According to Jane by Marilyn Brant: Book Review

Title: According to Jane
Author: Marilyn Brant
Publisher: Kensington

First sentence: I always thought Homer painted his character Odysseus as a real slow learner with that whole twenty-year-journey thing.


I had the pleasure of meeting Marilyn at an Eloisa James author signing at our public library. It was my first author visit and I got 2 authors out of it! When she found out that I had a book blog, she offered to send me a copy of According to Jane. I have to admit that I have never made it through Pride and Prejudice - more of a time thing rather than a lack of not wanting to - and still it languishes on my shelf. But no worries, you do not have to have read Pride and Prejudice to enjoy According to Jane. With all the different Jane Austen books out there right now I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one. That and not having actually read Pride and Prejudice (and having met the author in person) made me a little worried about this one - I shouldn't have been. This was a delightful book to read.

I have been finished with this book for a couple of days now, and actually started writing this review yesterday morning - but it seems like the more I enjoy a book, the harder it is for me to write the review. I don't feel like I will be able to do the book or the author justice - but I will try.

We meet Ellie in the beginning of the book in her high school English class (in the mid 80's). Jane has just tsked, tsked her way into Ellie's head - It was so real to her that she actually looked around the room to see who was tsking. But fear not, Ellie is not portrayed as a "crazy" lady. Jane becomes a part of her life like a sister or a best friend would. Their conversations are humorous, thought provoking, and emotional - even though they all take place in Ellie's head.

I loved all the 80's references as that is when I was in high school and college. Talk about remembering all the teenage angst and crushes, and how easily one could get their feelings hurt or misunderstandings could start. What happens to Ellie in high school continues to shape her on her romantic journey through college and young adulthood. All the while, Jane keeps a running commentary going on as she lets Ellie know when she is disappointed or when the current beau is a Darcy or a Wickham.

You really must join Ellie on her journey to discovering the love of her life, and experience all of her romantic entanglements along the way. It would be nice if we all had our own Jane to keep us company when our romantic world seems to be in flux - even if she is not always right. . .

Excellent debut novel - can't wait to see what other books this author will bring!

Visit her website to learn more about Marilyn, or visit her on her blog - Brant Flakes.


According to Jane
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3461-2
352 pages

Teaser Tuesday: 9-29-2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

His pores, though large, were somehow intriguing, especially up close like this. It made me laugh. That was my test to see if I had a bad case of lust--when even a guy's pores look sexy. (Uncorrected proof, According to Jane, p51)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted at Should be Reading. Come on over and share your teaser, too!

According to Jane
Publisher/Publication date: Kensington Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3461-2
288 pages

Waiting on Wednesday: According to Jane

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:



According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington, September 29, 2009

About the book: It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.



Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.



Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she though she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . .


About the author: Marilyn Brant has been told she writes with honesty, liveliness and wit (descriptors she's grown terribly fond of) about complex, intelligent women--like her friends--and their significant personal relationships. Although her favorite passion is undoubtedly books, she proves she's not just a literary snob by confessing her lifelong fascination (read: obsession) with popular music, especially from the '70s & '80s, most flavors of ice cream and a variety of sensuous body lotions/oils...because, next to Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble and, well, Ben & Jerry's...Victoria's Secret is her favorite store.

In her books, she amuses herself by slipping in references to all of the above, a sneaky tactic intended to keep her mind alert at 1:00am when she’s supposed to be writing a big fight or love scene. Sometimes it takes including the ice cream, the lotions AND the music in her writing to effectively trick the muses into showing up. Sometimes it just makes her hungry, aroused and curiously obsessed with her iPod.

Marilyn lives in the Midwest where, before she became a full-time novelist, she worked as an elementary school teacher, a library staff member, a freelance magazine writer and a national book reviewer. She’s blessed to have a genuinely supportive husband and son, a loving family and a truly amazing group of friends, all of whom keep her grounded, sane and away from dangerous things like chocolate martinis (usually). She’d love to say she also has killer abs but--so far--this is still a fantasy. (from the author's website)

I had the pleasure of meeting Marilyn at Eloisa James' author visit that I went to. Turns out she lives in this area! I don't have to wait for her book as she has sent it to me! I am so excited to read it, especially after having met her.

According to Jane
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington Books, September 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3461-2
288 pages