I love Jane Austen novels and Jane Austen Fan Fiction novels alike. I found this book at a Walmart sale. When I saw the word Jane Austen, I picked it up and headed for checkout. I brought this book home and started reading it. About four hours later I finished it.

I thought this novel to be absolutely hilarious and entertaining. Can you imagine coming from a different century and ending up in the world of today? How confusing and yet exciting would it be? How would you adjust?

Poor Jane. She was so lost and confused and yet she learned how to deal with her situation and make the best of it. Being trapped in another persons body that isn’t your own would be so hard. I laughed throughout this so many times. Jane thoughts and speech was hysterical because it was old fashioned and proper and hearing that today we would think she was a crazy person.

I seriously loved it and I want the companion novel Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict to see what happened to Courtney who happens to be in Jane’s body. If you are a Jane Austen fan like me then I am pretty sure you will enjoy this read.

July 28, 2012

June 23, 2011

Review: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, By Laurie Viera Rigler

Before I get this review started, I think it is only fair that you know the following: I love this author! Not only is Laurie Viera Rigler a kind, generous person, she has an amazing way with words. Plus, is there anything better than a novel that involves time travel AND Jane Austen, I ask you? I think not.

Who is Laurie Viera Rigler?

Laurie Viera Rigler is the best-selling author of the award-winning Jane Austen Addict Series, which includes Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. While Rigler’s Jane Austen Addict series has been very popular, she has also written Sex and the Austen Girl, Jane Austen Made Me Do It, as well as non-Jane Austen related books. One thing is for certain – Laurie has a serious case of Jane Austen Fever (JAF). But, who doesn’t, right?

MY REVIEW

Have you ever thought of what it might be like to travel through time back to the era in which Jane Austen lived, or visa versa? Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be transported into the body and life of someone else? Would you like it? Rigler’s Jane Austen Addict series gives you an enticing taste of what that might be like.

Now it must be said, this novel is the counterpart for Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. While the last book covered Courtney Stone being transported back in time to the Regency era in the form of Jane Mansfield, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict gives the reader the other perspective of Jane Mansfield in Courtney Stone’s world.

As you can imagine, it’s quite the rude awakening for Jane, a genteel from Regency England. Courtney is of the modern world, and as such Jane is exposed to the ways of that world. Will she survive?

Just as Jane finds Courtney’s life confusing and strange, Courtney’s life finds Jane – with her odd way of speaking and behaviors – to be the same. In fact, Courtney’s friends aren’t sure what has come over her.

As the novel continues, Jane is able to adapt to her newfound situation, and she begins to enjoy it, even though it’s terrifying. Will she fall in love? Will she want to stay? You must read to find out! I’d hate to spoil the good parts.

THE PROVERBIAL BOTTOM LINE:

If you are looking for a wildly adventurous, witty, romantic, feel-good read that respectfully captures the essence of Jane Austen, you simply must read Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict this summer.

I must say, this is one of best books I’ve read in a while, which is saying a lot. Rigler is a master of transporting the reader into the story. Literally, I could not put it down. At this point, I can only beg Laurie to write another book!

If you are interested, you can find Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict on Amazon.com:

Thank you Laurie for letting me read your wonderful novel!

Disclaimer: Please note that I did not receive monetary compensation for this post. I received a sample of the product in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way.

August 12, 2009

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

So we all know what happened to the real Courtney… and if you don’t, check out my review here. But what happened to Jane Mansfield? Well, we get to find out in this parallel story to last year’s favorite – Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.

Jane Mansfield, a gentleman’s daughter from Regency England who inexplicably awakens in Courtney’s body in present day L.A. And although her apartment may be smaller than a dressing closet – she is enthralled by the lights that burn without candles, machines that wash bodies and clothes, and that ever entertaining glossy rectangle in which tiny people perform scenes from her favorite book – you guessed it, Pride & Prejudice. As Jane comes to terms with her new life she goes from one hilarious situation to the next… from meeting Courtney’s friends, job and the mess her love life (or lack thereof) is in.

