Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Book Review : The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen + GIVEAWAY!!


  The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James


Brilliant! What happens when the lost memoirs of the adored author, Jane Austen, are found in a long-lost and forgotten trunk? Syrie James rewrites the author’s secret memoirs to reveal a poignant tale of dreams, love and the surrendering of hope. Bliss and sadness meshed into a story that could end in no other way…

In The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, her soul mate, Mr. Ashford, is the great, yet impossible love of her life. Taking us through her father’s death and relocation of her family (sister Cassandra and her mother)from one brother’s house to another, Jane retells how through various acquaintances she meets her Mr. Right. The story, resembling many of her own writings, does not take the smooth road to bliss. Mr. Ashford was betrothed to the young Isabella since birth- a commitment he cannot reverse…or can he? The turn of fate that is presented leads Jane and Frederick (Mr. Ashton) back into eachother’s arms..but for how long?

Brilliantly written, James blends historical facts with fiction to bring us a credible memoir that may ultimately lead to wishing it were so…

Like waking from a dream that you wish were reality, the disappointment quickly fades and you’ll be delighted to have been indulged in a purely splendid tale that would have made Jane Austen very proud.

I absolutely LOVED this Austen spin-off and highly recommend it. It’s an easy read that keeps you entertained from beginning to end. ..How I wish it were so!

I'm pleased to say that this completes my six reads for The Everything Austen Challenge! I thoroughly enjoyed reading these books- giving me good reason to finally get them off my TBR list:)



Please note that I am also entering this one for a new Challenge started by the wonderful blog, Historical Tapestry:




The ABC Historical Fiction Challenge for ther Letter A (Austen)


In the spirit of this excellent read and to further the enjoyment of Austen books, I’ve decided to do a GIVEAWAY in honour of this exceptional author…

I’m giving away one gently used copy of:  JANE AUSTEN NORTHANGER ABBEY-Lady Susan-The Watsons-Sandition.




This book contains 4 of the 6 books I read for this challenge.  I hope the lucky winner will enjoy this as much as I have. (Please note that the cover on the one I'm giving away is red- not blue as the one shown in image.)

Open to Canada and US

To Enter:
1 Chance: Leave a comment telling me what you love most about Jane Austen’s books
2 Chances: for every time youTwitter or Blog about this Giveaway(send me the thread)
3 Chances: Post this Giveaway on your sidebar
5 Chances: Become a Follower of my blog (If you’re already a follower, you get this automatically)

Winner announced on December 7th


22 comments:

Arleigh said...

I liked The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen as well. I haven't read any of the novels included in your giveaway book, so please enter me :) I think what I love most about Jean Austen's writing is its authenticity... to her they were modern novels, though to us classics. It's nice to know the precise wording and diction they used.

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

I love the subtle humor Austen uses in her writing. She's a sly one...I hope to read more of her book soon! Thanks for the giveaway.

I'm an old follower.

I tweeted: http://twitter.com/bookmonstrosity/status/6245427220

fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com

Passages to the Past said...

Oh YEAH! I'm so glad you liked it because I've had my eye on it lately! Love the cover!

You wrote an awesome review Lucy (as always)!

Please enter my name for the contest - I really need to read more Austen!

Thanks Lucy!

Anonymous said...

I love the writing of Jane Austen books...it's like poetry to me.

karenk
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

brokenteepee said...

The conversation! It's biting and so very entertaining.
Thanks!
kaiminani at gmail dot com

I am an old follower

Ingrid Mida said...

How I wish it were true! Did you see the article in the paper today speculating about the real cause of Jane Austen's death?

Linda said...

What's not to like? I esp. like the relationships between sisters. Thanks for the giveaway.

I am a follower.

lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

Meredith said...

I'm so glad you liked this book as much as I did Lucy, and you wrote such an excellent review!!! You don't need to enter me in the giveaway, I just wanted to comment on your review. I agree with Ingrid, too, I dearly wished for it to be a true story. I hope Jane Austen had an experience in love as wonderful and romantic as Ms. James portrayed.

syrie James said...

Hi Lucy,

Thank you so much for your wonderful review of my novel! I'm delighted that you enjoyed it, for it was truly a work of my heart.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments about my newest novel, about another one of my favorite authors-- "The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte" -- which I'm excited to report was just named a Great Group Read of 2009! It's the true story of Charlotte's life and romance, and how she came to write "Jane Eyre." Learn more at www.syriejames.com.

Beautiful website, by the way. And thanks for your message on my website. I was thrilled to hear from you. Have a great December!

Syrie James

Kim said...

I LOVED this book! I'm plannning on reading her other book, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte.

Libby's Library said...

A Bookshelf Monstrosity took the words right our of my mouth!

I'm a follower:-)

libneas@aol.com

Margay Leah Justice said...

It's hard to pick one thing, but I guess i like how she writes about society with wit and a critical eye. And of course, her heroes are to die for!

I tweeted: http://twitter.com/Margay/status/6259792131

I am a follower.

Margay

Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com

Amber Leigh Williams said...

Would it be too easy to say I love Austen for her heroes? Whether its Darcy (yum!) or Colonel Brandon or Knightley, I just LOVE an Austen hero! Never been able to pinpoint why exactly.

I retweeted this contest: http://twitter.com/ALeighWilliams. It automatically posts to my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/amberleighwilliams

Your blog's beautiful, by the way! I'm happy to be a new follower :)

Elisa said...

I have the uncompleted stories in an older Penguin edition.

Laura at Library of Clean Reads said...

I love Austen's witty dialogue and her character development.

By the way, great review of The Lost Memoirs! And thanks for visiting my blog.
Please enter me in this giveaway.
laura(at)laurafabiani(dot)com

I'm an old follower.

Kirsten Steen said...

Hi Ms. Lucy~ I'm with Amy. I need to read more of her too to be able to comment! So put my name in. Have missed you. Thanks so much for coming by. Question: Are all the books in your Amazon shop books that you have reviewed or just ones you think people would like? Do they have to be ones you've mentioned on your site? Love what you're doing!!

Mystica said...

The conversation is so enlightening, the humor so very dry and altogether captivating - please dont enter me as I am overseas! so sad.

BurtonReview said...

I have the giveaway book, please don't enter me.. but I wish I had some time to read it!

I think I have this Syrie James book (courtesy of the sweet Arleigh), I'll have to check my shelf for sure.

and congrats on completing your Austen Challenge!! I am just not even going to look at my challenges any longer. Depressing.

Thanks for the awesome review!

Unknown said...

This one looks interesting! I'm loving the renewed interest in Austen!

Don't worry about entering me as I already have that Austen book.

Thanks for the comment on my Richard III reads...I KNEW I had seen the idea on a blog I follow and I couldn't remember which one!

Jessica said...

I like Austen's heroines and her humor.
Please enter me!

j.brol(at)yahoo(dot)com

Jenny Girl said...

Don't enter me - just wanted to say I also loved this book. Skeptical at first and then was completely engrossed. She has one about Bronte but I haven't read that one yet.
HOpe this finds you well Lucy :)

Joanne said...

I love the two books written by Syrie James! (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte.) The Lost Memoirs was one of my favorite reads for the year; the writing is so elegant with vintage charm! I'm looking forward to her new release in 2010 titled, "Dracula, My Love."