piece to The House of Mirth both in style and story.

As I mentioned before the characters of the novel are quite enthralling.  I can guarantee that you will have strong reactions (both good and bad) to each of the characters; I spent most of the novel wanting to smack Rosedale into seeing that Florence was right in front of him, while simultaneously wanting to give Florence the courage to be more assertive in trying to win Rosedale’s heart.  I emailed Lev upon completing the novel, asking him to please write a sequel because I wanted more of their story told.  (I’m not sure I’ve convinced him yet, but I’ll keep trying!)

The plot of the novel fascinated me, as it gave you a view of the gilded age from the perspective of a Jewish man.  You get a taste of how vain and superficial society was back then.  Even though Simon was making all of these men millionaires, it was too much to have him come for dinner or even attend one of their grand balls.  Their inability to accept him on the grounds of his religious background is utterly pathetic, made even more pathetic by the fact that this type of rejection still goes on today.  For some people the plot might move a bit slow, but I enjoyed all of the attention paid to details both big and small.  The descriptions of the clothes and buildings are perfectly done, giving the reader the feeling of being transported into the novel.

So, if you’re interested in the history of the Gilded Age, or just want to become immersed in an amazing land of power, money, and intrigue, I highly suggest diving in to Rosedale in Love.  You definitely won’t leave without being supremely entertained.

5 out of 5 Stars

Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael
Lev Raphael as Trustee of the Lev Raphael Trust (2011)
eBook (265) pages
Nook: 2940012391698
Kindle: B004X2ILRA

Kimberly Denny-Ryder: is the owner/moderator of Reflections of a Book Addict, a book blog dedicated to following her journey of reading 100 books a year, while attempting to keep a life! When not reading, Kim can be found volunteering as the co-chair of a 24hr cancer awareness event, as well as an active member of Quinnipiac University’s alumni association.  When not reading or volunteering, Kim can be found at her full-time job working in vehicle funding. She lives with her husband Todd and two cats, Belle and Sebastian, in Connecticut.

© 2007 – 2012 Kimberly Denny-Ryder, Austenprose

Posted in Book Reviews, Edwardian Era Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Hello Wharton Abbey: In Celebration of Edith Wharton’s 150th Birthday: Her Novels and Their Legacy: Guest Blog by Lev Raphael

24 January 2012 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Edith Wharton's copies of her works at The Mount. © Photo by David Dashiell

“True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.” – Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, designer, and taste-setter of her time was born 150 years ago today. Huzzah!

Author and designer Edith WhartonRenowned for her novels: The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), The Age of Innocence (1920), and last unfinished work, The Buccaneers (1938), Wharton was also an incredibly talented garden and interior designer writing two of my favorite classic design books in my personal collection: Italian Villas and Their Gardens (1904) and The Decoration of Houses (1897). Many of her works have been adapted into movies including three standouts: The Age of Innocence (1993), The Buccaneers (1995), which has thematic ties to the wildly popular mini-series Downton Abbey, whose second season is currently airing on Masterpiece Classic PBS, and The Old Maid (1939), the Warner Bros. classic starring Bette Davis. My mother introduced me to this movie as a teenager, and like her indoctrination to the classics by film with Pride and Prejudice (1940,) it piqued my interest enough to seek Wharton out and read the original novella. Thanks mom! Besides Austen and Cooper, Wharton is on my top five list of favorite authors.

Edith Wharton's works adapted into movies

In celebration of Wharton’s sesquicentennial birthday, author Lev Raphael has generously contributed a guest blog honoring Wharton, his fascination of The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey and his new novel Rosedale in Love.  

Wharton Abbey

Overwhelmed by the cascading changes at Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith’s indomitable Dowager Countess complains in Season One, “”Sometimes I feel as if I were living in an H.G. Wells novel.”

Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey

Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey

Watching Downton Abbey, I’ve found find myself feeling I’m living in an Edith Wharton novel.  More than one, in fact. Wharton’s novel The Buccaneer, unfinished at her death, was all about American wealthy young woman like Cora who were launched like arrows to hit titled English targets.  Born in 1862 to old New York money, Wharton observed this international exchange as America’s Gilded Age burst into lavish bloom.  Her native city of New York was a frenzy of building, money, and that modern invention we take for granted: publicity, which the Downton family is desperate to avoid.

