Jane in Love by Rachel Givney is a modern-day take on the Jane Austen story.
While history indicates that the real Jane Austen was content with her writing and uninterested in finding a suitor, in this version Jane decides to give love and marriage a try. For the prospect of becoming an aged spinster and having to rely on the charity of family and friends no longer appeals to her.
In this frame of mind, she travels from Bath to London to consult a very odd matchmaker, who scrawls a few words on a scrap of paper before handing it back to Jane. Returning to Bath, only to find her family in disarray at her absence, Jane flees to nearby woods to decipher the text. Then, by the strangest occurrence, she finds herself transported through time to the present day and onto a movie set in the Bath Community Centre, where an adaption of Northanger Abbey is being filmed.
There she meets the well-known actress, Sofia Wentworth, whose career is heading swiftly downhill. She and Sofia rapidly become friends as Sofia helps Jane navigate the mysteries of modern technology.
Jane’s quest for love seems answered when she meets Sofia’s brother, Fred, who is as good-natured and clever as he is handsome. Is he indeed “The One”?
While exploring this new millennium, Jane is gratified and excited to find that she is a well-known and beloved author of six novels that have been read by generations of fans worldwide.
However, as Jane delights in her new lifestyle and her love for Fred increases, her literary triumphs begin to fade from history. Can she find a way to preserve them all or will she have to choose?
This well-written and wonderfully imaginative novel will appeal to anyone who loves romance with a touch of the paranormal to make the story more intriguing.
On another level, Jane’s narrative as a female writer in an age dominated by men resonates down the ages when compared with that of Sofia, who faces a similar dilemma. Both are ageing women without a man in their lives and are therefore objects of pity to their younger ‘sisters’. They both need to stay strong to survive.
A book to be read in one sitting! Turn your back on modern technology for the day and become transported!
ISBN: 9780143794097
Jane in Love is available in paperback, e-book and audiobook
About Rachel Givney
Rachel Givney is a writer and filmmaker originally from Sydney, Australia (currently based in Melbourne). She has worked on Offspring, The Warriors, McLeod’s Daughters, Rescue: Special Ops and All Saints. Her films have been official selections at the Sydney Film Festival, Flickerfest and many more.
Her inspiration for “Jane in Love” began when she read “Emma” as a teenager. She rapidly became fascinated by its author, Jane Austen. She was shocked to find that the woman who had written such wonderful love stories had never found love herself. Also, that this seemed to be the norm for many other female writers.
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