Ms. Viera Rigler is one funny gal – there were parts where I found myself laughing out loud over. I found it uproariously funny that Jane/Courtney wakes up in this whole new world and ends up wearing a wedding gown – since it was the only suitable thing to wear… I mean just the thought of it still tickles me. The transition for Jane is much harder than it was for Courtney. Who in 1813 could envision all the technology we have and take for granted in our day to day lives in the 21st century? I enjoyed this just as much or even more than I did Confessions. I will suggest that you read Confessions first – only because you get to meet Courtney and get more inside information on who Jane is or was in 1813.

This was a fun, light read with plenty of laughs and a wonderful message. I certainly enjoyed it and recommend to all – not only Jane Austen lovers.

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

Laurie Viera Rigler
2009, Time Travel Fiction
Dutton, $25.95, 289 pages, Amazon ASIN 0525950761
Part of a series

Grade: B+
Sensuality: Subtle

In most time travel novels, a person from the present travels to the past. Usually that person has at least some knowledge of the place and time where he finds himself and is not totally lost at sea. But what would happen if a young woman went to bed in England in 1813 and woke up in Los Angeles in 2009? That’s what happens to Jane Mansfield in Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.

Jane is used to being awakened by her maid, Barnes who gently draws the curtains and brings in a cup of tea or chocolate. So what is that terrible noise coming from the box with glowing numbers on it? Why is the bed so low? What is that glare? Where is Barnes, and where is she ?!

Jane is in the bedroom and body of Courtney Stone in Los Angeles, California in 2009. (In Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Courtney finds herself in Jane’s body in 19th century England). Jane is bedazzled, especially when two young women and a man come into her bedroom and introduce themselves. They seem to be her friends – and a man in her bedroom?! Evidently this Courtney woman hit her head while swimming and they decide Jane’s odd speech and actions are the result of a head injury, but to make certain, they get her dressed (she thinks the bra is a bonnet) and take her to the doctor in an odd horseless carriage they call a car.

I’ll leave you to discover the rest of the book on your own, and it is a delightful book. Laurie Viera Rigler does not belabor the fish out of water aspects – this is no farce. Instead it is a study of how a stranger to a society functions while she learns the Rules. Every society has rules that people follow and some of them are so ingrained that we don’t think of them until an outsider like Jane comes along to point them out. Jane was a bit of an outsider in her own society and as the book goes along, she manages to fit into our society with surprising ease.

I would recommend you read Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict in conjunction with in Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, to get the full experience. I love Jane Austen’s novels dearly, and am only now getting into the large collection of Austen-related spinoffs. I don’t see how any of them could top this charming book. I loved it to pieces.

RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT
Laurie Viera Rigler
Read by Kate Reading

In Rigler’s sequel to CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, nineteenth-century Jane Mansfield finds herself transformed into 20-something Courtney Stone, who lives in L.A. Kate Reading’s pitch and accent are spot-on as Jane’s cultivated British internal voice. Jane’s confusion and fascination with our current era’s technology and pace are audible in Reading’s every voicing of Jane’s thoughts. Reading also shifts smoothly from Jane’s thoughts to Courtney’s actual L.A. American speaking voice. And in a deft blending of the two periods, Reading delivers the charming formality of Regency language when Courtney is compelled to use such phrases in speaking to her contemporary L.A. friends in her American accent. The bewildering complications of 21st-century romance, employment, social strata, and freedoms are depicted in a story that asks if society has truly evolved for the better. A.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2009]

Fiction • 9.5 hrs. • Unabridged • ©2009

Trade Ed. • Tantor Media • 2009
CD ISBN 9781400112494 $34.99 • Eight CDs
MP3-CD ISBN 9781400162499 $24.99 • One MP3-CDs
DD ISBN multiple sources

Library Ed. • Tantor Media • 2009
CD ISBN 9781400142491 $69.99 • Eight CDs

“I am Miss Mansfield. Jane is my Christian name. I neither look nor sound like this. When last I went to sleep I was in my own bed, on my father’s estate in Somerset, and it was the year thirteen. 1813. Not”–and there it is, on her desk, a leather-bound book open to the frontispiece, a calendar topped by the numbers 2009. “It was not 2009. I am not ill, Dr. Menziger. I am simply lost.”

