Audiobook: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Duration:   7 hours 22 minutes

 After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up to find herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck inside another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. For her borrowed body knows how to speak without slaying the King's English, dance without maiming her partner, and embroider as if possessed by actual domestic skill.

But not even Courtney's level of Austen mania has prepared her for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condom-less seducers, and marriages of convenience. Enter the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, a suitor who may turn out not to be a familiar species of philanderer after all.

Audiobooks.com 
 

My Thoughts: This was on my TBR wishlist for a while so I jumped at the chance when I saw it available at my library. Though I wanted to read the print version, I was still stoked that it was an audio because it meant that I would listen to someone speak in a British accent. This was a decent read, however, I do admit that it was not what I expected. 

The story started off strong but it began to get weak about halfway through. Courtney's reaction to waking up in Jane Austen's time and to the unhygienic things in that era made me laugh. I too would have reacted the same way that Courtney did. For example, Courtney refused to enter the thermal waters when she noticed how unclean the water was and how sickly all the women in it were (one woman had open sores on her legs in the water). The whole time listening to the plot made me wonder what was actually happening. Was this a dream? If it wasn't, what happened to the real Jane? I wished my questions were answered as the book progressed but instead I found myself more confused and losing interest in Courtney's character.  Courtney's actions in the second half of the book were questionable and her constant banter on her cheating ex-fiance was tiresome. What disappointed me the most was how the ending was rushed and there was no resolution. Perhaps there is a sequel that would answer my questions? To me, the book ended like there wasn't a sequel so it had me unsatisfied. 

The reader of this production, Orlagh Cassidy, did a splendid job. Usually Rosalyn Landor is my favorite narrator when it comes to regency era books, but now I have a new favorite reader. Ms. Cassidy knew how to portray each of the characters by changing her voice and emphasizing at the right moments. She had me hooked even when it began to weaken because I loved how she exaggerated the silly parts. I was able to finish listening to this book because of Orlagh Cassidy.

Overall, this was a decent book. I loved how it started, I loved the humor, and I loved the narrator. I wished that the second half of the book was equally strong when it came to the main character and the plot. I also wished that the majority of my questions were answered instead of leaving me unsatisfied. I rate it: