Book #4 - "Jane Austen Ruined My Life"

Book #4 - "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" by Beth Pattillo

I will admit, I was a little weary when I first picked up the book. There are so many books that try to use Jane Austen as a means of inspiration (and a way to sell copies), so I didn't want to get my hopes up. But this was fantastic! A young Jane Austen scholar's life is ruined when she discovers her husband had an affair, and she blames Jane Austen for teaching her to believe in happy endings. She gets invited to London to meet with a mysterious old lady who claims to have knowledge of the whereabouts of various missing letters by Jane Austen. She decides to meet this woman, and see if she can use these letters to her advantage. She also runs into a former best friend (male, of course), and goes through a series of tasks, learning more about the true Jane Austen, and changing her perspective on romance and happy endings - but not in the way that you'd expect!

The great thing about this book is that it does take time to teach you about Jane Austen - using actual facts. And the other clearly lets you know exactly what was made up at the end of the book. The characters are very believable. And the ending is pleasant, but unexpected. Best of all, the author didn't try to recreate Jane Austen's style (which always seems so forced) and can really get you thinking about what you actually want out of life. I couldn't put it down!