Austen & Reality TV

So, I recently read an ARC of Imperfect Bliss by Susan Fales-Hill, which revolves around Jane Austen & the world of reality television.

I have to admit, the cover is pretty awesome.

The book, on the other hand? Not as enjoyable as I wished.

I knew that the book would somehow involve the concepts of Austen & reality TV, but was a little fuzzy on the details of how these ideas would be combined.

Warning: this blog post will probably be spoilery.

So, Imperfect Bliss is an Austen adaptation - a modern re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. The Harcourt family lives in Maryland. Bliss is the Elizabeth equivalent in this novel, a recent divorcee who is still in love with her ex-husband and is raising a special needs toddler named Bella (whose name constantly reminded me of Twilight - probably not the connection Fales-Hill wants to draw) while simultaneously working on attaining her PhD.

Her family, with just enough money to afford a tiny house in their affluent neighborhood, is further ostracized from the community by racial tension (Mr. Harcourt is an Englishman, while his wife is a native of Jamaica).

Bliss and her other 3 sisters are all beautiful (Mary's character has been eliminated); Bliss and her older sister are close and consistently mortified by the behavior of the female constituents of the family. The two younger sisters are fairly silly - one of them is a prissy golddigger intent on marrying her way to a comfortable life, the other is slatternly and her need for attention seems to foretell impending doom (which consists of a sex tape, kind of a let down after all of the build-up, to be honest. & by kind of, I mean completely).

Diana, the prissy younger sister, starts the novel's action by announcing that she is going to be the star of a new reality TV show entitled "The Virgin," which makes her mother inordinately proud, and promises her the fame and fortune that she desires.

The parents in this novel were well done - the mother is completely ridiculous (who, after all, would be proud of their daughter for having a medical exam and subsequent certificate proving and subsequently proclaiming her virginity?), but reasons and rationale are given so that the reader doesn't absolutely hate her (and so she seems more like a human being); the father is often disinterested, a fact that is not glossed over, in the slightest, and points out one of the biggest critiques of the Bennett family in P & P.

Bliss is kind of boring. Her situation is pitiable, but she's just not a likable character. She has the prejudice down, but her judgmental attitude is not tempered by the steady wit and humor that make Elizabeth one of the most beloved characters in literature. Her Mr. Darcy is glaringly obvious, yet does not seem exceedingly prideful, and frankly, seems too good for her.

Overall, this novel was predictable and interesting enough to read, but also slightly boring. I would rate this item as a brontosaurus - it seems like a really awesome find when you first hear about it, but turns out to be fraudulent and really just ruins The Land Before Time.

Is nothing sacred?

This book was received as a reviewer copy, free of charge. It was released in July, and is therefore now available for purchase. The ideas in this review and my opinions of it are wholly my own.

A Celebrated Birthday & a Contest in Her Honor

Jane Austen, whom I think we all agree was an amazing woman, as well as an amazing writer, is currently the subject of a contest at AustenBlog.

Click on "currently" above to check out the contest yourself, and ponder how (or if) Austen has influenced your life.

The Fake Blog Post

aka, a link to a review I did as a guest for AustenBlog.

The review was for a murder mystery that made numerous allusions to Persuasions entitled Murder Most Persuasive. If you haven't read it yet, you really should.

Way to Go, America

Have you ever seen the movie "Meet the Robinsons?" There's this scene where Michael Yagoobian is discussing his descent into becoming a very tall, very thin, very angry villain who will eventually befriend a bowler hat. He walks down the school hallways carrying a binder with a pretty pink pony, his eyes on the floor, and looking back on this time, comments: "They all hated me."

That's pretty much how I feel, because no one voted on my NaNo ideas. Except I don't even have a pretty pink pony binder, and so the depths of despair darkening my heart yawn ever wider in a chasm that might never close, you guys. This abyss might remain agape forever.

For. Ev. Er.

Nothing could better illustrate that my readers are American than this FAILURE TO VOTE.

What you fail to realize, gentle, non-voting readers, is that your decision to behave like an American has taken away my right to do so by being indecisive and letting other people make my decision for me. This is my roundabout way of saying that I decided which idea to write about for NaNoWriMo - option #3: the Jane Austen continuation in the form of a modern re-make. Partially because I think I might actually have the ability to write a great Jane Austen spin-off. Primarily because it gives me an excuse to read about Jane Austen and re-read her works. Be warned: much Austen-related drooling is likely to occur within the forthcoming blog posts.

And I was able to come to a decision this time, but don't expect this to occur too often, guys. I am, after all, very patriotic.

America!

P.S. The above is only meant to be read in a jovial, joking manner. Although I do think it's a good idea to vote for important things - I mean, how ELSE will we know which is better: Coke or Pepsi?

Yes, I Read Another Jane Austen Supernatural Book

Now, before you groan and begin asking mean-spirited questions, let me ask them for you. Trust me, I've groaned and asked myself the same things. What is with all the Austen and paranormal stuff? Why do so many authors aspire to write about Austen and fail? Why do I keep giving these authors the opportunity to dash my hopes over and over and over again?

This is why:

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Jane Bites Back is about Jane Austen, beloved author and vampire, currently living in Brakeston, NY, owning a bookstore selling many items relating to herself, while her own manuscript (not Sanditon) has been rejected by publishers for 2 centuries. There are also a few men in her life, which, of course, results in romantic confusion. It's an interesting idea, a great title, and obviously the concept would be so easy to do poorly.

Except Ford did an excellent job executing his idea effectively. This book is exactly what I look for: funny, clever, relatable. It's a quick read that isn't pretentious, is written well, and that kept me guessing. Also, there are numerous literary and pop culture references. You can feel, reading this book, that Ford had fun writing it, and in turn, it is fun to read.

Dealing with a woman who wrote some of the most popular romances of all time, Jane Bites Back explores the concept of romance, and points out that Austen's books were so much more than romance (which might be part of the reason that they still have readers). I love so much about this book, but don't want to give too much away. Suffice it to say, I think you should read it.