House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton (Oxford Worlds Classics) 2009The series is imbued with the preoccupations of Wharton’s fiction.  As in The House of Mirth, the Grantham girls have few choices aside from marrying a man, preferably one with money.  New money like Sir Richard Carlisle’s may be suspect, but money is the drumbeat, even when people claim not to care about it.  Acquiring money, and the status and safety it brings, obsesses Lily Bart, the heroine of The House of Mirth, Wharton’s 1905 best seller.

Wharton lived in France during World War One, whose impact we’re seeing in the show right now, and she wrote a powerful novel, A Son at the Front, about the surprisingly high cost of war for those who aren’t in the trenches.  When war broke out, she worked with astounding energy to aid the French war effort through fund-raising and solving the refugee crisis.  But she was more than a combination of Lady Cora and Mrs. Crawley: she visited the front and wrote about it, and her extraordinary efforts earned her the highest civilian honors Belgium and France could bestow.

Wharton challenged convention by being intellectual and an author.  However, she was still a product of her class, which frowned on arrivistes of all kinds, especially Jews, who symbolized the vast social and financial changes rocking her comfortable world.  In The House of Mirth, her one Jewish character, wealthy Simon Rosedale, is frantic for status and vainly pursues Lily Bart, the faded society flower who finds him repulsive when he isn’t ridiculous.  Wharton relied heavily on stereotype to create him: he’s flamboyant, vulgar, buffonish, speaks bad English.

Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael (2011)His portrayal is an aggravating flaw in a novel I’ve read many times and love for Wharton’s profound understanding of how shame can crush our hopes–something that plays out again and again in Downton Abbey.  Having written two other books about Wharton, a mystery and a critical study, I decided to do something completely different: tell Rosedale’s unknown story.  Rosedale in Love is a reply to The House of Mirth, a book that gives Simon Rosedale a soul, a past, a family–that makes him human, in other words.

I wrote in a period voice, which I channeled after two years of reading books set in The Gilded Age. And just as Downton brings a lost way of life into our homes, I wanted Gilded Age New York to live for my readers.  I wanted them to feel the city’s obsessions, ride along its streets, dance at its balls, celebrate its weddings, marvel at its splendid hotels, dine at its elite restaurants, relish its remarkable extravagance, and savor its gossip.

So as you read the ebook, imagine it beautifully bound, pages freshly cut, being read by various denizens of Downton Abbey.  Think of Lady Mary or Anna pained by the sad search for love, Thomas enviously following someone else’s success, and the Dowager Countess sniffing at a whole novel devoted to “one of those people,” but ultimately admiring the main character’s courage.  After all, one of her ringing calls to action is “Don’t be defeatist, it’s very middle class.”

About the Author:

Lev Raphael is a former academic, radio talk show host, and newspaper columnist who’s published twenty-one books in genres from memoir to mystery with publishers like Doubleday, St. Martin’s, Faber and Walker.  His fiction and creative nonfiction appears in dozens of anthologies In the US and in Great Britain, and he has taught in colleges and universities around the country.

A world traveler and lecturer, his most recent adventure was his second German book tour for his memoir My Germany last fall, sponsored by the American Consulate in Frankfurt, and he will also be reading from his novel Rosedale in Love at the Edith Wharton in Florence conference next June (Austen and Wharton were major influences in his career). Visit Lev at his website Lev Raphael, on Twitter as @LevRaphael, and on Facebook as Lev Raphael.

A Grand Giveaway

Enter a chance to win one of three e-book editions of Rosedale in Love, by Lev Raphael by leaving a comment wishing Edith Wharton a happy birthday, or by revealing which characters or plot lines in Downton Abbey are similar to any of Edith Wharton’s novels by 11:59 pm, February 1, 2012. Winners to be announced on Thursday, February 2, 2012. Digital copies are available in Nook and Kindle formats.

Happy birthday Edith Wharton. We know you have very little in common with the other Edith, Lady Edith Crawley, daughter of the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, but we hope that screenwriter Julian Fellowes will give her a new direction and a second chance, just as author Lev Raphael has done for your character Simon Rosedale from The House of Mirth.