It is a fun exercise for the modern Janeite to imagine herself suddenly waking up in Jane Austen’s world—her real world, not the somewhat sanitized version presented in films of her novels. This has been fertile ground for novelists, with varying success; Laurie Viera Rigler’s previous novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, is easily the best of the crop, fresh and smart and more literate than the others. Thus we had high expectations for Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, a companion piece in which we experience the other side of the body-switch: Jane Mansfield (yeah, we know), willowy Regency brunette maiden, waking up as shapely, blonde, 21st century and decidedly not virginal Courtney Stone. If Courtney, well-versed in Jane’s time from her Austen addiction, had difficulty adjusting, just imagine what poor Jane is feeling.

Courtney’s friends are understandably alarmed to find her dressed in the wedding gown from her recently broken engagement (the only garment in Courtney’s closet that Jane considered sufficiently modest to wear), her habit of speaking like someone in a Jane Austen novel, her insistence that she shares a name with a dead movie star, and her failure to recognize any of them, but have a convenient excuse in her accident of the day before, when she hit her head diving in a too-shallow swimming pool. But like her Regency counterpoint, Jane must explain herself to a physician and be subjected to the outrages of contemporary medicine.

Jane struggles to understand Courtney’s life, including the broken engagement (and her attraction to the perfidious ex-fiance, Frank), which reminds her uncomfortably of the circumstances of the romance she has left behind; her amazement at a woman being able to have independent employment, and the disappointing realization that Courtney’s job stinks; the way her world has simultaneously contracted from a large estate house to a one-bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood, and at the same time has expanded to give her a job, a car, and the power to determine her own life—and her amazement at how Courtney has wasted what she considers such a gift. She is confused and bemused by an encounter with a fortune-teller—seemingly the same fortune-teller she encountered in her former life. And she’s not at all sure what to do about Wes, Courtney’s best friend, who is concerned and helpful and has the face of an angel, yet, according to the hints dropped by her girlfriends (and the memories she shares with Courtney), should not be trusted, for he had more to do with Frank’s betrayal than a friend should have had—and, Jane thinks, he would despise her if he knew that she had compromised herself with Frank, a deeply embarrassing (to Jane) circumstance inflicted on her by Courtney’s crossover memories.

Fortunately for her, Jane’s curiosity overcomes her distress at her situation. She begins to adjust and even to learn that life in modern times has its compensations: hot and cold running water, electric lights, easy transportation. As she is in Courtney’s body, muscle memory gives her the ability to swim, touch-type, and drive a car. Anything she does not understand is explained by the ever-valuable Google. Her assumptions about our world are illuminating and at times hilarious and touching, and her discovery that there are four more novels by Jane Austen than have been published in her own time—and that there are entire societies dedicated to discussing her favorite author’s work!–will give any true Janeite a shiver of sympathetic delight.

Jane comes to the realization that, like herself, Courtney was deeply unhappy with her life and wished for something different—something very different. She understands, with the help of the fortune-teller, that she has the opportunity for a fresh start, not only for Courtney but for herself, and that she must shed not only Courtney’s emotional baggage but her own to find the happiness that is truly within her reach.

Like Confessions, the author’s understanding of the Regency period informs the story beautifully without being oppressive; no infodumps, no bizarre side plots designed solely to show off that the author did a lot of research, and just enough mystery and metaphysics about the body switch to keep the reader guessing, since the “how” doesn’t matter in this story as much as the “why.” We are fooled into thinking that the setting, and the setup, is the story, but the plot goes deeper, touching on the reason why we still read Jane Austen’s novels today. It goes beyond the romance, beyond the manners, beyond even the irony and the humor and the beautiful prose: it goes to the truth that while society changes, while the trappings of life change, while the circumstances of our lives that we often take for granted change, people do not change. The human heart does not change. Love and friendship do not change. That which brings us joy and contentment does not change.

I do not know how I have come to be in this time, in this place, in this body. But I do know that any place where there are six novels by the author of Pride and Prejudice must be a very special sort of heaven.

And that is a truth universally…oh, you know.

A lucky AustenBlog reader will win a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. Send an e-mail to austenblog AT gmail DOT com with your full name and mailing address by 8 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, July 8, and let us know what part of modern life you think would be most confusing to a Regency lady.

For a Well-bred Regency Lady 2009 is Definitely a Rude Awakening!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (4 stars)
****
What a befitting title for this companion novel to “Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.” Instead of reading about Courtney Stone’s experience in 1813 Regency England, we encounter Jane Mansfield, a well-bred Regency lady, waking up to find that it is the year 2009 and that she is in Courtney Stone’s body and apartment located in Los Angeles, California. Jane finds this inexplicable transformation to be a very rude awakening indeed, yet, not an unwelcome one… She is now the proud owner of six Jane Austen novels instead of two, can take luxurious showers with running water, and doesn’t have to live with her overbearing mother!

Jane learns that she has switched lives with Courtney for a purpose and that purpose is to fix the mess that is Courtney’s life. Courtney was avoiding her former best friend, Wes, who she believes to have betrayed her; mourning the loss of her cheating exfiance, Frank; and working for a unsympathetic, tyrannizing jerk. Jane sets about to restore order and happiness to Courtney’s life, and what ensues is an entertaining and lively excursion of how a 19th century woman endures being transplanted into 21st century.

Jane was a very likable heroine, I enjoyed her innocence and astonishment with all things modern. Laura Viera Rigler excellently portrayed Jane’s impressions and confusion with the 21st century covering everything from cellphones and electricity to living in a tiny apartment alone without any servants. Jane is an endearing character that the reader cannot but help fall in love with. The same could be said for Wes; I fell in love with adorable, kind, and considerate Wes. In addition, I enjoyed the tension and angst Laura Viera Rigler created in his relationship with Courtney. Even though he is very grateful to be back in Courtney’s life, he fears that it is only a matter of time before she remembers what he’s done wrong and gives him the boot.

Like in “Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict,” there were scenes with the fortune teller and a lot of time was devoted to explaining how and why Courtney and Jane switched bodies. Again, this seemed to be a little too complex and I would have enjoyed a shorter explanation for it all. In addition, I sometimes felt these passages created more questions instead of answering them.

If you are in the mood for something “light, bright, and sparkling,” then look no further! I found this to be such a delightful and diverting series, and Laura Viera Rigler a very talented and witty author. I highly recommend that if you do read these books, that you be sure to read both of them, and that you read “Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict” prior to reading “Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.”

July 27, 2009

This is a very belated review of another excellent book from Laurie Viera Rigler. Rachel has reviewed Laurie’s previous book (Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict) exactly two years ago, the post can be found here. For those who have not read the first book and are interested in jumping through the second book directly, I have to advise against it, for it’s important to know the previous plots to fully understand the story in ‘Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict’. It is possible, of course, to enjoy ‘Rude Awakenings’ without first reading ‘Confessions’, but I still think it increases the chance of being confused.

Okay, so in Confessions, a young Californian girl Courtney Stone woke in the body of a young Regencial British Jane Mansfield. The year was set back nearly 200 years, from 2007 to 1813. Rachel has explained everything in her review, so I won’t reiterate the plot here. I have to say though, that I really enjoyed Confessions; I remember reading it in one night, couldn’t put it down, and had to wake up dizzily the next morning from the lack of sleep. I do admit that I was a bit confused with the ending, for [spoilers for those who haven’t read Confessions], it seemed that Courtney had totally forgotten that she was Courtney. Instead, she was now 100% a believer that she was Jane Mansfield instead, living happily ever after with her ‘Mr. Darcy’, a dashing man named Edgeworth who was the real beau of the real Jane Mansfield. How about Jane herself then? How was/is she doing in 2007?

Now, Rude Awakenings catches the tails of this body/life switch. But instead of 2007, Laurie moved the year forwards to 2009. Could it be because it would be much up to date to talk about California in 2009 than 2007? Perhaps because it was more tempting to include up to date stuffs like the amazing development of United States politics a.k.a. Barack Obama than talking about the previous administration? I’d like to think so… for I see no reason for Courtney to have her head injured in a swimming pool in 2007, switch body with Jane in 1813, and then Jane of 1813 woke up in Courtney’s 2009 body. Courtney’s friends kept suggesting that the (assumingly same) swimming accident pool had triggered Jane’s, eh Courtney’s, senses to take a leave of absence, so logically, Jane should wake up in 2007 as well, instead of 2009.

Anyway, aside from that hiccup, I think Rude Awakening is an excellent book. What I enjoyed the most was Jane’s different perceptions of what is right or wrong, agreeable or disagreeable, beautiful and not beautiful. Jane Mansfield was totally amazed at the many convenience of 21st century, including the wonderful brassiere that was non existent in the early 19th century. She thinks that Courtney’s body is beautiful, complete with the slender swells, and her appreciations upon her ‘own’ body makes her friends happier, for they always attempted to make Courtney realize how beautiful she is, just as she is.

Jane was also bedazzled by the gigantic portions of modern breakfast (funny, I always thought Regencial breakfast as extravagant as well, judging from Pride & Prejudice etc…) and thought that modern humans tend to waste so much food and garbage (that I agree!). And what amazing inventions are computer and internet! Google is just incredibly helpful for Jane to understand Courtney’s world and traditions, even to understand various leaps in human history (I wonder if Jane would ever decide to visit her old village in England… the village still exists per her Google search). And wouldn’t it be fun to see how Jane addresses the amazing shopping trend called Ebay? She might decide to order a Regencial dress online and get addicted with online shopping! (speaking of true experience here…). Oh, and to find herself living the life of another Jane Austen fan, who possesses not only the authoress’ complete novels but also the adapted movies as well! What a joy! To quote Miss Bates: ‘Lovely, lovely, lovely!’

But there are other, more pressing matters for Jane to consider. Was it right for her to go out with a man without a chaperon, even if the said man claimed to be her good friend Wes? Was it even right for her to kiss another man who claimed to be his former fiancé? What about living together and premarital sex? And why – most importantly – does she have to live Courtney’s life as Courtney lives hers? What lessons must she learn?

And this sets the book to another psychological level, as Rachel also admitted in her 2007 review. Does Jane experience reincarnation or mere delusions? Will she ever wake up one day in her own body again? Meanwhile, how does she earn her own bread, now that she decided to quit her old, miserable job? Would it be proper indeed, for a gentleman’s daughter to work at all? What of Frank, Courtney’s former fiancé that kept begging her to forgive and accept him back? What of dearest Wes?

As I hoped, Rude Awakenings does a good job in tying up loose ends from the Confessions (which, I should have known, were left behind intentionally for a sequel). Apart from the 2007/2009 confusion, that is. But no matter. Jane learned a lot of herself, learned new things for her self development. Of the new meaning of independence. Of being a true woman. Of holding her own in the rough life of 21st century. Of cellular memories and the power to choose to be happy; to break old patterns. For she, as all Austen heroines, as Jane Austen herself, finally chooses to empower herself. To set herself free. To be independent, to be happy.

So I guess in the end, I am very thankful for Laurie to have written the book. I’ve written a personal post here, based on the lessons I received from this book (and from other books). And allow me to cite some very impressive quotes from Rude Awakenings here:

‘Today’s women are no less desirous of love, and marrying for love, than they were in [Jane’s] time. But they, like so many women before them, simply fear it is an unattainable goal. And thus they settle for what fleeting pleasures they can find, creating an endless cycle of pleasure, despair, pleasure, despair, ad infinitum.’ (p. 278)

‘In the eyes of love, there is no past.’ (p. 281)

‘Each of us has the power to create heaven or hell, right here, right now.’ (p. 284)

With that note, what’s left for me is suggesting that you should buy the book. Or at least, borrow your friend’s copy if the Amazon’s copy is slow in arriving. It’s an enlightening experience.

Update 28 July09:

Laurie has just emailed me to thank for the review and to explain about the 2007/2009 stuff. This is her reply verbatim: “Nowhere in the first book is the year 2007 ever mentioned, except on the copyright page. Besides, as the fortune teller told Courtney, time is not linear.”

Ah, I see now. I think Rachel and I just assumed 2007 because Confessions was written in 2007. Time is indeed not linear, but if Laurie did mention 2007 in her book, then it would be harder to bring Jane right into 2009 with Courtney’s exact chronological life (including the cancelled wedding and swimming pool accident). So it’s really good on Laurie’s part not to mention the year 2007 at all in Confessions, deliberate for sequel or not!

Of course if she did so, we can always go to the alternative timeline. As a Star Trek fan, it wouldn’t be so hard for me to accept it…

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto

As much fun as Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict was, Laurie Viera Rigler’s second novel, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, is even more so. Rude Awakenings makes for the perfect summer escape as Jane Mansfield’s adventures in the 21st century will have readers laughing out loud.

After a riding accident, Jane Mansfield, a gentleman’s daughter from 1820s England, wakes up to find her room has changed and her trusty maid Barnes is nowhere in sight. What she does find, though, is a noisy box that will not be quiet until she whacks it, another box that is letting her see the characters in her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, and a cute man named Wes. He acts awfully familiar but does not seem to a relation, yet does not seem to be a servant either. As more people arrive, Jane discovers that she has awoken in the body of Courtney Stone, a 32-year-old single girl in modern Los Angeles. Her life becomes a whirlwind as she adjusts to living in 2009 and being an independent woman – something she could only have dreamed of during her life two centuries ago. She also finds herself falling for a man her friends dislike, but how can she ignore the new ability to actually choose a mate for love rather than for his station in life?

I have read a few time-travel stories where characters from the past come to the present and are startled over new inventions, but seem to adapt rather quickly, which I always found rather unrealistic. Rigler does not do this in Rude Awakenings, which is what makes it such an amazing book. Jane literally has to learn how everything works, and what she is eventually able to do, such as typing or driving, is explained by cellular memory from Courtney’s body. It takes the whole novel for Jane to adapt to current social mores (and she is still not totally there at the end), so this adds further doses of realism and humor to the story. Jane is also an extremely likeable character and the reader instantly sympathizes with her in her plight (although still laughing at some of the things she does) and soon starts rooting for her to finally connect with her new crush.

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is a perfect escapist read, great for the summer. While it can be a standalone, it makes more sense when being read after Confessions. However, you do not have to have read any Jane Austen to enjoy this spectacular story by Laurie Viera Rigler.

Rude Awakenings of Jane Austen Addict
by Laurie Viera Rigler

When I finished reading Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict I really hoped there would be a sequel. I’m pleased to report that author Laurie Viera Rigler wrote the sequel and it will be in bookstores on June 25, 2009. If you haven’t read the first book I would recommend it as I found I could jump right into the sequel without needing to ask any questions. But, if for some reason you can’t do that, let me just say that “Confessions of a JAA” is the story of a 21st century young woman (Courtney Stone) who wakes up in the body of a young woman (Jane Mansfield) in Regency England and must live her life. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is the story of Jane Mansfield waking up in 21st century Los Angeles in the body of Courtney Stone. Confused yet? Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the fun adventures of Courtney and then Jane in both books. Now on to my thoughts about the most recent. . .

Imagine waking up in a future century where you don’t understand the lexicon much less the devices, etc. of this new life you’re living. That’s what Jane Mansfield grapples with as well as not knowing her friends (even though they claim to know her). Television, telephones, computers, cars, refrigerators, iPods – these are just some of the things Jane doesn’t have a clue about how to use. Not only that but Jane (in her former life) is used to having servants do most things for her and now (in this new life) she must figure out everything. And that includes doing her own laundry:

It is but a couple of hours later that I deposit a pile of washing upon the bed’s soft red coverlet. My satisfaction in having learnt how to use the washing machine has an alloy, for despite my certainty of having followed every instruction on the lid of the device, I am left with a miniature version of a white dress that I now hold in my hands. I suppose I might pull apart the dress and make a set of handkerchiefs. Or a fichu. If, that is, I could but locate a needle and thread. I have seen neither a workbag nor a needle-case. Not even a thimble in this house.

It is only upon folding the pile of garments that I discover they, too, come with instructions. It appears that each garment requires a different washing temperature and method of drying. I do hope there are a greater number of literate people in this time than there were in mine. Otherwise a great many people will find themselves with doll’s clothing.

I enjoyed seeing Jane become immersed in Courtney’s world. Laurie Viera Rigler had me laughing much of the time and cheering for Jane as she found her way in her new surroundings and relationships. There is so much more to the book but I think you’ll enjoy discovering it on your own without advance notice from me. I know I’ll be reading both books again. If you’re looking to be entertained with something a little different you can’t go wrong with Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.

My thanks to Dutton for the review copy.