Yours
Affectionately, Jane Austen by Sally Smith O’Rourke
Published
by 2012
Published
in Victorian Essence Press
261
pages
Historical/Austenesque
Fiction
Synopsis:
Was
Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist
Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, YES? And Fitzwilliam
Darcy of Pemberley Farms is the reason why!
His
tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz
Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in
love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love
average, ordinary Eliza Knight?
Eliza’s
doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the
quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the
beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz and Eliza or the tie that
binds them?
Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is a delightful and sweet
story about the modern-day Mr. Darcy that may have inspired Jane Austen’s Pride
and Prejudice. It is the sequel to The Man Who Loved Jane Austen and I wish
that I had read that book before diving into this one. This book could be read
as a stand-alone book; but, I would not recommend it. By reading both, you
would get a better understanding of the story and the characters.
At its heart, this book about time travel, love-at-first-sight,
and Jane Austen. There are three parallel stories going on throughout the book,
past and present. All three are sweet and converge together at the end. First,
you have Jane Austen missing her Mr. Darcy. Second, you have Simmons traveling
through time to find Mr. Darcy. And finally, you have Eliza and Fit, the
present, trying to find each other. All of them are intertwined and all of them
touched by Ms. Austen.
I really enjoyed Ms. O’Rourke’s Jane Austen. She is a fun and
loving aunt and sister. She is also extremely humble and modest about her work.
However, at the same time, she is very proud of it. My favorite part of the
book is when a man confronts her at a party saying that she has no business
writing novels. She is very passionate in her response in defending her
writing. To her uncle says one of favorite quotes:
I think a person who does
not take pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.
I love that! This scene is also, indicative of her position as a
woman in the Regency Period. She would have loved to say that to the rude man
but she couldn't; she had to rely on her uncle to give the insult.
As you can probably tell, my favorite parts of the book were
about Jane. However, I did enjoy the budding romance between Fitz and Eliza.
They are so tentative but at the same time passionate about each other. I
really like that love-at-first-sight meant, to Fitz and Eliza, being home. I
thought that was so romantic. Big sigh!
If you enjoy Austenesque fiction, I would definitely try Yours
Affectionately, Jane Austen. But remember to read The Man Who Loved Jane Austen
first. I think you will have a better experience.
About the Author:
“Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?” (J.A. June 15, 1808)
That I reside in the Victorian village of Monrovia, California; a mere two miles from my place of employment, The City Of Hope. COH is a cancer research hospital where I spend most daylight hours in the operating room as a scrub nurse.
That I am a native Californian, having been born in Glendale, and spent most of my life here with a relatively short span of years in Reno, Nevada where I attended school. Returning after graduation I have remained in sunny SoCal.
That I was widowed some time ago. That I have very domestic hobbies like sewing, cooking, baking, candy making and cake decorating. Oh, yeah I write, too. Mike, my late husband and teacher, taught me that writing has to be treated like a job so every day no matter how tired I am I edit, research one or more projects and write.
That presently I am finishing up the sequel to The Man Who Loves Jane Austen with Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen; have started a story of reincarnation that takes place in Pasadena, CA and am making notes for a ghost story set in San Francisco. Three stories running around in my head and often colliding but I untangle the debris and continue on.
There you have a few of my nothings.