Other Edith Wharton Celebrations Around the Internet:

© 2007 – 2012 Lev Raphael, Austenprose

Posted in Edwardian Authors | Tagged , , , , , , | 38 Comments »

Downton Abbey Season 2: Episode 3 on Masterpiece Classic PBS – Recap & Review

23 January 2012 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Lady Sybil contemplates her place at Downton Abbey (2012)

For those watching the second season of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Classic last night, the fields of France were not the only place where bombs were dropping! Episode three was an eye popper, full of confrontations, shocking surprises, unrequited love, and ingenious plot twists worthy of the best Agatha Christie crime novel.

Many of the residents of this stately grand manor house are contemplating their place at Downton. It appears that everyone, but saintly housemaid Anna and former valet Mr. Bates, had their knickers in a knot: cat fight showdowns, begrudged departures, revelations about beaus, scheming, plotting, and skullduggery galore, loved ones missing in action, sex in the storeroom, and a shocking final reveal. Even granny, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, was in competition for some of the best zingers of the night. Phew. I am breathless by it all. How about you?

Episode two (spoilers ahead, so fair warning to all a sundry who have not seen this episode) saw Downton deep into aiding the WWI effort by converting its hallowed halls of the aristocracy into a convalescent hospital for wounded officers. Lady Grantham and Cousin Isobel Crawley are co-admins of this altruistic endeavor, and like two bulls locked at the horn, fought for power of its management, while daughters Ladies Mary, Edith and Sybil assist with caring for the recuperating soldiers. Mary, granny and Aunt Rosamund dig deeper into Matthew’s fiancé Lavinia’s background, while downstairs Mrs. Patmore pressures the scullery maid Daisy into accepting William’s affections before he leaves for the front, and Anna and Bates are re-united when Lady Mary discovers him working in a pub in a nearby village. Matthew returns to Downton from the trenches and brings his “candle in the wind” fragile fiancé Lavinia to Downton where she reveals her past association with Mary’s beau, Sir Richard Carlisle to her. Matthew departs for the front kissing his fiancé’s hand while Lady Mary watches with regret. If she had not taken aunt Rosamund’s advice and refused his first proposal, it could be her hand that he is honoring. Here is a brief synopsis from PBS of episode 3:

1918

Mary’s new alliance has aroused Violet’s interest in matters of suitability and love. With Sybil in mind, the Dowager Countess declares, “war breaks down barriers and when peacetime re-erects them, it’s very easy to find oneself on the wrong side.” Indeed, among war’s greatest casualties at Downton are the prescribed roles and class boundaries. Thomas is exerting his authority over the servants with aplomb; Mrs. Patmore, Daisy and Mrs. Bird are cooking up a little something on the side; and Ethel has discovered an age-old way to support the war effort. But between Robert and Bates, faith and loyalty transcend class, offering hope when Robert needs it most. Because now, the war has threatened a far more serious casualty.

What was so enthralling about this episode was the amount of new information, new twists, and resolutions we were fed. I felt like I was at a carb loading party before a marathon. Just when one thinks that the plots is bursting at the seams with drama and pathos, screenwriter Julian Fellowes adds another layer. Here are a few of my favorite moments and lines:

Lady Edith and Cousin Isobel at Downton Abbey (2012)

“Edith has it under control.” Lady Grantham

Wow. The Jan Brady of Downton Abbey is on the move. Lady Edith has always been the “pickle in the middle” – that awkward middle child who could never seem to get it together. Her relationship with her older sister was lethal, her parents just ignore her in comparison to all the attention Mary and Sybil receive, and her attempts at romance have been going after Lady Mary’s leftovers, or horrifically making the moves on a local married farmer. Ack! Poor Edith. Like her family we love/hate her, yet in this episode in every scene she is portrayed as competent, reliable and compassionate; even to her elder sister, and arch enemy, Lady Mary! For those on Team Edith, this is indeed a welcome turn of character.

Dowager Countess Grantham and Lady Mary at Downton Abbey (2012)

“And this is your beau.” Dowager Countess Violet

“He lives in a tough world.” Lady Mary

“And will you be joining him there?” Dowager Countess Violet

Whenever the Dowager Countess of Grantham and Lady Mary put their heads together for a tête-à-tête, we know that there will be a conflict of old Victorian mores and new modern Edwardian values. This always results in granny pelting out one-line zingers that pucker up her face and ours: hers in disapproval; ours in cringed laughter. Actress Maggie Smith who portrays DC Violet is a national treasure!

