A Review of 'Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure' by Emma Campbell Webster

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young Austen heroine must be in want of a husband, and you are no exception.

Your name: Elizabeth Bennet.  Your misson: to marry both prudently and for love, avoiding family scandal.  How?  It's entirely up to the reader.

Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure begins with Pride and Prejudice, but your decisions along the way will lead you into the plots of Austen's other works, and even newly imagined territory.  Choosing to walk home from Netherfield Hall means falling into Sense and Sensibility and the infatuating spell of Mr. Willoughby.  Accepting an invitation to Bath leads to Northanger Abbey and the beguiling Henry Tilney.  And just where will Emma's Mr. Knightly fit in the quest for a worthy husband?  It's all up to the reader.

Lost in Austen is a labyrinth of love and lies, scandals and scoundrels, misfortunes and marriages that will delight and challenge any Austen lover.  Will Elizabeth succeed in her mission?  It's all up to you."

This is one of the books I'm going to have to use for my Lit Theory class this coming semester.  We're studying Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and several variations of it (including Bridget Jones's Diary and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, both of which you'll see reviews on this blog, at some point). 

This was a fun book for me because, never having successfully finished a Jane Austen novel, I didn't feel compelled to follow the original plot of Pride and Prejudice.  And I didn't... when I reached the end of my adventure, I had gotten annoyed by a man of the cloth who was following me around throughout a party, left, "caused" him to follow me (malarkey), ran him over with my carriage (thus killing him), and being sent to prison, blamed for this man's death.  Needless to say, I did not achieve my goal of marrying prudently and for love.  Hmmm...

I liked the little comments written after certain paragraphs throughout the books.  They were so judgmental that I had to laugh!  It was also fun (yet a little frustrating) to keep track of points.  Unless I am specifically instructed to keep track of points when I read this again for my class, I probably won't do that.

This is a great book for the Jane Austen fan or even if you're just getting used to Jane Austen's style, as I am.  It's a great way to get your feet wet.

I give 'Lost in Austen':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude