Austenland

By Shannon Hale

Book Overview

Updated edition with brand new content, including a "behind the scenes" look at the making of Austenland the movie, coming in May 2026

For readers of Waiting for Tom Hanks and Well Met, a "gloriously satisfying" (Glamour) romantic comedy set at a Jane Austen fantasy resort from New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale. Now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell and produced by Stephenie Meyer.

Jane Hayes is a young New Yorker with a real romantic problem: no man she meets can compare to her one true love-Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort for Austen fanatics, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Dressed in empire waist gowns and torn between a sexy gardener and an actor playing the brooding Darcy role, Jane finds herself mastering the rules of etiquette and of the resort's flirtatious games. But when it's time to bid Austenland goodbye, can Jane really leave her fantasies-and the two men who've played into them-behind?

In this addictive, charming, and entirely delightful story, Shannon Hale brings out the Jane Austen obsessive in all of us.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596912863
• ISBN13: 9781596912861
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

fantasy

Wish I could really visit Austenland. Loved the characters and storyline. Lead character was relatable and easily got swept away in the story.

Austenland is GREAT!

I absolutely loved this book! I am a great fan of Jane Austen and having read many adaptations of her works, will give this one a 10 out of 10! I laughed and cried reading this book and plan on reading it many more times! Don't miss out on a fantastic read!

Somewhere in Time

This was one of the funnest, frothiest books I've read this year (along with the Shopoholic series). Despite how far-fetched Jane's Adventures in Austenland might seem to the realist, I loved the premise, plot, and fairytale ending. There are so many witty literary references, that that alone is worth the read. Jane must distinguish between what is real sentiment and what is Stanislavski Method Acting at its finest. Is Martin, the rootbeer-drinking gardener, the real thing? Jane is rather smitten with the 6'5" "servant" after a seemingly unpretentious, reality-based hook-up. Are Mr. Nobley's intense gazes and Austen-lexicon flirtations indicative of a steady paycheck or burgeoning feelings? Just as Jane thinks she's finally overcome her A & E Pride & Prejudice obsession (believe me, real-life women such as yours truly have a similar, though not quite as intense, Colin Firth-as-Darcy hang-up), she is presented with a pretty close proximation to the Regency-era Fitzwilliam. (It turns out that this Austenland actor was assigned the role of Mr. Darcy/Mr. Nobley because this character was closest to his real personality.) If you can call a good-looking, unemployed British actor in New York City the master of Pemberley, then of all this, Jane might be mistress. Wonderful, light, feel-good read. I really would like to visit Austenland (it would be like a grown-up woman's version of Disneyland--if it only existed AND was affordable!). Colonel Brandon and Captain Wentworth also have a special place in my heart, and Austenland encounters and intrigues with these leading men would be more than welcome.

A fun read

Jane, the main character, is like so many of us, some more admitting than others. We all have a small, meaningless crush on Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Well, Colin Firth to be exact. For Jane, it was more of an obsession. Her relationships don't measure up to her expectations. None of her boyfriends can be Mr. Darcy, so she lives a bit in a fantasy land. A rich aunt leaves her an inheritance -- a vacation to England to live in Austenland, a resort that mirrors Jane Austen times. She wears period clothes and mingles with other guests and actors. They go on long walks, play cards, call on each other. By going along with the vacation, she hopes to rid herself once and for all of the Mr. Darcy obsession so she can go on to live in the real world. Along the way, she finds love. I really enjoyed the pretend scenes where they talked about matters and acted as you would in Jane Austen times. The characters were colorful and interesting. You find yourself relating to Jane. Best of all, it was a very clean book. No foul language at all. I highly recommend this book. It is such a fun read.

Our own dirty little secret

I've been a Shannon Hale fan for awhile now (mostly due to her amazing lyrical writing and overall humor), so when I found she was writing an Austen-related book, I nearly squealed. I knew somehow I would find myself in the story. I wasn't disappointed at all in Hale's writing; it still shines in this geared-for-adults novel and isn't clouded or tainted with lusty "harlequin" details that can be common with modern hommages to Austen. Austenland was hilarious, fun, and cleverly written! I can be a stickler for anachronisms, but I was too sucked into the language to even bother being overly critical. And of course, I found myself secretly wondering where I could find Pembrook Park... The main character Jane Hayes goes back and forth with reality and fantasy. What is her reality? What is her idea of perfection? And does she really want this ideal? I think most Austen devotées toy with the same notions. Most women (including myself) idly wonder if there is such a thing as the "perfect man" for us. With this novel, we can at least live vicariously through Miss Hayes for a few hours. All in all, the book rings with humorous self-assessment and ends with a "conclusion" that we all hope to have. Like other reviewers, I do wish this book would have been longer. Many of the scenes and characters could have been fleshed out more, but I think it's a good sign when readers are craving for more. I don't re-read very often, but I certainly will re-read this one in the future!

Who knew....Shannon Hale did!

All this time I thought I was alone. I thought my secret heart patterings for Mr. Darcy were mine alone. Oh, and the smoldering moment in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Darcy gazes at Lizzie over the pianoforte? Remember that one? Shannon Hale does! She knew exactly how I felt when I saw the way he gazes at her, face it - don't we all wish someone would look at us that way? God - yes! Shannon Hale has written some very well received young adult books - I loved the Princess Academy, but I love Austenland more! It is my book - it is your book too if that above mentioned scene stopped your heart and made you long for that moment to happen in your life. Jane is given a surprise vacation to Pembrook Park - a place where Jane Austen's England is played out for paying tourist to experience. A living history manor and though she has reservations (ha!) Jane goes to try to cure herself of her Darcy longings. Through her life Jane has measured every romantic and non romantic encounters with Mr. Darcy's image. Naturally, no one ever measured up to such lofty expectations. During her stay Jane must sort out what is real, what is not real and what she really wants. Beginning each chapter we are given brief history flashes of Jane's love interests and what she learned from each. This book is going on my keeper shelf destined to be reread again and again!

Austenland: A Tasty Treat

As an adult fan of Shannon Hale's young adult books (The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Newbery Honor book Princess Academy), it is fun to see her ply her considerable talent to lighter fare. This is a very different voice from her lyrical fantasies. Austenland is sassy, fresh, and smart, with engaging dialog and brilliant comic timing. Jane, the main character, who goes on a three-week Austen-themed vacation in an attempt to kick her Colin-Firth-as-Mister-Darcy habit, is caught between the allure of empire waist gowns and men in breeches and her resolve to distill from the experience something real. She is surrounded by a delightful cast of funny (sometimes hysterical) supporting characters. I laughed out loud. And giggled. I actually giggled. I immensely enjoyed this delightful book. But Austenland is not for everyone. It might not be for you if a) you are an Austen purist and believe that Jane Austen's name and works are sacred, b) you don't care much for Colin Firth, c) you are quite young (the book's intended for adults), or d) you haven't much by way of a sense of humor.