Mrs. Crawley v.s. Lady Grantham showdown at Downton Abbey (2012)

“Of course it would be foolish of me to accuse you of being unprofessional since you have never had a profession in your life.” Mrs. Crawley

Emotions run high at Downton with the administration of the convalescent hospital at odds between Lady Grantham and Cousin Isobel. We are witness to an intense, terse, and emotionally charged smack down of these to adversaries thrown together under the egress of the war. One must say out loud, that we were very disappointed that it did not end in a cat fight in the fountain, but it was very enjoyable all the same. We advise Cousin Isobel not to let the grand front door hit her on her way out.

Lady Sybil and Branson at Downton Abbey (2012)

“The truth is, I will stay at Downton until you want to run away with me.” Branson

The trying non-romance between Lady Sybil and the chauffeur Branson is feeling as doomed as Romeo and Juliet without any of the passion. He declares his love and asks her to run away with him. Shades of an elopement to Gretna Green, which we know from any Jane Austen novel, always ends in disaster. Oh Branson, you dreamboat in the making. Let’s get practical.  Do you want Sybil because you truly love her, or is the notion of stealing one of the daughters of aristocracy so exciting to your socialist sensibilities that it has blinded your judgment? How could this ever work? I am a tried and true romantic, but I throw up the red flag of caution to Lady Sybil here. He’s not for you deary.

O'Brien and Thomas scheme at Downton Abbey (2012)

“Don’t speak ill of Mr. Lang.” O’Brien

“You’re a funny one. Talk about sweet and sour.” Thomas

We know that we are in for some great skullduggery when O’Brien and Thomas put their heads together for a smoke break. But, one does not expect to hear kindness from the evil one. What’s up? Does O’Brien have a thing for Lord Grantham’s former valet Mr. Lang who is suffering from shell shock? Why is she defending him to Thomas? I smell a future romance for O’Brien, if that could EVER be possible. Naugh. What’s was I thinking?

Housemaid Ethel at Downton Abbey (2012)

“I’m ready for a new adventure and I don’t care who hears me.” Ethel

“Well you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for.” O’Brien

Cheeky housemaid Ethel is powering up for a fall. We shall see what her over-confidence gets her into crossing the line of decorum and social stricture, because we all know what happens when red-headed housemaids hook their wagons to their betters upstairs. Right?

O'Brien and Lady Grantham at Crawley House, Downton Abbey (2012)

O’Brien acting as kitchen police! Future Nazi Gestapo prototype? No further explanation needed! ;-)

Dowager Countess of Grantham at Downton Abbey (2012)

“Oh really. It’s like living at a second rate hotel where the guests just keep arriving and no one seems to leave.” Dowager Countess, Violet

Stuck at Hotel California granny? More truth to your previous statement about being locked in a W. G. Wells novel. We sympathize, but worry that The Eagles might want credit on that line.

Housemaid Ethel at Downton Abbey (2012)

“But why? What could you have done that was so terrible?” Anna

Oh Anna. You are naïve. We forgive you because this was even under Mrs. Hughes’ radar! Sex in the store room at Downton? What a cheeky lass you are Ethel.

O'Brien warns Mr. Bates at Downton Abbey (2012)

“Watch yourself Mr. Bates. Thomas is in charge now and it won’t do to get on the wrong side of him.” O’Brien

“Is there a right side?” Mr. Bates

Indeed. Best factual statement so far. Glad that someone finally said it.

Thomas and Dr. Clarkson at Downton Abbey (2012)“Just because you’re a poacher turned gamekeeper, there’s no need for rudeness…so mind what I say. Carry on.” Dr. Clarkson

Huzzah. First O’Brien gets clipped in her Soup Nazi shakedown, now Thomas gets reigned in by his boss too. Villains being thwarted. Oh Mr. Fellowes. You do admire Miss Austen.

Lady Grantham, Dowager Countess of Grantham and Lord Grantham at Downton Abbey (2012)“We are used to Matthew now. And God knows who the next heir would be. Probably a chimney sweep from Surrey.” Dowager Countess, Violet

*snort* Enter Dick Van Dyke. Bring it on.

Ethel brings bad news to Downton Abbey (2012)

Look what the cat dragged in. Oh Ethel. This is a fine mess.

What did you think of this episode? I thought it the best yet. I always love the second act of an opera. The plot builds and we are dying to know who will be killed, who will live, and who will be married. Well, we have another 4 episodes before the fat lady sings on this season, so please check back weekly for my recaps and reviews.

I had a blast again as co-moderator of the Downton Abbey Twitter Party hosted by PBS. You can tweet live with us again next week for episode four on Sunday, January 29th at 9:00pm ET and PT. Just use hashtag #DowntonPBS at Twitter or on your favorite Twitter aggregator like Tweetdeck or Tweetgrid.

Do you need to catch up or relive the first three episodes of Downton Abbey? You can watch them online on the PBS Video website through March 7, 2012.

Episode 4 of the second season airs next Sunday, January 29th at 9:00pm ET on Masterpiece Classic PBS. I will be live Tweeting the entire season, so please join us.

© 2007 – 2012 Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose

Posted in Masterpiece Classic | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments »

On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks – A Review

21 January 2012 by Aia A. Hussein

On Rereading, by Patricia Meyer Spacks (2011)Guest Review by Aia A. Hussein

Not too long ago, I picked up my old and battered copy of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and reread the novel.  It was my third reading.  I was pretty confident that I would stop reading after the first few chapters, thinking that I only wanted a small dose of familiarity and good, old-fashioned Gothic comfort before turning to something else, something new.  Jane’s haunting self-awareness, however, sucked me in (again) and I read the whole thing through trying hard to keep feelings of guilt at bay for what felt like a waste of my time.  I shouldn’t be rereading Jane Eyre, I told myself, when I still haven’t read Bronte’s Shirley or the book I checked out from the library or this book or that book that I should read for this or that reason.

And yet, despite these feelings, I reread all the time and I’ll probably never stop.  In fact, I hope I never do because my third reading of Jane Eyre was, so far, my most enjoyable.  “This passion for sameness,” as recently retired Literature professor and editor of Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition Patricia Meyer Spacks describes it, is the subject of her new book On Rereading, an interesting hybrid of literary criticism and memoir.  Released late last year by Harvard University Press, Spacks’ book attempts to answer the very fascinating question of why we read the same books over and over again.

Spacks’ book is mostly a collection of thoughts about novels reread over a period of one year, an attempt to trace personal development and growth through literature revisited.  After a nuanced examination of the act of rereading, Spacks begins her experiment with children’s books with such classics as Alice in Wonderland.  A substantial chapter on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma follows with a discussion of how these novels continue to instruct far beyond the initial reading.  A number of chapters are devoted to the project of trying to disentangle personal and social history from the books we read and reread followed by chapters on recreational and professional rereading.  Of course, like any comprehensive book on rereading, the temptation of rereading books we should have liked, and those we feel we shouldn’t have liked but did anyway, is also explored.  The book ends with the lovely articulation that we are never alone when we read since through reading and rereading we are in a silent exchange with the book’s author, with the generations of readers before and after us, etc., that the act of rereading can be far more dynamic and interactive than we realize.

Rereading, according to Spacks, is “a treat, a form of escape, a device for getting to sleep or distracting oneself, a way to evoke memories (not only of the text but of one’s life and of past selves), a reminder of half-forgotten truths, an inlet to new insight.  It rouses or soothes or reassures.  And…it can provide security” (2).  This sense of security is born from a text’s seeming stability since, as we all know, the words on the page do not change with time.  And, yet, the conviction that change has indeed taken place when we reread can feel so powerful as to convince us otherwise.  It is this sense of change, this “something,” that fascinates Spacks.  The book may not have changed over time but we, as readers, definitely have and, consequently, our relation to the book has changed as well.

Underpinning this experiment are assumptions worth highlighting: reading fiction is important, recreational reading is important, and rereading need not be an act of avoidance or laziness but re-engagement.  Readers of this blog will probably find the act of rereading pretty standard as, according to an informal British survey mentioned in Spacks’ book, Pride and Prejudice is the third most popular reread text (the Harry Potter books, interestingly, are the first most popular).  And, arguably, the countless contemporary re-imaginings of Austen’s world are, to my mind anyway, a type of rereading – we revisit and re-imagine and relive our experience(s) of reading Austen’s books whenever we pick up a contemporary book featuring Darcy or Lizzy Bennet.  Spacks’ book, particularly her first chapter which I think is her best chapter, is worth the read if you’ve ever been interested in this question of why we read the same books over and over.  But, fair warning, you’ll probably feel the urge to pick up an old favorite as soon as you’re done.  Hopefully with a little less guilt.

4 out of 5 Stars

On Rereading, by Patricia Meyer Spacks
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (2011)
Hardcover (304) pages
ISBN: 978-0674062221
Kindle: ASIN: B006LZTL9O
Nook: ISBN: 978-0674063310

Aia A. Hussein, a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and American University, pursued Literature degrees in order to have an official excuse to spend all her time reading.  She lives in the DC area and is a devotee of Jane Austen and all things Victorian.

© 2007 – 2012 Aia A. Hussein, Austenprose

Posted in Book Reviews, Randomly Not Jane Austen Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments »

Follow Friday: Secrets of the Manor House on PBS this Sunday

20 January 2012 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Secrets of the Manor House on PBS (2012)

Ever wonder what really went on behind the stately walls of a British manor house like Downton Abbey? If so, be sure to catch the premiere of Secrets of the Manor House being aired before the third episode of Downton Abbey Season Two on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 on many PBS stations (check local listings).

Fans of historical drama and fiction will be enthralled by this new documentary which looks at two English country manor houses a century ago and today.

Secrets of the Manor House on PBS (2012)

Upstairs family

Here is the description of the production from the PBS website and a video preview:

Exactly 100 years ago, the world of the British manor house was at its height. It was a life of luxury and indolence for a wealthy few supported by the labor of hundreds of servants toiling ceaselessly “below stairs” to make the lives of their lords and ladies run as smoothly as possible. It is a world that has provided a majestic backdrop to a range of movies and popular costume dramas to this day, including PBS’ Downton Abbey.

But what was really going on behind these stately walls? Secrets of the Manor House looks beyond the fiction to the truth of what life was like in these ancient British houses. They were communities where two separate worlds existed side by side: the poor worked as domestic servants, while the nation’s wealthiest families enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury, and aristocrats ruled over their servants as they had done for a thousand years.

The program talks to present-day British lords and ladies and to the descendants of those who lived and worked in manor houses across the country. A series of expert historians explain the true picture of how life was lived within the walls of these stately homes that had changed very little for centuries. It explains the hierarchy of the British establishment: led by the king with a supporting cast of dukes, earls and barons, each keenly aware of his or her place. It visits modern manor houses, where aristocratic families sometimes still rule over scores of servants, in homes with 100 and more bedrooms, and where the lord still enjoys a luxurious life of hunting, shooting and fishing among the beauty of rural Britain. And it details the true hardship of life as a “downstairs” servant: maids would carry 45 gallons of hot water along hidden servants’ passageways to fill one aristocratic lady’s bath, and a housemaid’s day would start before dawn and last for 17 hours as she scrubbed floors, cleaned grates and carried coal — all for a wage of $15 a year.

But, precisely a century ago, a perfect storm of financial hardship and political and social change was threatening to engulf this traditional British way of life. Some impoverished British aristocrats married wealthy American heiresses to prop up and sustain their fading manor houses; the working classes were finding a voice and demanding both political power and better jobs; and the terrible disaster of World War I was looming in the wings. When war came, nothing in the life of the British manor house was ever the same again.

Secrets of the Manor House on PBS (2012)The Downstairs servants

© 2007 – 2012 Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose

Posted in Masterpiece Classic | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Giveaway Winners Announced for The Jane Austen Devotional

19 January 2012 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

A Jane Austen Devotional, by Steffany Woolsey (2012)61 of you left comments qualifying you for a chance to win a copy of The Jane Austen Devotional, by Steffany Woolsey. The winners drawn at random are:

  • Mary Ann Potter who left a comment on January 7, 2012
  • Janis Rothermel who left a comment on January 9, 2012
  • Theresa K. who left a comment on January 9, 2012

Congratulations ladies! To claim your prize, please contact me with your full name and address by January 25, 2012. Shipment is to US and Canadian addresses only.

Many thanks to all who left comments and to publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc for the giveaway copies. The response was amazing. Congrats to the winners. Enjoy!

© 2007 – 2012 Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose

Posted in Austenesque Authors, Austenesque Books | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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